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Quinn
The next morningI stare at myself in the mirror. “I look like I’m wearing a Halloween costume.”
Iinsisted on an expensive dress only because Iwanna punish theasshole. It's not my fault I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and nobody ever said that he had to hurt me.
But forsome reason he only shrugged when I told him the dress was ten thousand dollars. I mean, I didn't tellhim.Edentold Sergio who told Adriano, but I saw it fromadistance, upin the loft where Eden and Iwere. I watched Adriano's reaction because I wanted to see him do something—spit out hiswine orswearorbreak something.Butno. He looked as calm asalways. Ascalm as he did when he killed that guy. As calm as he was when he put his gun away andstarted walking down the street ready to track me. He doesn't seemfazedby anything.
I look damn good in this dress, though. Worth it.
Edenstandsbehind me andadjusts her sweet little Angelica on her hip with one hand and the little straps that hold the dress up with the other.
“These straps are just for show. My boobs are doing the heavy lifting, so don’t worry too much about them. Also, I don’t get something. He didn’t care that this dress cost ten thousand dollars,”Isayto her. “Why?”
Edenshakes her head. “Well, money isn’t really a thing here. It’s hard to believewhenwe come from situations like you and I have,but moneydoesn't even botherthem.”
“What do you mean?"
"I guess billionaires just don't get stressed about money," she says, and laughs. “I mean, think about how long it took me to save a hundred dollars to get my ticket to come up here." She shakes her head.“It's unreal."
I stare at her. I stare at the dress. “Billionaires. That is alotof… zeroes.”That might be nice.“So. Um… what do you thinksleeping arrangements are going tobe?"
Eden blushes. The woman is married to SergioMontavioand has evenbornehis child, so believe me, she's no virgin. I swear she’ll beembarrassed about sex until she’s old and gray.
“Soyoustill haven't gotten over that yet, huh?"
She shakes her head. "Nope. And Ihave no idea what the sleeping arrangements are going to be, but I do know that if you're married to him…" She bites her lip, not finishing the sentence.
"Eden,” I say warningly. “What?"
"Well,he’lleitherexpect thatyou’re going to consummate the marriage, or he’ll take a mistress. There's no way a guy like him will be voluntarily celibate."
“Consummate the marriage” is such a polite way of saying “fuck.”
Suddenly,the choices in front of meseema lot moredirethan I thought. Sleep with a murderer I don't love, or let him take a mistress?
Whathave I gotten myself into?
“Whatabout the club? Am I going to get to play at the club?" I'm not a crier, but my voice breaksat the end. I rely on sessions at the club like some people rely on medication.
Is he going to expect me tobe…faithful?Not that I would cheat on him… but if he has a mistress and this marriage is onlya facade…
No.No, I can't do that.
Eden’s face looks pinched. “Um. I think you’ll have to talk about this with your new husband."
I throw my hands up in the air. "Oh my God, Eden! You can’t call him that!"
She flinches. "Then what should I call him?"
"Mycaptor?My jailer?”
Edensteps in front of meand claspsmy handsinhers. Theearnestlook shegives mesobers me a little bit.
"I don't know what's going to happen with Adriano. But I do know this. He left his home in Italy to come here to help my husband and his family. Sergio doesn't hire anyone unless he's trustworthy anddependable. And there's no way Sergio wouldagree for you to be married to someone who's going to hurt you."
And that's where myfriend’snaïveté shows.
Anyone can hurt somebody. Even the most innocent-looking people are capable ofhurting others andhurting them deeply.
