Page 12 of Hard Lessons

“Liars.”

“I’m not a liar, I’m—”

“You’re a liar and a cheat,” Luca said. “You were just about to cheat on your wife with my woman. Not that I’d have let you get any damn closer than you already had,” Luca said, the look he sent from Serena to David full of daggers. “You’d already overstepped the fucking mark.”

“I didn’t know she was yours, there’s no ring, no...” David whined.

“Shut up!” Luca held up his phone. “I’m going to show you something now, and if you play your cards right, you’ll be the only one to ever see it.”

Serena knew that was a lie. Giovanni would already have those pictures in his possession.

“What? What have you done?”

As Luca flicked through the photographs he’d taken in the bar and the video outside the room, David’s cheeks paled. A certain clarity came to his eyes and he clasped his hands together. “What’s it going to take for you to delete all that?”

“Two things.” Luca pocketed the phone and stood.

“Name them. My wife, she’ll... if she’s sees them she’ll...”

“Be upset?” Serena said, strutting across the room and wriggling her ass as she went. “Yes, I’m sure she would be if she saw me and you together, all cozy, slipping into a hotel room hired for an hour.” She raised her eyebrows.

“For fuck’s sake,” Luca muttered. “Will you...”

“What?” She paused and placed her hands on her waist, jutted her right hip to the side.

“Just fucking stop it. You’ve done your bit of the job.”

She huffed. She was still mad that he’d said her name in front of David. And it wasn’t like she could get changed out of the sexy dress and heels and she walked the way she walked.

“What do you need me to do?” David asked.

“Giovanni needs you to pick up the reins again, the reins to his fucking horse, not Parvo’s.”

“It’s not that simple... it’s... you see—”

“Seems pretty damn simple to me.” Luca tapped his pocket, over the phone. “Do as I say or these go straight to Mrs. Watson’s phone. I have her number on speed dial. I’m sure it will ruin her day, don’t you think.”

“Okay, okay. Done. Tell Giovanni I’m his again.” He scowled and a small pout tugged his lips. “Though Parvo won’t be pleased.”

“You’ll have Giovanni’s protection.” Luca shrugged.

“And what else? You said two things.”

“One hundred thousand pounds.” Luca puffed up his chest. “If you want us to delete these photographs right here, right now.”

“Two hundred,” Serena added.

“What?” David’s mouth fell open.

Luca looked at her, a neat crease formed between his drawn-together brows. “Two hundred?”

“Yeah, I reckon our silence is worth that.” She reached into her purse and pulled out her lipstick. After rolling it up she drew it over first her bottom lip and then her top. She smacked them together.

Both men watched her.

“In cash,” she said, putting the lipstick away.

“How the bloody nora do you think I’ll get hold of that kind of cash?” David’s shoulders slumped.

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