I curse internally but don’t bother responding. I just toss my phone off to the side and hop back into the ring.
“C’mon, baby brother, let’s see if you can fight as good as you can supposedly fuck.”
Luca starts jimmying around the ring, hooting and hollering. For the moment, his smart-ass behavior is just the distraction I need—especially from the devil of a woman who came crashinginto my life today, proving exactly why she’s the type of distraction I need to avoid at all costs.
One To Watch
There’s a new face town and we predict she’s one to watch. If our sources are correct, the beautiful brunette spotted with Marco Marrone was not a new love interest, but up and coming photographer Chiara Gigioliotti. Yes, there is some relation to our favorite bad-boy, AJ Gigioliotti.
We believe she’s here to attend the hottest event in town: Natalia Hirsch’s photography exhibition. And these pics of her leaving this professional printing lab with large-scale framed prints also fuel rumors Chiara will be showcasing some of her own photography as well as being given the prestigious position of Natalia’s first assistant.
So is a permanent move to New York on the cards for this Italian beauty?
We’re on the guest list, so as soon as we have the inside story, we’ll definitely share with the class. Stay tuned!
’Til next time.
XOXO,
GG
Chapter Five
Misery Enjoys Company
Raf
“Double scotch. Neat.”
“Like that, is it?” asks my brother Seb, appearing by my side at the bar, signaling to the bar staff to make it two.
“Aren’t you on the clock?”
“I own the club; I make my own rules,” he says with his signature grin. “Besides, I hear misery enjoys company. And you, brother, look like one miserable fucker right now. Wanna tell me what’s going on?”
“You too, huh? I thought Luca was the one who considered himself the regular comedian. Think I might just head home like I intended before you dickheads convinced me to come for one drink.”
“Clearly my assumption is right. Spill, big brother,” he says as the bartender slides each of us our drinks.
“Same shit. Up to my eyeballs in work as well as teaching Sophia the ropes the last few weeks, which is time consuming, even though she’s doing really well. Then Dad hits me up tonight trying to drag me into some terrible matchmaking scheme he has going on for Sophia and Arty BartholomewJones, while simultaneously asking when I intend on producing grandchildren for him.”
Seb snorts into his scotch. “That’s what you get for being the lauded heir apparent to Princi Law & Associates,” he says in an exaggerated, pompous tone.
I know it’s all in good jest, and it really doesn’t bother me all that much when they make jokes at my expense. It’s just that I wish they understood how lucky they are not to bear the stifling expectation that comes with not only being the eldest child, but also the likely successor to one of New York’s most prestigious law firms. My dad is a good father, but he’s got strong opinions and high expectations. Unlike Seb, who stays in the safe zone by attending family gatherings when required and providing profit summaries when asked, and Luca, who only speaks to him when and if required at Christmas and Easter since their massive fight before he joined the F1, I see my father every day. He’s my boss but also my dad, and sometimes when I need my dad, he just doesn’t know how to switch out of boss mode. As a result, our relationship feels more like a professional one between colleagues rather than father and son.
“Anyway, do you have a wife I don’t know about, ’cause I’m pretty sure you need sperm and an egg to create grandchildren for Dad,” Seb adds.
I glare at him while he laughs at his own joke.“Are you going to continue being this insufferable?”
Cuffing me around the neck, he relents. “Relax! I’m just mucking around. Trying to get you to loosen up. You’re wound as tight as the knot on that tie.” Then, growing more serious, he leans close. “But it wouldn’t be a bad idea to consider dating again, bro. It’s been a few years since the breakup.”
“Did you listen to anything I just said? I’m up to my eyeballs in work. I don’t have time to date, and quite frankly don’t need the hassle. I’m happily single.”
“If this is what happily single looks like, then you’re a terrible poster boy.” He lifts his two fingers in the air, signaling to the waiter to bring two more drinks.
I give him a weird look. “So why exactly are you keeping me company? What’s got you miserable, Mr. Most Eligible Bachelor? I thought you would be drowning in pussy, playboy.”
Seb hums around his glass.“Between the cougars and the fame chasers, the selection is less than appealing. Besides, I’m also not getting younger.I want someone who can be my equal. Intelligent. Ambitious. Interested in me and not my money or connections.”
