Page 87 of Auctioned to the Billionaire Surgeon

“Highly doubtful,” Paolo’s mother said.

And Paolo? Well, he didn’t say a thing.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Paolo

I frowned. Fuck. Fuck! I should have turned around and walked out as soon as I saw that Gia fucking Santoro was here. I wiped my mouth and then placed my linen napkin beside my plate before pushing back my chair and standing. “If you will excuse me, I really need to go check on my date.”

Before I could even turn, my father spoke up. “Enough of this. She’s fine, I’m sure.”

“I’m going to see…”

“I’ll have one of my bodyguards check that she made it home okay,” he assured me in his smooth voice. He used that tone that drove me crazy. It was the one that warned whoever he was talking to that they better fall in line with his command if they knew what was good for them.

“It won’t take a minute,” I said pushing my chair in and turning to leave.

“Paolo, sit down.”

I turned to look at my father. I was well over thirty. Why did he still treat me like a child. And why did I turn into one when he used that voice?

Maybe it was because I’d literally seen him kill people.

I sat down, staring out into the hallway in the hopes that I could catch a glimpse of Jelly, but she was long gone.

“This will be better anyway,” my mother beamed. “It will be easier to catch up with Gia now that your…date… is gone. Less distractions,” she smiled. She’d said ‘date’ in the same way she would have said ‘skunk’ or ‘serial killer.’

I sighed with resignation. I’d have to make it up to Jelly as soon as I possibly could. In the meantime, I’d have to pretend to enjoy this dinner.

“So, Gia,” I said, pulling my chair back out and settling into it, “tell me about yourself. What have you been doing all these years since I last saw you?”

She gave me a sultry smile. “Oh, this and that. After Yale I went to the University of Bologna to get my law degree.”

I couldn’t stop my eyebrows from rising into my hairline. The University of Bologna was the best school in Italy, and it was one of the best in the entire world. And she was a lawyer. This was a hell of a lot more impressive than Layla VanHorne had been. “That’s wonderful. What type of law do you practice?”

“I’m a divorce attorney. I’m taking a break right now, actually. I’m between firms.”

God. Divorce attorney. That would be fucking depressing. “That’s great,” I lied. I cast a quick glance at my parents and wondered how angry they’d be with me if I asked her to take them on as clients.

Probably pretty pissed.

The rest of dinner went by quickly, and I was surprised that I actually had a decent time. For someone horrible enough to resort to blackmail, Gia was intelligent, funny, and knew all of the good gossip about everyone we’d grown up with.

“So, you’re saying he went toclowncollege?”

“Yes.”

“First off, I didn’t know that was a thing, and second, he’s the last of the kids in our town who I would’ve thought would want to entertain people…”

“Well, you left before middle school,” she reminded me. “He changeda lotin middle and high school.”

“He must’ve,” I muttered, lost in thought about the kids from our town I hadn’t thought about in decades.

“Why don’t you two kids go out? Have a few drinks?”my dad asked.

I looked at my watch. “I didn’t realize how late it was.” I had intended to leave as soon as I possibly could and go check on Jelly. If she was feeling bad, though, she’d probably be asleep now.

Gia leaned in and whispered in my ear. “Remember our deal.”