Page 84 of Always Mine
Sebastian:
Like you can fucking talk. Also looks like someone just lost his place to crash.
Raf:
I don’t know why you all insist on me being here. I don’t want to fucking deal with or hear about this shit. I do feel like a boxing sesh. On my way.
Marco:
Meet you dickheads at Johnny’s.
Chapter fifty-five
Bring The Heat
Sophia
Afterbrunching,shopping,andgetting mani/pedis with Evie, Stella, Chiara, and Arabella, we decided a little infra-red sauna detox and rejuvenation was in order before we got ready for tonight’s event. “Oh. My. God. I so needed this,” groans Stella, uncharacteristically. She’s the sunshine in our group, so it’s got me wondering what’s got her so wound up. The girl is all for working out kinks by indulging in a few of her own. Her motto is: “Swipe right for a good time. No regrets. Take all the fucks. Zero given.” If Evie had a motto, it would be the complete opposite. Manolo’s are more her thing, so I guess hers would be, “A killer pair of shoes can fix anything!” We’re a bunch of misfits, that’s for sure, and if I’m honest, Chiara slotted into our girl gang with ease. She has zero filter, so it’s anyone’s guess what she’ll blurt out next.
I’ve decided I’m going to make Marco sweat tonight. Even more than I already have by not answering even one of the twenty messages he’s sent. Leaving him on read has clearly been like waving a red flag in front of a bull. The messages that started sweet and apologetic—“Kitten, I’m sorry for being a possessive ass. Can we just chalk it up to loving you being my toxictrait?”—turned comedic—“What’s big, long, hard, rhymes with lick, and misses you?” Then they escalated to downright filthy—“Let’s see how much you love being a brat when I put you on your knees and make you gag on my cock.” As I’m quickly discovering, I fucking love Marco’s wicked side. It’s awoken my own wild side, a part of me I didn’t feel confident sharing with anyone else. I spent years convincing myself that maybe Marco and I were never meant to be, but he’s shown me in small and big ways just how effortless love can feel with the right person.
“This is heaven.” I allow myself to get lost in the delicious warmth licking over me, heating me up from the inside out as I imagine the scene Marco described. In return, Stella groans. I crack an eyelid open and notice her furrowed brow. The most easygoing of us, seeing her look stressed is disconcerting. “What’s going on, Stel?”
“Ugh! Well, you know how I have that friend who manages F1 drivers? He just referred one of his drivers to me to work with intensively before the season kicks off. He was all like, 'Just give him guidance and tools to get into the right headspace,' She slaps an imaginary buzzer and mimics the sound for an incorrect answer.
“He totally failed to mention that this guy is fucking impenetrable. Like, double-brick with a layer of Teflon. Not to mention grumpy as fuck. It’s energy-zapping. To the point I don’t even have the will to swipe right and get me some dick to take the edge off. And you know that’s saying something.” She scoffs, her full lips pursed in a pout.
Chiara snickers conspiratorially, like she’s found her kindred spirit, and Evie mutters a “For fuck’s sake,” which Stella ignores while plowing right on.
“Not wanting to fuck around is not even the worst bit! The worst bit is that I am now fixated on trying to find a way to penetrate his walls, because I know if he lets me in, I can help him.” Then she adds with a salacious smile, “Yes, I said penetrate. No, I didn’t mean penetrate in that way, you filthy animals. He’s my client, so any action of that nature is totally off the table—even if he is smoking hot.
“Speaking of action,” she continues, “what’s your story, Chiara? Have you got a hottie back home, or are you a free agent, swiping right to your heart’s content, like me?”
We all laugh like easy friends, but I notice the flash of pain in Chiara’s eyes. “There was someone once. Unfortunately, he turned out to be all types of wrong. So I swore off men for a while—unless they were of the fictional variety,” she says brightly, making light of something that seems heavier than she’s letting on.
“But a few weeks ago I met the love of my life. Dark eyes. Full lips. Smooth, tanned skin. Fills a tailored suit like nobody’s business. Broody as fuck with BDE,” she says with a grin in my direction, because I know exactly who she’s referring to.
“Ooohhhh an insta-love trope,” squeals Stella, clapping her hands.
“Yup,” Chiara says, popping the p. “He just doesn’t know about it yet,” she continues with a devilish smirk and a shrug of her sweat-glistened shoulder. “Now that I have his number—thanks to Sophia—I intend on having a little fun while I make him fall madly in love with me.”
“Are you talking about Raf?” Evie snickers. “He sure leaves some kinda impression.”
“Just like your Sebby-baby?” taunts Stella. “I have it under good authority that you two chat on the reg.”
“You do know boys and girls can be friends and not want to fuck each other, right?” remarks Evie sarcastically.
“Ahhh, but where’s the fun in that?” retorts Stella.
That sets us all off on a fit of giggles.
“And you?” Chiara says, leaning over to bump Arabella’s delicate shoulder. “Since we’re all putting dibs on the sexy Princi men, what’s your story with your F1 lover boy?”
“It’s complicated.” Her expression turns somber.
“Doesn’t seem very complicated to me,” Chiara states. “It’s plain as day that man is obsessed with you. Damn girl, ride that fine man all the way to the finish line!”
“Yeah, well, obsessions aren’t always healthy, are they?” There’s something vulnerable in her tone, and for all Chiara’s unfiltered musings, she understands not to push Arabella on it. Truthfully, I’d have to agree considering my brother’s obsession is her.
