Page 66 of Beautiful Desire

“Sei in anticipo,” I reply, irritation and frustration evident in my tone.You’re early.

With a smug swagger, he takes one of the seats in front of my desk. I should have known he’d pull something like this.

“Adesso, adesso, Dominic. Dovevo assicurarmi che tu stessi gestendo le cose correttamente qui,” he says, making himself comfortable.Now, now, Dominic. I had to make sure you were running this correctly over here.

Gritting my teeth so hard I’m almost positive they might break from the pressure, I reply, “Beh, non devi preoccuparti di questo. Ho una giornata impegnativa piena di incontri.”Well, you don’t have to worry about that. I have a busy day full of meetings.

Before Nero can get a word out in reply, the door to my office bursts open with an extremely pissed Elle erupting.

“How fuckingdareyou?! You’ve got some nerve, you know that?” she seethes, waving a note in her hand.

What the hell is she doing? Get thefuckout of here, Elle!

I donotwant Nero meeting anyone involved in my life, least of all the woman I can never have. Turning to look at her with anger radiating from every part of my body, I hope my eyes can convey how much Ineedher to get out.

“Now is not a good time, Miss Parker.Leave,” I tell her through clenched teeth as I lift my arm and point at the door.

Get the hell out.

Her tone is a mixture of shock and anger, although the anger outweighs the shock. “Excuse me? Did you just—”

I incline my head to the seats in front of my desk, hoping she’ll see I’m not alone and leave immediately. My gaze briefly shifts to Nero. I watch as Elle has his full attention, his eyes roaming every inch of her body. I ball my fists, hoping to contain some of the anger pumping through my veins.

When I see Nero extending his hand toward Elle, it almost tips me over the edge. A stronzo like that has no right to touch someone as delicate as my fiore. Elle reaches out to slip her hand into his, and I have to pull my eyes away and focus on my desk. The thought ofhimtouching her has me feral inside.

The slimy tone of his voice breaks the loud silence in the room as he begins talking. “Ciao, bella. I’m Nero. This stronzo’s cousin.”

My eyes shoot up in his direction as I hear him utter the wordcousin. A low growl sounds deep within my chest as I see his lips seal a gentle kiss on the back of her hand. We may be related by blood, but this asshole is no family of mine. I don’t have any family.

“Miss Parker,as I have already stated, now is not a good time. Please.Leave.” I’m about three seconds away from exploding over here.

She narrows her eyes at me before slamming the note in her hand down on my desk, walking out of my office, and slamming the door behind her.

“E un miracolo che tu riesca a fare qualsiasi lavoro da queste parti con un culo come quello in giro. Cosa hai fatto per farla incazzare?” Nero asks as his eyes linger on the office door before reaching forward and picking up the note she left on my desk.It’s a wonder you get any work done around here with ass like that hanging about. What did you do to piss her off?

This is not how today was meant to go. My hands ball into tight fists. I don’t think I’ve ever been so angry in my entire life. I can’t get rid of the sight of his lips on Elle’s hand as he kissed her there.

With my teeth still clenched in anger, I spit, “Tieni le tue fottute mani lontane dalla mia PA.”Keep your fucking hands off my PA.

“Penso che tu dimentchi. Che potrei rovinarti completamente la vita,Dominic.”I think you forget; I could ruin your life entirely,Dominic.

He clicks his tongue as he speaks my name, throwing the piece of paper back toward me and leaning back into his chair. Not giving me a chance to speak, he begins talking again.

“Comunque torniamo al motive per cui sono qui. Il motivo per cui ti ho aiutato ad abbattere quegli uomini in Italia lo scorso anno si riduce a questo. Mi serve un'ultima cosa prima di abbattere tuo padre. Fabrizio Moretti. Lo conosci, si? Ho bisogno che tu lo porti fuori.”

Anyway, back to why I’m here. The reason why I had you helping me take down those men in Italy this past year all boils down to this. I need one last thing before I take down your father. Fabrizio Moretti. You know him, yes? I need you to take him out.

My jaw works back and forth as I grind my teeth together at the mention of my best friend and the onlyrealbrother I’ve had. I’ve never killed a man with my bare hands, but with the smile plastered on his face, it’s safe to say I’m contemplating it.

I sit back in my chair as I prop my elbow on the arm and run my pointer finger back and forth across my lip.

I can’t wait to drop this bomb on him.

I sit in silence for another few seconds, enjoying the fact that he has no idea what’s coming. The tension in my jaw is almost unbearable from clenching so tightly. Clearing my throat, I start.

“Bene, ora hai un bel problema tra le mani. Vedi, ogni singolo pezzo di ricatto che hai tenuto su di me nell’ultimo anno é´sparito. Ogni. Singolo. Pezzo. Andato."

Well, now you’ve got quite the problem on your hands. You see, every single piece of blackmail you’ve been holding over me for the past year is gone. Every. Single. Bit. Gone.

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