Athena
I stepped out of my room, my bottom lip tucked between my teeth as I walked before Frederick and Cole. They sat on the sofa in the living room chugging down my beer collection and shoving chips down their throats.
“Ahem?!” I cleared my throat and struck a pose when they looked at me.
Cole burst into laughter right away and a frown made its way to my face. “Who on earth picked that shitty dress for you?”
I glared at the idiot and looked at Frederick. At least I could trust his judgment better than Cole’s. Cole was a fucking clown and I was certain he looked for any opportunity to make me feel embarrassed.
“Ah,” Frederick said, amusement written all over his face. “I’m not sure what exactly you’re aiming for, But I doubt looking like a banana is one of them.”
I tossed my head back in a groan and gripped the fabric that clung to me like a second skin. “It’s because it’s yellow isn’t it?”
“I swear it looks like puke,” Cole guffawed then laughed even harder when I glared at him.
I turned to Frederick, feeling the self-confidence drain out of me with each passing second. “Why on earth did you bring him along?”
The old dude shrugged and grabbed another pack of chips. “I thought it would be better to have a younger man’s opinion. We need someone who can relate to Luciano’s taste in women. This is the first ball you’ll be attending with him after all.”
Right, I thought and turned around. It was my first outing with the dashed bastard and a chance for me to dress informally. I had spent half the fucking day trying to find out what dress to wear that night. I wanted something that would knock his socks off. Something that tempted and drew him closer. A dress that would blow his mind. Apparently, the yellow backless dress I currently wore was not that dress.
Walking back into my room, I eyed the second dress that I picked for that night. It was beautiful. I knew that. But it seemed too damn beautiful to waste it on that jerk! If I ever wore that dress, I wanted it to be for myself. I wanted to wear it to feel good, better even, about myself and not because I wanted to seduce some man.
Sighing deeply, I reached for the dress anyways. What choice did I have? The ball was in four hours, It was too late to go shopping. Cole and Frederick had disapproved of my other dresses so I was stuck with this anyway. Shrugging it on, I walked to the mirror and sighed in satisfaction.
It was a black sequined gown. It had a low V neckline and was wrapped around my figure, denting around my waist and flaring along my hips. The gown was long, sweeping the floor in a rather graceful manner. It had a slit on my thigh that exposed my long legs. I smiled, my green eyes blinking with mischief, and turned slightly so I could see the back of the dress. Straps lined my upper back ending just above my ass where the fabric began. All it would take was a tug at the knot that held all the straps together and the dress would unravel.
If this dress didn’t drive Luciano crazy, then he had to have balls made of steel. Taking a deep breath, I walked out of my room again and grinned when Cole choked on the chip he had been gnawing on.
“Sweet sweet Mother of good things,” He spluttered.
“Well, well,” Frederick muttered, rising to his feet. “Looks like we’ve found the one.”
“You had that all along and chose the darned yellow dress first?” Cole said, shaking his head. “Always full of surprises aren’t you?”
I chuckled at his question and flipped my hair. Here I come, Mr. Moretti.
***
It was quite funny how the world adored men like Luciano. Funny because men like him tend to portray themselves as angels in public but underneath their pretty faces, they were devils. Dark cruel devils.
I arrived at the Charity Ball hosted by Luciano himself and had barely parked my car properly when I got a call from the devil himself.
“Miss Gonzalez, I trust that you were aware that the ball starts at eight,” His cold ass voice reached my ears.
“Yes Mr. Moretti,” I replied as calmly as I could. Everything about him often infuriated me. It was a struggle to keep calm.
“Tell me then, why aren’t you here yet? The interior designers are doing a shitty job of decorating the platform. The wine fountain isn’t fixed yet and my fucking assistant is most likely painting her fucking face in her room!”
“I am in the parking lot, Mr. Moretti,” I said blandly. “And the time is 6:42. I’m certain we have plenty of time to fix all that before the ball begins.”
“Do not fucking placate me. You’re paid to always be on time. If you cannot handle a simple event as this,-”
I cut the call before he could go on, fed up with his shitty attitude. What the hell was wrong with him? I was an hour early! Last I checked, I was his assistant, not his fucking slave and he could not order me to do shit!
“Damn him!” I yelled, slamming my fist into the steering wheel. If I killed him tonight, It was all his fucking fault. How one man was so annoying was beyond me!
The earpiece stuck in my ear and hidden under my hair buzzed and sighing deeply, I tapped on it.
“We’re in position,” Frederick muttered. “We have eyes in all departments. The catering company, the Lights and sound system department, the ushers, the staff, and the security department. If anything shady goes on, I’m fairly certain we should be able to pick up on it.”
“Good,” I muttered and stepped out of the car.
I could imagine the arrogant idiot, looming at the entrance, furious because I had hung up on him. He could be angry all he wanted. If he provoked me beyond my limits, I’d stick a pocket knife into his eyes.
When I entered the hall, I scrutinized the room, trying to spot all the flaws that Luciano had mentioned earlier. Everything seemed fine to me. The bastard was just being dramatic.
“Gonzalez!” I heard him bellow and stiffened.
Like a man possessed, Luciano stormed towards me, Pushing the waiters and ushers that lay in his path aside. Blood rushed through my ears as I watched him approach. He looked every bit like a handsome devil. His hair and dark locks were tousled instead of slicked back as they always have been. He must have yanked on it several times in the past few minutes because they pointed in every direction.
He was dressed as immaculately as always in a slick, black Italian suit that bulged with his clenched muscles. Damn, he was hot. And perhaps if he wasn’t my mortal enemy, I would not mind him taking me against the wall.
That would be so fucking hot.
Keep your head in the game Athena, a voice in my head warned.
Luciano stopped right before me then, breathing harshly as he glared down at me. His nostrils were flared and if that was supposed to be intimidating, it wasn’t working. I stared him right in the eyes, arching a brow at him.
His eyes left mine and swept down my body in a slow and languorous manner. I could feel them burn through my dress, heating me as his breathing changed from harsh to labored.
“Dannazione,” He whispered in some foreign tongue and chills drifted down my body at the hooded look on his face. I wanted to close the distance between us. I wanted to lean in, place my head on his broad chest and listen to see if his heart was pounding as wildly as mine was. I wanted to take him by the hand, lead him somewhere secluded where I could finally discover if his hair was just as soft as it looked. If he enjoyed being pressed up against me. If he wanted me.
With the way he stared at me like I was some puzzle he couldn’t figure out, I felt I was close. I was so close to making him fall to his knees and it thrilled me.
“Hello Mr. Moretti,” I greeted, smiling softly.
“Fuck,” he wore loudly and stepped back, slipping his cold mask back on. “You’re late, Miss Gonzalez,”
I licked my bottom lip and almost grinned when his eyes followed the movement. “Dressing up took a little longer than expected, Mr. Moretti,” I explained. “I rushed here as fast as I could.”
“I can see that,” He bit out tightly.
“Ah,” I mumbled as if I had just recalled something. Turning my back towards him, I swiped my hair away from my back revealing two loose straps. “Could you help me tie my dress, Mr. Moretti? I couldn’t quite reach it and I fear that my dress could fall during the event.”
“Solo condannato,” He growled and my body hummed when I felt his fingers graze my back.