Olivia
I stand on the spot for a moment as I watch the car disappear with my man and a beautiful woman inside. I’m not sure if I’m in shock or disbelief. Probably both.
Don’t be stupid. It’s his sister or something. It has to be. Enrico’s not a sleazebag. I know he isn’t.
I struggle down the street with the heavy garment bag, my mind running wild. Maybe I should just call him and put my mind to rest. Yes, I’ll do that.
I take out my phone and have another thought. He doesn’t touch me in public.
Is there a reason?
A sick, suspicious feeling washes over me, and my heart begins to race.
Is he married? Of course, he isn’t married.
Fuck.
“Don’t be dramatic,” I whisper, spotting the dry cleaners up ahead. I drop the bag off and return to work by taxi, with every conspiracy theory running through my mind.
He took me away this weekend. I thought it was to be romantic. What if he was hiding me?
I’ve been so hypnotized by his company that I haven’t asked any questions.
Is he with somebody else? Is that why he didn’t call me in Australia and ask me to come here for him?
No. He’s not.
Ferraras marry for life.
I go over our weekend together. The laughing, the making love, and the closeness we shared.
Just get back to work and stop thinking the worst. There is a completely logical explanation.
We’ll see what happens tonight when I ask him.
* * *
It’s 8:00 p. m., and I’m waiting for Enrico to knock on my door.
He called me earlier and said he was working late.
Was he?
I played dumb. I want to see his face when I bring it up. I’m still convinced that this is all in my head, but my gut feeling is setting off alarm bells.
Something is going on. There are just too many holes in our time away from each other and what he’s told me about himself. I have questions that have had me pacing back and forth in my room for the last two hours.
Knock, knock.
This is it. I open the door in a rush.
Enrico’s sexy eyes hold mine. “Hello, bella.”
My heart skips a beat at the sight of him. “Hi.”
He leans in and kisses me before he takes me into his arms. “I missed you today.”
I pull out of his arms and he walks past me into my room. “What did you do today?” I ask.
“Worked,” he says as he takes off his jacket and throws it on the bed. “How was your day?”
“Good,” I say as I watch him. “Where did you have lunch?”
His eyes come to me and in that moment, I know the woman he was with wasn’t his sister.
“Downtown,” he replies calmly and sits on the bed. He taps his lap for me to go him. “Why do you ask?”
I remain standing. “I saw you.” Our eyes are locked, and he remains silent.
“Who is she?”
After a beat, he replies, “Her name is Sophia.” I stare at him as I wait for him to elaborate. “She works for me.”
Relief begins to flood through me. I knew there was a logical reason.
“She’s the General Manager of…” He pauses.
“Of what?”
“Our high-end brothels.”
“She’s a Madam?” I whisper. “You’re spending time with a whore?”
He clenches his jaw, angered by my outburst.
“Why didn’t you tell me about this?” I snap. “Why did I have to see you in the street with another woman?”
He stands and goes to the window to stare down at the street below. He puts his hands in his suit pockets. “We needed to talk about this, anyway,” he says calmly. “I have been waiting for the right moment to bring it up and this is as good a time as any. I want to get you your own apartment. Pick somewhere, anywhere, and I will buy it for you.”
I stare at him. He’s different, detached and calculating. Or maybe that’s just because my rose-tinted glasses have been smashed to smithereens and I’m seeing the real him for the first time.
He owns brothels.
“You don’t need to work for Valentino. You can have your own fashion label. I’ll back you financially. Anything you want is yours. No budget. You can have everything.”
“Where will you live?” I ask.
He stares at me, but stays silent.
“Will you live with me?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
He inhales sharply. “We cannot be in a relationship in a traditional sense, Olivia.”
My brows rise.
“I have…” He pauses, searching for the right words. “More than ever, I need to hold onto my Italian heritage.”
My skin begins to crawl.
“I am not just a man who lives in Italy, Olivia. I am an Italian man in all senses. I need to carry on my traditional bloodline. It is very, very important to me-non-negotiable.”
What?
We stare at each other. “This is why you didn’t come for me in Australia?”
He clenches his jaw. “Yes.”
I can literally hear my heart as it breaks.
“What you’re saying is that you can fuck an Australian… but you can’t marry one?” I whisper as tears form.
His cold eyes hold mine. “I’m sorry.”
“So, you’ll have your Italian wife and keep your bloodline with her, and I will be your girlfriend on the side?”
He drops his head, ashamed of what he has asked of me.
My throat hurts as I try to hold it together. If he hit me with an axe it would be less painful. I grab the table to steady myself.
“Olivia,” he whispers. “Think about it. You will have me in every sense other than marriage. I will be yours.” He cups my face in his hand. “I don’t want to lose you.” His eyes are crazy, panicked. “I can’t lose you.”
“You just did.” I push out through gritted teeth.
“No, bella.” He grabs for me, and he holds me tight in his arms as I struggle to break free.
“Get out.”
He holds me. “No, no, no. Per favore, no. Non posso perderti,” he whispers as he clings to me, desperate to hold me in place so that he can talk me into this. “Non posso vivere senza di te.”
I know he’s losing control because he’s talking Italian. He only does that when he can’t think.
I break free from his grip and push him hard on the chest. He stumbles back.
“Get out,” I sneer.
“I’m not leaving you. I can’t. Don’t ask that of me.”
I pick up a glass from the table and hurl it at him. “Get the fuck out!” I scream.
His eyes hold mine for an extended moment, and then, as if conceding defeat, he drops his head.
I turn my back on him as my tears begin to pour free.
I’ve never felt so fucking cheap in all of my life. Here I was thinking we were falling in love, and he was just lining me up to fuck me behind his future wife’s back.
The only sound is my heartbeat as adrenaline courses through my veins, trying desperately to calm me down.
Thump, thump, thump.