Page 8 of Inescapable Ties
Every girl except the one sitting next to me.
“This is fine,” I said. “Gennaro Catucci will be paying for this. There is a maid outside that can lead you to him.”
The price tag read almost two million dollars, a staggering sum that most people’s wallets would never know. But for me, it was just another number, a mere drop in the bucket of my fortune. I could easily afford it without even batting an eye. But Gennaro would foot the bill as part of his fuck up.
The coordinator nodded and hastily left the room. Luciana and I were left in an awkward silence.
She broke it. “What were you saying?”
I wasn’t sure what she meant. The only conversation I had was right in front of her, and Luciana and I hadn’t been talking about anything prior to this. We were in our normal routine of silence.
“What do you mean?” I responded.
“The other day when I got out of your car. The,” she paused, her face flushed. “Finger comment.”
Perhaps I shouldn’t have been so crude, or broached the subject differently.
“That we’re going to have sex, obviously,” I replied bluntly.
A strangled noise escaped her lips, barely audible but filled with emotion. Luciana, determined to maintain her composure, immediately regained control of her features and acted as though the incident didn’t faze her in the slightest. Her facade was strong, and I almost missed seeing through it.
“It’s just sex,” I said. “Nothing we haven’t done before.”
“Right.”
Her fingers tightened around the chair arms so hard they turned white. And I realized.
“You’ve never had sex,” I said bluntly.
“What? No. I’ve had plenty of it. Dozens.”
“Dozens of sex?”
My soon-to-be wife was quite the character. A bit of a nuisance, but still entertaining.
“Really?” I leaned in close to her, my lips brushing against the shell of her ear. “Describe it to me. In graphic detail.”
Luciana’s cheeks flushed a light rose, but as the realization of her mistake sunk in, it spread and deepened into a fiery red.
“That’s what I thought,” I said. “Get some birth control before our wedding night.”
“What makes you think I’ll have sex with you?!”
“That ring on your finger.”
I slowly rose to my feet, unable to tear my gaze away from hers. Her eyes were pools of liquid amber, reflecting the sunlight streaming through the window. A faint blush still stained her cheeks as she met my intense stare, and I felt something shift in my chest. Our eyes remained locked as I prepared to leave, the unspoken tension between us palpable.
A lock of her golden blonde hair had strayed from its place. I leaned closer and gently tucked it behind her ear, bringing our faces within inches of each other.
“One week left. Would you like to practice the ‘kiss the bride’ moment,dear?” I said, giving her a devious smile.
“I will bite your lips off,” she responded.
“I wouldn’t expect anything else.”
Chapter five
Luciana
