Chapter 1
GIANNA
I’m running. As hard as my legs will pump. My lungs are on fire. I try to breathe in deeply but it stings my throat. No matter though, I have no choice, I just have to keep moving. He’s coming.
My footsteps echo down the street as I run. I can only see the pavement, dimly lit from the streetlamps every 20 feet in front of me but otherwise, my surroundings are shrouded in the black of night. My heart is thumping wildly in my chest as I continue, my legs pushing on through the pain of the lactic acid starting to take effect. The heavy feeling making me slow with each step.
I hear him behind me, gaining on me. His footsteps pounding on the gravel and his breaths loud like a bull chasing after me. I want to look behind me to see how far he is but I hesitate. I know myself and I’m uncoordinated and it’s a risk while I run.
I can hear him yelling at me while he takes chase. He’s manic at this point and I’m terrified for when he inevitably reaches me, when I can’t run anymore. I need a miracle, I’m not fit enough to outlast him.
I take a chance and look behind my shoulder as I continue blindly running forward, trying to glimpse at how far away he is now. He’s only about two car-lengths behind me, and I cry out since my legs are starting to feel like large lead blocks trying to weigh me down.
I turn my head back front to see where I’m going and the movement causes me to stumble and lose my balance, toppling forward slow motion into the pavement and scraping my legs and palms. It stings but my adrenaline mostly blocks the pain out right now, my eyes darting around trying to figure out how to escape this, him. Tears form in my eyes as I stare at the ground with the understanding that this might be it for me.
I look up and see a sinister smile as he approaches, the rest of his face covered in shadows. He knows he won, he got me. A predator who caught his prey.
Just as he reaches me, horror trickling through my veins and spreading throughout my body, I scream as loud as I can. A defeated feeling overcomes me and I know this is the end. I curl into a ball with my back to him, trying to shield myself. His laugh is laced with evil as his hand reaches down to grab a fistful of my long hair, dragging me to a standing position while I kick and scream in protest, but I can do nothing else other than yield to the pain and his strength.
He twists me around to face him and all I see are his piercing blue eyes staring back at me, dark black pits in the middle pinning me in place. He lets out a dark laugh while bringing his other hand behind my neck and pulling me towards him.
“Hello beautiful, ready for some fun?” He breathes hot hair into my face.
———
I wake up with a gasp, trying to catch my breath. The world comes into focus and I look around the room as I softly pant.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
It’s the early morning and I’m in bed. I’m hot, sweaty, I’m butt naked, and I’m surrounded by the three men who came crashing into my life and changed everything.
I start to slip out of dream mode and reality kicks in.
After what happened between us all last night, taking that next step in my relationship with all three of them… nothing is ever going to be the same. Am I truly ready for what this means? To belong completely to each of them?
I’ve always been one to want my cake and to eat it too, because why the fuck shouldn’t I get to eat my own cake? And if last night confirmed anything, it was that I’m all in for whatever this is, this really unexpected but perfect arrangement between me and the three men who won me over. So I’m gonna eat my goddamn cake.
To feel the love from each of them individually is its own special paradise, but to feel the love of all three of them at once… it was a sort of powerful I never thought I would ever feel in my life. I was truly a queen being worshipped by her loyal servants, and I already want to feel that way again and again.
I look around me at them all still sound asleep, completely oblivious to the world. Typical men.
I need to get outside and get some fresh air, some space to clear my mind.
I slowly wiggle out of the mess of tangled legs and arms and heads all wrapped around my body. After a few minutes of careful maneuvering, I’m free to slide off the bed, thankful for the flexibility I’ve gained from training at the gym lately.
I tiptoe to the closet and quickly grab the first thing I see, a large gray t-shirt which is likely Luca’s, careful not to make too much noise. The shirt is big on me like a dress, going down to just above my knees and covering up the fact that I’m currently commando. I figure this is good enough for now so I don’t risk waking anyone by sticking around too long.
I creep over to the bedroom door and let myself out, closing it softly behind me to ensure I remain undetected. I really don’t need the three of them fawning over me right now about a bad dream, something that they can’t protect me from despite their best efforts. This is something I need to overcome myself.
Also, I am not ready to fully address what happened last night with all three of them in the daylight. It all seems too… real, too much right now. It’s not that I’m scared of our future together, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t embarrassed to discuss our bedroom activities without a few drinks in me first - old habits die hard. What can I say? I spent the majority of my life sheltered from discussing sex with anyone.
