Page 26 of Romeo

“No. Nico isn’t here.” She must have looked at me and thought I wanted to see Nico. It must have been the way I dressed in my tight black jeans and the way my voice sounded. My father had said that I had a feminine voice, and I should drop it lower. That was when I was a young teen and I tried to change myself to suit him, but I realized I had to be true to myself and accept that I would never have a low voice and there was something about me that screamed, “gay dude.”

“I’m not talking about Nico. I came to see Dante Bonetti.”

“Yes, but he’s busy. He has a woman in his office and he said he didn’t want to be disturbed.”

I don’t know why I became enraged. Was it because of the way the secretary said woman, or it was because I was jealous because he’d been straight, and I was his first in more ways than one?

I passed the large counter and headed for the door with the woman shouting that I couldn’t go in there because Dante had an important visitor.

Chapter 17

Romeo

When I opened the door, there were three surprised expressions. One was mine, the other Dante, and the woman. She appeared poised, tall and a pretty redhead with green eyes. Her pantsuit wasn’t too expensive, but it appeared as if she liked natural fabrics and that said she could afford the best if she wanted it, but wasn’t the type to show off, because she wore no gold or diamonds except for the small carats in each ear. Everything about her gave an understated impression.

However, she had expensive tastes from her suit to her comfortable shoes, and if she wanted she probably could get Dante to pay for whatever she desired, and I came to that conclusion because of the way he held her in his arms.

With all that said, she looked like the independent type.

Dante held on to the woman, his large hands wrapped around her, where she appeared to have melted into his arms. Her head on his chest and then he was wiping the tears from her eyes when she glanced around and spotted me.

“What is this, Dante?” I yelled, surprised at my outburst.

“Didn’t I tell you to wait for me in that suite, and I’d be up in a few.”

“You said you’d have dinner with me because it’s Valentine’s Day, and—”

“I know what I said. You don’t have to remind me.” When he locked eyes with me, his forehead furrowed in three rows, his eyes narrowed and darkened.

I had my whole future invested in this man and I said that because I made a choice to stay with him even though my life had been threatened by his brother, Nico. I wasn’t going to see anyone, man or woman, come between that, now that I’d found the love of my life and that love had treated me like a fool, and he might have been the worse dick of my life. I wasn’t immune to abusive dicks, my father was one and the man who I’d fallen in love with before Dante had been one too, not in the sense that they did anything to me, but broke my heart.

No, I wasn’t going to be used and have my heart broken without someone paying a price like I did. At this point I wasn’t moving from this spot.

Placing my hands on both hips, I said, “Well, remind me of what you promised me.” I tapped my foot, narrowed my gaze and dared him to say what had transpired between us to this woman. His eyes lowered as I stared at his embarrassed angry eyes. Yet, he still held the woman close. “And who is this woman anyway?”

“That’s none of your business,” he barked. “This is between me and my friend. If she wants to tell you her name she can do so.” He looked at her and she shook her head. I had no friends and he had some, and that pissed me off even more. It was because of him and his brother that I found my stupid ass caught in something where I could never have a relationship with anyone without risking my life.

“You’re going to have to tell me what this woman means to you, or I’m leaving.” I waited as the silence fell all around me.

Dante broke the unnatural silence, “You don’t have the right to make demands on me,” Dante growled threw his teeth. “I’m—” I didn’t let him finish his statement.

“I know who you are, and I’m not impressed. Maybe your friend is impressed with you, but not me. I took care of you when you were sick and made love to you when you couldn’t.”

The woman finally pulled away from Dante, and he said to her, “Don’t go. We have to talk.” He turned to me, “It’s time for you to leave, Rome. Go to my room and wait for me.”

“I’m going to your room, Mr. Bonetti, but I’m not waiting for you. I’m leaving and you can go fuck yourself.” I showed him my middle finger and I didn’t make an apology for my coarse language, because if that woman had anything to do with Dante, then she’d heard the F word before, and by the way she acted, strolling and sitting on a sofa with little to no expression on her face, she hadn’t been surprised by my outburst.

Turning on my heels, I marched past the woman, out of the office, past the secretary and into the elevator before I broke down. I couldn’t breathe and I held back any tears that were threatening to derail my resolve. I planned to get the fuck out of this place and his life as fast as I could.

It seemed like this was happening to me again. Every time I fall in love and think I’ll be happy, this shit happens, I thought.

I was too angry to cry, too angry to think, and I was too upset to stay in the hotel, so I called for the car and told the driver I needed to go to New York, instead of Jersey. This time I was going home. I’d get my ass on a bus or plane and run home. Isn’t that where you go when you have no place else?

I knew my father would throw it into my face, but at this point I felt it was better to be laughed at than stay and be at the mercy of a man who didn’t want a man, but a woman. After all he was straight all his life. Maybe he couldn’t handle it, and especially with the business he was in. Therefore, I’d do both of us a favor.

I got it. I would be hurt and probably sick out of my mind for weeks, maybe months, or even a lifetime, but one day the pain would go away if I could hang in there long enough. I’d probably fall in love again with someone else, and they’d love me more if I did what needed to be done now—and as Dante had said to me a long time ago, “run, don’t walk away,” and now I planned to take his advice. Sometimes it took fucking up over and over to learn.

That was exactly what I planned, get the fuck out and away from him and his crazy life. When the phone rang, it was to tell me the limo was waiting to take me away from here. I looked around before I strolled out of the penthouse, and waved goodbye to this beautiful place, and this rich dangerous life, one I’d never been prepared to be in from the beginning.

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