Page 71 of Nicoli

He shifts from one leg to the other, rubbing his fingers along his neatly trimmed beard. “And if the day comes that she remembers what happened that night, I’m glad she’ll have you to get her through it.”

I flick my cigarette, the orange ember sparking on the gravel before I smother it under my shoe. “She won’t remember.”

“I’m saying if. Anyway, as Mirabella’s brother, I feel like it’s my duty to say this.”

“Say what?”

Maximo steps up, leveling me with what I’m assuming is his I-will-fuck-you-up glare. “If you break her heart, I will fuck you up.” There it is. “And next time you decide to take my sister for a dance in the rain, make sure there’s no fucking cameras around.”

“What the fuck? Dance in the…Oh.”

“Yeah.” He slaps his palm on my shoulder. “For the love of God, never forget that I have access to all the security footage here and all over town.” He starts in the other direction.

“But you have eyes everywhere. Where are we supposed to—”

“Don’t you fucking say it.” As he walks away, he gives me the finger, and I whistle to get his attention. When he turns, I throw him my car keys.

“Get me a new one.”

“What do you want?”

“I don’t care. Just make it red.”

* * *

Mirabella

“Everything okay here?”Leandra asks as she flutters inside my room and frowns when she sees me unpacking a box.

“Peachy,” I answer as I place one of my perfume bottles back on the silver tray. “Nicoli has taken it upon himself to move my stuff to his room without my permission. Then we ended up bickering about it, and when I finally said that I’d move into his bedroom on one condition, he cursed, he overreacted, and left the box on my bed.”

Her eyes twinkle with mirth as she closes the door behind her. “What was your condition?”

“That he take me to Myth.”

Leandra clears her throat as if she almost choked on a breath. “Take you to Myth?”

“Yes.” I swirl around to face her. “Why does your face almost look identical to Nicoli’s when I said that?”

“Do you know what all happens there at the club, Mira?” She sits down on the end of the bed.

“It’s a sex club, Leandra. I have a pretty good idea what goes on there.”

“Yeah, but do you really?” She narrows her eyes. “Because I can tell you now that I was not prepared when Alexius took me there the first time. You think you are, but trust me, you aren’t. It’s like another world, and I am not sure anyone’s imagination is as wild as the reality of it. There are no limits. As in no. Limits.”

“And that’s what I want.” I take a seat on the couch, pulling my legs underneath me. “No limits. I’m not this innocent little girl everyone thinks I am.”

“Oh, I’m very much aware after you told me about Tuscany.” She widens her eyes, and we both snicker. “But maybe Nicoli isn’t.”

“He is,” I state simply.

Her eyebrows almost touch her hairline, and she leans with her elbows on her knees. “He is?”

I draw invisible lines with my finger on the couch's armrest, tracing patterns on the fabric. “At the club, we kind of…”

“You kind of what?”

“We had sex.”

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