Chapter 23

GIULIA

I threw my head back in laughter; the sound coming out as bitter as I felt. I'd never heard of anything as outrageous and funny as this. Mark, with his trousers down, was something I'd always envisioned, but not in this context. He was basically calling me a slut who would do anything to get laid.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” I fumed in anger, narrowing my eyes to slits at the man in front of me.

“Isn't this what you want? I know how you feel about me, Giulia. I've caught your stares more than a thousand times.” He walked closer while I tried to get as far away from him as possible. “Stop playing hard to get, and —”

The words froze in his throat as the sound of the slap resounded in the room. I didn't even register my actions until my palm collided with his left cheek.

“I'm not a slut, Mark. If you want one, go visit a brothel, or, better still, meet the whore you brought back with you!” I spat at him, barely restraining my anger.

A smile crept over his face as he touch