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I walk away before I can put my foot in my mouth and make an embarrassment of myself. After I walk up the stairs, I glance back and see Leo is still standing there, looking like his world has just been blown up.
CHAPTER5
Leo
“Who doesn’t love being told their beautiful?” I ask, gripping my beer.
Henry snickers beside me. “I guess your usual charms won’t work on her. You’ll have to think outside the box with this one.” He motions for the bartender to send another beer his way.
“Francesca is a mystery, man.” I shake my head as I take a sip of my drink. “I don’t understand her.”
“Well, you haven’t really tried yet. You’ve had what? One conversation? And you expected the girl to just fall into your arms?” Henry snorts, grabbing the beer the bartender hands him. “Maybe you’re not as smart as I thought you were.” A woman across the bar throws a smile in Henry’s direction. “Listen, man. I have a beautiful woman eyeing me up, so I’m gonna talk to her instead of listening to you whine about Francesca.”
“I’ll have to think of a way to seduce her that doesn’t make her run from me.”
Henry pats my back. “You do that.” He saunters over to the woman, leaving me alone.
Fine. I’m determined to win this bet, but Francesca is already proving different from a lot of the women I typically go after. I have a type—easy to get into bed and screw over. Francesca won’t be easy, so I need to woo her. Laying my charm on too thick will just scare her away.
I need to be the perfect gentleman for her to open up to me. Emotionally and physically. Because, for a girl like Francesca, the two are inextricably linked.
Which gives me my first idea.
I show up at Marco’s house the following day with a bouquet of flowers in my hand. Roses, of course. What woman doesn’t love roses?
Hannah answers the door, giving me a disapproving look. I’m sure Emilia has told the housekeeper all about my womanizer ways, but who cares? Hannah isn’t the one I’m interested in fucking.
“Yes? Mr. Aldi didn’t tell me you were coming over today.”
“That’s because I’m not here to see Marco. Can you let Francesca know I’m here?”
She makes a big show of sighing but nods and walks away. A couple of minutes later, Francesca shows up, alone, I notice. I don’t need big sister Emilia getting in the way of my plan.
“Hi,” she says, not stepping outside to join me but not immediately running away either.
“Hello.” I make sure to deepen my voice. Women love that. “These are for you.” I thrust the bouquet at her.
She jerks back, not taking the roses. “What for?”
“For you?” I wiggle them. She still doesn’t take them.
Francesca looks at the roses, then at me, then back at the roses before smiling softly and finally grabbing the bouquet. “Thank you.” She sniffs them.
“So, did I do good or what?”
“I appreciate the roses, Leo. But if you’d asked me, you’d know I prefer lilies.”
I frown. “But … all women love roses.”
“Have you asked every woman in the world if they love roses?”
Shit. This is not going how I expected. Time to change tactics. “Ok, then. Fine. You’re right. I haven’t. I assumed, and clearly, it made an ass out of me.” She smiles at that. “I should have asked you what type of flower you like. Next time, I’ll bring lilies.”
Glancing over her shoulder like she’s checking on something, Francesca quickly turns back to me and steps outside. I don’t move. Her scent is intoxicating, like a mixture of warm vanilla and the smell of books.
“Why did you get me flowers?” she asks. “No one has ever gotten me flowers before.”
“Then those other guys were idiots.” I stuff my hands in my pockets, putting on my typical “I-don’t-give-a-fuck” attitude. Drives women wild.
