Page 67 of Shattered Diamonds

I make my way back downstairs. Demetri and Luca are now standing in the living room talking. Luca is now dressed in a dark suit, looking sharp with a dangerous edge to him.

“We need to make sure the container gets past the coast guard. Maybe we can off load at the Redhook terminal in Brooklyn.”

I clear my throat letting them know I’m within hearing distance. I may have been sheltered from my family’s business, but I do know that when they are talking about shipments, it means business.

Demetri turns and looks at me. His eyes go straight to my see-through shirt and my ample chest. “I’ll talk to Leo tonight,” he tells Luca while watching me. “Come.” He crooks two fingers at me. “I should have been down there already but a vixen in disguise has made me late.”

With his hand on my back, he walks me down a hallway to a hefty door. It’s made of steel and looks like it belongs in the basement of a castle. Although this place does look like a mini castle. There is a sleek box on the wall next to the door. Demetri touches it then waits for a keypad to show. He punches in a bunch of numbers and then grabs for my hand. He places it in the dark box, and after a few seconds, a green light flashes.

“What is that?”

“It’s a security feature. This door is to the basement. It’s always locked. If you want to go downstairs, all you have to do is lay the same hand against the screen and it will unlock for you.”

“Okay,” I mutter, knowing I will never want to go down there without him.

Demetri enters first. Then Luca motions for me to go next and he follows behind me, making sure the door is secure. I expect it to be creepy once we get to the bottom step but it’s not as creepy as I thought it would be. It has a barreled stone ceiling, and the walls are stone as well. We walk down a long hallway that has multiple doors. There are gas lanterns hanging that light our way. Déjà vu hits me. It reminds me of the night I used the restroom at the fight my cousin took me to. The night Demetri was standing across the hall from the bathroom opening when I came out. I’m just about to question Demetri, but he stops short by one of the doors. I stop with him, but Luca keeps walking. As he’s passing us, Demetri tells him to tell a guy named Joseph that he has security detail.

Luca nods at Demetri and then he looks at me. With a grin and a wink, he says, “Thanks for the porn show, gorgeous.” I suck in a surprised breath and glance at Demetri, waiting for him to say something, but he doesn’t. “I’ll be thinking about you later when I shower.”

My mouth falls open in shock.

“Cut your shit, Luca.”

Luca’s grin turns into a devious smile. “That’s what I thought, D-man.”

I jerk my head in Demetri’s direction, but he is just standing there staring Luca down. He doesn’t look angry. He’s just standing there with no emotions. Then it hits me. “You’ve shared your women with him, haven’t you?”

He turns to me. “We’ve shared women, giovane cucciolo.” He steps to the side and opens the door and walks inside the room.

“Is that what you will do with me?” I walk in behind him.

“Didn’t I just,” he says, turning back to look at me. “Are you saying you didn’t enjoy it?”

“You planned that?”

“No, but the moment was there. Did it turn you on?”

I don’t know how to answer his question, so I ask one of my own to bide my time. “Is that what you want from me?” If I say yes to his question and tell him that after the shock subsided at seeing Luca watching us that I was turned on, it may infuriate him? If I say no, will he be happy that it was only him that I wanted? Maybe this is a test. One I am not prepared to pass or fail. I don’t know how to answer but it doesn’t matter at the moment, because when I become aware of the room we’re now standing in, my heart flutters with so much happiness, it’s painful. “Demetri…” I breathe his name in wonderment as I quickly spin in a circle and take in the entirety of the room. “When?” I ask with excitement as I turn back to him.

“Do you like it?”

“It couldn’t be more perfect.”

“Good. Come. We’re late.” He holds his hand out for me to take.

I step to him. “Wait.” I slide my hand in his and brush myself up against him. “Thank you for giving me this studio.”

“You’re welcome.” He steps back to walk out.

“Wait! Demetri, are you mad? At me?”

“No.”

“Then why are you being… I don’t know. You’re hot and cold. After we left the club, you became a little distant. Did something happen when you stepped out to take that call?” I question. It was just after he and I finished. We were collecting ourselves when he got a phone call and excused himself for a few minutes while I redressed. When he came back, he seemed a bit closed off. “Or is it because of what just happened in the kitchen? You’re more on edge. I can feel it. It feels like you’re mad but then you show me this, what you did for me. It’s confusing me.”

He pulls me into him. “I am not mad. I am glad you like your studio. I am late and I need to get inside before the first round goes off.”

“The first round?”

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