I quietly make my way down the hallway, then the stairs, and then along the bottom floor to the outside back exit. It’s early morning and the sun is still rising, casting a low light and golden pink glow over the sky. Goosebumps form along my arms due to the cool autumn air and my breath comes out as a mist. Maybe just a t-shirt was a terrible idea.
I cross my arms around me to try to keep warm while taking steady breaths of cold air deep into my lungs. I close my eyes for the moment, enjoying the quiet of the morning, despite freezing my ass off out here. It’s a stark contrast to being in bed with the three furnaces keeping me toasty with their combined body heat.
The sounds of birds cawing in the distance put me at ease and ground me in the moment. I have always enjoyed the sounds of nature and the tranquility of this time of day. At my childhood home, I often sat outside on our back deck in the morning hours to watch the sun rise, drink my hot coffee, and read my books in peace. A pleasure I haven’t indulged in since moving to university.
Just as I start to really relax, I hear something shuffle outside near me. My eyes snap open and my head turns towards the sound, and I spot Xavier nearby.
He’s leaning up against the house, smoking a cigarette, the red cherry blazing as he takes a drag, and silently staring back at me. Dressed in long pants, a dark gray jacket, and a black beanie covering his shaved head, I can tell he obviously checked the weather before stepping out this morning. I walk towards him.
“Who even smokes cigarettes anymore?” I ask playfully.
He smirks at me and takes another drag before answering. The crows feet form at the outside corners of his eyes as he looks at me, saying more with his gaze than he does with his words, like usual.
“Good morning to you too.” He gives me a once over from head to toe and one eyebrow lifts in further amusement. “You cold or something?”
I give him an annoyed look back. “Yeah… I should probably head back in anyway…” I turn my body to start walking back to the door.
“Would you like to borrow my jacket?”
I pause. He just offered me his jacket, so I’m taking that as an invitation to stay outside with him.
This whole interaction gives me butterflies in my stomach. Not the romantic kind… X is a long time best friend to both Luca and Nicholas, and I want him to be my best friend too. So I get the friend butterflies in my stomach because I’m excited and nervous and I want him to like me.
I step over to him as he shakes off the big and heavy coat and helps me into it. It does a great job of warming me right up, already cozy from his lingering body heat and so big it comes down past my knees. Either all the men around here are giants or I’m just tiny. Maybe both can be true.
I inhale a deep breath of air again and then crinkle my nose. “Smells like smoke.”
Xavier takes another hit of his cigarette before looking at me. “Beggars can’t be choosers.”
I give him a small smile in return. “So what are you doing out here?”
“Most likely the same thing as you.” He drops his fully smoked butt on the ground and stamps it out with his shoe. “Also, can’t smoke cigarettes in the house. The Donna’s rule.”
“Smart lady. That shit will kill you.” I reply back casually.
He lets out a low chuckle and shakes his head, putting both hands into his pants pockets and leaning his back on the side of the house again. “And you think that’s what’s going to kill me one day?” His eyebrows are raised with a playful grin.
He got me.
I shrug my shoulders in response, and make a face that I hope conveys that I have no idea. He laughs again and then silence falls between us for a few seconds.
Xavier stands upright and turns towards me. “So why are you out here at this early hour?” I shrug again in response and look into the backyard, not meeting his eyes. Out of my peripheral vision, I see he gazes in the same direction I am.
“Everything ok?” He asks me in a soft tone, still not looking at me but at some spot out in the distance like me. Like he knows this is too sensitive a topic to touch with eye contact. He’s giving me the out to put on a mask and pretend I’m ok, if I choose to.
But his outreach, this gesture, it makes me feel like I’m going to start crying. A ball moves up my throat from my chest, like an internal fist coming to choke me. My face starts to feel warm and my eyes water.
I let out a small sob, almost too quiet to hear. I wish I hadn’t but I couldn’t contain it, it was uncontrollable. Tears start streaming down my face. He immediately reacts and takes me into his embrace, wrapping his arms around me tightly while my sobs get deeper and louder. I muffle my face into his chest. Like an anchor, he allows me to let myself go for now while he holds me steadily.
After a few minutes, I calm down. He waits until my breaths have become even until he stops our embrace and holds me at arms length to look in my eyes. “I hope you know that I am here if you need to talk about anything… as you know, a friend.”
I smile appreciatively at him. I already feel a little better. “I’m honestly not entirely sure why that just happened… maybe the weight of everything just, crashed.” I bite my bottom lip in thought.
He lets go of me and takes a step back, giving me a little breathing space. “Are you worried about today?”
