morning after madness

"Who the hell are you, and why am I half-naked in your bed?!"

Noel’s panicked scream shattered the peaceful morning silence.

Vincenzo groaned, his arms instinctively tightening around the squirming warm body pressed against him. He wasn’t a morning person…especially not when someone was yelling in his ear at seven in the goddamn morning.

"Shut up," Vincenzo muttered, voice thick with sleep.

Noel did not shut up.

Instead, he thrashed harder, elbowing Vincenzo in the ribs before rolling out of his grip and tumbling off the bed.

Thud.

"Ow, fuck!"

Vincenzo cracked one eye open, peering over the edge of the bed. "You good down there, drama queen?"

Noel sprung up, clutching a pillow to his bare chest as if it would protect him from whatever the hell was going on. His wide, sleep-ridden eyes darted around the ridiculously massive bedroom, trying to process.

Marble floors. Floor-to-ceiling windows. A ridiculously expensive chandelier. And an even more ridiculously expensive man lying in bed, watching him like a predator who wasn’t done playing with his food.

Oh. Oh, shit.

His stomach dropped.

Noel swallowed hard. "I… I don’t live here."

Vincenzo smirked. "No, you don’t."

Noel’s grip on the pillow tightened. "So why am I here?"

Vincenzo stretched lazily, his shirt unbuttoned, exposing tan, toned skin. "Because you begged me to take you home last night."

Noel’s face flamed. "I did not beg!"

Vincenzo arched a brow. "No? You sure?" He leaned forward, his voice dropping into something taunting, dangerous. "Because I distinctly remember you wrapping those pretty arms around my neck and whispering, ‘Take me home, Vincenzo.’"

Noel wanted to die.

"That’s…I was drunk!"

Vincenzo chuckled. "Drunk enough to strip yourself down to your underwear and crawl into my bed?"

Noel gasped. He looked down.

Oh. Fuck.

He was in nothing but his tiny little briefs.

His hands flew to his body, horrified. "YOU UNDRESSED ME?!"

Vincenzo tilted his head, amused. "Would you have preferred to sleep in your tight jeans, looking like a suffocating corpse?"

Noel squeaked. "You…you pervert!"

Vincenzo snorted, rolling out of bed and standing at his full height.

Noel froze.

God help him.

The man was built like a goddamn dream. Tall, broad shoulders, and a body that could ruin lives. His unbuttoned shirt did nothing to hide the solid muscles and sculpted abs.

Noel’s brain short-circuited.

Vincenzo caught his staring and grinned. "See something you like?"

Noel snapped out of it, face burning. "No! I mean…fuck you! No!"

Vincenzo chuckled, completely unfazed. He walked past Noel, heading toward the walk-in closet. "Calm down, angel. I didn’t touch you."

Noel narrowed his eyes. "You better not have!"

Vincenzo paused in the doorway, turning slightly. His gaze flickered down Noel’s body…slow and deliberate.

"Shame," Vincenzo murmured. "I would’ve loved to hear you beg for it."

Noel choked.

His entire body betrayed him.

"Y-You…"

Vincenzo smirked before disappearing into the closet, leaving Noel standing there, shaking, confused, and painfully aware of how hard his heart was hammering.

Noel, now dressed in borrowed sweats and an oversized t-shirt (because his actual clothes were missing), sat at the dining table scowling.

Vincenzo, sitting across from him in a fresh black button-up, sipped his espresso like a satisfied king.

"You drugged me, didn’t you?" Noel accused, pointing a piece of toast at him.

Vincenzo raised a brow. "Oh? What was my motive? Carrying a half-drunk brat to bed and putting him in the most unattractive clothes possible?"

Noel huffed. "Maybe you have a weird kink for suffering."

Vincenzo’s lips twitched. "I do. And you’re my newest form of entertainment."

Noel nearly flung his toast at him.

Vincenzo leaned forward, eyes sharp. "Eat. Then I’ll have my driver take you home."

Noel hesitated, but hunger won. He ate.

But the moment breakfast was over, he stood, crossing his arms. "Okay, De Luca. Time to say goodbye."

Vincenzo smirked, standing as well. He walked toward Noel…slow, deliberate.

Noel swallowed, refusing to step back.

But Vincenzo didn’t stop until he was towering over him.

Then he leaned in, lips brushing Noel’s ear. "Goodbye? Oh, angel."

His fingers ghosted over Noel’s wrist, his grip light but firm.

"You really think this is over?"

Noel’s breath caught.

Vincenzo pulled back slightly, meeting his eyes…dark, unreadable, dangerous.

"I don’t chase people, Noel. But you?" His fingers tightened around Noel’s wrist for just a second.

"I’m going to keep you."

Noel’s heart slammed against his ribs. "You’re insane."

Vincenzo grinned, pressing a soft, mocking kiss to Noel’s forehead. "You’ll learn to love it."

Before Noel could shove him away, a knock echoed from the front door.

A suited man entered, nodding. "Sir, we have a problem."

Vincenzo’s expression shifted.

Cold. Deadly.

Noel’s stomach twisted.

"Talk."

The man hesitated, then glanced at Noel.

Vincenzo’s jaw ticked. "Anything you need to say, say it."

The man exhaled, then met Vincenzo’s gaze.

"Elene is back in town."

The world tilted.

Vincenzo’s entire body went still.

Noel, watching closely, felt a chill crawl down his spine.

Who the hell is Elene?

And why did Vincenzo look like he wanted to burn the world down?

"So… how was it waking up in the arms of Vincenzo fucking De Luca?"

The second Noel stepped into the apartment, Ariel’s voice dripped with mischief.

Noel froze.

Nico, sprawled on the couch with a bowl of popcorn, smirked. "Morning, sugar baby."

Noel choked. "I…WHAT?!"

Ariel giggled, walking up to him and flicking his forehead. "Oh, please. You left the club with the Vincenzo De Luca. You think we wouldn’t find out?"

Nico grinned. "Babe, the man owns half the damn city. And he just so happened to take you home? We did our research."

Noel groaned, dragging his hands down his face. "Guys, nothing happened, and nothing will, okay? And we didn’t even fuck!"

Ariel and Nico gasped.

Ariel clutched her chest. "What do you mean you didn’t fuck?!"

Nico narrowed his eyes. "So let me get this straight…you had the chance to be railed into a new tax bracket and you just… what? Slept?!"

Noel whined. "We didn’t do anything! I was drunk, and he just…he just let me sleep!"

Ariel blinked. "That’s actually… kinda hot."

Nico huffed. "Tch. Wasted opportunity."

Noel stomped his foot. "You guys are the WORST."

"But let’s be real, babe," Ariel said, tossing an arm around Noel’s shoulders. "Being Vincenzo De Luca’s sugar baby? Not a bad gig."

"Definitely better than being with that asshole Julian," Nico added, voice dripping with disgust.

Noel’s stomach twisted. He shoved Ariel off. "We are NOT talking about Julian."

Ariel sighed. "Fine, fine. But just so you know….Vincenzo definitely wants you."

"Desperately," Nico smirked. "And considering who he is? You’re so screwed."

Noel flopped onto the couch, screaming into a pillow.

Meanwhile…

Vincenzo leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping against his whiskey glass. His gaze was fixed on the city skyline, but his thoughts were elsewhere.

On Noel.

His smirk grew as he swirled his drink.

Then his phone buzzed.

His expression darkened at the name flashing across the screen.

Elene.

The woman who once stood beside him. The woman who thought she could come back after walking away.

Vincenzo’s grip on his glass tightened.

She had no idea.

He had already set his sights on someone else.

And this time…

He wasn’t letting go.