Page 27 of Sweet Retribution

From what I can tell, it takes up the entire north end with views on all three sides of his suite. If I stretch out far enough, I can make out the side railing of his balcony that faces north. There’s another balcony facing east that overlooks the vineyard. I’ve spotted him up there once or twice while running.

It doesn’t matter how magnificent his suite must be. Mine is perfect. More than perfect. Elegant, classy, and larger than any of the apartments I could afford for mother and I. Besides, I grew up in wealth; it isn’t something I crave or need now.

Safety and security are all I want.

And love. Eventually, love. Once mother and I are settled, wherever that may be, it will be nice to fall in love with a stable family man. A man who can make me laugh, who brings me hot chocolate on a cold winter night, who holds my hand and takes sunset walks with me, who cuddles with me at night, and isn’t afraid to talk about his feelings, hopes, and dreams.

My time will come, after I serve my two years with Stone. Not knowing if tonight’s show includes dinner, I eat a handful of berries, washing them down with the rest of my champagne.

I’m tempted to pour myself a second glass, but it’s now two minutes past seven. I pick up my clutch, take out the lip gloss and slide the wand across my lips, then put it back in the silver purse.

I half expect Stone or one of his men to be outside my door. No one is in the hallway. I hold onto the railing as I carefully make my way down the marble staircase. The house is quiet and empty.

I pause in the entryway listening for sounds from the study. The door is open, and it’s empty. The front door opens and Marco enters, then pauses mid step when he sees me. He opens his mouth to speak but no words come out.

“Let me guess,” I say. “Bossman is upset I’m fourteen seconds late?”

Marco rubs his hand across his jaw. “He’s waiting in the car.”

“Such a gentleman.” I loop my arm through Marco’s, throwing him off balance with the uncharacteristic move, and lead him to the door. “Shall we?”

I feel more than hear him grumble with laughter. When we reach the limousine, he opens the door for me. I have a snarky remark for Stone on the tip of my tongue, but the inside is empty.

I hear his angry voice echo across the driveway. He’s on his phone, pacing the cobblestone, his back to us. Great. This is looking to be a fantastic night. I slide across the seat wishing I have something to fiddle with. A phone, a book, a companion.

A few minutes later Stone opens the door, still on his phone. “No mistakes,” he says before ending the call and slipping his cell into the inside pocket of his tuxedo.

He doesn’t even give me a sideways glance. So much for primping and worrying over nothing. Not that I worried about Stone liking my outfit. Do I want his eyes to bug out? Sure. Do I want him to remember what we once had? Of course.

Not that we had much of anything more than passionate sex. I suppose now that he has that with Sebastiana, there’s no need to look at me. I glance down at my cleavage. Impressive to some, but not compared to the 34DDs.

I’m not as tall as her or as lean, and my butt is on the bigger side. Supposedly that’s the in thing now, but not enough to hold Stone’s attention. We don’t speak on the ride to wherever we’re going.

I shouldn’t be surprised when we drive up to his private jet. Stone gets out of the limo first and offers me his hand, still not looking at me. I take it, as a lady does, and step out into the cool night.

As soon as I’m on two feet, he drops my hand and rushes ahead of me to board the jet. I’m not a pampered princess. I don’t need a man to hold a door open for me or unscrew a lid. I’m capable of taking care of myself, but Stone is being outright rude.

Pretending it doesn’t bother me won’t serve either of us well. If we’re supposed to put on a charade of a happy couple, he’s making it awfully hard to win an academy award. I don’t need to lift my dress as I mount the stairs since it falls just above my knees.

Tio, Marco, and Lucca wait for me to climb the stairs first, and a satisfied grin crosses my face when I hear one of them curse under their breath. I’m glad my dress has an affect on someone.

I step into the plane and Stone is already seated, buckled, and on his phone. His shoe sticks out a fraction of an inch in the aisle and I purposely drop my heel onto it, twisting the spike into his toe.

“Fuck!” He yanks his foot from under my heel.

“Oh, oops. How clumsy of me.” I give him a sweet smile and move past him to the leather couch.

One of the men–I’m pretty sure it’s Tio—laughs, but covers it up as quickly as he let it out. The flight to the mainland is short, not even thirty minutes. The entire time the men talk in hushed whispers in their captains chairs while I sprawl out on the couch by myself.

I take advantage of the open wine bottle and pour myself a glass. By the time I reach the bottom, I’m already feeling a little tipsy. I don’t drink much, and when I have it's with a meal. The little snack Maria brought me isn’t much to fill my stomach, and the alcohol is calming my nerves and giving me a sense of confidence I wouldn’t have otherwise.

When we land, Stone exits first. His men wait for me.

“You look beautiful, Gia,” Lucca says.

“Aw, thanks, Lucca. You’re looking pretty sharp in your tux as well. It’s the smile that makes you sexy, though. A tux doesn’t do much for a guy if he’s grumpy and surly.”

Marco chuckles behind me. I like Stone’s men. I like them better than I like him. “Care to help me down the stairs?” I loop my arm through Lucca’s, and let him escort me, not that I need it.

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