Zo, meanwhile, pulled out her phone. “I’m sorry, I’m still stuck on the fact that you two basically cuddled last night.” She started typing. “I need to see what this guy looks like.”
“We did not cuddle,” I muttered, remembering his hard body pressing down on mine. I could still remember the feel of his six-pack against my palms.
My fists curled.Ugh. Stop.
Fabi looked concerned. “I hate that you’re on his radar. Who knows what he’s really after?”
“I think it’s pretty obvious what he wants,” Nina said. “He’s trying to get something from Mia to use against her father.”
A knot formed in my stomach. “Yeah. Probably.”
“Thisis who we’re talking about?” Zo slid her phone in the center of the table so we could all see the screen.
It was a photo of Romolo at some high-society event. A stunning woman was draped on his arm. He had a drink in his hand, and that signature smirk curved his lips. The kind that didn’t hold an ounce of humor and was impossible to look away from.
“That’s him,” I said weakly.
“He’shot,” Zo declared. “Now I’m even more upset I didn’t come back from my business trip a day early. No one told me there’d be eye candy at the party last night.” She grinned. “I think it’s a brilliant idea for you to dress him.”
“How’s that?” Nina arched a brow.
“C’mon.” Zo slid her phone back in her bag. “Mia’s business is struggling, and he’s offering her a solution. All she has to do is dress him for one party, and he’ll get her in front of the crème de la crème of New York society. This could be huge for her!”
“I’d never do anything to put my dad's campaign at risk,” I said.
“What’s the risk?” Zo flicked her hand. “He looks too pretty to be clever. You can win against him at his own game.”
I sighed. “I wish I had your confidence.”
“Don’t we all,” Nina muttered. “Zo, I can promise you Romolo Ferraro isn’t some idiot. Heisclever. And ruthless. When it comes to women, he ensnares, conquers, and discards. Romolo isn’t someone I’d want any friend of mine spending time with. He’ll do whatever it takes to get what he wants, and he doesn’t care who he hurts in the process.”
A chill slid down my spine.
That was a damning description of Romolo, but what about Cosimo?
They were brothers, raised under the same roof by the same parents.
If Romolo was this dangerous, how much better could his brother be?
Even though I was finally in on the secret, I still felt like an outsider at this table. How could they all be so okay with what was happening to Fabi? It was like they were in denial—telling themselves everything would be fine because they saw no way out.
But what if it wasn’t all fine?
What if Cosimo was actually horrible? What if he was an abuser? Nina said they weren’t close. Just because she was family didn’t mean she knew how he treated women.
But there was one person who would.
His brother.
And if I agreed to dress Romolo, maybe I could find out.
I traced my finger around the rim of my glass.
Could I?
Despite Nina's and Zo’s drastically different outlooks—one the voice of reason, the other a devil on your shoulder—they were both logical and unflinching. Meanwhile, Fabi and I led with our hearts. Calculated masterminds, we were not.
But if this was my one opportunity to figure out what would await Fabi after she’d walked down the aisle…wasn’t it worth the risk?
