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He hums under his breath. “I think you may be the first woman who’s turned down easy cash.”
I don’t know if I should be insulted or not, so I choose not to be.
“I’m not most women.”
“No, you most certainly are not.”
The air between us is so thick that it’s almost tangible. I catch my bottom lip between my teeth—a nervous habit that drives Nonna crazy. She says it’s unladylike.
The man moves closer, reaching out, rubbing his thumb over my lip.
“Let’s try a different approach. Let me take you out for dinner after my meeting,Dolcezza. We can get to know each other a bit before I take you to my hotel.”
I’m so hot that I want to fan myself.
This Adonis wants to take me out to dinner? And then to his hotel? I don’t have a ton of experience…or any at all, really, but this has to mean he’s into me, right? Right?! Shaking my head, I let out a self-deprecating laugh.
I’m about to tell him how crazy this is when Gia walks in. She looks at the two of us, likely noticing how close we are. When her full lips curl into a smile, I know this isn’t going to end well for me.
“Mr. Moretti, I must apologize for Isabetta. She has a history of throwing herself at our clients.”
The man—Mr. Moretti—glances at me before saying, “I don’t recall asking your thoughts.”
Gia moves closer.
“I just thought you should know…” She touches his arm. “Because Isabetta is only seventeen…”
Her voice trails off, and I watch as his dark eyes widen in horror. I could tell him I turn eighteen next week, but I know it won’t matter. Because the truth is, Iamseventeen. Instead, I say nothing.
He turns to Gia. “Are you the one who I pay for my services?”
“I am.”
He gestures for her to walk, and she takes off, swaying her hips with each step. He takes a step to follow her and stops.
“Buy yourself something nice with this,” he says over his shoulder as he drops the cash onto the counter.
I can only watch in silence as he leaves, hating the sadness that settles deep in my chest when he’s gone. It feels like I’ve lost something special that I’ll never get back. I guess that’s the story of my life. At this point, I really don’t know why I’m surprised when things don’t go my way.
2
NOW
Alessandro
The man’s screams echo off the walls of the small barn outside Palermo, Sicily. We’re far enough out that no one in town will hear, but, damn, it’s annoying.
My second in command, Hector, shakes his head, laughing.
“Dammit. You were right. He didn’t last long before pissing his pants.”
Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out several bills, handing them to me.
“Thank you,” I answer as I tuck them into my back pocket.
“This ought to be a reminder not to make bets with you.”
“But then how would you get free drinks when we’re finished?”
