Skylar Jones was adopted into an old Italian aristocratic family when he was ten. His life goes under the strict control of his stepfather, Count Massimiliano De Angelis. Sky is a good boy and obeys the rules. One thing only he keeps to himself, his...
I enter my personal code, press the button for the last floor, and lean my forehead on the cold elevator wall. My cheeks are hotter than freshly baked buns. My skin has probably burned in the merciless sun. I drank much more wine than I intended. But I have the feeling that neither of those is the real reason why my head is spinning and my heart is pounding wildly.
I know that was not it, but whatever our afternoon with Jason was, I can confidently claim it was the closest thing to a romantic date I had ever experienced. I still can not believe that he took me to the orange garden and the marvelous little restaurant hidden among the picturesque narrow streets. The way he was holding the door for me... I am flustered, fluttered, hot and bothered, and there is no way of denying it.
I never truly knew him. My love was strong, but I must confess it was also blind. That was exactly why I was so angry at my inability to get rid of it. Now, the whole thing is getting much more dangerous because I saw how attentive, kind, and sweet he can be. He does not always behave this way, but it is still often enough to make me melt like butter on a hot plate. I hoped time would help me forget about this crazy, hopeless infatuation, but the opposite is happening. I am falling deeper by the minute. However, my chances are the same, still close to zero. Like in a cheap romantic novel, the clumsy, chubby secretary falls for the smug, attractive boss. We all know that those types of stories never have happy endings in real life.
"They actually do," I hear my brother state when the cabin stops with a shake. He can not be talking to me, but the coincidence evokes a smile on my face. The door slides open. I step into my living room. His voice is barely audible because of the booming music. My nose wrinkles at the suspicious smell of smoke and burned meat. Luca, who is standing by the sofa with a phone in his hand, yells, "Sorry, dad. I have to go. Our hero is back home. Yeah, I will tell him. No, don't worry, we are not going to drink too much. He'll be in mint condition tomorrow, ready to take the fashion world by storm. Fine! Bye!"
"What is going on here?" I grumble, suspiciously sniffing the air. "You promised not to smoke inside. Is something burning? What are you doing?"
"Brava, fratellino! Pare che tu abbia un talento naturale. (Well done, little brother! It seems you have a natural talent.)" Luca keeps shouting without turning down the music or paying any attention to my questions. "Your boss, or better say crush, has just called The Big A. I can't describe the praise, words like 'brilliant', 'fantastic', 'intuitive', and so on. You impressed him. That's a great start. You have given that jerk Mauro a mouthful. Jason said you should be credited for the deal, which was never going to happen if you did not put the agent in his place. You got a promotion as well. How cool is that! Bravissimo!"
"Thank you!" I barely utter as my attention is drawn to the thick smoke coming in through the balcony doors. "Luca, I am telling you, there is a fire outside."
"Shit! The burgers," he gasps. "I wanted to surprise you. We'll celebrate the promotion and, umm... Cough!... also as an apology."
"Since when did you start to cook?" I rush out. Whatever was on the barbecue, it has turned into a pile of ash. Thank God he did not decide to use the kitchen.
"Sarah gives me lessons," Luca mumbles, gazing at the ruined food. "I made a whole ass lasagna the other day with tomato paste, mushrooms, parmesan crust and everything."
"I truly admire your girlfriend's persistence in trying to make a family man out of you." I grin, but my smile instantly dies out. "Wait! What did you say? An apology? What the hell do you have to apologize for?"
"Well..." My brother starts to scratch his head and look around as if the answer is written somewhere on the surrounding skyscrapers' shining windows.
"Luca!" I glare at him.
"There was a tiny incident," he mutters. "Nothing too bad. A friend of mine was bragging about his new car. I said it did not matter what the model was 'cause I would always be faster... I mean, I am without a scratch, so nothing to worry about..."
"Oh, my God!" I palm my face. "Just spill the beans."
"You don't have a car... Cough!... anymore," he blurts out. "But I am going to buy you a new one tomorrow. How about a Lamborghini? I'll have to go to their showroom anyway because, you know, the other car... um... is missing some parts, too... which can not be replaced..."
"You are insane." I shake my head in disbelief. "Talking about buying two Lamborghinis as if it's a bag of potatoes from the grocery. No, I do not want another car. What the fuck! You will repair the old one, which by the way was brand new if you didn't notice. And you'll buy me a barbecue because I am not cleaning this one, and dinner, Chinese food... Fuck! I am taking a shower and then a nap. You will stop the music and do your best to survive for two full hours without doing anything crazy for once in your life."
"Sure," he readily agrees. "They said it would take at least a month to fix the damages, so I thought you wouldn't want to wait. Anyway, if that's what you prefer, fine. I am going to watch a movie while you take some rest. You are the best, Sky. Oh, are you ready for tomorrow?"
"Why?" I stop abruptly and turn to look at him. "When are the surprises finally going to end?"
"Jason told dad about that super model guy... What was his name?"
"Mauricio," I rasp with dread in my voice.
"Ah, yes. Mauricio is in Rome for one day only tomorrow, and then he leaves for a photoshoot in the Bahamas for two weeks." Luca starts to sneer. "You'll have the pleasure to meet him and discuss the schedule for when he comes back. I feel for you, bro. I've seen his pictures. You are a professional, so I am not worried about you. But If I were gay, my knees would go weak."
"That's because you haven't seen Jason," I hum under my breath.
"What did you say?" Luca asks.
"Nothing," I answer and slam the bathroom door behind me.
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A/N
Hello, at the end of Chapter 21.
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