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Roberto
Maybe it's the consequence of my particular career, but most reactions don’t surprise me. I don’t claim to be an expert at reading all people, but I've gotten pretty damn good at expecting how they'll respond to certain things—which is probably half why I'm so easily bored.
With Giulia, it's a different story. Her reactions are never what I expect.
Like the entire thing with the waiter, Mason—that caught me off guard, and in a surprising turn of events, I'd really like to get a different fucking waiter. Either Giulia didn't notice how he was trying to consume her with his eyes, or she didn't care, but I'm not pleased.
And now, I'm interested to see how she'll respond to the revelation of whoexactlyshe's having dinner with.
Her frosty green eyes sweep over me once, then twice, but she keeps her face from showing anything. Then she pulls out her phone.
Her fucking phone. She can't honestly be bored right now, so what the hell?
"Mind sharing?" I ask pointedly as she types out a text message, and the music on the dance floor shifts again. A few more people enter the restaurant, but we're mostly alone here. Just me and her. And…the phone.
"No," she says, slipping the phone back into her purse before regarding me again. Then she just gets down to business, like she couldn't care less who I am or how we met. "We need to establish times to meet over the next few weeks that work for our schedules. A list of contacts will need to be shared—encrypted, of course, and we'll need to exchange personal contact information as well."
She really is fascinating. Clearly, she's dead set on keeping this glacial barrier between us, keeping everything professional and expertly controlled.
I try to fight the smile pulling at the corners of my lips and fail.
God, I want to break that cold exterior. And I'm going to.
Besides just going along with the new deal pushingVitalen,I've decided it's my new mission to make Giulia fucking Russo come unDone. What could be more fun than this?
I grin openly. "Sounds like you're asking for my number, cutie."
There it is again. Her eyes narrow slightly whenever I call her that, and it's far too entertaining to stop. But she just shrugs a shoulder and places her cloth napkin in her lap.
"If calling is the best way to reach you, then sure."
"And what about your threat?" I ask innocently, raising my brows. "Are you still gonna send someone to break my bones? Or would you care to do it yourself? Because I have onebonein particular that you could have a go at again if you want."
Giulia's gaze flicks away from me, and she scoots the salt shaker on the glass-top table until it perfectly lines up with the pepper shaker. "As much as I'd love to sic my brother and his pals on you and yours, we're at a stalemate. Sadly."
She says it all so deadpan. But I don’t think I imagine the slightest pink tint to her cheeks…or maybe I am. Damn, she's good—but I fucking love a challenge.
"You're stunning in white," I tell her, eyeing her without trying to hide it. Because fuck me, it's true.
"Hmm. Thanks." She doesn't bother looking at me.
"Why don’t you drink on dates like this, huh?"
Bingo. Her eyes flash as she looks at me sharply. "This isn't a date, Dickhead."
"Call it what you want, but I'm sitting in a nice place, visiting with a gorgeous woman, and paying for the entire thing. Seems like a date to me."
Giulia tips her head, and my eyes follow as her dark hair cascades over one shoulder. She gives me a dry glare. "We're not here to visit. We're here to exchange contacts and get a plan going. So unless your dates usually end with going home to make reports back to others andnotgetting laid, it isn't a fucking date."
I love the bite in her voice, but I want more. I lean forward and whisper, "Actually, that sounds like one ofyourdates. Based on what I saw, at least. Which was hilarious to watch. Tell me, are all the guys you date that socially inept?"
"None more so than the current company," she replies coldly, not missing a beat. "We're here to talk business, not you creeping on a blind date of no importance to me."
The waiter reappears then, and Giulia seems to realize she's leaned forward slightly to mimic me because she straightens and turns another bright smile on the guy. I hate to admit it, but it's annoying that she's pointedly not looking atmelike that. She's fucking beautiful when she smiles, but then, this expression on her doesn't seem entirely genuine, either.
Are all Russos so good at controlling how they come across? I doubt it. It seems like a Giulia thing.
"Here you are, sir. And foryou, miss," Mason says, lingering after he sets down his drinks and clearing his throat nervously. I can hardly blame him for staring at Giulia like that since she's like a professionally-dressed wet dream, but it still irks me.
