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"Are you a virgin, Cara?" he asks me simply, and my jaw nearly falls to the floor. I just stare and stare at him and he returns a cold and impassive look, waiting for my answer. "Well? Did I fucking stutter?"
"I..." I can barely talk and I feel like my cheeks are going to catch on fire any moment now. "I don't see how that's any of your business! I don't even understand who you think you are to ask me that kind of-"
"So that's a yes," he confirms for himself, chuckling to himself. This fucking prick. If he weren't my father's friend, I'd launch myself at him and scratch his eyes out. But as it is, I still need to stay in Italy for the time being to meet Luca. And though I hate to admit it, it would be a damn shame to ruin his ridiculously handsome face. "I had a feeling you were."
I don't have the words to reply, but he doesn't seem to care. "I'm heading into town soon," he tells me simply. "You can check out the house and the grounds while I'm gone. Do not go into my study or my bedroom."
I bite back the question why, and nod, still feeling enraged as he heads for the door. Once he opens it, I already see his driver waiting for him, and I thank every god I've ever heard of this conversation is finally fucking over.
"Oh, and Cara?"
I look at him and he throws me a grin over his shoulder. "Be in my office at 8:00 p.m. sharp so we can talk about your punishment for being late."
He leaves me standing there with my mouth hanging open and the front door slams shut behind him. There's nothing else for me to do in the hall, and when I've finally calmed down a little, I storm towards the French doors leading out into the gardens.
Who the hell does he think he is? He can't fucking boss me around like this, like I'm his damn property. He might think he owns me, but just because daddy agreed to send me here for the summer does not mean I'm going to listen to his every command. Because they're not even wishes - they are full-on commands. And I didn't come here to obey some madman's orders.
I open the French doors leading outside and a gust of impossibly hot air hits my skin, a none-so-pleasant change from the lovely air-conditioned interior of the house. Still, I need a breath of fresh air and I'm feeling claustrophobic from standing so close to Mason and his switching personalities. It feels like the man I met a few hours ago in the kitchen is a completely different beast to the one I just saw in the lobby.
I stalk out onto the terrace, not even wanting to take a moment to admire my beautiful surroundings. But even though I'm not planning on it, the stunning Italian landscape makes my lips part in a gasp of shock. There are bountiful hydrangea bushes blooming by a big, azure infinity pool, complete with two Jacuzzis. Orange trees lead out into a garden filled with some of the most beautiful plants and wildlife I've seen, and the air is filled with the heady aroma of their flowers. It's so beautiful it literally takes my breath away, and instead of stewing in my anger, I let the beauty of the grounds hit me in full force.
The air is busy with the buzz of bees and insects, cicadas making a loud background noise that will become all too familiar in the coming months, I feel like. The house is truly a mansion, a jewel that fits in beautifully with the perfectly landscaped grounds. I consider taking a dip in the immaculate pool, but in the end, curiosity gets the better of me and I decide to explore the gardens a little bit more.
As I walk towards the orange grove, I realize I forgot my phone in the bedroom, and I stop my walk uncertainly, wondering whether I should go and grab it, but changing my mind in the end. I just want to see the rest of the hidden beauty of this place, and I can always talk to Luca later - at least we're in the same time zone now.
My walk reveals sight after beautiful sight, and I drink in the beauty of the Italian countryside like I'm hungry for more. It's vastly different from our place back home. The weather is cooler there, and we rarely get days like this. I'm enjoying the warm rays of sunshine on my skin, and I forget to worry about the sunburn I know I'm bound to get it I spend too much time out here. Instead, I inspect every flower in the grove, every bloom of the rose bushes planted on the south side of the house. I check the temperature in the pool - perfect, of course - and explore the impressively carved hedges in the center of the gardens.
When I'm almost done with my walk, tired and ready to go back to my room to chat to Luca, I find a curious part of the garden that is walled in with a low brick fence. I can look over it when I stand up, but the door leading inside, a wooden one with a heart-shaped lock, is firmly closed, and I cannot get it to budge. I sneak peeks over the fence, finding the inside of the garden neglected and covered in weeds and shrubbery. It makes me wonder why this part of the garden was forgotten like this, and I do my best to get a good look inside, even though it means climbing up on my tiptoes and reaching for the moss-covered bricks to look inside the madness inside. The hidden garden is where nature reigns supreme, and I can tell there hasn't been a human hand inside the garden for a long, long time.
"I'd be careful if I were you," a voice interrupts me, and I shriek in surprise, falling and tripping on a rock as I try to get down from the fence. A pair of strong, tanned arms grab me and I look up into a grinning face. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, signorina."
