Ruined Secrets: Part 2 – Chapter 14

I place my fist to my forehead, switching my gaze between Luca and Damian every few seconds. We’re fucked.

“I don’t have the slightest idea, Luca.” Damian raises his hands in the air and sighs.

“How the fuck am I going to discuss the next shipment with the Romanians if I don’t know the terms we agreed to?” Luca asks.

“Well, you’ll have to improvise.”

“Do you even know what we ordered?”

“Not a clue. I just launder the money you throw my way. You’re in charge of everything else. I don’t know the quantities, the rates, or the payment terms.”

“What about Donato?” I throw in. “He should know most of that stuff. You just need to find a way to wring the info out of him without actually asking.”

“I’ll take him with me,”—Luca nods—“say I’m planning on passing the reins over to him since I’m busy with the Family shit, and that I want to see how he’ll manage.”

“That could work. What about trying the goods?” Damian asks. “Do you remember how to assemble and shoot your toys? Because Donato only knows how to handle his own gun. Barely.”

“Yes.”

“Good. That leaves us Orlando Lombardi as the last pressing issue for now. Everything else can be dealt with without a face-to-face meeting. At least for now.”

“What about him?”

“He’s throwing a party for his son, Massimo. He just turned eighteen, and the party is on Wednesday. You two are invited.” Damian points his fingers to me and then Luca. “And everyone will be there.”

“You’re not going?” Luca asks.

I place a hand on Luca’s arm. “He’s persona non grata in the Lombardi household. At most of the Family households, actually. He wasn’t at our wedding for the same reason.” I smile and look at Damian. “He was sleeping with Constansa, Orlando’s youngest daughter, while in a relationship with the older one, Amalia.”

“You were fifteen when that happened!” Damian widens his eyes at me. “How do you even know about that?”

“When Orlando caught him in Constansa’s room, he had to escape through the window,” I add. “Everyone talked about his naked ass running across the garden while Orlando chased him with a shotgun.”

“I had my boxer briefs on, for God’s sake.” Damian rolls his eyes.

“Any other love affairs I should know about?” Luca asks.

“We should go over the real estate business one more time.” Damian answers, pointedly ignoring Luca’s question.

“Damian.”

“All right, damnit, I’ll make you a list.” Damian waves his hand dismissively and opens his laptop. “Let’s go through the real estate we sold this month and what we’d like to consider purchasing.”

I lean back on the sofa and watch Luca as he listens to Damian dumping heaps of information on him—details on money laundering schemes, commission rates, numbers, rental terms, explanations of agreements they have with the biggest clients he may end up meeting. They already covered people at the office while Luca was in the hospital, but Damian goes over their names and roles one more time. Luca doesn’t speak much, only asks a question here and there, and keeps listening, absorbing. I don’t know how I would deal with this if it were me in a similar situation. I’d probably lose it after two days. But not Luca.

The other day, Damian found a video from a reception held last year for the real estate businesses. Luca spent the whole morning watching a two-minute segment where the camera caught him, studying the way he moved and talked. He’s extraordinary. It’s been ten days since he came back from the hospital, and he hasn’t slipped once.

When Luca told me Lorenzo was coming by to update him last Friday, I was scared shitless. Trying to fool the second most important man in the Family is not the same as deceiving the household staff. Damian and I did our best to fill him in on everything they could potentially discuss, but our knowledge was limited. Still, Luca pulled it off, somehow.

We have three days until Massimo’s birthday party, not nearly enough time to go over everyone we might meet there. I’ll have to start combing social media and downloading images of people I haven’t shown him so far.

“If you two don’t need me, I’m going to find Rosa,” I say and rise off the sofa. “She wanted to buy new curtains for her room, and I promised I would take her.”

I head toward the door, but as I’m passing Luca, he stands up, grabs me around my midriff, and pulls me against him.

“I’m coming with you,” he says and slides his hand to my butt.

“We have work to do, Luca,” Damian barks from his spot behind the desk.

“It can wait.”

I look up to find Luca watching me. Based on the glint in his eyes, he’s interested in something other than picking out curtains. Smirking, I slide my hand under his shirt and brush the tip of my finger across his lower back. We had sex twice this morning—in the bed first, then in the shower—but it was rather quick since Luca was in a hurry. I can’t wait for tonight when we won’t be rushed. My absolute favorite part is when he spoons me after we’re both spent and sated, and slides his finger into me. It felt a little strange the first night, having his finger in my pussy while I slept, but I got used to it pretty quickly. Now, I don’t think I could fall asleep any other way now.

Before the crash, he barely touched me, especially when someone else was around. He only relented when I pushed him into pleasuring me. And he only kissed me once—when we slept together that first time. His behavior has taken a one-eighty after the crash. Sometimes, I find it hard to connect this Luca with the one from before.

