Page 42 of Roses are Royal

ROSE

Standing in front of the full-length mirror in my room, I survey the outfit I’ve selected for dinner tonight, a simple black silk dress that hangs to mid-thigh. It has delicate thin straps that leave my shoulders bare and a lace trim at the bottom that barely peeks out, giving the illusion of a slip beneath. I pair it with my stack of gold necklaces and simple pearl stud earrings. Wearing heels inside felt like I’d be overdoing it, so I left my feet bare, with just my red nail polish as my accessory.

Before I can second-guess myself on selecting such a fancy outfit for dinner, I grab my phone to check the time before heading down to pour myself a glass of wine to help settle my nerves before Dante gets home. Unlocking the screen, I see a notification pop up that I have two missed text messages from Dante that I received over thirty minutes ago. Shoot, I must've missed the notification sound when I was in the bathroom finishing my hair and makeup.

Dante (client): 5:42 p.m.

I’ll be home in 15 minutes.

Dante (client): 6:38 p.m.

Dinner will be ready soon.

Of course this man will have dinner ready early. Doesn’t he realize when a woman says 7 p.m., she really means like 7:15 or 7:30? Do I text him back or go downstairs? Would it be weird if I texted him when I’m just upstairs? I mean, he did text me from downstairs. Maybe he didn’t know I was home? I did say I would be out today. But my car is in the driveway, so he must know I am home. But I did leave my car here when I went to the diner with Luca the other night. Does he think I’ve been with Luca today? Ro! Chill! I’m sure he was letting you know so you could come down and join him. There you go, overthinking everything again.

Dante has always been direct with me, so if he has questions about what I did today or who I was with, then I’m sure he will ask me…over dinner…together…alone. Duh, of course we will be alone. Who else would be at this dinner? It’s not like Dante would invite someone else without telling me. Plus, I don’t even know if he has people to invite. I’m sure he has friends or something, or at least colleagues, but considering he seems to go into the city for work and meetings, I’m guessing none of them would come all the way out here. But I guess, technically, I don’t have any colleagues, so maybe he doesn’t either? Well, I guess I did tell Luca he was my colleague, but I don’t think that title really fits him anymore. Was Dante with Luc?! Does Dante know Luc kissed me at the diner?! Oh god!

My brain has done an amazing job at working my heart rate up while conjuring literally the worst-case scenario. I don’t want Dante to know about the kiss with Luc, especially because Dante kissed me literally days after that. But I don’t want to think about that kiss right now either because it will just make me upset. Grrr! Tonight is supposed to be fun and flirty, well that is my plan at least, and then I can gauge Dante’s interest.

Maybe he is just being nice with cooking for me and spending time with me, and it means nothing. Did I completely misread our entire interaction? I need to change. I don’t want to send the wrong message if this is just a work/client thing and I’m over here practically wearing lingerie…to dinner…in his home. I turn to go into the closet to see what else I could quickly change into and almost let out a scream when my phone vibrates in my hand. It’s Dante. Calling me. From downstairs. Answer the phone, Ro. But I don’t. I just watch as “Dante (client)” flashes on the screen while the phone continues to buzz silently in my hand until it stops and a new notification pops up: 1 missed call from Dante (client). Just call him back, Ro. Tap his name and press call. Standing like a statue of indecision, I actually do scream this time when there are three loud knocks on my bedroom door. Clutching my chest, I take a deep breath and shake myself out of whatever trance I was in and quickly pad over the plush carpet on bare feet to answer the door.

Turning the knob and pulling the door open, I am only inches away from Dante with his fist raised in the air like he was about to knock a second time.

Still breathing heavily, I find my voice before Dante does, “Sorry, I should be down soon. I was just finishing getting dressed and lost track of the time.” Not a total lie, but hopefully it can smooth over the hard lines of the scowl on Dante’s handsome face. Wait, why is he scowling?

52

DANTE

I’m struck speechless by this infuriating woman, again. I’m not sure what I was expecting to see when I knocked on her door to let her know dinner was ready after she didn’t respond to my texts and ignored my call, but it wasn’t her perfect body dressed like sin and temptation. And her scent of caramel and pistachio, filling my nostrils and infiltrating every brain cell, sending jolts of electricity through every limb of my body. And from the thin straps of the dress, I’m guessing she isn’t wearing a bra.

Pull yourself together, Dante. I came up here to tell her dinner was ready and will have plenty of time to admire her this evening. Maybe I should’ve changed after my meeting, but I figured my normal attire of black dress pants, a black button-down, and black dress shoes would be more than appropriate for a dinner at home. Now seeing Rose, I’m not sure I even own anything worthy of her beauty. I don’t know how long I’ve been standing in her doorway, dumbstruck, until Rose’s voice breaks me out of the trance she put me in.

“Dante, is everything okay? Sorry, I thought I’d be ready in time, but I can hurry and head down now. I don’t want the food to get cold.”

Clearing my throat, which has gone dry, and keeping my response short, “You didn’t answer my call,” is all that seems to come to mind at this moment.

“My phone must’ve been on silent. Sorry again,” she adds with a slight blush across her cheeks, still holding on to the door like an anchor.

Why does she keep apologizing? I’m fucking this whole situation up. Dinner was meant to be an opportunity for me to show her what things could be like between us, and now I’m standing here like a sentinel with a scowl on my face and desire burning in my veins.

“Just come down when you are ready.”

“Okay, I’ll be down in a sec. I was just going to change really quick.”

“No!” I practically shout the command before I can help myself. “Sarai la mia rovina,” I mutter under my breath, hoping she doesn’t understand. I clear my throat and quickly add, “Don’t change. You look beautiful.”

“Oh. Um, thank you?” Her voice goes up at the end almost in question.

“See you downstairs.”

I step away from the doorway with a head nod in acknowledgment, and Rose uses the distance as an opportunity to gently close the door and end this strange encounter before I can say something else I will regret. Or worse, take a step into the room and grip her by the waist and pull her into me for a kiss so I can taste her again. Down boy. Just focus on dinner and see where the evening takes you. But all I can think about is Rose in that dress and who she was with today that would’ve seen her in it. I’ll be sure to ask at dinner so I can add every person to my mental list of people who no longer need to exist. I am the only person who gets to see her like that, starting now. And by the end of the night, she will know it.

53

ROSE

Wow. Dante is being weird. At first, I thought he didn’t like my outfit, but then he practically barked a command at me when I mentioned changing, and then called me ‘beautiful’ in the span of ten seconds? He has always been a little hot and cold, but tonight he seems on edge. Maybe his meeting went poorly today? All I know is I better not keep him waiting any longer, or his mood might worsen. I give myself one last once-over in the mirror, fluff the soft waves I put in my hair, spray one more spritz of my caramel pistachio perfume, and head out the door and down the stairs.