Chapter 4 Rosetta Verona

She stood there, her mouth slightly open, her lashes fluttering.

It really was him.

He looked much different from the Domenico she remembered, the Domenico she attended highschool with. That Domenico did not catch her fancy, that Domenico definitely did not look half this alluring, that Domenico definitely wasn’t this confident or dominant. That Domenico had been anything short of badass.

Calm Domenico, always smiling and swallowing down the harsh bullying from Leonardo and his crew with his head held high until…

“You might end up breaking that glass if you keep holding it that way.”

“Leonardo.” She sighed, relaxing her hold on her glass.

“Domenico, huh?”

She glanced at him to see him looking in the same direction.

“He’s different.” She stated, bringing her glass to her lips then dropping it with a scowl when she discovered it was empty.

“He sure is.” Leonardo drawled, a mocking look on his face, “disappears for what? 7 months? Comes back a whole new man. What’s he up to?”

“I don’t know. I don’t care.”

Leonardo’s grey eyes bore holes into the side of her face.

“What do you mean?” He asked curiously.

The corners of her lips curled up in a smug look. She handed Leonardo her empty glass then smoothed her hair and gown.

She faced Leonardo fully, “How do I look?”

“Beautiful” He praised, “Exquisite.”

She smiled satisfactorily.

She didn’t care about the old Domenico, she wanted the new one. The women already flocking around him were no match for her. There was no doubt that he was going to fall for her charms. She would have him wrapped around her fingers in a flash.

“Go easy on him. I’m scared of that look.” Leonardo laughed.

She laughed also then placed a kiss on each of Leonardo’s cheeks, catching the bob of his Adam apple and his quick swallowing and letting it feed her pride.

“Wish me luck.” She whispered, giving him her sweetest smile before pulling away and sauntering off.

She waded through the crowd, sending her usual alluring smiles to the men that eyed her and friendly smiles to her acquaintances and ladies that eyed her jealously.

She was almost there.

He stood, hands in pocket, a smug look on his face as he watched the ladies around him misbehave. She was almost there.

Suddenly, she felt nervous. He hadn’t seen her yet but she felt nervous. The aura coming from him subdued hers, made her weak at the knees and her hands tremble. She licked her lips, clutching her gown tightly.

She almost stopped, almost… but she was Rosetta D’armani, she never gave up on a prey until she had devoured every last bite of it.

“Rosetta!”

Marino’s eyes zoomed in on her when she came close enough. She forced down her nervousness and threw him a kiss, her signature charming smile on her face.

“Bernard.” She called and let him kiss her hand and they had the il bacetto.

She knew the ladies around Domenico had left already at the mention of her name and she knew Domenico’s eyes were fixed on her.

“Excuse me, Bernard but I'm here to speak with your handsome friend.” She spoke, letting her eyes wander to the ‘handsome friend’ at the last two words. His eyes transfixed her.

“I’m hurt” Marino laughed, “but I’ll leave you two alone.”

She felt him leave but she didn’t… couldn’t look away from Domenico’s glittering blue eyes. It was just the two of them now.

“Signorina” His husky voice sent tingles down her spine as he took her right hand and kissed it lightly. She loved the feel of his palms on hers, it felt right.

She composed herself and shot him a flirty smile.

“Domenico de Cerintti, what a pleasure.” She spoke when he dropped her hand after holding it a second too long.

“Rosetta.”

Butterflies erupted in her tummy. He remembered her… of course.

She took a step closer, expecting his eyes to wander down her face and to her body like all the men did but his eyes stayed on hers, piercing and intruding.

“You now attend Colland?” She asked, feeling a bite to her pride.

“Sì” He glanced away from her as if bored. His look intimidated her.

She upped her game. She moved to his side, letting their arms brush, his eyes followed her.

“It was a surprise seeing you, still is” She continued, her face tilted up to his, “Mind telling me where you disappeared off to.”

“Yes.”

She chuckled, letting her pearly white teeth show, “Understandable.”

“You look good… very handsome.” She drawled, lifting her hands to his collar and smoothening it.

“You do too.”

She smirked, “Of course.”

He watched her, his stoic features unchanging. She began to feel uncomfortable.

She straightened up.

“Want to dance?” She asked.

•

They twirled around, their gazes locked. His hands didn’t mistakenly hold her indecently nor did he make her feel uncomfortable. She wondered if it was real, if he really was not like the rest of the men folk.

“You’ve not said much.” She commented as they swayed lightly to the slow ballad playing.

“Because there’s not much to say.” He replied.

“You could ask me how I’ve been, aren’t you interested?”

“Why would I be interested?”

She gave a short laugh. He was blunt.

“Well, I am interested in you.” She said with a wink.

He smirked, “As it should be.”

“So you’re not interested in me? Not even a little?” She prodded, leaning closer.

“I would admit you’re a beauty to behold and that I did wonder about you but not enough to keep me interested.”

“Is that a challenge?”

“If you call it that but as I said, I’m not interested.”

“You don’t wonder what it will feel like to have a woman like me?”

“No.”

“To own a woman like me?”

“No.”

“To love a woman like me?”

“No. You seem desperate.”

Her smile fell then came up quickly.

“I like to call first dibs on a new specie.” She winked.

“Na, this specie isn’t interested.”

She let her fingers caress his neck, “Not a little bit?” Her voice dropped even lower.

He pulled her hand away.

“Better luck, next time. Goodbye, Rosetta.”

He turned and disappeared into the dancing crowd, leaving her stood there, in the middle of the dancing floor, cradling her shattered ego.

The song had not even ended!