A lump clogged my throat. I could barely breathe, let alone speak.
“Gabi, are you okay?”
“I need air.”
He circled my waist with his arm, and thankfully without any more questions, he led me to the closest hotel terrace. The cold air stung my face and into my lungs, but I welcomed it. Any other pain was better than the one that wouldn’t leave me alone, ripping me in shreds.
“So much for making people believe I moved on,” I said.
“I don’t think anybody noticed anything. After that dance, I guess they’d think we went out for privacy.” He chuckled, but I could tell it was fake. “Here,” he took off his tux jacket and placed it on my shoulders, “it’s cold.”
“Thank you, but you’ll freeze to death like this.”
“The price of chivalry I guess.”
He was probably trying to make me laugh. I admired his persistence and perseverance. But I was a lost cause. When would he realize that? “Let’s just get out of here. Take me home please. I’m so tired.”
His lips puckered as he sighed. But then he nodded. “As you wish.”
I gave him the jacket back and turned. Then we both stopped when we saw we weren’t alone. This day kept getting worse and worse. I really needed it to end.
Michael fucking Fletcher was standing in all his smugness like a stick waiting to go up your ass because that was what he was. A pain in the ass.
“I can’t take a breather from you today, can I?” I said.
He shoved his hands out of his pockets. “I told you I’d keep an eye on you. I’m a man of my word.”
“No need for that when I’m here, but thanks for looking out for my girl in my absence,Michael. I really appreciate it.” I could feel Fabio’s energy shifting as his stance changed. He was about to start another alpha stand, I presumed.
Fletcher looked like he was about to snap, so I stepped in. I had to do something. I couldn’t bear any more aggression tonight, and Fabio didn’t need to do any of this for me. I wasn’thisgirl. “We were about to go home.” I shifted my eyes from Fletcher to Fabio, and puckered up, looking at him—hopefully—seductively. I was way out of practice and most likely looked like I was anal or had developed a mental illness that gave me a horny zombie face. “You promised me a whole night of fun. Right, babe?”
Fabio cocked a brow, his eyes threatening mutiny. “I thought you were tired.”
Seriously? He couldn’t have missed where I was going with my act. He was doing this playing dumb thing on purpose, coercing me. “Of here. Not tired for you.” I blinked and winked at the same time, willing him to comply. Now, I must have looked like I had brain damage, not just a mental illness.
“You promise me the whole night?”
Fuck. I couldn’t believe this asshole. One minute he was a chivalrous gentleman and the next a twatwaffle.
He bit his lips on a teasing smile. “Promise me thewholenight, babe. Together. Alone. In bed. Where I give that beautiful ass—”
“I promise!” I panicked. Shit. For the second time, panic made me do stupid shit I’d regret. That asshole knew I would do anything to silence him when he was being inappropriate in front of Fletcher of all people.
“Is this some sort of a stupid sex game you play?” Fletcher asked through his teeth.
“Yes,” Fabio replied quickly. “It’s called Mi Fai Cagare Il Cazzo.”
I choked on a loud snort. Fabio literally said Fletcher disgusted him so much he wanted to poop his own cock.
“What?” Fletcher asked, and I was about to burst into laughter.
“It means Tease the Ass to Win the Girl. Very fun game. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a much prettier ass to tease.”
Wait, what? What other ass? No!
Fabio’s hand squeezed my butt, and I almost had a heart attack, hiccupping a yelp—because what the fuck?—while stifling a giggle. But before I protested, Fabio’s arms were on my back and behind my knees, carrying me into his embrace and taking me out of the hotel.
CHAPTER16
