Her arrogant tone rubs me the wrong way. She’s crazy if she thinks she has any power in this situation. My lips curl into an amused grin. I fucked Chantel to get to her father, but I don’t need her anymore. We have a thick file on the corrupt judge that will keep him in line now. She has outlived her usefulness, and it’s time to cut her from my life. She’s a decent lay, and she usually knows how to keep her mouth shut at society events, so that’s why I kept her on speed dial. But I did not sign up for this shit, and I have no interest in fucking her anymore.
This ends tonight.
I won’t be seeing her again, and I’ll be deleting her number.
“Do I look like I give a fuck?” I dump more red wine in her glass, moving it in front of her. “Drink up and keep your mouth shut, or I’ll be the one having a quiet word in Daddy’s ear.”
Fire spits from her eyes as she glares at me, but she doesn’t retaliate, so I count that as a win. She takes another healthy gulp of wine, and I know it won’t be long until she’s drunk and ready to pass out.
I thought her presence would infuriate Sierra, but she doesn’t seem to care. She’s too busy flirting with Alessandro to notice. Glancing over at the top table, my lips pull into a tight line when I discover Sierra draped all over her bodyguard like a blanket. She’s laughing at something Alessandro said while running her hands up and down his arms. To outsiders, she looks smitten, and I am slowly losing control of my temper. That woman pushes my buttons to the extreme, and she is playing with fire.
Alessandro is also treading a very fine line right now. His stiff body language tells me he’s uncomfortable, but he’s not putting her in her place, letting her paw at him and press kisses to his cheek. Fuck this shit. I can’t even drown my sorrows in bourbon, because I need to keep my wits about me.
“She’s stunning,” Natalia whispers in my ear, her eyes glued to the adjoining table.
“Stop looking at her. You’re making it obvious.”
She laughs, and her blue eyes sparkle with mirth. “I hate to break it to you, brother dearest, but you haven’t taken your eyes off Sierra all night.I’mnot the one making it obvious.”
I know she is right, and I hate it. I hate that my eyes latch on to her of their own volition. I hate that I can’t go five seconds without thinking about her.
I can’t let Sierra distract me.
Not now, not ever.
But I see the way the men in this room are watching her, and I don’t like it one little bit. I know she is purposely drooling over Alessandro to rile me up, and I’m liable to snap before the night is out.
“Sierra and Alessandro seem close,” Natalia says with a wicked gleam in her eye. “They are close in age too, no?”
“Natalia,” I hiss. “Quit pissing me off.”
She laughs. “Don’t spoil my fun, Benny. I have never seen you like this over any woman. Ever. I thought your heart had shriveled up and died, but she is bringing you back to life. Now you just need to get your head out of your ass before you fuck it up and lose her.”
I sigh, ignoring her. If I try to deny it, she will only protest. I know when I can’t win an argument and when I’m better off keeping my mouth shut. I wish time would fast-forward so this night could be done. But someone up there is determined to make me suffer.
The band starts, and Sierra grabs Alessandro, dragging him to the dance floor. He doesn’t even glance in my direction as they rush past. The little coward. I’m going to string him up by his balls and enjoy inflicting pain with my knife.
“Dance with me.” Natalia tugs on my arm the same time Chantel does.
I stand, offering my sister my hand. “It would be my pleasure.” This way I can avoid dancing with my date while keeping a close eye on Sierra and my disobedient soldier.
Two birds, one stone.
“You look stunning tonight,” I tell her as I guide us out into the middle of the dance floor. It’s true. Natalia is a striking woman, and in that red dress, she is garnering as much attention as Sierra. Like my baby momma, she is also more than the sum of her looks. Natalia is intelligent and compassionate with a great sense of humor.
I lucked out on the sibling front, for sure.
Natalia was the one who got me through those dark early days, and I appreciated it because she was grieving and she could have easily resented me when our father claimed me purely so I could replace the brother she had just lost. But she never held it against me. Instead, she helped make things bearable, and we forged an instant bond.
I love my sister, and I would burn the world down for her.
I position us directly beside the other couple, and my skin ripples with rage as I watch my future wife circle her arms tightly around my soldier’s neck. Alessandro bristles, finally making eye contact with me. He doesn’t cower under my dark glare, but he forgets I know him. His body is as stiff as a brick, his dancing mechanical, despite Sierra’s best efforts to get him to loosen up.
“Thank you, Benny. You are always so gracious.” Natalia kisses my cheek before angling her head in Sierra’s direction. “She looks like an angel,” she adds, as we sway to the music.
“Don’t let that beautiful innocent exterior fool you. Right now, she’s the devil incarnate,” I say, tightening my hold on my sister’s waist as I watch Sierra press her lips dangerously close to Alessandro’s mouth. If she kisses him, I will rip her from his arms, toss her over my shoulder, and drag her to my room to give her a physical reminder of who she belongs to—consequences be damned.
“I saw her sneaking glimpses at you during dinner,” Natalia murmurs. “She looked like she wanted to murder you half the time.”
