Page 63 of Empire of Temptation

Hooray for me.

“I think I’m going to like this show,” I said to Luca with a wide grin.

He wrapped his arm around my waist. “I thought you might. Try not to drool, bambina.”

There was so much activity, it reminded me of the kitchen during the dinner rush. Controlled chaos was what my mother always calledit. Everyone was busy, focused on their responsibilities yet working as a team, and I found it soothing in a way.

“Ah, there they are,” Luca said, looking above the crowd. “Come with me.”

Luca took my hand and led me through the chairs and racks of clothing. We finally arrived at an area with more space, where a gorgeous woman was adjusting a pair of trousers. The wearer of said trousers, a beautiful male model with caramel skin and lean muscles, stood perfectly still while the woman worked, and I noticed another man lounging in a chair nearby. He was also handsome, a bit older, and power radiated off him in waves. No one spoke to him and he watched the woman fiddling with the pants with an intense concentration that bordered on creepy.

This had to be the other don.

He wasn’t what I expected, but then I hadn’t thought Luca was a don either. These two could’ve passed for wealthy businessmen, not international criminals.

Luca edged around the woman and the model, walking directly toward the man in the chair. At our approach, the don glanced over, his eyes wary and sharp. He looked at Luca carefully, then gave me a quick once over.

“D’Agostino,” Luca said in a friendly but soft tone. “Come stai?”

D’Agostino stood, expression unchanging, and the two men shook hands. Then Luca placed his hand on the small of my back. “Signore D’Agostino, this is Signorina Montella.”

When he went to shake my hand, I said, “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. D’Agostino.”

His grip was firm. “Signorina. Glad you could make it.” His voice was deep and thickly accented, the sounds slightly different than the way Luca spoke. A different dialect, which meant he wasn’t from where Luca lived.

“Hi.” The woman who’d been adjusting the pants joined us. She edged in between D’Agostino and Luca, her gaze locked on Luca’s face. “Who’s this, babe?”

D’Agostino softened considerably, pulling the woman close to his side and kissing the top of her head. She was unbelievably gorgeous, tall and thin, with her makeup done to perfection. I was instantly jealous of her superior eye liner skills. She wore a low-cut, loose, patterned dress that was tighter on top and flowed around her legs, paired with a cool pair of low boots and funky jewelry on her wrists and around her neck. Her style was both elegant and edgy, and I couldn’t help but admire her.

“Gianna,” D’Agostino said. “This is Signore Benetti and Signorina Montella.”

Gianna continued to stare at Luca, then her smile dropped as she whirled toward D’Agostino. “You promised. Goddamn it, Enzo.”

I moved closer to Luca’s side, not sure what was happening. He ran his hand up and down my back, and I arched into his simple, soothing touch, seeking more. It was bizarre how my body responded to him.

D’Agostino bent and began whispering to Gianna. She pushed at his chest, interrupting him. “Stop. I don’t have time for this. We’ll discuss it later. Go away.” She returned to her model, bent down, and ignored us.

D’Agostino sighed and shook his head. “I am not leaving.”

Gianna said nothing, just continued to work on the trousers. Someone came over and told her of a problem with one of the jackets, and Gianna gave instructions to an assistant on what to do with the trousers. Then she stood up and darted off into the crowd.

“We’ll find our seats,” Luca said to D’Agostino, who was watching the spot where Gianna disappeared.

D’Agostino responded in Italian and Luca nodded. Then he led me away, following the signs marked for the stage. We went out into the main area, but I was surprised not to find a runway or stage. Instead chairs were lined up around the perimeter of the white room, with big black boxes scattered throughout the middle, sort of like a maze. Nearly all the seats were taken, with more people filtering in from the back, but Luca led me toa reserved section.

We sat and Luca draped his arm around the back of my chair and crossed his legs. I leaned into him, which I seemed to be doing a lot lately. I wasn’t sure why, but I’d think about it later. For now I just wanted to enjoy the day with this incredibly handsome man. “What did Mr. D’Agostino say in Italian before we left?”

“Nothing important.”

Which meant he didn’t want to tell me. “Was he pissed?”

“That is one way of putting it,” Luca drawled. “It’s nothing you should worry about.” He picked up my hand, kissed it, then brought it over to his thigh and curled our fingers together.

We fell into silence and I watched the crowd settle. There were several celebrities I recognized, a few actors and sports stars. I tried not to stare, but it was hard. Almost everyone in the room was incredibly good-looking. And the women my age seemed so together and sophisticated—not like they’d been dealing with plumbing problems earlier today.

If mom hadn’t died, maybe that could’ve been me. I might’ve gone away to school, traveled and become cultured, experienced the world. Instead, I was stuck in Paesano, running the family restaurant and trying to keep my head above water.

Luca put his lips near my ear. “What is it? Why do you keep looking at that group of young girls?”

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