4| I Love Your Smell.

ROSALINDA.

The following day, Antonio picked me and Sofia up from our place as planned, and he drove us to Lily Bridals.

The only thing we’d said to each other since he picked us up was a simple greeting. Which was good, I guess, because the less we spoke, the better. The better I would be able to resist the scorching attraction I had towards him.

When we got inside the building, we were welcomed by a receptionist.

Her smile was broad as she spoke. "Welcome to Lily Bridals. How may I help you?"

"Uhm… My mom called and made a reservation for Sofia Moretti. We are here for—" Before I could complete my sentence, a lady suddenly appeared beside me and interrupted.

"Ahh... Sofia Moretti." She beamed as she tucked her blonde bob hair behind her ear, revealing more of her beautifully sculptured face. "Welcome to Lily Bridals. I have been expecting you." A small scowl suddenly flashed on her face. "She told me you were petite and had a little..."

She had mistaken me for Sofia. Before she could finish her sentence, I quickly pointed at Sofia. "She’s Sofia."

"Oh…" The lady let out a sigh, which I interpreted to be a sigh of relief. "She’s exactly as Mrs. Moretti described her. Anyway, I am Lily. A designer and I own this place." She extended her arms wide, proudly, in demonstration.

"Nice." Was all that Sofia muttered. She didn’t seem interested in being there.

"So, the fitting room is this way." Lily said as she gestured in a direction and started walking in that direction.

We trailed behind her, and she walked us through a hallway until she stopped in front of a glass door and pushed it open.

The room was spacious and adorned with full-length mirrors placed at three angles. In front of the full-length mirrors was a sitting area.

"I already explained it to Mrs. Moretti; I don’t know if she told you guys about it." Lily uttered as we ventured inside the room.

"And that is?" I asked, raising my brow. Mamma hadn’t told us anything.

"The notice is so short," she began as she started walking towards a clothing rack that was situated in one corner of the room. "But luckily, there is a bride that recently canceled after we had finished making this magnificent dress." She pulled a dress out of the clothing rack and started sauntering back towards us with it in her arms. "Her groom-to-be dumped her, so, automatically, the wedding was canceled, and now she’s asking for a refund. Who does that? How is it my fucking business that she was dumped?" I could hear the irritation in her voice. "Anyway, she’s about the same size as you, so if you don’t mind..."

"I would try it on." Sofia quickly said, cutting her off.

Lily’s lips perked up in a smile. "Well, then, the private dressing room is over there." She said, gesturing to a small door inside the room.

Sofia started walking towards the door, and Lily followed behind her with the dress in her arms.

I turned to see that Antonio was already seated on one of the couches inside the room. His attention was on his phone, and he looked so damn hot without even trying. I hadn’t really looked at him since he picked us up from our place, even though it took everything in me to stop myself from taking glances at him.

But the restrictions I placed on myself seemed to have broken because, right now, I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off him as I watched him type so fast on his phone. Only if those fingers were on my clitoris instead. Such fast movement would have driven me to the brink of insanity. I quickly shook my head to wave those dirty thoughts off my mind.

Rosalinda, you promised to keep him off your mind. I reminded myself.

"Are you just going to stand there?" He asked without looking up from his phone.

Of course not. I thought without giving him a response as I trudged towards the sofa and sat right beside him.

I couldn’t resist him, and I found myself staring at him again. He looked up, and before I could avert my gaze, he caught me. I still drifted my gaze away from him anyway.

"Do you think Sofia would like to stay with me, or should I get her own house for privacy?" He asked.

Damn! His voice. His rich, velvety voice.

"Ask her." I simply replied and swallowed against my dry throat.

"What’s with that attitude?" He chuckled softly. "After moaning at my touch yesterday.”

"What? How?" I asked, feigning confusion as my cheeks flushed with embarrassment. I knew exactly what he was talking about. I had hoped he hadn’t interpreted it as a moan.

"The sound you made yesterday while my hand was on your neck." He elaborated as if it were something normal, as if it weren’t something that wasn't supposed to happen.

