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“Rhi, you know I don’t do casual sex and that’s all this could ever be. I can’t keep my heart out of the bedroom.”
“You’ve never tried it. How do you know?”
“Eh… I know myself.”
“You can only say that with confidence if you’ve actually given it a go. Until then, it’s only speculation. You might really enjoy no strings attached.”
“I sincerely doubt that.”
“You’ll regret it forever if you don’t explore where this could go. You could literally have the best sex of your life. He’s a man who will deliver on that promise, I can tell!”
“Even more reason not to go down that path! Because then I would compare every man after this week to him, and if this turned out to be the best sex of my life, they’d all fall short, and I’d be dissatisfied for the rest of my life. Surely, you wouldn’t want that for me, would you now?” I counter with a smile that says,‘See, got you. I win.’
Rhia takes in an exaggerated breath and scowls at me. “At least you’d know what great sex is like, so you don’t settle for less,” she argues.
As every best friend should, Rhia knows everything about me, including my less than adventurous sex life with my exes.
“Rhi, he’ll eat me alive. He’s way out of my league. It’s just going to be awkward. Why would I want to put myself through that?”
“El, what is the one thing I keep telling you?”
I can’t help but roll my eyes dramatically as we say in unison, “Push your comfort zone.”
“Exactly!” Rhia exclaims. “You always play it safe.”
“And what’s wrong with that?!” I interrupt her, putting my hands on my hips.
“It’s boring and predictable. What sort of stories are you going to tell your grandchildren one day?”
Pretending to talk like me, Rhia continues, “I met this insanely hot Italian who looked like a god, a gift from above to the women of this earth. He was ready and set to give me my happily ever after… or at least the best sex of my life… and I ran away scared,” she scoffs.
“You missing out on this opportunity won’t happen on my watch. We’re going to dinner tomorrow with one hot as hell Gualtiero de Marco and his entourage. And God willing, his brother and friend are just as scorching… I need a bit of eye candy. These looks have to run in the family, right?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose, not really knowing how to deal with Rhia’s current level of exuberance. “Undoubtedly. They come from the same gene pool, after all. And the charm seems to be in the Italian blood. Even the ugliest guys we’ve met so far have it in spades.”
“True, true,” Rhia agrees. “Come on. What else is holding you back? I can see it in your face. Gualtiero being too gorgeous and powerful for you isn’t the only reason you’re holding back, is it?”
Sometimes it’s a curse she knows me so well. I can’t hide anything from her. She’s persistent and leaves no stone unturned until she gets the entire picture. Probably one of the many reasons she’s catapulting her PR company to outstanding success.
At other times, though, it’s a relief she can read me so accurately. I don’t have to pretend. With her, I can always be myself.
“There’s also the fact someone tried to run him over,” I admit. “Clearly, someone is out to get him. We shouldn’t get involved in any of it! What if this put us in danger?”
“Ask him about it. It’s not fair to write him off based on this incident without knowing all the facts,” she objects.
“And you think he’d give me all the facts?” I ask, my eyebrows raised. “Rhia, I’m a total stranger to him. You just told me there’s nothing on Google about him, probably because he’s a very private person. And you think he’d tell me?”
“Well, maybe he won’t give you all the facts, but he’ll have to give you some explanation.”
I look at her deadpan.
“Come on, El,” she says, still buzzing with excitement. “Give it a chance. When will you ever meet someone like Gualtiero de Marco again? He’s a rare specimen! Let’s have an adventure!”
I shake my head at her antics, and with a deep exhale, I confess the thought that has been plaguing me ever since we left the café. “Maybe he’s in the mafia. I’d rather not get involved with someone like that.”
“Oh my god! Ella Rose O’Neil, you didn’t just say that,” she replies, glaring at me.
“What?! It’s a definite possibility. Besides the fact he has bodyguards with him, he runs a family business.” I draw quotation marks into the air to emphasize my point. “And someone tried to kill him in broad daylight.” I look pointedly at her with raised eyebrows. “That makes him more than suspicious in my books.”
