Page 74 of See Me

“She’s already engaged.” Luca wags his fingers in Charles’ face to shoo him away.

Charles eyes my hand. He adjusts his stance, arms still crossed. “Where’s your ring?”

“Where’syourring?” Luca fires back. “If she was your fiancé, you wouldn’t let her just walk around advertising her availability.”

He looks from me to Luca. “It was more of a verbal agreement.”

Luca tugs me closer, his hand sliding down to grip my ass. I let out a squeak and my face burns from the rush of instant heathis touch creates. “Oh, that’s too bad. Ours was quite… physical.”

Enzo’s mouth drops open from his perch behind the bar and I have to bite my cheek to not react further. My downstairs kitty awakens and floods my mind and body with reminders of how good Luca’s touch can be.

“And the ring is being sized. I didn’t realize how tiny her fingers were. I mean when you think about how big her…” he puts his hands out in front of him, miming large breasts, “oh sorry, you wouldn't know.”

Charles’ face turns two shades of red before it morphs into more of an angry purple. He furrows his brows and swings his angry eyes toward me. “Are you serious?” He points to Luca. “This guy?”

Luca takes a step toward Charles and I latch onto his arm. I motion with my head for Enzo to get his eavesdropping ass over here. “Babe, babe. Not worth it.”

Wow, that rolled right off my tongue.

Luca gets close enough that Charles has to tip his head back to look him in the eye.

Charles’s self-preservation kicks in and he takes a step back. He points to Luca with a shaky hand. “This isn’t over. I’ll be watching, waiting for you to screw this up. She’ll come back. They always do.”

“Oh yeah? Is that why you had to chase her all the way across the country?” Luca shouts at his retreating back.

The bell chimes over the door when Charles exits and I sigh a relief. That feeling lasts exactly three seconds. “Do you have any idea what you just did?”

Luca turns around, chest puffed out. “Yeah, I saved your ass, Princess. You’re welcome.”

“No, you didn’t.” I slink over and drag myself onto abarstool, all my energy seeping out. “Well, you kinda did. But you made it so much worse.”

“What does that mean?” Luca walks back behind the bar, not realizing what that last statement means.

“He wasn’t kidding about thewatching youpart. He will be watching. Or whoever my parents hired will be watching. Either way, you just signed us up to play the happy couple.”

Luca turns around slowly, brows furrowed. “Excuse me?”

Enzo claps. “Does this mean I get to plan a fancy engagement party?”

“No.” Luca and I say in unison.

“You’re right. A costume party is more our style.”

Luca groans the same time my head hits the bar.

TWENTY-TWO

TURNCOAT TITTIES

The aromasof sodium and MSG waft toward my face as I skip to the table with a steaming bowl of ramen. The rest of my shift was torturous. We were busy and I spent the day avoiding all talk and thoughts of my new fiancé.

What the frick am I supposed to do now?

Time to call in reinforcements.

Me:

Emergency meeting. Can you all meet me for lunch at Knockouts tomorrow?

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