Page 29 of Lies like Rubies, Part One

She nodded. A purple bruise on her cheek peeked out from under layers of makeup.

“Who beat the shit out of you for that?”

“Daddy,” she answered softly. “But he didn’t tear the piercing out this time, so I guess we’re even, right?”

I swore under my breath and reminded myself that I could have it worse. At least my father had never laid a hand on me. “Right. How was class?”

“Oh, you know, undergrads.”

I laughed, knowing she was teasing me at the same time that she was complaining. Ana was a Teaching Assistant for some of my finance classes.

I’d known Ana forever. We’d met as children, socializing among our families, and became fast friends. At university, we bonded over our shared misery as mafia princesses and our burning desire to escape our gilded cages.

“How are you doing?”

My lips twisted, unsure what to tell her about the weekend or my worries about Sergio Accardi. Best friend or not, we’d both survived this long by knowing when to keep our damn mouths shut.

“Have you ever been a sub?” I asked, changing the subject.

Ana’s eyebrows shot up. She grinned maniacally as I speared my homemade salad with a fork. “Sofia, what are you getting yourself into?”

Sure my face was as red and hot as it felt, I wanted to burst into flames.

Ana tapped her fingers against the table.

Oh, in for a penny, in for a pound. “I met someone who’s really dominant.” I shifted in my seat, uncomfortable but also turned on at the memory of everything Dante did to me. “Like get on your knees and crawl dominant. He didn’t say he’s kinky, but—” I cut myself off.

“That’s kinky as shit,” Ana finished for me.

I blushed furiously, furious that I was blushing.

“But to answer your question, no, I can’t imagine submitting to anyone. I mean, maybe I’d try it for the right man, but there’s nothing risk-aware about the assholes I’ve been picking up lately. It wouldn’t be safe.”

I considered her words. Safe wasn’t a word I’d use to describe Dante Oscuro.

She looked me up and down. “I hear Dante Oscuro sat beside you at mass and then attended your parents’ Sunday luncheon.”

“He did,” I answered, taking a bite of my salad.

Ana looked at me, her bright green eyes lit with avid curiosity and more than a hint of mischief. “You don’t have anything else to say?”

I wanted to tell her everything--how Sergio found me at the pediatrician’s, how Dante thought I was Sergio’s girlfriend, how Sergio had been using my name to launder money since he left the States four years ago. I didn’t because I would never ask her to choose between keeping my secrets and keeping her family’s. Sergio was a Costa, through and through.

“On an unrelated note, I have a date with Nick Lombardi tomorrow.” A sliver of fear worked its way down my spine. Dante struck me as the type of man who shared very poorly, but I couldn’t let go of the idea of a normal, happy relationship, not marred by the violence and ugliness of my life. I was a bitch to do this to Nick. I knew it, and I was going to do it anyway.

Ana burst into delighted laughter. “The doctor? Oh my God, I love it! All these years of hiding behind Lizzie as an excuse to avoid committed relationships, and boom! You’re diving in headfirst. I love it.”

I glared at her, fighting the smile tugging at the corners of my lips. What would I do without this woman? “You’re not helping.”

She leaned forward. “Nick’s supposed to be kinky as fuck, too, you know.”

I did not know.

“He pulled my hair when we kissed,” I admitted.

Ana shrieked. “I knew it!” She looked at me slyly. “Maybe he’ll have what it takes to give you the big O.”

Turned out, my cheekscouldheat even more.

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