Page 26 of Merciless Desires

“What do you mean?”

“I warned you to follow the rules.” He chugged his drink, finishing it in one quick motion before slamming the glass on the bar. The bartender quickly brought him another. “Now, what am I going to do with you?”

“I only came because I wanted to see you.”

“I had already told you that you wouldn’t be joining me tonight.”

“I don’t like the word no, and you keep saying it to me.” I took another sip of my wine. “I don’t want to sit in your penthouse alone and wait for you.”

“So, instead you disobey me and show up at my place of business and flirt with someone I told you to stay away from.” He finished his second vodka. “If you want to be with me, you have an odd way of showing it.”

“You are abusive.” I pushed the wine glass away from me. “I don’t care for the way you treat me.”

“I’m abusive? You’ve been nothing but a bitch to me since I left Italy.”

“That’s right!” I shouted. “You left Italy.”

“What?”

“You left me.” How dare he walk away from me and not even call or text for months. To make matters worse, when I showed up here, he acted as if I meant nothing to him. I refuse to stand for this. “You didn’t even text me.”

“That’s what this is about?”

“Why didn’t you call me?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know? Don’t I mean anything to you?”

“We’re not discussing this here.” He got off the stool and took my elbow in his hand and tugged me to my feet. “You have no business being here. Dressed like this and flaunting everything for every man to see.”

“Why do you care?” I dug my heels into the floor, but he continued to pull me toward the exit. “It’s not as if you want what I have to offer.”

“So you’ll give it to someone else?”

“Maybe.”

“Fuck no!” He pushed me against the wall, holding my throat in his hand. “You have no idea of the things I’m willing to do for you.” He brought his mouth to mine. The scent of the alcohol on his breath lingered between us. “What I’d be willing to risk for you?”

“What does that mean?” Our lips touched as I spoke. “What do you have to risk?”

“Let’s go.” He released me from his hold and stepped away. “The car is waiting.”

“I’m not going with you until you tell me what you meant.”

If he needed to tell me something that concerned me, I wanted to know. He had been a different person than the one I had come to expect. Whatever he had to say, might solve that mystery.

“Don’t make a scene here.”

“Or else what?”

“I’ll make one for you.” He scooped me up, knocking the wind out of me when my ribs hit his shoulder. I dangled from him as he carried me to the car.

“Gio!” I smacked his back with my hand as my dress rode up my backside, exposing my underwear. “Put me down!”

People stared as he hurried me to the SUV. Conti opened the door, and then Gio bent down and tossed me into the backseat. He climbed in behind me, slamming the door with such force that the windows rattled.

“Who the hell do you think you are? You can’t treat me that way.”

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