Page 9 of Vicious Rule

“And miss all of this?”

Rolling my eyes, I answer, “I’m sure I’ll see it next time. It’s the same thing every night, so I’ll catch up tomorrow.”

He thinks about my request for a minute before nodding. “Fine, but you better believe I’m going to lie and say you were sick.”

“Whatever you have to do.”

As I walk out of the room, I see Nico watching my every move. I may not want him, but he certainly seems interested in me.

I stop just outside the room to look out from the balcony at the villa’s grounds. This really is a beautiful place. It might be even more beautiful than the hotel. I’ve loved this villa since the day I came here.

Then why is the only thought in my head right now about how much I want to leave?

The sound of footsteps behind me pulls me from my thoughts, and when I turn around expecting Alex standing there, I’m surprised to see Nico smiling at me. Wearing only a pair of black pants, he looks incredible. His chest and abs show he spends some time in the gym, and I feel my gaze drifting over them as I appreciate his body.

Quickly, I scramble to come up with a reason why I’m not in there with my supposed boyfriend. “I needed a little fresh air.”

He nods like he understands and stops next to me to look out at the grounds. “This is a beautiful home. Alex is very lucky to have this villa. It used to be in the Nacaro family until they all died off.”

“Oh, that’s too bad for them, but I know Alex loves this villa. He picked it out himself.”

Nico turns his body to face me, and a second later, he’s crowding my space in that way powerful men always do when they want something. “I thought we should get to know each other a little better. I am your boyfriend’s business partner, so it seems only right.”

When he inhales, his chest expands, pressing against mine. Instantly, I’m unsure I’m in the right frame of mind to handle him tonight.

“I don’t really play much part in the business,” I lie.

A slow smile spreads across his lips, and he looks perfectly wicked. “I don’t believe that for a second.”

“It’s true. I had no idea you were being brought on as a business partner.”

No longer interested in this topic, he shifts the conversation to talk of Alex and me. “How long have you two been together?”

Damnit, I have no idea if Alex told him a specific length of time we’ve been a couple! This is why he should involve me more in his business. What if I give the wrong answer to Nico’s question?

Forcing a smile, I say, “God, I don’t know. How odd is that? It feels like we’ve been together forever, though.”

I see in Nico’s expression he doesn’t believe me. Great. This is what Alex gets for not keeping me in the loop on things like this. He better not complain when he finds out I screwed this up.

“You two don’t act like a couple that’s madly in love. In fact, you don’t act like you’re a couple at all.”

Before I can respond, he slides his hands up my body, grazing my breasts before he lets his hands come to rest on my shoulders. “I don’t think you belong to him. Do you?”

Something about the way he talks about me as a possession instantly gets my ire up, and I step away from him, shaking my head. “I belong to no one. No man. No woman. I belong to myself.”

“I believe that, Sasha. More than you know.”

He knows Alex and I aren’t together. It’s clear by how he said that with such conviction and how he’s looking at me like I’m a snack he intends on enjoying any minute now.

“I better go. It was nice talking to you, Nico.”

As I hurry off down the terrace, he calls after me, “Aren’t you going back into the party?”

With a quick glance back at him, I shake my head. “No. I have other things to do. Have a good night!”

Flustered, I hurry away to my room. Slamming the door behind me, I press my back against it and let out a heavy sigh. Son of a bitch! I have no idea if I’ve made a mistake and ruined everything for Alex. I probably have. Then again, maybe if my wonderful boss told me the things I need to know once in a while, things like this wouldn’t happen.

After a few minutes, I get my thoughts straight and know I have to tell him everything that Nico said. I rush back to the party, but he’s nowhere to be found, so I run to his office to look for him. Throwing the door open, I burst into the room and see him naked behind a woman bent over his desk. Oblivious to the fact that I’ve just walked in, he grunts hard while he continues to fuck whoever she is.

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