Page 48 of The Deal

The real kicker here is that I’m not even going to get the pleasure of unwrapping her when we get home, and that thought sits like a heavy stone in the pit of my stomach. It’s a frustration I can’t shake, a hunger that only grows whenever I’m near her.

The shit starts as soon as we exit the house when my men get a whiff of her. Their heads turn so fast that I’m surprised they don’t break their fucking necks. The way their leery eyes track down her body makes me see red.

The first thought that hits me ismine, and that in itself is a complete mindfuck.

Chloe is utterly oblivious to the attention she is garnering, and we haven’t left the property yet. I can only imagine the heads she’ll turn when we arrive at the party.

“Put your eyes back in your head,” I bellow, and my outburst has her flinching in surprise beside me.

I have a feeling it’s going to be a long fucking night.

“You okay?” Antonio asks, placing his hand on myshoulder as I stand in line at the bar. “You look like you’re ready to gut someone.”

“I am.”

“Is Chloe busting your balls again?”

“No, my balls are perfectly fine,” I bite, though it’s a complete lie. My balls are not doing well at all. I’m half convinced they’ve shrivelled up and died from lack of use. “If I were a violent man, though, half of your guests would be bleeding out on the floor by now.”

He barks out a laugh. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with a beautiful brunette, would it?”

I tilt my face towards the ceiling and groan. “Not you too.”

“I’m just messing with you, boss. I’m a happily married man. Don’t worry about the others, she’s here withyou, be proud.”

My eyes snap to him. “You and I both know the situation. She’s not here with me because she wants to be … she’s here under duress.”

He glances over at the table where we are seated. “She looks like she’s having a pretty good time to me.”

My attention is pulled in that direction, and despite frowning, I feel the corners of my mouth turn up slightly as I observe her engrossed in a conversation with Nico’s wife.

I’ve seen a different side to her tonight. She seems to have left her usual guarded self at home. The walls she kept so carefully constructed around herself started to crumble, piece by piece, as the night wore on.

When we first arrived, she seemed hesitant—a flicker of uncertainty in her beautiful whisky-coloured eyes as she surveyed the room. But then, something happened.

I’m not sure if it was the atmosphere, the music, or the guests’ easy laughter that caused her to begin to loosen up.The glass of wine she gulped down as soon as we were seated at our table probably helped too.

I sat back and watched as she started smiling and conversing with the other females at our table. It wasn’t forced or polite; it was real, just like now.

Antonio’s right; sheisenjoying herself, and that pleases me to no end. At least one of us is having a good time.

My eyes flicker further left, and my lips instantly thin again. “Who’s that fucker in the blue shirt sitting at the table next to mine.”

“That’s my cousin Vinny.”

“If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll stop leering at my date.”

Antonio’s eyebrows jump so high they almost reach his hairline. “Your date?” he asks shocked.

“Don’t start with me,” I grumble. “You know what I mean. We came together, didn’t we?”

He holds up his hands defensively, but that stupid-arse grin he’s sporting says it all. It pisses me the hell off.

“Don’t worry about him,” he says, his hand landing on my shoulder with a reassuring squeeze. “He’s harmless.”

“Harmless? He’ll be fucking eyeless by the end of the night if he’s not careful.”

When he throws back his head and cracks up, I abruptly turn and leave the line, heading towards the exit. I need some fresh air.

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