It’s a possibility. I’m worried something will go wrong, or someone else will get hurt. I’m so sick of dealing with this situation after what Sal and his father put us all through with my father and then with Marco. Over what exactly? A vendetta because of my mother? Why would they punish me for something I had nothing to do with?
It’s certainly not my fault she died and I seem to be the only one paying for this whole damn situation. I mean I lost my mother already for crying out loud, why should I have to endure a punishment really meant to target my father?
“Gianna?” Xavier’s face is in front of mine and both his hands are cupping either side of my face. I get the sinking feeling that he’s been trying to get my attention for awhile, meaning I had slipped into another one of my spells.
My eyes refocus on his and he looks me over as if analyzing me. “Did you just have a seizure or something?” He asks me with a calculated concern, like he’s already preparing for next steps and just needs confirmation to execute.
“Uh, no, well, actually, you know what, no one has ever asked me that before. Sooo, I don’t know.” I smile sheepishly at him and he gives me a confused look back. I explain further. “I get what my family calls spells which is when I just, I don’t know, kind of zone out… I guess.” His face of confusion turns to one of skepticism as his eyes narrow at me. “What?” I ask him defensively, with a shrill to my tone.
“Nothing.” He smirks, a dimple appearing on his cheek above the corner of his hooked lip. “Spells? Like a witch?” His hands drop from my face and he pushes them into the pockets of his pants as he takes a step back from me again.
I roll my eyes at him, at first kind of annoyed by his tease but then I realize he was able to distract me from whatever negative thoughts I was having and instead now I just feel relieved.
“Yes, like a witch.” I play along. He briefly smiles back at me and then looks off into the distance again, this time towards the sunrise with a slight haze in his eyes.
“I met a witch once, in Sicily. Nothing like I had imagined a witch to look like, like we grow up learning that they look like. You know? The warts, long and crooked nose,” he makes a gesture with his hand to simulate a large nose, “the scraggly hair and missing teeth. None of that, no.
“She was actually one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever met. She looked like Esmerelda, from that hunchback movie… do you remember Esmerelda?”
My smile grows wider. “The cartoon? Yes, I am familiar with Esmerelda.” His eyes shift back into focus and they meet mine, a playful smile appearing on his lips. “So how did you know this woman was a witch?” I ask.
“Well because she told me, obviously,” he banters back with me. “Said she could make me fall in love with her overnight…I believed I did for a moment.” He lets out a sad laugh. “But it was all just smoke and mirrors.”
“Lots of guys fall in love with beautiful women pretty easily, witch or not.”
“Not me. I don’t fall in love.” His face changes as he clearly remembers something unsettling. He then snaps out of whatever it was and nods towards me. “So, does that mean you’re a witch?”
“Huh?” I question back in confusion.
“You make men fall in love with you instantly, so I’ve heard.” He shrugs his large shoulders. “Witch.”
It’s my turn to let out a hearty laugh now. “Yeah, I guess I am.”
“Guess you are what?”
I hear the familiar voice from behind me and already know who it is before I turn around. When my eyes meet his chocolate ones, he’s giving me his award-winning smile. Nicholas grabs me around the waist and slides me up his body to plant a good morning kiss on my lips.
“So?” He asks me as he gazes down at me.
“She’s a witch fratello. Look what she did to you and Luke. Like my Esmeralda.” Xavier says, now behind me.
Nicholas rolls his eyes and then mumbles under his breath, “Not the Esmeralda thing…”
“Fuck off Nick, I heard that.”
“Yeah well don’t call my girl a witch.” Nicholas then looks to me again and pulls me in closer. “You’re not a witch, you’re an angel.” He says to me like I’m a baby, or a cute puppy.
“Witches could be mistaken for angels,” Xavier playfully says back in response. But apparently Nicholas doesn’t find this whole conversation funny or amusing and his eyes raise up from gazing into mine to look behind me at Xavier. I see an expression come upon his face letting X know to drop it, the same expression I’ve witnessed him sport before when he’s in boss mode, like in the pit with Marco. I then hear Xavier half whisper behind me, “Geez, prenditi una battuta del cazzo.” Take a fucking joke.
Xavier passes by me and Nicholas as he walks back inside the house, and my eyes trail him as he leaves. Before entering through the door, his head turns around and he throws me a quick cheesy wink and then he disappears.
“What was that all about? It was just a joke,” I ask Nicholas, still in his embrace. He shakes his head as he gives me an exasperated look, and then furrows his brows as he registers that I’m wearing Xavier’s jacket.
