“I figured I’d never see him again, but I might’ve had a teeny, tiny mishap with the dark web. With his super-hero friends, he flies to the rescue. Talk about mixed signals.” I sigh, grab a tissue, and mutter.
“Huh? I did. And when Uncle Vinny scheduled my night, I tried to explain I couldn’t ignore it. You know what he did? Mr. Kiss-and-Ditch went ahead and got his own date to punish me. She was so gorgeous, she could’ve jumped right off the pages of Vogue.”
Telling my tale of woe takes so much time, my shrink falls asleep and he topples into the sink. After I save him from drowning, his grimace seems worse.
“I know you’re disappointed I sabotaged this relationship. We know how I am. He’s too good for me. I’d only drag him down.”
His brows furrow and in my mind, I recall how my real therapist might respond.
“I know, I know.” Sighing, I close my eyes, and those wasted ten years flash through my head.
“I do want to move forward but what if this guy is like my ex? Huh? Sorry. Right. IallowedPaolo to control me, but it wasn’t my fault. He was so damn subtle. We couldn’t afford to travel to the states, he had to visit his sick mom, the pope required an audience… What else you ask? I told you how I never did anything right. What? Shit. Let me reword that, too. Heimpliedeverything I did was crap. His laundry wasn’t folded correctly, his dinner was lukewarm, my shirt showed too much boob, or my pants were too tight.”
I recall the moment with the stranger who changed everything. Cringing, I break into tears. “I shouldn’t’ve have cheated but I wanted to be loved and I was never going to be good enough. It’s no excuse but for one night, it was so damn nice to be treated like I mattered.”
Blowing my nose, I fluff up Dr. Downy. “But Ihavetried to forgive myself. You don’t know what it’s like and Wheels deserved to know about me. If he found out from someone else, it’d be worse. Besides, it’s best to end it before someone got hurt. Huh? I’m not. These are not upset tears, they’re frustration. Well, if you put it that way, maybe I shouldn’t’ve drugged him, but give me a break. I was trying to do the right thing. Sam’s got a toddler. So does Joey. I gave my email to criminals. I had to make sure nothing blew back on them.”
He says something and I snicker. “Blaming Paolowaspure genius but you’re right. It could come back and bite me in the ass.” Therapy session over, I hug the pillow until the face disappears and, in the shower, cry until there’s no more tears.
The moment I exit, my phone rings.
Wheels grabs it, sees the callerID, and frowning worse than Dr. Downy, puts it on speaker. “Answer it. Do not tell him where we are.”
“Hi, Uncle Vinny.” When I turn away from Mr. Bossy Body, I glance in the mirror, and moan. Swollen red eyes and nose, are not a good look on me.
“Did you visit with Signore Lapa last night?” His clipped words and tight voice tell me he is more than a little annoyed.
I manage a smile and work hard to sound cheerful. “Mmm-hmm. I told him everything. It’s all good.”
“Where are you?”
“Just taking a break from the city.” It’s the truth but not what my uncle wants to hear.
“Put me on the phone with the bodyguard.”
Wheels leans in. “I’m listening. What do you want?”
“Bring her home, now.” He uses a commanding tone, the one where grown men piss themselves.
Wesley’s voice, however, stays even keeled. “She’s an adult. There’s no law says we can’t spend some time in a hotel.”
What? We are not having sex!
“Bella, you good?” My uncle wants me to say no, but Wheels’ brows raise in warning.
I need to choose my loyalties and God help us all if I’m wrong. “I’m fine. In fact, I’mperfetta. I’ll see you soon. Ciao, ciao. Love you. Bye.” I hang up before having to lie any more.
“Did you call him?” Wheels stomps into the bathroom and dumps my makeup bag.
“No. Leave my stuff alone.” My favorite eyeshadow lies open, crumbled in pieces.
“Who were you talking to in here?”
“Myself. It’s a habit. Crazy, right? Good thing you don’t want anything to do with me because I got a screw loose.”
His lips drop to mine, then lower to my towel tucked under my arm. We share this tortured gaze and for a moment, I think he’s going to kiss me, but he turns on his heel and stares into space.
“Get dressed. We need to go.” He grabs my phone, takes out the sim card, and pockets it.
