Page 54 of His Vicious Desire

Slamming the door shut, the asshole engages the lock.I watch as he tells the driver that he isn’t needed.

“What the hell Gaetano?”I demand the minute he opens the door.

“That’s what I’m trying to find out.Put your damn seatbelt on.”

I consider saying fuck it and go upstairs and taking a nap.This day started off bad with me sleeping through my alarm.I’m shaken out of my head by Gaetano reaching over and grabbing my seatbelt and him buckling it for me.

Annoyed at my body for betraying me and Gaetano for being such a jerk, I refuse to look his way.

“What the hell is going on with you?”

“I haven’t seen you in months.You don’t say, hi or hello or anything in the realm of a greeting.All you do is jump to yelling at me for a short dress.Which is bullshit.From you and Sandro.I’m so fucking tired of it.I show my knees and I’m a slut.Yet the women you guys are around regularly flash their nipples and whether they’re wearing panties.I’m sick of it.”

“I didn’t call you a slut.And I didn’t yell at you,” he grinds the words out between his teeth.“I didn’t even raise my voice.”

“That’s what it felt like, all the way around.I’m tired of being around Sandro and made to feel like I’m going to hell for what I’m wearing.Yet, watching him with chicks who are wearing half of what I do.Meanwhile both men and women I’m around in school call me a prude for what I will and won’t wear.”

His sigh is heavy.“Look, I apologize.It surprised me seeing you in something so short.Whether you want to believe it or not, we’re simply looking out for you.If a man sees you in a dress that short, he’s going to like what he sees.Which means it could be a problem if you don’t like him or welcome his attention.Because what’s going to happen is he’s going to overstep a boundary.You know me, and you know your brother.What’s going to happen if someone messes with you, Bianca?”

Closing my eyes, I want to sink into nothingness.A place where I don’t have a mafia brother and Gaetano who wants me but doesn’t want to, or… I’m not even sure anymore.“Someone’s going to, at best, break their jaw, and where you both love to go so much—dead.”

“It’s not where we love to go.It’s simple, efficient, and we can move on.”

I exhale a laugh.Efficiency.

We’re almost a mile away from where I need him to drop me off and direct him to turn.

He catches me staring at him.“What?”

“The reason I’m wearing this dress is because a guy I’ll see in one of my classes today told me that I should never wear this dress.I looked too much like a sausage.Since he said that three months ago, and I’ve lost ten pounds, and wanted to show him I didn’t care what he had to say about me wearing this.”

Those black eyes are deadly.“Point him out to me.”

I laugh.“No, he doesn’t deserve it.He’s miserable.You killing him would be a relief.Let him live in his pitiful existence.But I will point out right there, can you stop please?”

His jaw works as he slows the car and turns off the child safety lock on my door.“Be careful.”

“I will.Thanks for the ride.”

Three Months Later

Bianca

I groan at how short the dress is.Please don’t let Sandro see me in this.He’s going to flip his lid when he sees it.Especially since I had the talk with Gaetano, and I paid more attention to hemlines and did my best to find the sweet spot between the sex appeal of the dress and how long it was.Sandro even went so far as to tell me that he appreciated the changes only two weeks ago.

This is different, though, it’s a Halloween costume.The party is in a fraternity on campus.If I wear something under it, everyone will think I’m a weirdo.I have no doubt there are going to be far more risqué costumes worn tonight.

The minute I open the door to my bedroom, I hear the television in the living room and consider hiding in my room again.Sandro should be working, it’s a night that’s usually pretty busy in Vegas for partying.I check the time, only a little after nine.I told Adam that I would meet him at ten.With how bad traffic is going to be, and there was no mention of going out to eat, I wanted to roll through a drive-thru on my wait—just in case.If I wait until Sandro leaves, I’ll be late.

Shit.Both Sandro and Gaetano or on the couch watching a football game.Immediately, both look pissed.

“Go change, Bianca.”Sandro is harsh.

“What the hell are you even supposed to be?Looking for a job in a brothel?”Gaetano snipes at me.

“For your information, I’m Dorothy, and Adam is the Tin Man.Just because you’re the same thing every year—miserable old man doesn’t mean everyone wants to be the same.”

Sandro frowns.“Who is Adam?”

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