“Why are you-“ He opens the jacket front and sees that I’m only in a long t-shirt underneath. His eyes trail from my neck down to my knees and then up to my face. His expression reads bad for me. “You came downstairs in just that? What are you doing Gianna?”
I don’t even remember why I came down… and then it hits me. I remember that I had a nightmare and just needed air. A nightmare of that guy from the frat party. My anxiety from earlier comes rushing back into me. Nicholas senses the shift in me, but thinks it’s because of his line of questioning. I see him at war with himself as he pushes his anger aside for a moment to reframe our discussion.
He rubs the top of my arms up and down. “What’s going on Gi?” He asks me more softly than before, with more kindness. His chin comes to rest on the top of my head when he pulls me close to his chest again.
I had needed some air so I didn’t get upset around them because of this type of immediate reaction men in the mafia are so prone to succumbing to. All three of them get so angry when I bring up what happened to me that night, how I’m still emotionally dealing with it. Not angry at me directly, although it still upsets me. But I know I can’t lie to him.
“I had a bad dream, about that guy from Gamma Pi. I just needed to get some fresh air and I wasn’t thinking…”
Nicholas pushes me out so I’m at arms length and he looks me in the eyes. “It’s ok Gi. I am never going to let anything happen to you ever again. Including today.”
I can see the sheer determination in his eyes at that statement. He truly means it, and I can tell he will live up to that promise.
“I understand if you’re nervous.” His brown eyes look my face all over. “I get nervous before certain meetings too, but you have to know that you will be safe, we have been doing everything to make sure of that.” I slowly nod my head in acknowledgment, but in the back of my mind I know that I will eventually have to verbalize that this particular nightmare has plagued me before and likely will again.
His look turns more serious. “All that being said, my beautiful Gi, I am going to ask you to change into something more decent, like, right now. I saw red thinking about X seeing you dressed like this in the morning and feeling the need to give you his jacket. If you’re lucky, Luca won’t be downstairs yet before you change.” I can see he’s restraining himself from getting too angry, and that I crossed a line for him.
I nod my head again in understanding, biting the inside of my cheek as a nervous response to his scolding. He throws his arm around me and leads me back inside. When we pass by the kitchen, Luca is already standing in there looking sharp in a dark tailored outfit while lifting a hot cup of coffee to his lips. I imagine him for a moment as an Italian model in an espresso advertisement with how picturesque he looks sometimes. One of his eyebrows goes up when he sees us. “What have you two been up to? And why did X come in here with an attitude?”
Nicholas mutters back “Esmerelda” as he walks over to the fridge to grab a water and Luca’s eyebrows shift up in understanding as he says “Ah”. And then Nicholas continues, “Gianna was just going upstairs to get dressed.”
“Why are you wearing X’s jacket?” Luca’s gaze shifts to me. His tone is even but stiff. To be fair, Nicholas did warn me…
I guiltily open the jacket so he can see what I’m wearing, or I guess what I’m not wearing, underneath. He looks me up and down, and I notice a slight tic of the muscle in his jaw as he takes in my body, although he simply says, “You look nice with my shirt on.” I swear to the holy ghost that I see the bulge in his pants visibly grow.
He slowly puts the coffee on the kitchen island and then takes a step towards me and slides Xavier’s jacket off of my shoulders, letting it drop to the floor in a slump in one smooth motion. His hand slides from my shoulder up to cup my chin and tilt it up towards his face, and he plants a soft kiss on my lips. “Why do I have the sneaking suspicion though, that you’d somehow look even better with it off, mia bella.” He growls low to me. A shiver goes down my body straight to my pussy, waking her up from her deep sleep after what my men did to her last night. Like always, Luca’s dominating presence sucks all the air out of the room and leaves me hot and bothered and just wanting more. A soft moan escapes my lips without my consent.
Luca laughs darkly at my mishap, his thumb coming up to glide over my lower lip, softly playing with it as he takes me in, keeping my chin captured in his grasp in front of me. His eyes glued to my face, the look of adoration and desire cutting deep into my heart. “Il mia piccola amore…” he whispers for only my ears. My little love…
“As much as I love seeing your perfect little body on display for me,” Luca drawls out loud again, eating me up with his eyes, “you can’t just tramp around wearing little outfits which make me want to fucking gut Xavier, who I must remind you is one of my oldest and best friends, because he might have accidentally seen too much.” Luca’s grip on my chin tightens slightly, not enough to make me hurt, though… he would never hurt me. “Do you understand me?” He asks me with his boss voice.
