He grunted, ruffling his black hair, full of waves as shiny as satin. “Va bene.Andiamo.”
He took my phone and, once again, decided it was appropriate to drag me by the arm as if I was cattle being led back to the herd. Instead of throwing me into the small room where I spent the night, he shoved me into a rather spacious one, with simple furniture but decorated with a few pictures of animals and potted plants.
The unmade bed, with dark blue silk sheets falling to the floor, and a clock on the bedside table, revealed that he had spent the night there. But I didn't need them to understand that. The smell of his perfume, sweet, some mixture of vanilla and liqueur, filled the air.
His sudden movements made me stare at him and I had to hold my breath. The shirt he had been wearing was now on the floor, allowing me to observe his muscular torso, with tattooed shoulders and neck. Unable to stop him, I took a step back, mymouth falling open as he unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants, pulling the rest of his clothes down. All of them.
The man was naked.
I squeezed my eyes shut. “Taking your shirt off would’ve been enough, you fucking exhibitionist!” I squealed.
“You're the one who said it had to be believable,” he muttered, and I could hear the creak of the mattress. “Phone’s on the nightstand. Hurry up.”
I forced myself to open my eyes again, focusing on the bedside table and its light stone top and the phone over it. I walked over to the device and took one last look at him before unlocking it. He was lying face down, one leg bent and his arms under the pillow. The muscles of his body accentuated by the position he was in.
The bastard had no right being that attractive.
I cleared my throat and composed myself, turning my back to him and bringing the phone to my face. It didn't take me long to notice the missed calls from Aunt Lizzie and dozens of messages from Olivia.
“Just pretend you’re asleep,” I said to my captor, who responded with a grunt.
I took a deep breath, forcing myself to smile. The phone's ringtone filled the air, and it wasn't long before Aunt Lizzie's swollen, disheveled face appeared on the screen.
“DAISY PEONY MARY PARKER, WHERE IN HEAVENS ARE YOU?!” she shouted, and I widened my eyes. Aunt Lizziehad never yelled at me before. But her anger was short-lived, and she began to sob. “Do you have any idea how worried we were?!”
Two other heads appeared on the screen.
“Daisy Doll, you almost gave your aunt a heart attack!” Oliver scolded, his tattooed bald head appearing on the screen. He didn't stay there long, nor did Aunt Lizzie.
The image spun around before I could even process what was happening, and stabilized again on an angry face, where a pair of brown eyes glared at me.
“What the hell did you get yourself into, you mad woman?!”
I bit my lower lip, praying to the good Lord that the mobster behind me would be able to keep up the charade.
“I… I was heading home last night, and I ran into someone…” I whispered, turning my phone slightly so the naked man behind me slipped into frame. “Let’s just say it was… interesting.”
Olivia's mouth first formed a shocked O, then broke into a thunderous laugh.
“Daisy!”
“Shhhh...” I asked, acting as if I were trying to avoid waking the man behind me. “It was… quite a night.”
“Yeah, I can tell by that miserable look on your face!” My friend declared, and I huffed out a laugh.
“What's happening? What's going on, Olivia?” I heard Aunt Lizzie ask, and choked as I realized something.
Oliver had met my kidnapper. If he saw the man, he might recognize him, and if that happened, we'd all be dead.
“Tell her it’s girl stuff!” I blurted out, grimacing at Olivia.
“Oliver, Daisy was getting laid last night. Unless you feel like seeing another guy naked, get out.”
I closed my eyes. How had she managed to become a prosecutor with that lethal tongue?
I could hear the echoes of Oli's protests and a distant ‘God forbid’, followed by a door slamming and women's laughter. Aunt Lizzie suddenly appeared on the screen, her rectangular glasses perched on the tip of her nose and her face too close to the camera.
She opened her mouth wide, laughing immediately.
