Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 84446 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 422(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84446 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 422(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
I forced my focus back to myself, slathering on some concealer to hide the smudges under my eyes, applying some mascara and light liner, and finally putting on a bolder lip than I would normally dare to.
The sounds below me grew louder as I finally climbed into my uniform for the night.
That was what it was, too.
A uniform.
For a part I was playing.
Disconnecting myself seemed to help chase away the flutters of insecurity.
As I stepped back to look at myself, I really didn’t even see myself anymore. I looked a little older, more confident. I looked like someone who belonged at Renzo’s side.
I slipped my feet into a pair of ballet flats, took a few deep breaths, then opened the bedroom door, walking out onto the balcony.
No one seemed to notice me for a long moment.
And it was, of course, Elian, who placed me first, shooting me a nod and a small smile as I got to the top landing.
As soon as I started to descend, though, people seemed to notice.
Heads turned, making my steps falter as that little voice in my head told me to turn around, to run back to the safety of my room.
But I forced my legs to keep moving, to take me further down the steps, despite most of the gazes in the room glancing at me.
Eventually, sensing something was up, Renzo finally turned.
His gaze had impact, knocking the breath out of my lungs, but I lifted my chin slightly, then moved onto the lower level.
I hadn’t really given this much thought past the entrance, so I made my way toward the bar, where a man with lighter hair and blue eyes was standing behind it, talking to a gorgeous woman.
One of Renzo’s notorious female capos, I was sure of it the second I laid eyes on her. Power oozed off of her just standing still having a casual conversation.
“Well, there she is!” the blue-eyed guy greeted me, shooting me a charming smile that felt genuine. “Nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Lombardi. I’m Dav. Short for Davide,” he said.
“Lore,” I said.
“Short for?”
“Nothing. Just Lore.”
“Well, Just Lore, this resplendent creature right here is Cinna,” Dav said, gesturing toward the woman.
“Don’t mind Dav,” Cinna said. “He thinks he’s a lot more charming than he actually is.”
“Oh, sweet girl, I’m every bit as charming as I think I am,” Dav countered. “Can I get you a drink?” he asked, pretending to ignore the snarling sound Cinna made at, I imagined, the pet name he’d used.
A drink.
No, I wasn’t a drinker.
But, God, if this wasn’t a situation where I felt like I needed one.
“Sure,” I said. Then, “Surprise me,” I added before he could ask what I wanted, forcing me to admit that I didn’t know.
“Are you old enough to drink?” Cinna asked.
“Cin,” Dav scolded.
“It’s a valid question.”
“I’m twenty-one,” I said, seeing the movements as Dav mixed me something with two different kinds of juices.
“Christ,” Cinna said, shaking her head as she raised a glass of amber liquid to her lips.
“Be nice,” Dav hissed at her as he passed me my drink. “A Bay Breeze,” he said.
“That’s the girliest drink possible,” Cinna griped.
“Ignore her. She’s so naturally sweet that she doesn’t need a mixed drink,” he teased, getting an eye roll out of the woman as I reached for the glass, taking a tentative sip.
“That’s good,” I declared, shocked to find I meant it. It was like cranberry and pineapple grew up and got a little bit more of a bite to them.
“Anytime you need a refill, you just flag me down,” he said, holding up a finger to someone across the room who was calling him.
“Thanks,” I said, giving him a smile before he wandered off.
Leaving me alone with the intimidating Cinna.
“How long have you been Renzo’s capo?” I asked, figuring this was the kind of woman who appreciated bluntness, even if it wasn’t normally in my nature. Better, I felt, to stay and talk to Cinna than to wander around and hope someone else would engage me in conversation, so I didn’t feel like a complete outsider.
“Since I was nineteen,” she said.
“But you have a problem with my age?” I asked, genuinely curious.
To that, Cinna sighed.
“I have a problem with girls being traded like fucking chattel. I have a problem with someone your age blindly marrying a man like Renzo. And I definitely have a problem knowing you were traded like chattel in what was supposed to be a sham of a marriage to a man like Renzo who made me go and get you birth control pills,” she said, making my belly wobble.
“I… I chose this,” I said, feeling my fake confidence starting to fall away.
Cinna’s gaze watched me for an agonizingly slow moment. Sighing, she nodded. “Maybe you did,” she agreed. “But I think we both know that you didn’t know what you were getting into. And I get it. Renzo is successful. And he’s got a face and body like a fucking marble statue. I’m sure he fucks like a porn star.” She paused then, giving me a surprisingly gentle look. “But he’s hard,” she said. “And when hard things crash into soft ones, the soft ones get crushed.”