"Well, you did," I manage to get out, getting up and smoothing my now dirt-covered dress. "Who the hell are you anyway?" I quickly regret my rudeness as I get a better look at the guy. He seems to be about my age, maybe a year older. He's quite handsome - not in that ridiculous way Mason is, but a charming one nonetheless. He has dark brown hair and grey eyes, a sharp contrast with his tanned complexion. His nose is crooked and looks like it's been broken several times, but it really only adds to his charm instead of taking away from it.
"I'm sorry," he laughs. "I figured we'd be introduced soon. I'm Luca."
CHAPTER FOUR
MASON
MY BUSINESS in town takes longer than I would like, but I don't let it stop me from getting home on time. I keep my promises, and my word is as good as fucking sacred. If I told Cara to meet me in my study at eight, her ass better be there, because I sure as hell will be.
Throughout my business meeting regarding an acquisition of a new office in the States, I keep thinking about her. The way her cheeks blushed when I came closer, the oh-so-obvious reaction her pretty young body had to mine. It was so fucking obvious she wanted me, but poor cara mia didn't have a fucking clue yet. She was still busy fighting it, pretending like there was nothing there. But I know she'll submit soon enough.
The drive back home is excruciatingly long. Living on the outskirts of the city does have its perks, but driving here and back sometimes almost makes me regret having a property so far out of the city. It's why I have an apartment in the city as well, to make sure I have a place to stay whenever I need to spend a night in town due to meetings.
We arrive at home thirty minutes before I'm supposed to meet Cara for our little chat, and my mind is already swimming with the possibilities of what I could have her do.
I walk upstairs to my study, but on my way there, I notice the French doors leading outside from the hall have been left open. I walk towards them, enjoying the light breeze from outside. Now that it's later in the day, it's cooled down considerably and the air outside isn't as oppressive or hot. I move to close the doors when something catches my eye outside.
Cara, talking to him. Shit. I didn't think he'd come back home for a while, I thought I'd at least have a few weeks before he got here.
I purse my lips angrily, looking at Luca through the window. I close the door as quietly as I can and try to ignore the budding anger inside me which is threatening to spill out any moment now. I will not allow Luca to ruin any of my plans, even though his sudden arrival means I'll have to deal with shit I'd rather put off for a while longer.
I get so distracted I barely remember the time, but I manage to tear myself from Cara's sinful little giggle as Luca tells her something out in the gardens. I walk upstairs after closing the double doors and dismissing Filippe for the evening. He has his
own quarters in the house, where I presume he will spend the rest of the day.
My office is pleasantly cool from the air-conditioning as I enter, and I strip off my blazer, enjoying the sensation of undoing the upper button of my starched shirt. I run a hand through my dark hair and pour myself a glass of whiskey before sitting down at my desk again. The time tells me there are ten minutes to go before Cara will be knocking in my door, and I can't resist sneaking a peek at my computer screen on my desk again.
The cameras in her room click into life, and my blood instantly boils when I see them.
Cara's standing in the middle of her room with him, showing him something with her back to the camera. Luca's hand is resting protectively on the small of her back, making me want to tear his fucking hair out. He hasn't even announced his arrival to me, yet he has already introduced himself to our new houseguest. I could fucking kill him. Especially after being so damn careful and making sure Cara remained untouched for me, just like I wanted her. If the kid thinks he can have his way with her, he'll have to go through me, and I won't go down easily. I'll put up a fight for Cara, and I know I'll take him down.
Angrily, I click on the screen to turn on the camera in front of them, above her bed. She's showing him some drawings that I've never seen before. Pencil and white pen on dark paper. They're just sketches, but they're pretty damn good, and I admire them with a critical eye as Cara's finger slides along the lines she's created on the surface. I don't put the sound on, and I can only imagine she's telling Luca about her art.
A quick look at the clock on the wall tells me there are two minutes left, and as Cara looks up with a look of horror on her face, I realize she must've just realized the same thing. She puts the sketches on her bed and rushes to say goodbye to Luca, practically pushing him out of her bedroom. He seems none too pleased about that, and I smirk at his offended face. Good. He'd better get used to it, because there's no damn way I'm sharing cara mia with him.
The bedroom is suddenly empty, and a moment later, I hear footsteps coming down the hall and there's a light knock on the door of my office.
"Come in," I say darkly, and the door creaks open. Cara's eyes sparkle as she walks inside, smoothing down the dress she wore earlier when we met up in the lobby. She's beautiful like this, a little disheveled, but so stunning nevertheless. Her hair is escaping the bun she put it in, and her hands shake as she sits down in the chair in front of my desk that I've pointed out for her.
"Hello," she gets out in a small voice. Her eyes aren't quite meeting mine, but she looks up curiously several times as I get up from my chair and perch on my desk.
"I see you've learned your lesson," I tell her with a chuckle. Her eyes follow mine to the wall where the clock has just ticked its way to 8:00 p.m. sharp. "I'm happy to see you're a fast learner, Cara. I'm not a very patient man."