I reply with a whispering yes. This seems to calm him, as he immediately moves in to give me a bruising kiss, forcing me to submit to him fully in this moment. My possessive men felt I crossed a line by wearing what I did in front of another man, being too indecent… Women get assaulted for less all the time, especially in our crime world, and I know I should have known better having grown up in this life. Xavier is a good man and would never take advantage of me like that, but I know how mafia men usually get when it comes to what, or who, is theirs, even when interacting with their closest friends. And despite Luca and Nicholas being willing to share my heart with each other and with Giuseppe, I think we’ve all officially reached their limits on who else can join our bedroom parties.
I melt into Luca’s kiss and let him take whatever he needs from me, and not in the slightest bit minding either. I actually sort of love it when my men turn a little animalistic with me, and I start to deepen our kiss, slowly losing myself in the passion. He pulls back with effort after a few moments, a wild craze gleaming in his eyes. “You make me feel insane Gianna. You are dangerous.”
“Fuckin right she is.” Nicholas mutters behind me in agreement.
“Where were you this morning? Why did you leave?” Luca suddenly asks me while I’m trapped in his hold. I now wonder if all of this is his insecurity showing through after what happened between us four last night and the fact that I wasn’t in bed this morning when he, well I guess all three of them, woke up.
“I, uh…” I stammer out trying to find the right words. I realize how this looks and I don’t want them to think I’m having second thoughts. “It’s not what you think it is.”
“Oh?” Luca’s gaze intensifies, his hazel eyes seeming to glow where the morning light hits them. “And what do I think it is, Gi?”
“That I’m chickening out?” I ask with a squeak.
“Are you?” He bites back.
I notice that Nicholas, in a rare event, is silent next to us even though he’s also a stakeholder in this conversation. But I keep my eyes focused on Luca’s.
“No…” I answer back. He studies me while he waits for me to explain further. “I had a nightmare last night, of being chased by one of the guys from the party.” I hedge to him, opening up so he understands why I fled this morning. I catch the muscles flex in his right arm when I mention the frat guys.
“I know how it affects you, well, Nicholas and Giuseppe too, when I bring up what happened that night to me... I just didn’t want to ruin the morning with bringing up the whole Gamma Pi thing after what that happened last night…” I trail off. Searching for the words to right this situation. His grip loosens on my chin and his hand drops, a look of regret appearing in his hazel eyes.
“I didn’t mean to-“ he starts to reply but I cut him off.
“It’s fine, Luca, really. I’m sorry for ditching you all this morning. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
He assesses me silently for a moment, moving some hair behind my ear, until finally he speaks. “I’m sorry you didn’t feel like you could talk about this with me, with us, without us negatively reacting. And I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions,” he sincerely says to me before pulling me towards him and shamelessly cupping my butt underneath his shirt. A deep rumble sounds in his chest. “But you have no idea how completely feral you make me.”
Hmm…there was definitely more to his semi-over reaction this morning, and probably Nicholas’s too, than I had first thought.
“As much as I love watching you two go at it, and believe me, I do, our little queen is running late and needs to get properly dressed,” Nicholas finally speaks again from behind me with his teasing tone. I feel his hand come to rest on my shoulder and his body sandwiches me between him and Luca. His hand slowly moves aside my hair giving his mouth access to my neck and he brushes his lips ever so lightly on me. My back automatically arches into his touch, and he takes the opportunity to steal a kiss from me, grabbing my face in his hand and turning my head enough towards him to reach his lips. Luca watches us make out with hunger in his eyes, still firmly kneading my behind in his hands.
Nicholas finally breaks our kiss. If he hadn’t stopped then, I don’t know if the three of us would have been able to hold ourselves back from taking it further right in the middle of the kitchen with how steamy it was just getting. Luca finally lets go of me and lets me take a step away from him.
“Up you go.” Nicholas taps my behind to send me off to my task. I give Luca one more peck on the lips and then turn to give one to Nicholas, then walk towards the stairs. I take a peek behind me, seeing the two of them now next to each other, whispering low and not looking at me any longer.
I turn back around and head up the stairs to Luca’s room.
When I get there, Joe is sitting on the bench putting on his shoes. He looks up at me when I enter. “Hey.” A warm smile appears on his face.
“Hey.”
“Where’d you run off to this morning? It was pretty fuckin’ weird waking up in bed with Luca and Nick and you weren’t there.”
