Page 82 of Beautiful Devil

With Dante no longer in sight, I turn to Marco. "Let's go."

I'm about to stand when the thought stops me.When was the last time I wanted to not only leave a gentlemen's club, but had someone I wanted to get home to?

Home.

Not the compound where we live, but Gia. She's my home now. The realization hits me so hard that my heart feels like it's going to beat out of my chest.

While I'm lost in my thoughts, Marco leans in. "Are you ready?"

Without saying a word, I stand, button my suit jacket, and head for the door.

Santino has the car waiting for us when we step outside. When he opens the door for me, I climb in the back seat. Marco simultaneously opens his own door and climbs in next to me.

My mind keeps replaying the vision of Gia on her knees before me, and I shake my head to clear all thoughts of her. The last thing I need is to get a hard-on sitting next to Marco. I need to focus and figure out why Dante met with Igor tonight. I need to know what they are up to. As I pull my phone out of my suit jacket, Marco breaks the silence in the back seat.

"I've already texted Luca to look into Igor and what the two of them could be meeting about.”

I nod and pull up Luca's name on my phone, shooting him a text of my own.

Me:Meet me tomorrow 8 a.m. sharp with an update on Gia's parents, Dante, and Igor.

Luca:Yes, sir.

He’s been gathering information on Gia’s parents and Dante for a while now. He should at least have something for me.

It's late when I get back, and Gia is sleeping soundly in our bed. I notice a small smile on her lips, and a surge of emotion hits me right in the core, a feeling I'm not too sure I'm entirely comfortable with. Before removing my clothes, I briefly sit on the bed, leaning over to press a quick kiss to her head. Inhaling deeply, she turns towards me slightly.

“It’s late,” she says.

"I know. Sleep,dolcezza.”

Suddenly she bolts upright in the bed, as if she’s been electrocuted.

"Where the hell have you been?" she rages at me.

"I told you, I was working."

"Since when does work involve women's cheap perfume and alcohol?"

"I'm the Don, and sometimes I have to go places I don't want to go," I reply, taking a calming breath.

"Yeah, I'm sure you really didn't want to be in a strip club fucking some whore."

"Dolcezza—"

As she jumps out of bed, I see her anger rise. "Stop calling me that. I don't even fucking know what it means, so just stop. We're married, you asshole, and you fucking cheated on me?You'rethe one who said this marriage was real.You'rethe one whoforcedme to marry you, and now you're the one who cheated."

She's seriously pissed now. Her chest rises and falls rapidly as she clenches her fists in anger.

Fuck, it turns me on, but not enough to take away from how she's speaking to me once again.

Getting out of the bed, I make my way around to her. We stand in silence for a beat while I try to calm the fire she’s stoked in me. All I want to do right now is bend her over this bed, show her that she's mine, and demand that she show me respect. But there's also a little part of me that loves that she isn't afraid to push my boundaries.

When I bring my hand up to cup her face, she sneers at me.

"Don't you dare fucking touch me. You willneverput your hands on me again after touching some whore." Hurt dances across her eyes.

Getting pissed off at how she’s talking to me, I tell her, "Yes, Gia. I admit I was at a strip club. But I was only there because I got a tip-off about thestronzowe think is responsible for everything that's happened. And in case you've forgotten, being married to me is the only reason you’re not dead yet."

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