“Didn’t we come for curtains?” I turn to Rosa, who’s browsing the bed throws.

“I’m too old for a pink room. I want to change everything,” she says and picks a faux fur cover in a shade of gray. “I love this! Can we get it?”

“If we have to.” The thing looks like a yak hide.

“Yes! I’ll see if they have cushions to go with it.”

“We should buy one for our room,” Isabella adds.

I look down at her, placing my hand under her chin, and tilt her head up. Big brown eyes meet mine and she laughs. Jesus, she is so beautiful.

“No dead animals. Real or fake,” I say.

“You’re no fun.”

“Oh?” I squish her to me, pressing her into my body. “We’ll see about that tonight.”

“Well, I see you’re up and about,” A high-pitched voice exclaims behind me. “I thought you were half dead.”

Keeping my hand around Isabella’s waist I turn around to look over at the blonde woman standing a few paces away. I remember her from the photos Isabella showed me. “I’m sorry to disappoint, Simona.”

She narrows her eyes at me and then looks down at my arm around Isabella. Damian only briefly filled me in on my first marriage because we were more concerned about business-related details.

“I’ll come to pick up Rosa on Thursday,” she says, and Isabella lightly squeezes my waist once, then one more time.

“No,” I say.

“No?” Simona sneers. “You can’t keep me from seeing my child.”

“You get Rosa on the weekends,” Isabella says.

“I don’t remember asking you anything.”

“Enough!” I snap. “You will not talk to my wife in that tone. Are we clear?”

“What? She was—”

“Are we fucking clear, Simona?”

She scrunches her nose at me and tilts her chin, but shuts up.

“Rosa will be ready at ten on Saturday,” I say and look down at Isabella. “Let’s go find Rosa and check out those glasses you said you liked.”

I walk toward the other end of the shop until I’m sure we’re well out of Simona’s earshot, then glance at Isabella. “You need to fill me in on my relationship with Simona. Damian only told me I have full custody, and that she takes Rosa a couple of times a month. Why did we divorce?”

“She was supposed to be in Europe till the end of the month, so we thought it wasn’t the most pressing matter,” she says and cocks her head. “Damian will have to be the one to fill you in on Simona and her issues. He knows much more, and anyway, I’m not a fan of your ex, so I’d prefer not to discuss her.”

“Why not?”

Isabella arches her eyebrows. “Isn’t that obvious? She had you first, and I hate her for that.”

I take a step forward and place my hand at the back of Isabella’s neck. “What about your exes?”

“What about them?”

“Who had you first, Isa?” I take another step forward, then one more, making her walk backward until her back hits a wall. Her eyes regard me without blinking, and the corners of her lips curve up.

“I already told you that, Luca,” she says and smirks. “Before.”

“You know I don’t remember.” I slide my hand into her hair and tug. “Tell me.”

A knowing smile spreads over Isabella’s face as if my frustration amuses her. I grit my teeth and bend until my face is right in front of hers. “Speak,” I bite out.

She raises her hand and grips my chin, still wearing that smug smile. “You,” she whispers and presses her lips to mine. “It has always been only you for me, Luca.”

“Good.” I bite her lower lip and slide my palm down her back to the waistband of her skirt. It’s one of those with an elastic waist. How convenient. “Can you see Rosa?”

Isabella’s breath hitches when I slide my hand under the waistband of her skirt and squeeze her butt cheek. “She’s . . . at the cash register,” she chokes out, looking behind my back to the opposite side of the store. “Waiting in line.”

“How many people are ahead of her?”

“Five.”

“Perfect.” Beneath her skirt, I move my hand to her stomach and dip it lower, between her legs, pressing over her pussy.

“Luca,” Isabella whispers. “There are people here.”

“I know.” I place my free hand on the wall next to her head, move her panties to the side and position my finger at her entrance. She’s already wet. “Take a slow, deep breath.”

She blinks at me, then inhales, and my finger enters her at the same moment.

“Good?” I ask.

Those big brown eyes watch me with intensity, then grow wider when I push in even deeper.

“I asked you something, Isabella.” I bend my head to bite at her earlobe lightly.

“Yes,” comes her barely audible answer.

I slowly remove my finger, then slide it back inside. An adorable little moan leaves her lips. Her breathing quickens as I fuck her with my finger. Based on how my hand is completely drenched with her juices, she’s close.

“And now, how many people before Rosa?” I ask as I curl my finger.

Isabella takes a deep breath then tilts her head to take a quick glance behind me. “She’s next.”

“What a shame. Looks like we’ll have to finish at home.”

Isabella’s hand grips my wrist. “Don’t you dare,” she says through her teeth.

“You want to come here?” I whisper next to her ear. “With all these people around?”

“Yes,” comes her breathy answer.

I smile and thrust my finger inside her, pressing onto her clit with the heel of my palm. Isabella moans and comes all over my hand.