He grins. “Not so fucking cocky now, are you? She chose me. She fucking chose me. Why do you think I’m down here? Because she wants me and can’t figure out how to get rid of you. I bet my cum is still inside her. Fuck you and your superiority. You’re fucking nothing. She chose me!” he screams as I stand and slowly make my way out of the room.
I close the door and click the lock in place. I can’t bring myself to believe it, but there has been something untoward since she’s been back.
She hasn’t come to bed until well after I’m asleep. When I wake up, she’s gone. She spends all her time in her office with the door locked. She won’t let me in, barely talks to me and says she’s working on a plan with Bellino.
I don’t know what her plan is, what they’re doing, has she changed her mind? Is she with Bellino? Is Matteo right? Did they have sex? I make my way up to the room and step inside. She’s drying herself with her robe. The small towels she used to use are gone.
Since she came back, she has been wearing a big, baggy robe and baggy clothes. I walk up to her and slide my hands around her, but she steps away from me and walks to the other side of the bed.
“We need to talk,” I whisper.
“We will once I’ve sorted everything out.” She barely glances at me.
“Sorted everything out? About what?”
“Bellino.” She swallows, blowing out a breath. “Matteo.” She doesn’t look at me when she says his name. She moves further away.
“Ari?”
“Yes.” She glances over her shoulder.
“Take off the robe.”
“I’m not in the mood.”
“I didn’t ask if you were in the mood. Take off the robe.”
She turns, but she’s clutching it tightly against her body. The bruising on her face is yellow with a purplish edge. “No.” It’s the only reply she gives before she turns away.
“Did you fuck him?” If she’s honest, then maybe I can get past it if it’s true. But there’s clearly something.
She huffs a laugh. “Yeah, he fucked me, Vittorio, he fucked me real good.” The disgust on her face tells me I don’t know everything. I take a step back from her. I feel like my world is about to implode. She takes a step towards me, pure venom spilling out of her. “He fucked me so hard and came inside me so much that it’s all I can feel.” She takes another step towards me. And I can’t, I can’t accept that she would do that to me. The words feel wrong. They feel empty but loaded.
“Arianna, please tell me what’s going on.”
“I just told you. He. Fucked. Me.” The look on her face is raw. Anger seeps out of every micro expression, while disgust fills the rest.
I step back towards her. “Ari, did you fuck him?” She says he fucked her—not they fucked, he fucked her, and if I think she’s telling me what I think she is, I’m about to go nuclear. My voice shakes as I whisper. “But did you fuck him?”
“What do you want to hear, Vittorio?” She sounds exhausted.
“The truth, Ari. Us against the world, remember? Always the truth.”
“No, Vittorio. I didn’t fuck him.”
I turn on my heel and head for the door. “I will fucking end him!” I yell.
She slams herself in front of me. “Don’t, please don’t. I will end him myself. I just need… time.” Her voice cracks on a sob, and she drops to the floor. I catch her, wrap her in my arms as she sobs against me. I pull her onto my lap, my back rests against the door, and I hold her. I hold her tight. And she breaks, she holds me close and just fucking breaks, and there’s nothing I can do but hold on to her. I try to hold all the broken pieces until we can patch them back together.
Bellino
Chapter Eight
I climb out of the car, staring up at the building while I fasten my jacket. I take a step towards the club. The bouncer steps to the side, moving the rope so I can walk in, allowing me to jump the queue. Gasps emanate from the people in the line as they realise who the fuck I am as I disappear, strolling further into the building.
My lip curls as I’m led to the VIP area, and I take the booth I prefer. I’m brought over my usual order, and I see the server from last time. His eyes meet mine for a split second before his gaze darts away. Panic sets in his eyes. I snarl at him as he dashes away.
I can’t help the rush that spreads over me. I want to give chase. I want to take him again. His tears tasted so fucking pretty, not for any reason other than I like to break things, and he’s so fucking close to breaking. That cockiness is long gone.The hanging of the head before he saw me, the way he practically ran from me. It’s so cathartic knowing I could snap his neck while I fuck him. And he was tight.