"I gasped, not moaned." I let the lie slip off my tongue. "And, even if it was a moan, I moaned in pain, not pleasure."

He shot up his brow. "And who mentioned pleasure here?"

There, he got me. I shouldn’t have mentioned that.

"I want to hear you make that sound again." He abruptly said, and my eyes widened in perplexity. What did he mean by that?

He adjusted his position on the seat, moving closer to me and my pulse pattered at an uneven beat. His close proximity made it incredibly hard for me to breathe.

"Why do you want to hear me make that sound again?" A lump formed in my throat, and I swallowed. "Do you enjoy inflicting pain on innocent girls?"

Before I knew what was happening, his hand was already on my neck, grazing his fingers across it sensually.

"Yes." His voice was low and husky.

I opened my mouth to talk, but the effect he had on me seized my voice.

"You smell good." He muttered in a low, velvety tone, and before I could process what he just said, he nestled in until I could feel his warm breath on my neck. He inhaled deeply, slightly grazing his nose on my neck as he straightened back up.

My already rapid heartbeat accelerated, and the walls of my folds contracted. Fuck!

"What—what—what was that?" I managed to say, my cheeks turning red as heat radiated through them.

"I love your smell," he casually said, as if he hadn’t just done the most inappropriate thing. "What perfume do you use?"

"What—" Before I could complete my sentence, I heard the door ding open, and I darted my gaze to see Sofia walking out of the dressing room with Lily walking right behind her.

Returning my gaze to Antonio, I realized he had already retained his former position, looking calm and collected like nothing had just happened.

I quickly composed myself and tried not to think of what just happened as I leapt to my feet and stretched my lips into a smile.

Inching closer to Sofia, I finally took in the beauty of her dress. She looked incredibly stunning in the wedding dress. The dress was perfect on her.

"It looks like the dress was made for her." Lily voiced out my thoughts. "There’s no need for any adjustments."

“You look amazing.” I complimented, my eyes filled with admiration.

Sofia just stood in front of the mirror, lacking any form of enthusiasm.

"If you don’t like it, we could—" Lily started when she noticed how uninterested Sofia looked, but the latter quickly cut her off.

"It’s okay. You don’t have to change anything about it." She said and sighed. "I would go and get changed now."

Without waiting for a response, she started walking towards the changing room, and I quickly followed her. I needed to comfort her. She was obviously overwhelmed by how fast things were moving. I felt for her; if I were in her shoes, I would have acted that way also.

"Sofia." I called as we slipped inside the small room and closed the door.

Before I could say anything, she wrapped her arms around me and rested her head on my shoulder.

I wrapped one arm around her and started patting her head with the other as I muttered. "It’s okay, baby."

I had expected to feel her tears on my shoulder, but surprisingly, that didn’t happen. Instead, she straightened back up and held my hand in hers. "I want to ask you for a favor."

I raised my brow curiously. "What’s that."

"I need you to help me sneak out tonight. I want to see Oliver." She said. "I want to say my final goodbye to him, and I want to do it in person."

"You do know what would happen if we got caught, right?" I asked, and she nodded.

"Please don’t say no, Rosa." She pleaded as she stared at me with her doe eyes, making it hard for me to say no. Sofia was known for using her cute, innocent-looking doe eyes to coax people into doing things they didn’t want to. And every time she did that, it worked on me. Now was not different.

I sighed and nodded.

"Thank you." She beamed and jumped on me. "I love you."

"I love you too."

I agreed to her request, knowing the risk that came with her seeing another man while she was engaged to Antonio. If caught, Oliver could either lose his life or his eyes. Or any other part of his body.

But as the sneaking expert that I am, I would make sure we don’t get caught. Tonight, I will fulfill my sister’s wish to see her lover one last time.

"By the way," Sofia said, cutting through my thoughts. "Why are your cheeks so red?"

I quickly placed my palms over my cheeks, and they got even more crimson as memories of what Antonio did minutes ago washed through me.

What exactly happened back there?