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“Get dressed. I’m taking you to Beacon Bay for dinner.”
Alex’s pretty face illuminated from the smile that touched her eyes. “Like a date?”
“Sure.” I shrugged. “It’s a date.”
My beautiful girl practically skipped out of the room. But before we left the studio, I studied the canvas. She signed the corner with the nameQueen D—Luca’s nickname for her. Alex was finally accepting her legacy.
We sat on the patio at Café Lacroix, sipping espresso as people walked past us. A few middle-aged women stopped at our table to say hello. They flashed smiles and blushed as Marcello spoke to them.
Beacon Bay was even smaller than Devil’s Creek, a seaside town that only had access to the bay from one side. We were close to the water, sitting outside on a paved veranda, eating gourmet sandwiches that cost way too much.
Even after years of being exposed to this kind of wealth, I still hadn’t adjusted to it. I couldn’t fathom the idea of paying twenty-five dollars for a sandwich. But since Marcello was paying, I figured, why not.
Several men tipped their heads in acknowledgment. One of them was Sonny Cormac’s dad. He congratulated me on my new role at the Franco Foundation and wished me future success.
After he walked away, I turned to look at Marcello. “For a mute, you sure have a lot of friends.”
“They’re not my friends,” he shot back, his eyes on the water fountain at the center of the space. “And I’m not mute.”
I took a bite of my turkey sandwich, smiling at him with my eyes as I chewed my food. “Why are you so grumpy, Marcello? When was the last time you had fun?”
“Depends on your idea of fun.”
I wiped my mouth with the napkin on my lap. “What do you consider fun?”
“I like to sail,” he offered, which surprised the hell out of me. “I would live on a boat if I could.”
“I was expecting something more… illegal.” I laughed. “I mean, I don’t know. You seem like the shy, quiet type who would spend his weekends at strip clubs.”
He scoffed at my accusation. “I don’t need to pay for pussy.”
“No. I’m pretty sure women would pay you.” I turned my head away from him, blush heating my cheeks. “I didn’t mean that.”
“Yes, you did.” He smirked. “How many times did I make you cum?” Marcello leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, his voice a whisper. “Three the last time I checked.” He placed his hand on the table and opened his palm. “Pay up, princess.”
My nipples hardened into peaks at the sound of his deep voice. Heat coiled in my belly and spread down my thighs. I slapped my legs together and stuffed the last bite of my sandwich into my mouth, avoiding his gaze.
Marcello and his brothers liked to watch me. They were obsessive, possessive… and those psychos were all mine.
“How come you work security while your dad and brother handle the business?” I asked to change the subject.
He drank from his cup and rolled his broad shoulders. “I prefer to work alone.”
“Yeah, I can see that.” I gave him a cheeky grin. “That’s what I love about my art. I can spend hours in silence with nothing more than my charcoals or my paintbrush.”
Marcelo glanced down at his watch. “We have to leave soon.”
I downed the last of my drink and dropped the cloth napkin onto the table. “Where is Luca? He’s been avoiding me.”
“In New York.”
“Is he planning to come home?”
His phone dinged with a new text message. He typed back a quick reply and tucked the phone into the inner pocket of his suit jacket. “He’ll be home tomorrow night.”
Red-hot anger swirled inside me, heating my skin. “He hasn’t spoken to me since the night of the gala. Why?”
“Luca is in charge of a multi-billion dollar company. He can’t be at your beck and call at all times, princess.”
