Page 104 of Dominance

And it’s not like I can’t afford it with the cash I’ve still got left. Can’t blame a girl for needing a decent bed for a night.

Sitting in the car outside of the apartment, I finally get up the nerve, and the story I plan to give to the nurse I saw entering the unit. It’s time to see who lives here.

“Hi. I’m Gloria?—”

“Oh! Adriano’s fiancée? He was just here yesterday; I overheard your name when he came to see his grandmother.”

“That’s right. I was supposed to meet him here, but…connecting flights, you know.” My Italian isn’t the best, but it gets me by.

“Of course. Come in. Natalia was just about to have tea in the garden.”

The house is cute, simple, but extremely comfortable and well furnished. The nurse leads me through the living area, the kitchen, to the patio door.

“Now, she’s having a good day, but if she loses track of the conversation, just repeat yourself, or give her time to tell her stories and move on.”

“I will, thank you.”

Outside, I step into a small alcove of terracotta tile and vibrant blossoms hanging in pots all around. A low fence encloses the far end, overlooking a courtyard of sorts in the center of several other back patios, all matching in the complex style.

And there, sitting in a weathered rocking chair, a tiny, old woman with white hair.

“Miss Natalia! You have another visitor. That’s two in as many days!” The nurse offers me the chair across from Natalia, giving me an expectant look. I nod, insinuating that she can go for now.

Kind, smile-crinkled eyes scan the greenery before settling on me, a twinkle sparkling in the deep brown pools. Her pleasant expression is hard to read.

“Good morning, Miss Natalia. My name is Gloria.” I start in English, hoping she speaks it better than I speak Italian.

“The one who make him smile, mypiccolino.” She holds up her cup, waiting for me to fill it. Her gestures are a bit shaky, her demeanor what you would expect of an elderly woman, probably in her seventies or eighties. But something in the way she watches me tells me she’s sharp.

Pouring a steaming cup, I nod, filling my own and sitting back down. “Um, yes? I’m Adriano’s fiancée.”

“You are also his fear, no?”

“Excuse me?”

“I see in his eyes. Adriano is good boy. Always brings me cookies, check on me to make sure I have a blanket.”

“He is very kind.”

“He is too kind. His heart is delicate thing.”

Sipping the herbal blend, I try to decide what to say next. She’s not what I expected. None of this was.

It feels almost like a test.

“I want to protect his heart. I also want to know his heart better.”

At this she tilts her head, like she’s listening to something only she can hear. Several seconds pass and I wonder if she’s still aware of me.

“What about your heart? What about your blood,ragazza?” The tone is calm, soft. But something in the wording, the way she says the last two words raises the hairs on the back of my neck.

“I’m not sure what you mean, Miss Natalia.” Honesty seems best.

“You have his chin, you know. His cheekbones. Your father’s.”

The statement hits me like a slap across the face. “Y-you know my father?”

“Si,figlia della vipera.”

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