“Why aren’t we paying the rent?” I dropped my fork. “Did you give up the condo?”
“Of course not. Sooner or later, we’re going back there. Guess what, though?”
My eyes tightened at her. “No way. Don’t tell me he’s paying our rent, too.”
“Uh…not technically. He’s giving us a grace period until we go back.”
“How can he do that? It’s not his building.”
“Apparently, it is. Well, it belongs to one of his corps.” She made air quotes in the end.
“Unbelievable. Did you know that when you signed the lease?”
“Nope. But what if I did? It wouldn’t have made any difference. He didn’t give us a special discount or anything. We pay like everybody else.” She took a bite of her sandwich. “Why are you so upset about Mr. Bellomo’s help all of a sudden? We’ve accepted his help all our lives and till last night you were fine with it. Aren’t you the one who wants me to ask him if he could pitch in for your therapy?”
“I don’t want you to ask him for anything anymore.”
She quirked a brow at me, her eyes scrutinizing. “Lina, what the hell happened last night?”
I had a wet dream about Tino. Well, it was half Tino, halfhim. It washimwith Tino’s face and body, which was even more confusing. As if I pasted Tino’s face and torso onhimbecause I never sawhis. Because I fucking wanted to andhedenied me. Because I needed to materializehimsomehow, and I took the features of the first man withhisbuild, the first man I’d ever seen half naked, and gave them tohim.
As if my fucking mind could only have a sex dream abouthim.
I wouldn’t have been half upset if the dream had been about Tino himself. It’d have been sick and inappropriate but therapeutic of sorts, like I could desire someone else, even if it was wrong.
But even in my dreams, I was underhismercy.Hehad held me captive, and ashepromised,hewould never let me go.
And, against all logic, against my own will, I fucking liked it.
“Lina? Did Mr. Bellomo do anything to you?”
“No, Nicky. Nothing happened. If anything, he was even more generous, and I was the weirdo.” I glanced at the empty chair at the head of the humongous table, where I imagined he’d sit to eat his meals. “Do you know if he’s here?” I needed to apologize for my behavior last night. I fucking touched the guy, and fuck me, I probably told him Nicky had a crush on him. She was gonna kill me if she found out.
Fuck, I said more fucks today than I’d said my whole life.
“That bodyguard said Mr. Bellomo had gone to work, and if we needed anything or wanted to go somewhere we asked him. What’s his name again? Like Michael but not Michael.
“Michele.”
“Yeah. He was assigned to us.” She chuckled. “We’re VIP now.”
I snorted.
“Doesn’t he look familiar?”
“Who?”
“Michele, our designated bodyguard.”
“Maybe. Who cares?”
“I feel like I’ve seen him before, but I can’t remember where.”
“What? Do you have a crush on him, too?”
She giggled. “Nope.” Then all the humor left her eyes. “I don’t have a crush on Bellomo either…or anyone else for that matter. I was only trying to make you laugh yesterday.”
Shoot. “Did you talk to him today?”
