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“It doesn’t hurt for her to think ahead.” He snapped his fingers in the direction of the driver. “You, how much longer?”
“About an hour, sir.”
Seventy-five minutes later, the driver pulled up to the Alfera mansion. It was like nothing I’d ever seen before. Not just because of its sheer size, but also because of its meticulously manicured lawn and garden on the side of the house. Las Vegas was a big desert. I still hadn’t fully adjusted to the lush greenery on the East coast.
“Mr. and Mrs. Vitali, welcome.” A guy dressed in a dark suit opened the door for Mom and Dad.
He ushered them toward the front entrance, and I followed close behind. When we reached the foyer, he gestured to one of the servers. Mom quickly stepped in and grabbed two flutes, one for her and one for me. I stood there with a glass of champagne in hand, ogling the chandelier overhead and the shimmering reflection on the marble floor.
“Everything sparkles here,” I whispered in Mom’s ear.
“I know.” She giggled.
“You made it. Welcome.” Signoria Vittoria kissed Mom hello. She turned to me for a moment, only to dismiss me quickly. “Go mingle.” She escorted my parents into a room off the living area.
Great. I was in a house full of strangers, and all alone. I sipped from my glass and went looking for Penny. She had said she’d be here early, and the party was already in full swing. She had to be around here somewhere.
To my right, the grand stairwell had a red rope blocking access, so I went left and ended up in the kitchen then another massive living area with plush furniture and a flat screen. Past the room’s glass walls, the ocean water glinted under the dying sun.
“Wow.” I finished my wine and grabbed another from a smiling server.
The alcohol had already gotten to my head, which made me not care that I had no friends here. I roamed the gardens for a while, still looking for Penny. Though every time a tall guy with dark hair turned the corner, my heart would jump up into my throat.
Sipping the last of the bubbles in my glass, I made my way back inside the house, hoping to find a quiet corner where I could spend the rest of the evening. I had only recently met Penny, but I was truly missing her tonight. She made me feel included, like I could belong here.
I was still trying to decide if I should hide in the bathroom or the small, upholstered bench tucked under the stairs, when I saw Enzo come in through the front door. His gaze fell on a group of girls hanging out in the living room. He glanced upward, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jeans. I didn’t know him at all, but he seemed put out by the party and the girls shooting furtive glances his way.
He scanned the room quickly, then headed upstairs, bypassing the red rope that was clearly meant to keep guests out. Right, Penny had said this was Don Alfera’s beach house. That meant Enzo lived here too.
Maybe it was the Champagne. Or maybe I left my brain back in the limo. But the minute he reached the landing, I ducked under the rope and followed him. The irony wasn’t lost on me. I was stalking the guy because I wanted to make it clear I wasn’t actually stalking him.
As soon as I reached the top, he’d disappeared into one of the many suites. I slowed down my pace and stopped to listen to the first door on the right. When I didn’t hear anything, I opened the door slowly to peek inside. The place was empty. Now I was in full spy-girl mode. I kept heading farther down the hall until the chattering from downstairs was no more than an excited buzz.
“Santino.” A female voice with a raspy tone called from the room to my left.
The door had been left ajar. For a moment, I didn’t know what to do, so I stood there frozen, listening to the woman moan and call for Santino. Mouthing a curse, I tiptoed toward the door to close it and give them some privacy.
As soon as they were within my line of sight, I realized my mistake. They were both naked. I’d never seen anything like that in real life. The girl, who was about my age, was spread eagle on the bed while Santino had his face buried between her legs. I sort of recognized her from football practice.
Hot blood rushed to my cheeks and ears. Suddenly, the image of the two of them was bright and sharp. I could see every detail—the hard muscles on his thighs and back, her tits softly bouncing as he fondled them, and her pink cheeks.
I hadn’t realized sex could be like this. In truth, I’d never seen a couple have sex; Mom’s incident didn’t count. They had been fully dressed, and Mom never made a sound. This girl was enjoying herself. She couldn’t get enough of Santino and whatever he was doing to her.
Santino stood, and in one swift movement, pushed her knees down into the mattress and then climbed on top of her. She moaned louder, clawing at his back and touching him everywhere. I rubbed my own nipple to ease the itching there and gasped in surprise as ribbons of desire swelled through me.
“Every time.” A deep voice boomed behind me.
I spun around and came face to face with Enzo’s other friend, Rex Valentino. His blue eyes danced with amusement and something else I didn’t recognize.
“It was open,” I blurted out. “I didn’t mean to—”
“To watch?” He chuckled. “That’s alright. He likes it. It’s why he always ‘forgets’ to lock up behind him.” He leaned forward until his breath brushed my cheek then reached over to close the door. “I’m Rex.” He offered me his hand.
“Oh. Um.” I glanced down at his long fingers. Between the peep show and getting caught, my heart was racing out of control. “Sorry. I’m Rory.” Great. Now I was speaking in rhyme.
“Well, Rory, guests are not allowed upstairs.” He flashed me a knowing smile, still holding fast to my wrist. “Unless you’d like to join me in one of the suites.”
“What?” I cleared my throat. His touch sent a rush of adrenaline through me. I didn’t know Rex at all, but something told me he was trouble—that I was in trouble. “I gotta go.”
