“She needs to be home by midnight,” Dominick says, making me bark out a laugh.
“You do realize she’s twenty-seven, right?”
“Dominick, it’s fine,” she says with a sigh. “We’re just going to dinner, and then he’s dropping me off.”
“How much?” Dominick asks.
“What?” I scoff in confusion because there’s no way he’s?—
“How much to end this bullshit?”
“I don’t need your money.” I chuckle humorlessly. “If you’ve done your research, you know I’m worth millions, my company billions. I’ve spent the past six years reviving my father’s legacy. This”—I nod toward Brielle—“is about righting wrongs. The waterfront expansion, the marriage, theheir.” I glance at my future wife, who’s scowling my way. “The day Giuseppe shot my father and damn near killed my mother and you cut my family out, I vowed to get what was owed to my family. My father had gone along with your father’s bullshit for years because the business was his entire world, only to be fucked over in the end. Nothing but death will stop me from getting what’s owed to my father, and even then”—I grin like a Cheshire cat, knowing it’ll piss Dominick off—“Iwon’t stop.”
“There’s no point in going rounds,” Brielle says. “Let’s get this dinner over with. I have an early morning Pilates class.”
I catch a whiff of vanilla as she saunters past me. It’s the same scent she wore the other night, and immediately, my cock swells as flashbacks of our night together hit me. The way she took control. The taste of her cunt …
I don’t give a shit what the Antonovs offer—that woman is mine.
“I’msurprised you didn’t take me to the country club,” Brielle says as the hostess guides us to our table with Daniil following.
I assumed he wasn’t joining us, until I noticed we were being followed and Brielle noted that he went everywhere she went.
“It’s the most public place in Harbor Point.”
“I’m sick of eating their food,” I admit.
We’re at a popular seafood restaurant called The Brown Pelican. It’s downtown, on the water, and since it’s a nice night, we’re sitting outside. The restaurant is packed, and as we were walking through, I could feel several eyes on us. Brielle might not have anything to do with her family’s business from what I’ve seen, but she’s still the infamous, unattainable Antonov princess. Aside from that dickhead Theodore DeSantis, she has no history of dating anyone in Harbor Point. And since they only just broke up, us going out is going to get people talking, which is what I want. My association with the Antonovs and Russos will open doors.
At least, that’s what I tell myself as I pull out Brielle’s chair. Wanting her has nothing to do with the fact that I have been with countless women who bored the fuck out of me. But one night with her, and I’ve been fiending for her pussy like a goddamn drug addict. It’s about taking from the Antonovs. That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less.
The hostess hands us menus and then excuses herself, and I watch as Brielle focuses on the menu, trying to ignore my presence while Daniil stands in the corner, glaring daggers my way.
When the waiter comes over, she orders a whiskey sour, but I step in, refusing to let her numb herself. Especially with what I have planned for after dinner.
“No alcohol,” I tell her, earning a death glare.
“Excuse me?” She scoffs.
“No alcohol,” I repeat, refusing to speak her business in front of an audience. “We’ll take sparkling water and the grilled oysters with furikake butter.”
The waiter nods and rushes away.
“Let’s get one thing straight,” Brielle hisses. “You do not own me, and I will not let you?—”
“Actually, technically, I do own you.” I cock my head to the side. “Well, I will once we sign the marriage certificate.” I shrug. “But one has nothing to do with the other.” I lean in and meet her eyes. “You use alcohol to numb yourself, and you’re not going to do that anymore. Life is hard, and it’s time to start dealing with it.”
“You know nothing about my life,” she grinds out.
“I know you require a drink just to fuck a man …”
“Since I won’t be having sex with you tonight—or anytime soon for that matter—it’s a moot point,” she sasses.
Her words are spoken just as the waiter returns with our drinks, but if he heard, he does a good job of pretending he didn’t. But that doesn’t stop Brielle from blushing in embarrassment.
“It’s okay.” I shoot her a wink. “Your pussy is worth waiting for.”
She gasps, her eyes darting between the waiter and me, and I laugh. The woman is so prim and proper in public. Thank God she’s nothing like that in the bedroom.
