Page 79 of Empire of Temptation

“No.”

We walked toward the entrance. “Then, no. We aren’t buying scarves.”

“Ties?”

He sighed heavily and opened the door for me. “Get inside, bella.”

The second we walked in the air in the store shifted. It was like every sales person paused to size Luca up, then went on high alert. It was the same way some bartenders claimed they could sense a big tipper from a mile away.

Luca pointed to a young man hovering near the ties. “You.”

The young man dropped the ties and came over. He nodded at me first. “Hello, ma’am. Sir. How may I help you?”

“I called earlier to arrange to buy some purses.”

Was he crazy? Purses here were a bazillion dollars. “Oh, Luca. I don’t need?—”

“The ones you don’t keep out on the floor,” he said to the salesman.

The man nodded his head. “Of course. You probably spoke to Ms. Dumas, the manager. Follow me.”

Luca put his hand on the small of my back and guided me forward. I lowered my voice and moved closer to him. “What are you doing? This is insane.”

He didn’t respond, and then I lost the chance to argue because we were shown into a back room where a woman waited behind a small counter. She was polished from head-to-toe, the kind of elegant lady who could contour like a pro and never, ever plunged toilets. “Mr. Benetti,” she greeted. “Miss. Welcome. I’m Ms. Dumas, the manager, and I’ll be happy to assist you this morning.”

“Thank you,” Luca said. “We appreciate it.”

We? I wasn’t on board with this outing.

Ms. Dumas slipped on a pair of white gloves before reaching into a locked cabinet. She pulled out the most exquisite beige leather handbag, the kind you heard whispered about on social media but never saw in person. Ms. Dumas set the tote on a cloth in front of me and I couldn’t look away. It was gorgeous. With a simple design, the bag was a decent-sized rectangle with small handles.

The other woman flicked the gold clasp on the front and the top flap opened. “Each Birkin bag is made from rare heritage leather and has unique character.” She continued on about the saddle stitching, but I zoned out, my brain trying to wrap itself around what was happening. Who carried a bag like this? I’d splurged on a one-hundred dollar purse once and the guilt drove me to return it the next day.

“Do you like it, Valentina?” Luca was asking me.

I licked my dry lips and saw Ms. Dumas watching me carefully. No doubt she was wondering what I was doing here, too.

Lady, I don’t have a clue.

I didn’t want to seem stupid, so I said, “It’s lovely. Really. But?—”

“We’ll take it,” Luca blurted. “What other colors do you have?”

My jaw fell open. This handbag cost over twenty thousand dollars. “No, wait! That’s not necessary.”

Luca put a hand on my back, the alpha male signal for,I’m handling this.But I couldn’t let him buy me even one of these handbags, let alone other colors. It was outrageous.

Ms. Dumas carried on like I hadn’t said a word. “We don’t have any others in the store. In fact, I was actually saving this one for myself.”

“Oh, then I couldn’t possibly?—”

Luca squeezed my waist and I quieted. He said, “Which is why we are paying double for it. Show us smaller handbags, then. Clutches, everyday bags.”

With a nod, Ms. Dumas left and I clutched Luca’s arm. My voice was a desperate whisper. “What the fuck? Have you lost your mind? This is too much.”

He shifted toward me and cupped my face in one hand, the other resting on my waist. “I told you I was going to spoil you. What did you think that meant?”

I put my hands on his chest, his dress shirt smooth and soft beneath my fingers. “Honestly? A mochaccino and a chocolate croissant. Maybe some French toast if we were feeling especially wild.”

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