Caterina.That morning light came in warm, thick stripes, cutting through the half open curtains like golden knives.I blinked up at the ceiling, the weight of what had happened last night still folded around me like another sheet. I was sore... sore in places that made my toes curl just thinking about them... and the inside of my thighs ached with the memory of the dark haired man.Luca Romano.He wasn't in the bed.Of course he wasn’t.I let out an exhale, quiet but sharp, running a hand over my face. I shouldn't have let this happen again. I told myself I wouldn't.There should be a line, and I'd not only crossed it... I'd sprinted over it like a goddamn mad woman. And I would do it again.God help me, I would.Right now my body felt loose and electric under the sheets, still trembling at the memory of that mouth, those hands, the low growl that left his throat when I wrapped my legs around him and begged.I, Caterina De Luca, fucking begged a man to fuck her.That was just...Abs
Caterina."Now!"Who would have thought that Maria would be telling Luca and I to leave the kitchen because we had flour all over?Not me.I never would have suggested it, also. I wasn't that kind of girl.I had just made it to the room I stayed in before Luca agreed to my stupid pact when the knock came.Three short raps.Had Maria come to apologise for sending me away just because of a little flour?She better.My skin still smelled like vanilla extract and sugar, my dress stuck slightly to my thigh from where butter had splattered, but I knew I could still make the cake with her.I opened the door."Well, no need to..."It wasn't Maria at the door.It was Luca, and he was holding a towel.Well, that wasn't what I had expected, though my body certainly appreciated the fact that Luca was standing so close to me again.Traitor."For your face," he said simply, his voice quieter than I had expected. The hallway was dim, but the man looked absolutely golden in it... damp hair curling at
Caterina.I did not trust the men at the estate gates when they opened it for me.They had this too polite smile plastered on their lips. I didn't even trust the perfectly manicured bushes that lined the driveway because they looked like little spies.But most of all, I didn't trust Maria when she sent me the text few hours ago."It's just a girl's day." It had read. "Luca wouldn't eve here. Swear it on my mother's heritage.""Do you like or hate your mother?""Loved her. So you know I'm serious."So here I was. Wrapped in a pale blue sundress, my hair was tied up in a silk scarf, and I walked into enemy territory because my pride wasn't loud enough to outscream that quiet ache in my chest.Maria met me at the door barefoot, holding two ice cappuccinos for some reason, and grinning like a lunatic.Maybe she was."You actually came. Now Raphael owes me twenty bucks.""I came to see what this girl's day is all about," I replied, eyeing the foyer.And I didn't exactly have anything to do
Luca.Caterina looked like she wanted to stab someone with her dessert fork.Was that because she finally decided to eat after drinking that cup of coffee for what felt like hours?Must be.I watched her from the grainy security feed of the restaurant, leaning back against the leather chair in my office, a tumbler of untouched whiskey in my hand.My other hand tapped lightly against the armrest, trying to keep the rhythm as uneven as I could. Her lips were moving fast. And though there was no audio, I didn't need that to know she was pissed.Probably at that woman sitting across from her.Carol.Never married to that sham of a father who shared DNA with Caterina. This woman had given Caterina those lovely cheekbones of hers, her flair of dismantling people with elegance, and that always can do spirit. I'd done my research the moment my men reported that Caterina was going to lunch with some woman.I'd also sent two more men to join the others, making it four men. Two seated at differe
Caterina"Get. Out."I stood in the middle of my apartment, arms still crossed as I kept my eyes faced on the door Luca had just walked out of.Not like I was expecting the oaf to come back or anything.He hadn't even said a word after. No smug parting remark, no cruel tease, no apology.No fucking apology.That man refused to acknowledge what he did, so all I got was the sound of the door clicking shut Did I care?Not really.There was no reason for me to care about what Luca did or didn't do. I just needed him out of the house, and far away from me.There was no reason for me to care.Why should I?That man had practically kidnapped me. Locked me up in that estate of his and watched my desperate attempts of escaping unfold, while he frolicked with different women, as if I was there for his amusement.Just because he'd agreed to my stupid... very stupid pact, and fed me eggs in my kitchen didn't mean he was anything more than a drug lord who just happened to love tailored suits.Dam
Caterina.I woke to the soft warmth of someone breathing against my shoulder.The scent of him surrounding me like a storm cloud I hasn't quite outrun, or could outrun. Clean soap, something musky beneath it, and the faintest hint of cologne that had long since faded... Luca.His arm was still wrapped around my waist, his chest pressed to my back, and his legs tangled with mine in a way that made it impossible to pretend the night before had been some sort of fever dream.I let out a slow exhale, keeping my eyes fixed on the soft outline of my window across the room. Morning light barely crept in, grey and filtered through storm clouds. Rain still patted against the glass, steady and rhythmic. Did I know what time it was currently?No.I wasn't even tempted to find out.Moving would mean waking him.Moving would mean admitting that I didn’t regret it.But I did.Or at the very least, I was supposed to. I'd promised myself I wouldn't do this... this was a man who slept with Rissa and