Page 119 of The Sexy Billionaire

We join the long queue of cars, waiting our turn to arrive at the red carpet.

“This is the worst, waiting for your turn,” Matteo grumbles.

When it arrives, a man opens the door and helps me from the car, and I’m assaulted by the flashing light bulbs, which blind me momentarily.

“You guys go on ahead, I’ve got her,” Mackenzie tells her family. I watch as the three of them comfortably walk the red carpet together.

“Sending in the throuple first usually distracts the media long enough for us to sneak right past them,” Mackenzie jokes as we step onto the red carpet. We take the first couple of tentative steps and her plan is working, they are all trying to get Matteo’s attention.I can do this.One foot in front of the other. It’s not until we are halfway up the carpet that I hear people screaming my name.

“Countess Paige over here.”

How did they know that?

“Guess you can’t sneak by.” She chuckles as she steps away from me, letting the photographers get their photo. I try to channel my inner supermodel, but my eyes are blinded by all the flashes; this is intense. I smile and pose and move along asquickly as I can, trying to catch my breath as soon as I step out of the spotlight.

“See you did it. You did good,” Mackenzie tells me.”

“That was petrifying,” I confess to her.

“I still hate red carpets, even though I’ve been to so many,” she explains.

Moments later, there’s an ear-splitting roar and the cameras go wild—the paparazzi are in a frenzy. Who the hell has arrived? Whoever they are must be super famous. I wait around the corner, peering out just enough to see who it could be, and then I see him.

Gio.

He strides along the red carpet confidently, but I see the tension on his face and the way he grits his teeth. He stops and chats to some of the networks covering the event, giving them a fake smile. I know it’s fake because I’ve seen his real ones. He chats about the charity, keeping the interviewer on task by talking about the event, not his personal life before stepping away and posing for the cameras. I’ve never seen him in his world before and if I’m being honest, it’s terrifying.

He turns to look for the exit, and that’s when he sees me, his face lighting up, and the real Giorgio breaks through the façade. He cuts short his red carpet walk to stride over to me. My heart thunders in my chest as I look around to make sure no one has spotted the change in his disposition.

“Mackenzie, so great to see you again,” he says, greeting my chaperone warmly.

“Nice to see you, too. Have you met my friend? Countess Paige,” she says, joining in on the charade.

“How nice to meet you,” he says, pretending he doesn’t know me as he leans in to kiss both my cheeks. “When we go inside, follow me,” he whispers before stepping back and striding into the ballroom.

“I … just …” I turn to Mackenzie.

“Go,” she says with a grin.

I go to follow Gio, but his strides are so much longer than mine, especially in these heels, that I lose him in the crowd. Where is he? There are so many people here and everyone looks the same dressed in their tuxedos. I move away from the crowd and to the edge of the ballroom. How has he vanished? My phone buzzes inside my clutch. I pull it out and read the message.

Giorgio: Look up.

When I do, I notice him right above me on another level. My phone buzzes again.

Giorgio: Take the stairs on your left to this level. There is a door marked office. Meet me in there.

When I look up again, he’s gone. My heart pounds in my chest as I nervously look around, feeling like everyone is going to notice me going up the stairs and following him. Ignoring my anxiety because I need to see him, I head toward the stairs and slowly walk up them, looking out over the opulent ballroom, and notice no one is paying me any attention. When I make it to the top, I scan the mezzanine for a door that says office. There, at the far end. I rush toward it as quickly as I can in these heels and turn the brass knob. I push the door open, thinking I’ll see Gio on the other side, except it’s dark, only the streetlights filter through the window.

“Gio,” I whisper yell as I close the door behind me. Do I have the right room?

“You look so fucking beautiful tonight,” he says, stepping from the darkness. I whirl around and smile, seeing himstanding in front of me. “It’s killing me not being able to walk up and kiss you, making sure every single man in that room knows you’re mine,” he says as those dark eyes run over my body, taking in every inch of me.

“I’m glad you like it.” I smirk.

“I fucking love it,” he says, reaching out and sliding his finger along the slit of my dress. “Are you wearing any underwear under this?”

“Why don’t you find out?” I answer, quirking a brow at him.

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