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“Well, look at that, my love. The coordinator has scheduled a hair and makeup day for you and your sisters over at the apartments.” I mentioned it as I lifted my phone, knowing that she was going to see right through the ruse, but it was the best option I had. I desperately feared her being back at the distribution center today.
“She just happens to plan that for today?” Her brow lifted. “When you don’t want me to go in with you.” Her hands firmly planted on her hips. “I don’t think that’s how it works, honey. I will not fall back into suddenly not taking part just because you feel the need to be protective. I’ve never been a girl to dream about how my hair or makeup would work on my wedding day. I want to attend that meeting. My sister has class, anyway, and then we’ll be working with your mother until this evening,” she protested..
If she wasn’t so cute, it would make this easier. I hated to have to be the bad guy, but I couldn’t let her get in the line of fire two days in a row. Someone was targeting her, and I couldn’t lose her now that I’d just found her.
“No, I’m not going to have any more arguments about it. It’s a flat out, no. You’ll be staying home today.” I shook my head at her protests. “You can choose either the apartment or here, but you won’t be going anywhere near business stuff today. You will not be out in the open.”
Her hairbrush flew across the room, barely missing my head with an accompanying scream of frustration. I held back a laugh and put a frown on my face before I turned around to Bria. I had self-preservation.
“I’m trying to protect you.”
“But I don’t want to be protected,” she said with a scrunched up face. I waited for her to stomp her foot. Who knew arguing with her would actually be enjoyable and fun? Granted I would rather do other activities, but I loved doing everything with her. Even this.
“Well, the decision is final, it’s either home or the apartment.” I shook my head and let out a sigh. “If you break the rules today, and leave or something equally crazy, I will punish you, and for this, I’ll make sure it isn’t pleasurable.” I needed her to know that this was serious to me. It wasn’t about saving face in front of my men, this was about her life, and how I needed her to keep it.
I finished straightening my tie and slid on my leather jacket. When I went to leave, I tried to kiss her, but she bit my lip.
“Ow, that hurts.” I put my hand up and found blood on my lip. “Don’t start shit with me today, Bria, because I will finish it,” I warned, getting mad. This shit wasn’t adorable.
“Go ahead, you’re just gonna make me stay here anyway.” She seethed.
Frustrated, I slammed the door shut but not before I shot her a look.
“Do not let her get out of this house. If she does, I will kill you.” I nodded to the man standing guard at our door. I then left to go visit with Zarellie before going to the scheduled lunch.
Stefano always went with me on all my errands, but just as we pulled up to the lunch meeting place, I got a call. I groaned when I saw it was Nick.
“She’s knocked out the guard and is gone,” Nick informed me.
Pissed off, I pulled out my phone immediately to call Bria. That was the moment I decided that I would be putting a tracker into her wedding and engagement rings.
I was standing just outside the restaurant trying to call her when she called me.
“Hold, please. I’m putting you on speakerphone with all the men from our business lunch. There we go. I’ve rerouted them to the house and we’re all here today to discuss those shipments. I’m just making sure that everything goes smoothly since we’ll be working together from now on. I’ve introduced my family’s portion of the business to these gentlemen.”
I held back a frightening chuckle. “Bria, darling, can you please take me off speaker? I’d like to talk to you for a moment?” I said it with sickening sweetness because I was a little impressed by her actions. Mostly I was pissed off that she had managed to do exactly what I told her to do without actually doing it. My life would never be boring.
“Okay, you’re off speaker. What did you wish to talk about, honey?”
“I wish to tell you that you won’t be able to sit down for a fucking week when I’m done,” I warned with the sickening sweet talk still.
“Oh, that’s fine, darling. It really sucks that you’re missing out meeting everyone. I do believe we’re going to have a good meeting today. However, the makeup and hairstylist are both waiting for you just inside the girls’ apartment to have that girl’s day you wanted so badly.” She cackled in delight.
I laughed at the pleasure I would take from punishing her. “If I didn’t have another meeting in just an hour, I would come home and light your ass up, sweetheart. Just wait till I get there is all I’m saying.” We both knew that any real threat wasn’t going to happen until I was back at the mansion.
“I do have that appointment for the other stuff, you know tonight at my sister’s. You did say home or the apartment, right? So I guess we’ll just have to take a raincheck, darling. It’s okay really, we’ll be together soon enough as it is. In wedded bliss.”
“If you fucking leave the house, I will punish you even more…” But before I could finish my threat, she hung up. I fisted the phone in my hand and took some steadying breaths.
I exchanged glances with Stefano as we left the restaurant and returned to the garage. He knew with the expression on my face to stay quiet. That I would lash out at anybody right now.
I needed to see my mother before I had the meeting with the man about the engagement rings. And now I had an hour to kill due to my lovely bride-to-be.
Frustrated and upset, I wasn’t even sure I wanted to look at rings anymore. “Right now I’d rather use a pair of handcuffs on that woman,” I muttered, walking into my mother’s office. She was driving me absolutely crazy and it had only been a week.
Maybe I could ask Mom for advice.
“Hello, Mom.” I kissed her cheek. “Maybe you can help me with my Bria problem,” I said through gritted teeth.