I laugh, overwhelmed with the image of that and the awkwardness it must have created between the three of them, already knowing how it made Luca feel. “I definitely didn’t think of that when I snuck out this morning.”
His eyes shift and I can see he’s bothered. “So why’d you sneak out?” He finishes tying his shoe and stands up.
Jig’s up already, so I immediately let my barriers down with Giuseppe.
“I had a nightmare about what happened to me at the party.” I lay it out there, unwilling to hide anymore. His face takes on a pained expression.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“No. I just wanted to forget about it.”
He nods his head and doesn’t say anything in reply. I walk over to the closet and start to rummage through the drawers. I find a pair of black skinny jeans and a plain white long sleeve to wear and quickly throw them on, along with a bra and panties for good measure. I tie my hair up in a ponytail and then step back out of the closet to where he is standing and waiting for me. He pulls me into a big hug when I reach him and I breathe in deeply, smelling the familiar sandalwood and pine scent that is my Giuseppe. My hand skims his shoulder, and I feel the bandages underneath his shirt from where he was shot.
“I’m so happy you’re ok…” I whisper into his chest. He slowly rubs my back in response, making me never want to leave this spot.
“Other than the nightmare, how are you feeling this morning?”
“Mmmmm… fine,” I reply lazily. He rubs my back a few seconds longer.
“Did you already eat breakfast?” He asks me.
“No.”
“So did you want to-“
“Giuseppe?”
“Yeah?”
“Can you just hold me and be quiet for a minute?”
Without another word, his grip on me tightens and he presses me further into him. I let my body completely relax and close my eyes. I just want to savor this quiet moment, the calm before the storm of today. I don’t know what’s going to happen with Sal but given everything that has happened so far, I’m not exactly looking forward to seeing him, and I’m sure my men aren’t either.
“Everything will be fine,” Joe whispers lovingly to me.
“I know.”
We finally unembrace and silently head downstairs together to join everyone else. When we get to the kitchen, Xavier and DJ are already in deep conversation with Luca and Nicholas. Luca looks up, noticing us enter the room and motions with his hand for us to come join the group.
When we approach them, Luca takes my hand and pulls me over to stand next to him. He slings his arm around my back and his hand firmly rests on my hip. He dips his chin to whisper to me, “you look beautiful.” I nudge my body into him in response. He then gets serious and addresses the rest of the room.
“Now that we’re all here, I want to go over the plan again.”
We spend the next 20 minutes going over the plan, detail by detail. The guys all seem pretty confident in what is going to happen, and no jokes are made, only business.
When all is said and done, Luca turns to me while pulling the burner phone from yesterday out of his pocket. “Ready to call Sal?”
Not really. But I don’t have a choice at this point, I was the one who came up with this plan in the first place anyway. With all eyes in the room on me, I take the phone out of Luca’s hand and call back the number I rang yesterday, this time knowing to put it on speaker for everyone to hear.
It rings twice. “Buongiorno Gianna,” Sal drawls on the other end, “I’ve been thinking about you all night.” I inwardly cringe, not daring to look up into anyone’s eyes, knowing already this is a bad tone to start the day.
“Buongiorno Sal, I wasn’t expecting to have such an impact on you from just one call.”
“I heard you’re known to have a big impact on all men who cross your path.”
I let a few moments of silence follow, not willing to continue playing this game with him. “Well, I am calling to give you a meeting place, if you still want to meet, that is.”
Sal lets out a dark chuckle. “Wouldn’t miss this opportunity for the world.”
“I don’t want any funny business Salvatore. I’m coming to you in peace. I want to be able to trust you if we ever have a chance of having something together in the future.”
It’s Sal’s turn to be silent for a few moments, and then he replies. “No funny business, gattina.”
“I’ll meet you at Richmond Park at 12, near Mount Ridge University. Take the entrance on South Street, I’ll be waiting for you a few benches down the path.”
“No privacy for us then?”
“Not today.”
“Hm, your loss.”
I roll my eyes in disgust. What the hell is up with men sometimes?
“So will I see you there?”
“You will,” he replies calmly.
“I’ll be leaving after a few minutes if you’re not there on time.” I look up finally and see Nicholas give me a thumbs up from across the kitchen island. It was his clause that I don’t linger around too long waiting for Sal.
“I’ll be there.”
“Ok, bye.” I quickly hang up the phone, relieved to finally end the call. Luca plants a soft kiss on the top of my head. I let out a big breath that I didn’t realize I was holding in this whole time.
Here goes nothing today.
