Page 54 of Mafia Toy

When we reached the top, Riccardo walked off with his cookie to sit across the room. I collapsed at a table and pulled out my tablet and pen to begin a new sketch, occasionally sipping my tea.

My pen glided against the tablet, strokes and curves forming a female’s body.

Laila’s body.

After spending time with Laila this morning, I had refused to go with her to see Constantino for my own sanity. If I had accompanied her to The Syndicate, followed by lunch and seeing art with her, I feared that I’d have fallen for her more than I already had. And I couldn’t let that happen.

I am a toy.

But my stupid heart wouldn’t stop wishing for more.

Once I saved this sketch, I opened a new canvas and vowed that I wouldn’t turn back to Laila’s portrait. I couldn’t. Because every damn time I looked at her, thought about her, fantasized about her, it got worse.

“Thought I’d see you here,” Poppy said, appearing at my table with a cup of soda that she couldn’t have gotten here. She gestured behind her toward the exit of The Coffee Club. “There is an art festival a couple of blocks down. Wanna go?”

My eyes widened. “There is?”

She giggled. “Wasn’t sure if you saw it or not. It’s a bunch of street vendors.”

I clutched my iPad to my chest and sat up, wanting to buy a couple of paintings for my place. Constantino’s style was heavily chic and overwhelmingly boring with sleek blacks, grays, and whites. Some colorful pieces of the city would really spice things up and make it finally start to feel like me.

“Let’s do it!” I said, leaping up and stuffing my iPad into my purse.

Halfway to the stairs, I paused and glanced back at Riccardo, who was now closing the distance between us. I wondered what Poppy would think of him.Do I have to explain why he is with me? What good excuse will she believe?

Swallowing hard, I continued to follow her and hoped that she either didn’t notice or didn’t say anything about him because I wasn’t prepared. This entire year, I hadn’t planned on making friends, especially not this early. Everyone I had met in the city was too selfish, like my stupid ex. Maybe I had been hanging out with the wrong people.

“Come on,” Poppy said once we stepped outside. “This way.”

We walked two blocks with Riccardo following after us.

She leaned closer to me and glanced over her shoulder at him. “Is the creepy, blank-faced guy with cookie crumbs on the corner of his lip with you?”

I peered back at him to confirm that, yes, in fact,Riccardo had cookies crumbs on the corner of his lips.

After stifling a giggle, I nodded and hoped she’d just laugh along too. “Yeah, he’s just watching after me because of … reasons.”

“Cool,” she said as we walked up to the art vendors. “Your own little bodyguard.”

Vendors lined the streets, selling paintings, murals, landscapes, digital art, and pretty much anything. I grinned like a maniac at the sight and spotted an ice cream cart just ahead. I bought an ice cream and decided that Riccardo didn’t need any because he couldn’t even get all the crumbs off his lips.

Licking the ice cream before it melted all over me, I walked with Poppy down the line of art vendors and smiled.

Laila would love it here. My eyes widened as the urge to text her came and went, my heart racing a bit harder.

Stop it, Sage.

Maybe I’d just get her something.

A gift from a friend … from a toy.

I gulped and chewed on the inside of my cheek.A toy.

After buying a couple of pieces, I tucked them under my arm and continued walking with Poppy through the vendors. I didn’t even know if I would give either one of them to Laila. Would that be weird? Would I be overstepping?

Clearly, I didn’t mean anything else to her.

The way she had let Bethany toss my food out, then left with her. The conversation she’d had with Constantino last night. The slipping into my room and lying with me, just to touch me this morning …

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