Page 112 of Broken Pieces
Casually crossing my legs, I end up revealing more skin than I planned, but it seems to be doing the trick because Alex is definitely checking me out. Makes me want to crawl outof my skin. To think I considered him a friend for the longest time, and he fucking betrayed me and my trust. Or maybe I was just too trusting and chose to believe a different version of him.
But, at least I get something out of this. I’ve known him for so long, so there’s one thing I know for certain. He thrives on a little ego boost. You give him a compliment and he turns into a chatterbox. He just can’t help himself, and, I mean… I was his friend for a while. He hassomelevel of trust. He just doesn’t fucking respect me. There’s a difference, I guess.
I casually say, “So? How’d you do it? I gotta say, whatever you did, it was brilliant.”
He casually throws an arm over my shoulders, and I do my best to stay still, look comfortable.
“It was a piece of cake, honestly. We stole that painting from Rome, thinking we could make a quick buck selling it on the black market. But, you see, Damian's made himself a lot of enemies in this business. Let's just say there are a bunch of people eager to see him take a fall, once and for all,” he says, giving a nonchalant shrug.
I bite my tongue as I nod, gesturing for him to continue as I try my best to hold back. My anger is reaching a boiling point, and my heart stumbles over itself in frustration. Guilt pricks at the pit of my stomach knowing Damian has been going through something like this all alone.
I nod, impressed.“What about our painting? You stole it too, right? Broke into the gallery?”
He nods, proud of himself.Idiot.
I already knew the answer, though. Matteo traced everything back and uncovered the deleted surveillance.
“What about the famous painting from Rome? How'd you sneak in the painting, anyway? I was always down in that basement, and it never caught my eye. That was a pretty slick move.”
Every time I toss out a compliment, I want to roll my eyes, but I'll do whatever it takes to keep him talking.
He grimaces. “Don’t kill me, but when we had lunch and we fought? I already knew you were working for Damian. I intentionally made you drop your purse, helped you pick up your stuff, but hung on to the gallery keys.”
Oh, I’m going to jail tonight. I’m killing this motherfucker.
I give a fake nod of approval. “Wow, okay, that’s pretty impressive.”
“That’s some Bond shit, huh?” He gives me a playful wink.
A shiver runs down my spine at the wink, but it's not the good kind. The sense of suffocation takes over, and all I can think of is escaping this damn place.
“Ask him about the prints,” Matteo prompts.
I lower my hand onto his thigh, giving it a light stroke. I’m not above using my sexuality to save Damian’s ass, evenif I want to throw up. I will not be sleeping with him by any means, but some flirting will do. If I’m being completely honest, I don’t understand how I’m playing this off so well. It’s almost like I’m channeling Sophia. Now, she’s a real bad bitch. I’m too mellow; soft; insecure.
Used to be insecure. Not anymore.
With the way Damian worships me and takes care of me, it helped me gain the confidence I need. The confidence that also helped me stand up to my mother. I’ve grown so much as a person, learning as I go, and I owe most of it to him.
“What's the deal with Damian’s prints? How did you make that happen?”
“Oh, that,” he casually places his hand on my thigh, a bit higher than I'm comfortable with, but I pull through, “on the day of the auction, right after the issue between us and Damian, once you all took off, I doubled back. I grabbed Damian’s used glass with a cloth, and tossed it in a bag. Simple stuff. I know a guy who could transfer the prints from the glass onto the corners of the painting.”
“Even I’m impressed…” Matteo snickers.
I shut off everything Matteo's saying as we're getting close to the finish line. If I can just figure out what he's planning next, it's game over for him.
Straddling him, I find a comfortable position, purposefully shifting my ass over his cock. The idea of having to scrub my body until it's raw and bleeding to rid myself of hislingering touch, but I'm so close to the finish line that I can almost savor the taste of victory.
He holds onto my hips, his clammy hands making me feel queasy. It’s no secret Alex has always had a crush on me. That didn’t stop him from screwing around with my best friend, not that I minded anyway. I’ve truly never seen Alex with any other eyes. Just a friend. And I’m so fucking thankful for that, because I wonder what would my life been like if I had fallen in love with him, been with him?
The thought of it hurts, because that would have meant I would have never met Damian. A life without him is impossible. He’s mine, and I am his. We’re soulmates. For life.
I twirl his tie around my fingers as I lean in toward his lips, our mouths almost touching.
In a low, husky whisper, I admit, “Honestly, that intelligent mind of yours is a real turn-on. Come on, let me in on the plan. What’s next?”
“Well,” he starts as his hands slide over my backside, “I made him choose between saving himself or you. My dumb brother fell head over heels for you, making it so much easier. He'll plead guilty, go to jail, andpoof.” He adds a little explosion sound. “Bye-bye Romano empire.”
