Page 55 of Billionaire's Dangerous Desire

“Ew.” I couldn’t imagine him going through the exact things I was going through.

“But, wait, what did you mean byalso? Who else is acting weird?”

“Your mum and Jamie. They’re doing exactly the same things, whatever things Salvatore and Toni are doing.”

“Well, that’s normal. But, not normal. They’re acting all weird in front of the kids. They would never do that. Matteo actually finds it funny, but I know something is going on. Do you think they’re tipsy?”

“Tipsy? So, like, someone put something in the punch or something?” I hated how quickly my mind just flashed to dangers or quickly diverted to a mystery. I was practically tired of all the fussiness but it was not through with me apparently. I still had to decide whether it was Sylvia or someone else entirely. Wait, if there was someone who had put something in the punch… “Have you drank from the punch?”

“Yes. Have you?”

“Yeah just a moment ago. I was incredibly thirsty.”

“Wait, what does that mean?”

“Oh my God. We’re going to get tipsy soon.”

“But, if it was that simple, why isn’t everyone tipsy yet? Why is it just starting with the older people?”

“Maybe it’s their tolerance.”

“Wait, what if it’s drugs?” I nodded, agitated. “What if it’s in the crème brûlée?”

“You got crème brûlée? Where is it?”

Suddenly, Bianca walked over to us. It’s the first time I was meeting her. I needed to make a good impression if I was ever going to be her stepmother. Wait, why was I saying these things? Was I saying them? Was I thinking out loud? The room seemed to spin around me. If it easier alcohol I would have been beyond resistant. If it were weed, I would have not felt shit. But, this must have been LSD or something stronger, but it made me feel less tense. Like I was on top of the world, like I could command a thousand armies and they wouldn’t smite me because they knew how on top of them I was.

“What’s going on here?” Bianca asked us, sounding extra judgmental. “What sort of joke of a fundraiser is this?”

Luca snapped at her. “Hey, Missy, be respectful. This fundraiser was planned by someone extra special. With care and a great deal of intention. Every single detail matters. And it’s to honor the children we lost at the fire near the lake twenty years ago.” Did he just mention the secret incident we hadn’t disclosed yet? And did he just call me someone extra special? Or was it me he was referring to, because I planned this whole thing. I didn’t know if anyone was taking credit for the planning, the thorough plotting, but I was in charge of all of that. I nailed every single nook and cranny. I upturned every table and made sure each detail was structured and executed to the perfection of my imagination. Everything was my vision.

“Okay, well, you all are pathetic and weird and obviously high as fuck,” she retorted. “I'm taking Matteo home. Please don’t drive.” Then, she took off.

Luca turned to me. “What’s your name again?” His pupils were wide and his smile was in no way levelled. I wondered how I looked in his eyes.

“Hi, I’m nobody,” I replied. “I'm nobody.”

“Hi Nobody would you like to follow me to the flower garden?”

“Sure.” None of was reasoning straight.

When we got to the flower garden, he’d just lain on the grass and began to stare at the starless skies. “You know, nobody wants to be a nobody. And everybody who is an anybody wants to be a somebody.”

“Did you just quote Pinocchio?”

“No, that’s how I feel. I need to be a somebody to be considered relevant. I can’t have everyone I’ve ever loved leave me. My mum. Bianca and Matteo's mum. Even though that one was death that took her from me. Or some people would say karma because she was dating Holden first.” He tried to catch his breath. “You know what? I am tired of having every single mum and woman I’ve ever had in my life leave.”

It was funny. I couldn’t help but laugh. “Can I tell you a secret?”

“It's only right that you do. I just poured my deepest fears out to you. Recklessly.”

“True,” I affirmed. “Well, my mum is dating my ex right now and I don’t know how to tell her. She may get insanely mad at me. She may hate him. But I just want to see her happy. I just love that she’s finally moved on from my dad who abandoned us years ago. Since I was three. I don’t want her to be alone. Like I am. I couldn’t even deliver a baby girl that would stay with me. I got pregnant and she came out stillborn.”

“Well, that is the greatest fear on earth. The fear of being alone. No one cares for that. No one wants that. But we can’t do anything to stop it. But, we’re all alone in this world together.”

“Are we alone right now?”

“I think we are,” he smiled, then brushed my hair behind my ear. “Because, I have always wanted to do this.” Then, he pressed his lips so close to mine, so I could taste every single breath that escaped his mouth. It was awry, but it was intense. We were surrounded by all this darkness and all these stars, and we were all alone, enswathed by this beauty of the universe, together. I followed his lead calmly and quietly. I let him play me however he wanted. To the tunes of his body. To the strokes on his skin. To every edge of his fledge. I wanted to be etched with him. I wanted him in me.

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