“Behave yourself this evening,” my husband growls in my ear as he drags me toward the stone steps at the mansion’s entrance.
I dig my heels into the cream gravel and gasp in mock horror. “I’m always a good girl.” Angelo’s eyes heat for a moment, and his gaze drops to my cleavage. But before I can second-guess what he’s thinking, a liveried butler appears.
“Good evening, Sir. Your father is waiting for you in the drawing room. He’d like a quick word before the rest of the guests arrive.” The man sounds like Horatio’s twin, and I wonder if they’re related. They don’t exactly look alike, but they share the same snooty demeanor.
“I’ll escort Mrs. Di Rossi to the reception room,” Kane says smoothly. Angelo tenses, but unless he wants to drag me along with him to see his father, he has no choice but to leave me with Kane.
“Fine. I’ll be there shortly.” With one last glare at me, Angelo stalks off.
“The food better be amazing,” I mutter to myself as I lift the hem of my floaty dress and pick my way toward the steps while cursing Fina for insisting I wear this ridiculous dress.
Music drifts out from a large room as Kane pauses outside. His role tonight is to ensure I don’t run away. At least that’s what Angelo told me on the way over. I laughed until I realized he wasn’t joking. Shortly after that cute warning, he informed me his father’s dogs would be roaming free.
“Aww, I love dogs!” I’d excitedly imagined some cute terriers or lazy wolfhounds.Nope.Angelo informed me that Lorenzo’s dogs were man-eating monsters, and if I tried leaving via the grounds, they’d eat me for dinner.
Hardly a recommendation of Lorenzo’s hospitality. Hopefully, none of the other guests wander into the gardens while drunk, or they might also get eaten. If it’s my dear stepmother, the dogs would need surgery to extract all the plastic enhancements.
Yeah…apparently she and her odious husband are guests this evening, along with a bunch of other assholes I’m sure I’ll hate.
Fina will be here shortly, at least. We can stick together.
“Luka should have come with us,” I grumble as Kane takes my coat and gives it to a meek woman wearing a black uniform.
“Lorenzo wouldn’t want him here,” Kane says, “but I’d say he’s dodged a bullet because I can guarantee you’d hate watching Lorenzo treat him like shit all evening.”
“Would Lorenzo really be that mean?” I’m not surprised to learn Lorenzo is awful to his illegitimate son, but to be vile to him in front of guests is a surprise.
“Yeah. He hates that his infidelity came back to haunt him so publicly.”
“That’s so stupid. It’s not like anyone really knows Lorenzo is Luka’s bio father,” I scoff. Kane pushes open a double-set of carved oak doors and gently nudges me inside a vast reception room with a painted ceiling. My mouth gapes open.
There are graphic depictions of cherubs, angels, and naked women doing dubious things to one another. I squint whiletrying to make sense of the paintings before Kane chuckles in my ear.
“Look closer and you’ll see the angel with the biggest cock has Lorenzo’s face.”
My stomach heaves. “Oh my fucking—”
“What a lovely surprise.” Vivian’s voice drips with icy disdain. When I drag my gaze away from the pornographic ceiling that would not be out of place in Hugh Hefner’s old mansion, I struggle to paste a polite smile on my face.
Vivian’s had more work done. Her face is tauter than ever; it’s a wonder she can move her mouth.
“How lovely,” I reply, not meaning a word of it. “Sucha treat to see you again.” I make a show of looking around. “Could your husband not make it, or is he dead now?”
Kane chokes on a laugh behind me while valiantly doing his best to turn it into a cough.
Vivian fixes her face into what might pass as a regretful frown on a normal person, only her face doesn’t move more than a millimeter, so she ends up resembling an exhibit from Madame Tussauds.
“Now, now, dear. While I understand you are still grieving the loss of your father, it’s not okay to abuse me in public.” Several people have overheard us and are gawping at me like I’m the Antichrist.
Before I can retaliate, Kane grabs my elbow and leads me toward the far side of the room where servers are expertly mixing cocktails. I take a moment to collect myself while he orders me a glass of chilled white wine.
“Don’t let her get under your skin, kitten,” he says as he passes me the glass. “She’s not worth it.”
I know he’s right, but dammit, I hope karma comes for that bitch soon because she fucking deserves to pay for the things she’s done.
All eyes are on me as I wander around the room with Kane tracking my every movement from his position by the door.
Seconds tick by as I wonder what’s taking Angelo so long. Is there a problem? Not that I’m desperate to have him back at my side, glowering at me like I’ve committed a crime just by breathing the same air as him.
