Page 19 of Ruthless Rival

Immediately, my meeting with Alberto Mancini tonight popped into my mind. My heart started racing again, but I wasn’t concerned about that. How could I think about Alberto without having a racing heart?

He was around twenty years older than me, but he was far from some dirty, old man. He was ridiculously handsome with his dark hair and grey streaks sprinkled throughout. He still had a fit, muscular body under his tailored suits. Now that I thought about it, something about Italian men made them so sexy.

Maybe it was their bold, confident attitudes, or it could have something to do with their dark hair and olive complexions. Their sense of fashion was notable as well. I took a look at his sons during the wedding, and at other gatherings since then and I certainly saw where they got their good looks from.

I smiled to myself as I pictured Alberto in my mind, imagining his big hands holding my waist or his nicely-trimmed beard scraping my skin as he kissed my neck. My teeth pressed into my bottom lip as heat started to spread throughout my body, focusing intently between my thighs.

Oh, to have a man like him touch me how he desired.

I shouldn’t be thinking about Alberto like this. Technically, he was still an enemy because I hadn’t convinced him to work with me. Hell, he didn’t even know I was a Castillo yet. Despite his last name and my birth name, I desired him regardless.

I meant to catch his eye during the wedding, but he caught mine as well. It was an unexpected consequence of my plan, but I decided to roll with it. Thinking about him and how good it would feel for him to caress me was actually helping my sanity.

My attraction to him kept me grounded and I would use it to my advantage tonight to wrap his sexy self around my finger. The more desire I pumped into his head, the more willing he would feel to help me out. Men easily folded when it came to lust. It drove them crazy like rabid dogs, and I wanted to look like quite the meal to him tonight.

Speaking of which, I needed to figure out what to wear within the next three hours. I didn’t have to worry about anything fancy and complex like a dress and a bunch of accessories. I just needed to find something cute and casual.

I finally walked into the house, feeling much better now than I did a few minutes ago. All it took was a little fantasizing to lift my spirits. I felt excited for tonight and all of the possibilities it held. I could have a Mancini in my pocket by the end of the night.

“Welcome home, señora,” Mrs. Cruz greeted me as she walked into the foyer. “How is Carlos doing?”

The thought of Carlos made my throat tighten, but I swallowed through the pressure and forced a polite smile on my face. “He’s stable, but he hasn’t shown any signs of waking up yet,” I told her. I didn’t expect to hear good news for a while or ever. I saw how broken he looked in that hospital bed. He had been there for months and it would be a miracle if he ever woke up.

Mrs. Cruz’s face fell. She gently took my hand and patted the top of it. “Lo siento, querida,” she said softly. “Have faith.”

I gave her a grateful look and nodded. I hadn’t considered my faith in a long time. When Alex was killed and my children were taken away from me, I cursed God until my throat was sore. However, it dawned on me that my misfortunes weren’t God’s fault. They were my father’s.

I hadn’t been to church in a while. Though, maybe I needed to consider it soon. At the very least, it could give me some comfort or motivation, which went far these days for me. I didn’t have anyone to hold me or encourage me.

For so long, I’d been on my own, unwilling to let myself connect with others. Why should I? My father could steal them away for the hell of it, and I would be left heartbroken all over again. I couldn’t put myself through that again.

Perhaps, another reason why I was looking forward to going out tonight with Alberto was that he would be deliciously sexy and good company. Also my father wouldn’t dare go straight at him unless he had a death wish. Alberto would be heavily guarded a majority of the time, so I didn’t have to worry about my father taking him out, just for getting close to me.

“Could you make me a bowl of ice water in about thirty minutes?” I asked Mrs. Cruz, wanting to pull out all the stops for tonight. Skincare, haircare, a hot shower, and captivating makeup. I’d found there was nothing more refreshing than soaking my face in ice water, especially when I had been worrying a lot and today had been more than stressful.

“Of course,” Mrs. Cruz said before heading off to the kitchen.

I walked to my room and went through the clothes in my closet, leaning toward a nice top and jeans combo. Por Qué No was a place where you did not show up overdressed. They had amazing music and an addicting party vibe I suspected Alberto wasn’t used to, which was exactly why I chose it.

Alberto would be in my territory tonight. He would follow my lead in an unknown environment, and I would guide him right into my trap. I’d planned this for months, thinking up possible outcomes, and how to approach them. This was what hatred had driven me to do.

When everything was said and done, I could let go of my anger and sadness. Just start fresh. This was my hope for myself because going through life constantly feeling alone in my trauma had been torturous.

Alberto Mancini was my way out.

After taking a shower and cloaking myself in the sweet smell of my coconut-scented body wash, I stepped out of my walk-in shower to see a bowl of ice water waiting for me on the bathroom counter. I wrapped my damp hair up in a towel before submerging my face in the cold water, letting it tighten my skin and pores.

If I wanted to wow Alberto and make him bend to my will, I had to bring him to his knees just at the sight of me. That meant outdoing all of the other women who probably threw themselves at him. A lot of ladies didn’t mind hooking up with an older man that took care of himself and had manners. Alberto was a jackpot in this city, and I intended to make him all mine.

I pulled on my loose, black top, letting the sleeves cover my arms instead of rolling them up. The jeans were the best part of my outfit, though. They teased at my curves, gripping my ass and thighs to show them off. Alberto was doomed.

I ran mascara over my eyelashes, red lipstick over my lips and black eyeliner along my top eyelid for a subtly curved wing. I considered black eyeshadow for a smoky eye look, but I decided to mix things up and add shimmery, gold eyeshadow with a dark brown crease. I had to be bold.

My hair tumbled down around my shoulders and back in loose waves, framing my glowing face. I did a few turns in the bathroom mirror to make sure everything looked as close to perfect as possible. Even a hair out of place made me grimace. I doubted he would notice my hair all that much when I had better assets on display, but my entire look had to work together.

For a moment, I considered video calling Jenna and Mia to ask for their opinions on my outfit and look, but I refrained from doing so. They would immediately know that I was going out with a guy tonight and ask for every possible detail. I couldn’t tell anyone what my plan was, including my close friends. They just wouldn’t understand.

If I were actually going on a date with a guy because I was on the hunt for a boyfriend, I would tell them everything and get their opinions on my outfit. Tonight was about more than just having drinks and getting to know Alberto. It was about hooking my claws into him.

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