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It’s obvious they just want what’s best for the family and that means my head has to be clear.
“I can handle her.”
Domenico sighs, and my father nods, both with clenched jaws. For men who held their positions for decades, this must be the biggest test they have endured, relinquishing that power for the greater good of the families. My father knows better than anyone that when I set my mind to something, there is no changing it. And why should I? Chiara is exactly the woman I need.
“Are we done here? I have another meeting, so let’s get dinner over with.”
I leave, halting at the rooftop entrance, my eyes on her. I count the days until she’ll be mine.Three weeks, cara, and you’ll bow to your king, because I’ll worship you as the queen you are.As if she feels my gaze on her, she tilts her head, exposing that flawless face, and those pillowy lips I crave to taste again.
Her eyes burn through me, making me feel alive, dragging me from the pits of hell. If she knew what she evokes in me, she would probably relish it and laugh in my face. Like clockwork, dinner is announced, and she storms past me, her floral, sensual scent coaxing me from my trance as I follow her.
In the dining room, steamed vegetables and spaghetti with grilled, fresh gamberetti are being served. I catch my brother winking at her sister and I elbow Dario. Taking a sip of wine, I find my fiancée wearing a smug expression on her face. So she saw them too. I smirk at her, because what she doesn’t realize is, I have already seen her jealousy.
When dinner is done, I stand up, extending my hand to her. Chiara purses her lips but grabs it, and I place a kiss on her palm. That small gasp makes my night. “Thank you for joining us tonight.” I make sure I say that to her but look at her family as well. “I have some other things I have to take care of.”
She raises an eyebrow at me, her face tight with disapproval. Those emerald eyes peel me bare, and I leave before I take her back to my penthouse, traditions be damned.
The drive does little to control the fire her touch unleashed in me.
At the compound, I step inside the conference room.
The three of us take our seats, and Cameron says, “Sergio might be a problem.”
We have searched for him, but it’s as if he dropped off the face of the earth. And with every day our men don’t find him, the chances dim.
“Someone helped him,” Kieran adds.
But who? I don’t like loose ends; they usually end up in retribution. Whether it’s tomorrow or years from now, I will find him and kill him.
“I already put a second team on it,” Kieran assures me.
“Good. Now let’s go party.” Cameron rubs his hands together.
Music blares through the walls, and I take a seat on the couch. Cameron already has two women clamoring for his attention. Kieran looks even more bored than I feel. A few weeks ago, he would have at least tried to enjoy the party. I jerk my chin at him. He just shakes his head. I am so fucking exhausted, and her image fogs my mind.
“I’m out.” Kieran stalks out of the room.
I throw my head back. Images of Chiara play on a loop, serving me bits of fantasy, keeping me starved when I want the main course already. A hand slides up my thigh. I grip it and push it aside. The blonde pouts, but I wave her off me. I’m interested in only one woman—my poison, my madness, my perdition.
My phone chimes, and a smile spreads across my lips, reading her text. Chiara is the reactive type of person. And me leaving must have set her off. But her initiating contact for once makes me ecstatic.
You are an asshole. I am not at your beck and call.
You are.
Fuck you.
Is that an invitation?
I am sure you don’t lack willing, stupid women.
That’s true.
But I haven’t wanted another woman since the moment I first laid eyes on her. Obsession is too tame a word for how I feel about her.
Chiara types something but the dots disappear. What did she want to say?Oh, cara, don’t you know you shouldn’t taunt me like that?With my curiosity piqued, I salute Cameron and leave.
At least one of us should enjoy this lifestyle. For me and Kieran, those days are over.
