Page 43 of Useless Love

“Now you’ve made me curious.”

“Don’t try to change the subject. If you want Carmine, go after him. Or, leave him in the hands of your sister, who will make his life miserable.”

“But what about Father? He would never let me marry Carmine.”

“When you make your decision, let me handle your father.”

When we arrived at the penthouse, my head is swirling with possibilities. Could I really have Carmine? Not Arianna? I need to speak with her, but she isn’t home, as usual. Nor is she answering her phone. To distract myself, I do some homework and run some errands before Carmine sends a text telling me he will pick me up at seven tonight. To get ready, I get a facial and a pedicure. Before I know it, it’s time for dinner with my sister's fiancée. I wear a sexy red V-neck dress that Mother and Victoria swear isn’t inappropriate.

“You could convince a man to take his life in that dress, my dear,” Mother says with a smirk.

“Isn’t it too much?” I ask, feeling self-conscious.

“Have some fun for once, Gaia,” Victoria teases.

I’m thinking of taking off the dress, when I hear my twin’s voice from behind me,“Wear the dress, and Carmine will take care of the rest.”

I turn to see Arianna giving me a dark look but smiling.

“See, I told you,” Mother whispers. Then she says to Arianna, “I spent time with the happy couple today. Carmine is smitten with her.”

Arianna only gives me a blank look.

“Arianna, I want to talk to you about some things,” I begin, but she disappears, mumbling something about meeting a “god named Marco.”

“Who is Marco?” Victoria asks.

“Someone she calls an actual name and not Jr. Gaudino,” Mother says and then laughs.

My twin is as mysterious as ever, but I didn’t like the way she looked at me. What is she thinking? And would she be okay if I marry Carmine instead?

But I’m out of time. I need to meet Carmine, so I ride the elevator down. When I exit the building and he sees my cleavage, he gets a noticeable bulge in his pants. I should have trusted my judgment and not worn this.

As his eyes burn through my dress, I can't help but feel a flash of heat. “Any chance you will greet me too, or just my chest?” I tease.

Carmine swiftly places his palm on my lower back, guiding me toward the car.“Princess, every part of you looks fucking amazing. I told you to wear something sexy but forgot you are a grade-A student. I’ll be careful about what I ask for.”

“You hate the dress? I’ve had it for years but never worn it.”

“Fuck no, I don’t hate your dress. My cock sprung to action. Don’t pretend you didn’t see it.” I get in the car and he looks me over again. “I think plans are changing.”

“What does that mean?”

He pulls out his phone. “It means I’m not letting anybody else see you in that dress. I’ll hunt any man down who looks at you wrong.”

“Then where are we going?”

“Don’t worry. You can still get a public restaurant. I’ll just organize a private room.”

That defeats the purpose. I don’t trust myself alone with him.

After a quick phone call, he pounces before I can react, taking my mouth with more force than ever.

I softly moan when he lets me up for air, “Carmine…”

“You are a perfectly wrapped gift, Arianna. I want to unwrap you so damn badly, but I made promises.”

Arianna. If only that was my name.

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