Book 2: What Happens Here - Chicago (What Happens Here Series)

Chapter 39 - Giorgio

Giorgio had been fuming as he'd watched the stronzo arrogante as he'd continued to touch Carmen. Giorgio did not like Andrew Michaels. Regardless of the fact that Carmen had highly recommended him, Giorgio had seen men like him before. His own father, Benito Moretti, was such a man.

Men like his father and this, Andrew, were not what Giorgio would consider as men at all. They were spineless, useless bags of merda, or as the American's would say, shit. Andrew Michaels had the same demeanor about him that he'd seen before on men that thought that women were nothing more than commodities, that were to be bought, used and then tossed away when they were finished with them. He'd seen it firsthand with the way that his father had used the women that he'd entertained behind Giorgio's mother's back. Giorgio had watched as his father had initially tried to hide his affairs when he'd actually given a damn, but over the past several years, he'd flaunted his countless dalliances right out in the open for the world, and even his wife, to see. And Giorgio hated him for it.

The more Andrew, and Giorgio refused to call him Andy, had touched Carmen, the more enraged Giorgio had become. When Andrew had smirked at him before he'd placed his slimy hand on Carmen's lower back, much too close to her ass, Giorgio's eyes had narrowed on him. Which Andrew had noticed, and which had only caused him to do it at every opportunity. Did Carmen know what he was doing, and did she welcome his touch?

The thought of Carmen welcoming the touch of a testa di minchia, or "dickhead", like Andrew Michaels infuriated him. Several times, Giorgio had almost removed Andrew's hand himself, when it appeared that Carmen had appeared uncomfortable by Andrew's actions, but he'd refrained. Giorgio had not known if the two were lovers, and as much as that thought caused him to see red, he'd known that he needed to keep out of affairs that were not his own. And besides, if Carmen had not wanted Andrew to touch her, she would have said so. Destra?

After hours of watching as Andrew had touched Carmen either on her lower back, or on her arm, shoulder, or elbow, Giorgio had battled his rage. But when Andrew had sauntered over to Carmen and leaned towards her so close that it appeared that he was nuzzling her hair, as she'd stood staring out of the window of yet another overpriced, skyrise apartment, Giorgio found that he'd had to walk away before he'd done something like... smash the bastardo's face in. Added to his rage was the way that Andrew had locked eyes with him, right before he'd placed his hand damn near on Carmen's curvy ass while he'd smirked at Giorgio as he'd whispered something unintelligible into her ear.

The look that Carmen had given him when she'd smiled at Andrew right before she'd turned around and locked eyes with him had felt like a fist to Giorgio's stomach. Her beautiful hazel eyes had widened, as a mixture of emotions had spread over her face. The one that had stood out the most for Giorgio had appeared to be.... guilt. She'd had the same look on her face as his mamma had accused him of having when he'd been caught doing something that he should not have been doing when he was a young child.

In addition to the feeling of being punched in the stomach, Giorgio had also felt an ache in his heart. Had he been wrong about Carmen? Of course, he hadn't thought that a beautiful woman like Carmen Daniels would be single, but he never would have imagined that she'd involve herself with...as his cousin Layla would say... a fucktard, like Andrew Michaels.

Being unable to remain in the man's presence a moment longer without doing something that would have his new "residence" being inside of the US prison system, Giorgio had ended the home search. There was no way in hell that he wanted to live in New York City, or be in business with a "slimeball", another Layla Moretti term, like Andrew.

Giorgio had initially wanted to be closer to Layla, while also being able to aid in the expansion of Moretti Wines here in the States, but when Carmen had suggested several listings in the New York area, Giorgio had agreed. Merda, if Giorgio were being honest, he'd known that from the first moment that he'd laid eyes on Carmen Daniels, there was very little that he'd ever deny her. Which is how Giorgio had found himself on an early morning flight to New York City that next morning, and in the company of a man that he'd wanted to punch in the face at least 50 times or more, since meeting him.