Page 3 of The Fixer

He hesitates. “She looks. . . happy.”

He soundsoff.“And you look too melancholy for such a joyous occasion. Are you okay?”

“I shouldn’t be here. If it weren’t Dante and Valentina. . .” His voice trails off. “I don’t like weddings.”

“Why not?”

For a moment, I think he’s going to tell me, but then he changes the topic. “It was a compliment,” he says. “There’s too much darkness in the world. Pretty and sparkling reminds us it’s not all bad.” He gets to his feet and stretches his hand toward me. “Care to dance?”

I don’t know him well enough to probe, and besides, I’m not going to pass up the chance to dance with Leo. I take his callused hand, and we move to the floor. Just as we do, the song ends, and another begins, a slower melody about lost love.

Leo pulls me closer. His right hand engulfs mine, and his left rests at my hip, a light touch that only makes me want more. “No zipper mishaps today, I see. Pity.”

My cheeks flush. I’ve had two glasses of prosecco already, and it’s going to my head. Leo’s nearness doesn’t help. I’m very aware of his body, of how he looms over me. “You’re teasing me.”

A smile dances on the corners of his lips. “Only a little.”

“Besides,” I add. “If my zipper broke, you’d enjoy it.”

His expression darkens. “And so would everyone else here,” he growls. “No,principessa.I don’t share. Trust me, if your zipper broke, anyone leering at you would do so at their own peril.”

If you’d asked me before this conversation if possessive men turned me on, I would have laughed in your face. But there’s no denying my reaction to his threat. My body is on fire, and I shiver. I want Leo. I want him more than I’ve ever wanted anyone. I gather up my courage and tilt my head up to look at him. “I’m going to get out of here and go back to my room. Want to join me?”

It’s the first time I’ve said something like this to a man. The first time I’ve wanted to.

Leo gives me a long look, heat flaring in his eyes. I wait with bated breath for his response.

And then he says, “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Rosa.”

His rejection feels like a slap.

For a moment, I can’t hear the music of the band or the chatter of the other guests. I flush beet red, bloodroaring in my ears. I’ve never slept with anyone before, but I’m not naive. I can tell when a man wants me. Leo is single and unattached, and from the bulge in his pants, he’s definitely interested. “Why not?” I whisper.

“If I joined you in your room, we’d fuck,” he says gruffly. His voice is harsh, and the words are crude, but they’re meant to be. “We’d fuck on the floor, and we’d fuck against the wall. We’d fuck in the shower stall. I’d push your legs apart and lick your pretty clit until you came, and then, when you’re in the grip of your orgasm, I’d shove into you so hard you’d scratch my back and scream my name. And it would be good.”

He’s trying to frighten me away with his words, but he doesn’t know me. I’m not terrified; I’m turned on. “There’s a ‘but’ in that sentence.”

“But,” he says. “Tomorrow morning, you’d want more. And I have nothing more to offer.”

He’s right about that: I do want more than a one-night stand. Even with Leo.Especially with Leo.“And you only want one night?”

Some unnamed emotion flits on his face. “Once upon a time, I wanted more,” he says. He bends his head and kisses me, a gentle brush of his lips against mine. “But that time is in the past.” He drags histhumb over my lower lip. “Stay away from me,principessa.I’m no good for you.”

Then he walks away from me, and I don’t see him again.

Until. . .

2

ROSA

“Are you seeing someone?”

My family isn’t much for Christmas, but birthdays are a very big deal. I’m in Lecce to celebrate my mother’s fiftieth. I arrived last night, and I’ve managed to spend the last eighteen hours avoiding this question.

My lucky streak has run out.

“No,” I reply, trying not to think about Leo. “Is Hugh still dating Valerie?” When I came down for Christmas, my brother introduced me to his new girlfriend, but it’s September now, and there’s no guarantee they’re still together. Hugh goes through women like I go through fabric.

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