Page 22 of Dominance

Half at the situation, half at Ciro, and half at the mortified look on Adriano’s face. As I do, I heard the other two toward the tables and away from the closet and the mess of papers and my shirt.

Ciro is still talking to both of us casually, sorting through some of the files on the table while he does.

No wonder Dad doesn’t want the twins around if they’re both like this.

He would drive my father nuts.

“—and the flight attendant—stewardess?—”

“Fli—”

“Right, flight attendant is proper, she looks right down at me and says, no joke, straight-faced, ‘If you don’t stop stealing peanuts out of my cart I’m going to take you to the back of the plane and spank you.’ Can you believe that shit?”

Before I can stop myself, I’m asking, “What did you do?”

“She was stunning. So, I grabbed as many peanuts as I could and made a run for the back of the plane!”

Adriano’s shaking his head, smiling slightly at his brother’s antics. “At least you didn’t cause an international event. Again.”

“Oh, Gloria, you’ll love this story?—”

“Wait,” Adriano interrupts, putting up a hand getting serious, looking around. “Where’s Fiero?”

“I’m right here,” another voice, velvet black and quiet, cuts through the noise, and I jump through the ceiling, a little yelp slipping out from behind the hand I clap over my mouth.

“Fuck!” Adriano has his gun halfway out, his other arm outthrust to cover me.

The gesture is subtle. But it makes my tummy flip for some stupid reason.

“Don’t do that!”

“Do what?” Fiero shrugs, the picture of innocence. If innocence dressed all in black, had silky, long black hair tucked behind its ears. But it’s his eyes and deadly calm that belie the casual stance, the feigned innocence. There’s nothing innocent about this brother.

He’s the opposite of Ciro in every way.

Yet they are identical in the way they fill the room with a presence unique to each of them. It’s almost distracting enough to make me forget my embarrassment or the fact that Adriano and I were just about to?—

“So, what were you two up to down here? Research? Development? Or maybe some deep dives, filing…”

“It’s not an innuendo just because you say it in that voice.” Fiero sniffs, rolling his eyes.

“It’s an innuendo because they were totally doing it. Soil sport.”

“It’s spoilsport.”

“Whatever, shithead.”

My jaw works a few times, trying to keep up with the situation and the ridiculous back and forth between them. All while feeling the full-body blush of them discussing what Adriano and I were doing when they came in.

“Don’t the two of you have laundry to do or something?”

“Nah. I just bought new clothes and threw the others out. Ero only owns two outfits and does sink laundry like a weirdo.”

“Not all of us stink like a dog if we don’t shower every day.”

“Not all of us have the luxury of staying cool and dry when boss man sendsmeto humid, muggy, mosquito ridden locales.”

“Baby.”

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