Page 44 of Now and Forever

“It’s a good thing. Otherwise, I might have been terrified.”

Dario pulled the car into a parking garage and took an immediate left. A large gate opened, and we proceeded down a lit tunnel until Dario parked the car nearby other impressive vehicles. He got out and came around, opening my door.

“We’re home.”

As I stood, the SUV driven by Armando entered, parking a few spaces down.

I placed my hand in Dario’s and followed toward a stairwell. At the entry, Dario placed a card near a sensor. The light turned green, and the door slid open, revealing not a stairwell, but an elevator.

“Our home is on the top floor. This elevator only stops at the top two floors. Dante lives a floor below. No stopping for other floors.”

“What about Armando?” I asked.

“He’ll bring our things up to our apartment.”

Ourapartment.

The penthouse.

As the elevator moved swiftly toward the top of the building, Dario leaned against a shiny mirrored wall and crossed his ankles. “I probably should have mentioned Contessa before now.”

“Contessa? Who is Contessa?”

ChapterThirteen

Catalina

Dario’s grin appeared if only briefly. “Contessa is the woman who lives with me.”

“What?” My question went unanswered as the elevator doors opened.

We stepped out of the elevator into a stunning entry showcasing a sprawling living room, complete with a large fireplace and floor-to-ceiling windows with a view of the city below. While the apartment was luxurious with ceilings at least fourteen feet high, and the furnishings were the best money could buy, my thoughts remained on this woman, the one who cohabitates with my husband.

Dario placed his hand in the small of my back, turning me toward footsteps. A sigh of relief escaped my throat at the sight of a short and plump woman, probably in her early sixties, coming toward us. “Contessa?” I asked.

Only I could hear Dario’s soft chuckle.

“Yes, Mrs. Luciano,” she replied in a pleasant tone. Wiping her hands on an apron, she scanned me up and down. “You’re beautiful. I see why Mr. Luciano chose you.”

Chose me.

Yes, from a menu.

“Contessa,” Dario said, “show Mrs. Luciano around the apartment. Armando will be up with our things from the weekend. Have Mrs. Luciano’s belongings arrived from California?”

“Yes, sir. I’ve taken everything to the primary bedroom.” She turned to me. “I didn’t know if you wanted me to put things away.”

“Thank you. I’d like to do that myself.” My answer earned me a nod and half a smile.

Dario flashed his card in front of the sensor for the elevator that had closed.

Panic that he was leaving scurried over my skin. “Are you going somewhere?” I asked.

“I have a few fires that need my attention. You’ll be safe here with Contessa and Armando.”

Straightening my neck, I nodded. This was my first full day as Catalina Luciano. I didn’t want to spend it as a meek, needy wife. Dario said he liked my fire. Maybe I needed to stoke the flames and convince myself that it was better for me to get a lay of the land on my own.

“I’ll be back by dinner,” he said as the elevator doors opened revealing Armando and our suitcases.

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