Page 61 of Captured Solace

Iris looked down at her phone to check the time. “Okay, enough discussing penises. Let’s go, we do have an appointment at the boutique.”

We left the restaurant and went on to an expensive boutique down the street. Olivia and Iris helped me pick out a slinky beige dress with a slit that ran all the way up to my hip. I found a pair of matching heels that fastened around my ankles with a diamond strap. As I stood there in front of the mirror, my heart pattered against my ribs at the thought of Viktor seeing me like this. It would be worth all the discomfort of getting dressed up and wearing clothes like this all night.

“You’re thinking of him,” Iris observed.

“No, I wasn’t,” I said quickly.

“What were you thinking then?” Olivia pressed.

I rolled my eyes. “Fine, I was.”

Iris lifted my hair, pinning it against my head with her fingers. “Wear your hair up like this. It’s beautiful. Do you have any necklaces that would go with the dress?”

I nodded. “I have a gold one I can wear.”

Iris shook her head. “I have one Duran brought me from Egypt you can borrow. Remind me to get it for you tonight, it would be perfect.”

When we returned to the house, it was quiet. Mrs. Garcetti had set out a plate of fresh fruit, buttered rolls, and Turkish coffee that smelled amazing. Iris had to catch up on some work so we sat around the breakfast bar while she answered emails on her laptop. Olivia turned on the TV in the corner and we both watched a mindless reality show and drank coffee for the rest of the afternoon.

Around five, the front door opened and the hallway filled with the clatter of men’s shoes. The dynamic changed at once, everyone sitting upright in a wave of nerves. Iris snapped her computer shut and Olivia turned off the TV and we all got to our feet, adjusting our clothes and fixing our hair. There was something about having all the men back in the house that felt formal.

In the hallway, Lucien stood talking with Duran and a tall man with dark hair. He had his hands in the pocket of his overcoat and when he heard us, he turned and I recognized him as Cosimo Barone. I hadn’t seen him since we were in elementary school, but there was no mistaking his piercing black eyes.

Viktor stood beside him and when I laid eyes on my husband, my heart skipped a beat. My God, he was so handsome it almost hurt to look at him. He met my gaze across the room and warmth flooded me, heating my face. Beside me, Iris nudged me with her elbow and smirked.

“He looked at you and you blushed,” she whispered gleefully.

“He’s hot,” I said, shrugging.

At the other end of the hall, Cosimo said something to Lucien, who shook his head. There was a tense silence where they seemed to face off and then Cosimo turned and left the house, the door swinging shut with a sharp click. Lucien rolled his eyes and dug inside his overcoat until he came up with a cigarette, which he put unlit between his lips as he looked for his lighter.

I approached Viktor, expecting him to nod in greeting, but instead he took my upper arm, pulled me close, and kissed my mouth. “How was your day, baby?”

“Uh…good,” I said, taken aback that he would kiss me in front of the others. “How was yours?”

“Better now that I’m back and about to go out with you.”

“Why did Cosimo leave?” Olivia asked, frowning. “I haven’t seen him in weeks and he didn’t even say hello to me.”

Lucien shrugged. “He’s been kind of an asshole about the Lorenza Russo situation lately. He’s just pissed.”

“What’s the Lorenza Russo situation?” I asked. “Isn’t she married?”

“Her husband died,” said Lucien. “Federico started fucking Lorenza a while back and it turns out Cosimo fucks her too, so now they’re at each other’s throats over it. It’s fucking annoying because I need them to get along now that they’re both underbosses.”

“That’s terrible,” Olivia said, scowling. “Tell Federico to leave Lorenza alone.”

“I think I’ll just have him marry someone else,” said Lucien. “Cosimo too.”

“But—” Olivia began.

Lucien turned his icy eyes on his wife. “We’ve talked about this, baby. No arguments.”

Olivia nodded, but when she looked at the ground I saw her roll her eyes. Lucien must have caught it too because he took hold of her chin, lifting her face up. A shiver of electricity passed between them and she dropped her gaze as he ran his thumb over her lower lip. The air was thick with tension that seemed to stretch into an awkward eternity.

“Alright,” said Viktor briskly, breaking the silence. “I’m taking my wife out tonight, so we need to be going.”

He seized my hand and hurried me up to our room.

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