Page 30 of His Two Hidden Masks

“Eight p.m.”

“Eight p.m.”

James leaned back to look at me, his face in a big grin. “Yes, congratulations to us all,” he said, his voice booming. Right. He was playing the role of the conqueror, and now he’d shown them all how he was making peace with the only voice of dissent in the room.

I felt defeated, as though I’d been played again, first by my family and now by James. I left the room, legs shaking the taste of failure bitter in my mouth. I had made a terrible mistake thinking I could persuade the board and my family to support me. I also feared I had made a mistake sleeping with the enemy.

Yet, if James had been such a terrible mistake, why was my body aching for that man’s touch? Why did some part of me hope that he would try to seduce me again?

I ached to feel his body on top of me, inside me. I leaned against the wall just outside the dining room. What secrets could James Street possibly reveal?

I liked to believe I would stand him up, but I knew it was a revenge fantasy that would never play out. As I walked across the marble floor on my borrowed high heels, I decided to meet him in front of Andiamo.

My mind told me to run away, while my body dared me to run toward him. I wanted to feel his hands on my hips, his lips on my breasts, his body inside mine.

Fuck me.

If making love to James Street was a mistake, I wanted to make it again.

6

In the lobby, Leo sat on the turquoise settee in front of the fireplace. Eyes fixed on his cell phone, his long legs stretched out in front of him. He looked poised and ready to convince a tourist to spend heaps of money on a one-of-a-kind piece of art at the glass studio.

“Hi,” I said, sitting down beside him. I leaned my head on his shoulder.

“And how did it go?” Leo asked, looking up from his phone. “You want to talk, or should we get out of here?”

I held up my hand and did a thumbs down.

Leo inhaled through his teeth. “That bad?”

“That bad,” I said. “I’ll tell you everything, but I just want to sit for a moment and pretend I have a different life. Thank you for running my boxes over here. What would I do without you?”

“Oh, sweetie. I don’t know, perish?” Leo said, looking skyward. “Wilt like a beautiful flower that never sees sunlight?”

I swatted his arm. “You make me sound like I’m one day away from being a housebound agoraphobic.”

“Bella, you didn’t leave your house for two weeks before I intervened,” he said. “You are a beautiful creature with gifts toshare with this fucked-up world, even if no one in your family sees it.”

“I hope I didn’t mess up your morning,” I said.

“You didn’t, darling.” He kissed the top of my head.

“Is this a new suit?”

Leo always looked good, but today he looked runway perfect. He wore a gorgeous, deep blue suit, pressed and shining slightly as if the threads were silk. He paired it with a white shirt and bright yellow tie.

“It’s Valentino,” Leo said. “It cost a mint, but David got me a discount. He hand-picked it for me. You know how he is.” He shrugged. “I’m annoyed. Not with you, with him. He has another show this month in Paris. I wish he would invite me, but it’s busy season.”

“Awww, you miss him,” I said.

“Of course, I miss him. I just don’t want to come off as needy.”

“It’s not needy to want to spend time with someone you love, Leo.”

“Love.” He laughed and clutched his throat in mock shock. “Oh, no. Let’s not start talking about love.”

“You two are the most beautiful and well-dressed men in Italy,” I said. “Your love makes me happy. You know that, don’t you?”

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