Page 88 of Dominance

“Gloria, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I mean. Everything.”

I’m backing away, shaking my head, walking the other way.

No. No, no, no.

Not her too.

It’s like everything Domenico and Diamante has hijacked my entire existence.

“Gloria! Come back!”

But I can’t look back.

And I can’t escape.

16

ADRIANO

The door slams. Gloria’s gone before I even get up.

Again.

I hate this.

I hate the way things have gotten between us.

We’re sleeping in the same room, living in the same house, sleeping in the same bed.

And it’s like we’re complete fucking strangers all over again.

I should just get over myself and talk to her, but I feel like she’s holding back, like she’s upset with herself more than she’s upset with me. I think she is, frankly, after the way she has been behaving the last few days.

Dom Junior, over here.

I shouldn’t be so mean, but…

She’s doubled down on being the bitch offspring of Domenico instead of being herself.

It did give me an idea, however.

The encounter with Weller, Gloria’s behavior. It all sparked the need for abreak. And a chance to connect with my roots. The week leading up to my wedding gives me a sort ofleverageunique to the groom to skip town for a minute.

A chance to take a trip.

Get away.

It’ll give me time to regroup. Plan. Try and figure out what the hell Weller was talking about with Dom and my family. Maybe I can figure out what he meant about Dom’s past with the FBI.

But of course, there’s the matter of asking Dom whether I can go. He’s the end-all of everything I can and cannot do.

Tracking him down on a Friday around noon leads me to Dyker Beach, the nearest course to our offices. He’s gotten in the habit of starting his weekends early.

“Hey, Dom, you busy?” I catch him as he’s pulling into the clubhouse. Early bird. Dom tips his hat as he steps off his cart.

Good sign.

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