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The boys in the room all try to draw themselves up taller as they elbow to get closer to her. Angelica starts introductions as I watch each and every interaction.
Carina smiles for them, says a few nice things, does her little song and dance–but I know the truth. She does, too. None of these little boys can satisfy her. Not a single one can give her what she needs. A man has to do that. Not just any man. Me. Still, she toys with them, allowing them to think they made her smile or laugh. But it doesn’t reach her eyes. In fact, the only real emotion I feel from her is when she looks at me–and what I sense then is … hunger. My little brat wants more of what I gave her in the powder room.
“Brooding much?” Antonio pours himself a drink as the last of the twats introduces themselves.
“I’m not brooding. Just watching.”
Antonio grabs his glass and tilts his chin toward one of the boys. “I’d say Falco has the edge. His family is just coming off that dispute with the Allegris. They cleaned up.”
I nod. “I saw the photos. There isn’t a single Allegri left in this city.”
“All their holdings are in Falco pockets now. They’re by no means on a footing to rival us, but it’s a nice little kingdom, and Carson Falco could be easily ruled by Carina. She could run that family in her sleep. And when the time’s right–”
“Add their holdings to our holdings,” I finish for him.
“Precisely.”
Ire rises in my gut. Antonio should be protecting her, not sizing up who would bring money to the family. Then again, this is what Carina chose. She wanted these pricks fawning over her and making offers.
I grind my teeth.
“You all right?” he asks.
“Yes,” I snap.
He purses his lips. “You’ve been off. What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing.” I squeeze my glass tightly as Falco leans in and whispers something to my Carina.
Antonio sighs. “And I thought it was hard to get information from Butcher. You’re turning out to be worse than him.”
Butcher snorts from where he’s clearly been listening.
Antonio steps forward, his voice booming over the room. “Everyone sit. Dinner is ready.”
Carina walks around the table, sashaying past me and teasing me with her scent as she heads for the seat to Antonio’s left.
I follow her, stepping in front of the line of hungry boys who want nothing more than a taste of the most decadent dish in this room–one that just so happens to belong to me.
“Here.” I pull her chair out for her.
She shoots me a deadly look over her shoulder as she sits and I scoot her chair forward.
I take the seat beside her.
Falco lowers himself into the chair directly across from her, and the other hopefuls grumble about the distance between them and their prize.
Once we’re seated, I slide my hand up her thigh and grip.
She jumps slightly, then cuts her gaze to me.
I squeeze a little harder, leaving my fingerprints on her tender flesh, then gently rub away the pressure.
“If you intend to skip college, are your plans to travel?” Falco asks.
She turns to him, a smile perched on her delicate lips. “I’d love to travel.”
“My family has villas all over Italy.” He smiles, showing off what must’ve been years of braces. “And we also enjoy several other properties all over the world. Anywhere you’d like to go.”
I slide my fingers higher along her thigh as the servers set out the first course.
“We just bought an estate in the French countryside.” The boy beside him pipes up. “Do you like France?”
“I …” She shrugs. “I don’t know. I’ve never been. But I’ve always dreamed of visiting Versailles.”
“I’ll take you–” at least three of the boys say at once.
She gives a teasing smile, her cheeks going pink. “How could a girl refuse an offer from such handsome men?”
I dig my fingers into her thigh again, and that’s when I realize she intends to torture me the entire night. Tit for tat. She’s getting back at me for the powder room.
But what my little brat doesn’t seem to understand is that I keep score–and for every bit of this charade she makes me endure, I’m going to take it out on her round, luscious ass.
12
CARINA
I’ve made a grave mistake. I'm in way over my head here. At boarding school, there were only girls. Without boys, we didn’t have distractions. Besides, who wants a boy? I know I didn’t. Not when I’ve grown up in the world I have. An average boy would never have cut it or held my interest. I would have run circles around them.
So I was never pissed or thought I was sent to an all-girls school to keep my chastity intact. It was not only a way to keep me safe, but I think my brother hoped that my classmates would gloss over the family I come from. He forgets it’s my world too, and I don’t have any plans to leave it.
