Page 19 of Fall
“Please. Stop.”
“What? Too soon?” she asks in feign innocence, joining Cassandra in muffled laughter.
“Way too soon.”
How about now?”
"Fuck. This conversationis… so gross." I let my eyes narrow to thin slits at their comments about Father, but they seem intent on staying on the topic. So I do the only thing that they salivate about more than man talk. "Oh! Fashion alert, ladies. Guess what I found for us in Italy?"
That announcement steals their attention. “What?” they ask in unison.
“Three pairs of white leather Moschino slingback stilettos…in all our shoe sizes.” I point at the shopping bags beside my unopened suitcases. “Go get ’em, girls.”
Thank goodness my girls love fashion. Theiroohsandahsfinally drown out all the drooling over the men who are all wrong for them. While they're raiding my summer shopping booty, the stylists push open the door as they return from their breaks, and for the third time today, my eyesmeet Antonio's.
This time, I don’t want to look away.
“I’ll be back in a bit, bitches. Take anything you want. Shoes, clothes, swimwear. Go wild.”
Sliding out of the stylists’ chair, I head for the door to get answers.
Antonio knows what’s going on.
One way or another, I’m going to make him talk.
"Antonio, do you have a minute?" I ask, motioning towardthe library doors on the other side of the hallway. "Privately, if you don't mind."
“Can it wait? I’m busy right now,” he informs me over his shoulder, only slowing down a bit as he heads to the front of the house.
"I promise not to take up too much of your time," I say. Gripping his wrist, I use my entire body weight to pull him into the library with me, the way I used to do whenI was younger, and he was my bodyguard. Back then, he'd tolerate my girlish playfulness. Today, he's not budging. I couldn't move him an inch if he doesn't want me to. The man is a wall of bulging muscle, bigger and broader than Father.
“Your party’s starting soon. Lots left to do out front.”
“I’ll just be a second. Please, Antonio. This can’t wait.”
“Fine.” he follows meinto the library and shuts the door behind him, then folds his arms, on edge as he waits for me to get it over with.
“What’s going on?” I ask, forgetting pleasantries and gettingright to the point.
“I can’t tell you anything that your father doesn’t want me to say to you.”
“Come on,” I beg. “I just want to know how bad it is.”
“There’s nothing to tell.” His voice isflat and reveals nothing.
“Please?"
He must hear my genuine concern because he unfolds his arms and takes two ground eating steps toward me. “You have nothing to worry about except to be ready for your party. This is your day. Try to enjoy it, all right?”
“I'm scared for Father,” I admit, and this time, I don’t do a thing to mask the weakness in my tone.
“Listen tome.” He holds my shoulders and stares down into my face. I’m shocked at the way heat warms my lower belly, and my nipples start to ache under my bra all of a sudden. All because he’s standing so close. “While I’m around, I won’t let anything bad happen to him, your grandmother, or you. Okay?”
“It’s serious. I just want to know,” I persist, trying to focus on everything but the way my bodyis reacting to him.
“Don’t. When he’s ready to talk, he will. You know what he’s like. Surviving in this business is all about timing. Let him tell you in his own time.”
“Shit. You’re really not gonna tell me?”
