Page 31 of Giovanna

Elio: don’t be difficult. Pick you up at 6.30

Me: what if I have plans?

Elio: cancel them

He must have used up all his charm last night when he was trying to get into my pants.

I hate how empty I feel. It’s not like I haven’t had casual sex before. It is just different when you’re supposed to be marrying the guy. And when you’re obsessed with his sister.

Well, I hope Elio enjoyed himself because it won’t be happening again if he is going to be an arsehole afterward.

What does one wear to dinner with the Police Commissioner? I don’t mind being overdressed, but I’ll throttle Elio for his lack of information if I’m underdressed.

Raiding my mother’s wardrobe once more, I err on the side of formal with a lilac pantsuit and a white, silk camisole top. The lilac pants are tightly tapered and cropped to the ankles and the blazer cinches perfectly at my waist. Patent black pointed stilettos complete the look and I leave my hair out in waves down my back.

If Elio doesn’t like how I look, frankly he can just look elsewhere. The masochistic side of me, which seems to be growing lately, kind of hopes he won’t approve of my outfit so I can tell him how little his opinion matters to me.

A black SUV pulls up outside my parents’ house and Elio gets out of the passenger seat to open the backdoor for me.

Ignoring the now familiar masculine scent of his cologne that wafts over me, I duck under his arm to get in the car wordlessly. A large hand wraps around my upper arm. “Hey?” he says with a frown.

“Um hi?” I look up blankly at his dark eyes, furrowed brows hanging over them.

He grabs my chin and kisses me quickly and we stand staring at each other for a few heartbeats like neither of us can figure the other out. Something just feels off.

Giovanna is driving and my heart does backflips when she twists to look over her shoulder and slowly evaluates my body. Her eyes darken and she swallows hard.

“Francesca,” she says.

My cheeks warm from the inside out like I’ve taken a mouthful of hot tea and I bumble my way through a ‘hello’. If my heart doesn’t chill out ASAP, its beats will be audible from bloody space.

My backseat daydreaming is interrupted by Giovanna’s deep gravelly voice talking Elio through the plan for the meeting.

She could be reading the phonebook and I would still be mesmerised by the strength, confidence, and sexiness of her tones. I’ve never been with someone who talks dirty, but just the thought of her describing what she wants to do to me in that voice is enough to reduce me to a puddle of lust.

Giovanna seems to know everything about the commissioner. She even coaches Elio on what he needs to say. He just nods along, content to be told what to do. It is an interesting dynamic between them. I’m surprised his ego allows him to do as he is told. She inspires that kind of confidence, I guess.

“He’s under massive amounts of pressure from the minister to explain the escalation in gun crime. I suspect he will be wanting us to solve some of his problems for him. Don’t be too accommodating. Let him sweat. But ultimately, we want this sorted too.” She rattles off information.

“And what about if he brings Stefan up?” Elio asks.

“Laugh off any suggestion of concerns about your suitability…play up the strength of your relationship with Cheska. ‘She’s changed my life blah blah…’ and act like a man in love. Stefan is nothing but a mild irritant. A fly buzzing around making a nuisance of himself. We will swat him eventually.”

“Why is he bringing his wife?” I ask them when I really want to delve into why my half-brother would come up in conversation with the Police Commissioner. I know better than to ask now though.

Chocolatey brown eyes catch mine in the rearview mirror and Giovanna answers, “Because then he can say it was a personal dinner. A social catch-up.”

“So I need to do what exactly?”

“Just be friendly and engage with her in small talk.”

Seems simple enough. Not sure what we will have in common to discuss, but I guess the weather is always an option.

Chapter Fifteen

Giovanna

The air is thick with the weird vibe between Francesca and Elio. Tension ripples off my brother’s shoulders as I attempt to prepare him for our meeting.

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