by Ana Huang
“Whoa. Is this a house or a palace?” my dad muttered, getting out of the car and handing his keys to the valet.
When we stepped into the giant foyer, two impeccably groomed women came over to take our coats, and I saw my friends milling about, talking quietly. Among them were several well-dressed older couples who were clearly their parents.
“Maya! You’re here!” Venice bounded over, her eyes shining happily as she hugged me and greeted my parents. As my best friend, she also received a dinner invitation. “I can’t believe I’m celebrating Thanksgiving with the Fioris,” she whispered excitedly. “I think my mom’s actually proud of me for once.”
I glanced over her shoulder to see her mother, a willowy redhead who’d maintained her body from her modeling days, speaking with a couple who had to be Carlo’s parents, since they shared his exact same coloring and had similar features.
To my dismay, I saw that Rico was also there, though everyone was avoiding him like the plague. That didn’t seem to faze him at all. He was leaning against a wall, dressed not in formalwear but in a plain blue T-shirt and the type of ratty jeans you bought at Barneys for $500. He caught my eye and lifted his beer bottle in a silent toast before taking a swig, never taking his gaze off me.
Goosebumps erupted on my skin, and I purposely turned my back to him. The moment I did, I sucked in a deep breath. Roman was standing right there in front of me, even more dressed up than he’d been at homecoming, and he looked absolutely devastating.
“Hey,” I said softly, my heart fluttering.
He smiled slowly at me. “Hey.”
“Oh, I see Zack,” Venice chirped. “I’ll be right back.” With that, she beat a hasty retreat.
“You look…” Roman’s eyes swept over me, and I felt my heart speed up at the look on his face. “Ok,” he finished.
I snapped my head up with a frown as he burst out laughing. “So not funny,” I huffed, even as a small grin made its way over my face. “At least I don’t look like a penguin playing dress-up.”
“Trust me, no penguin’s ever looked this good,” he said cockily. He leaned down, placing his hands on my hips and brushing his lips softly over mine. “I was just joking, by the way,” he whispered. “You look beautiful."
I smiled, looking up at him underneath my lashes. “You don’t look too bad yourself, penguin boy,” I admitted, causing him to laugh again. “But we should save the kissing for later. Everyone’s watching.”
“They’re too busy kissing each other’s butts to watch us.” Roman’s grip tightened. “Besides, who cares?”
And as he crashed his lips down on mine again, I have to say I agreed whole-heartedly. Who cares?
Turns out, that thought came a little too soon, because a small “ahem” interrupted our embrace. My eyes flew open and I immediately stepped away, my face turning scarlet when I realized it was Roman’s father, whom I recognized from newspapers and the oil portraits that hung on the wall.
He was a tall, imposing man, with deep-set dark eyes, olive-colored skin, and a handsome face that would’ve been a whole lot handsomer were it not for the hard, serious set of his mouth.
“Oh, hello,” I blurted, blushing furiously. “I mean, good evening, Mr. Fiori.”
He stared at me disapprovingly. “Good evening, Miss…?” He raised one eyebrow.
Roman grabbed my hand and glared at his father. “Father, this is Maya Lindberg. My girlfriend,” he said coolly.
“I see.” A flicker of interest appeared in Mr. Fiori’s eyes. “Of Lindberg Chocolates, I’m assuming?”
My throat closed. “No,” I answered quietly.
The flicker of interest disappeared. “I’m sorry, my mistake.” From his tone, it was clear he wasn’t sorry at all. “Are your parents here tonight?”
I nodded mutely, but the last thing I wanted was for him to meet my parents. He would eat them alive.
“Actually, dad, I saw Thomas Henderson the other day,” Roman cut in swiftly. “He wants to speak to you about the Wyatt-Triage merger.”
Mr. Fiori frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“You weren’t exactly around for me to tell,” Roman said stiffly.
His father sighed. “That’s what secretaries are for,” he snapped. “Never mind. I’ll go give him a call now.” He paused. “And please do try to refrain from your earlier…activities. It is quite un-ladylike to engage in that type of behavior in front of other guests.”
Though he was looking at Roman while he said it, it was clear he was addressing me. I turned even redder as Mr. Fiori strode across the hall and disappeared behind a set of double doors.
“God, I’m sorry, Maya,” Roman said quietly. “My dad is just a huge ass.”
“It’s ok.” I tried to smile. “We shouldn’t have been doing that anyway.” I hadn’t exactly expected his family to accept me right off the bat, but his father’s snub still stung.
“Roman, dear! Who’s the lovely girl?” a gorgeous dark-haired woman trilled as she sailed towards us. She would’ve been the epitome of elegance and sophistication were it not for her slightly unsteady gait, the flush on her cheeks, and the intoxicated sparkle in her eyes.
Roman’s grip tightened even more. “Mother, have you been drinking again?” he hissed.
She shook her head, patting down her shining hair. “It’s a holiday. I just had a few sips, that’s all.” She smiled at me and held out her hand. “I’m Giselle, Roman’s mother,” she all but sang. “Are you Maya? I’ve heard Gloria talking about you."
I remembered Gloria was the housekeeper. Great, so now I was a gossip topic among the household staff.
“Yes, I am. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Fiori,” I answered politely, reaching for her hand with my free one. I let out a startled yelp when she pulled me into an unexpected hug.
“It’s so good to meet you!” I winced, my eardrums hurting a bit. “But please, call me Giselle. Mrs. Fiori just sounds so old!” She pulled back, swaying a bit. “I don’t look old, do I? If I do, I need to take it up with my plastic surgeon!” She laughed a little too loudly.
I laughed weakly in response, unsure what to do.
“Jesus, mom, get it under control,” Roman said angrily, pulling me back to his side. “We have guests.”
Giselle shook her head, clucking her tongue. “Roman, my dear boy, you always were too serious,” she sighed. “Just like your father.”
I swear Roman’s eyes turned almost black at that moment, and legitimate fear entered my system at how angry he looked. “I’m nothing like my father,” he hissed. “Maya, let’s go.” With that, he all but dragged me away to the other side of the foyer, leaving his mother behind as she snagged a champagne flute from a passing tray.
“Roman—“ I began.
“Don’t,” he said in a clipped voice. “I don’t want to talk about this right now.”
I fell silent until we joined the rest of our friends, who had set up camp near the stairwell.
“Woman of the hour!” Parker cried when he saw me. “You look ravishing, honeybee.” He winked at me.
Ridiculous as always, but it eased some of the tension.
“My-My, where’s Mickey?” Zack asked excitedly, peering around me like Mickey was right behind me.
“At home. I couldn’t bring him here.”
His face fell. “Why?”
I laughed. “Zack, I’m beginning to think you love my dog more than you love me,” I teased.
Zack shrugged and grinned sheepishly. “Sorry, but Mickey’s cute and fluffy and while you’ve got the cuteness down you’re a bit lacking in the fluffiness department.”
The others laughed. Even Roman cracked a small smile.
“It’s good to see you,” Carlo said, smiling at me while the others started chatting about the best breed of dog to have as a pet, which segued into who owned the most horses. So far, it seemed as though Adriana’s seven Arabians beat everyone else’s collection. “I haven’t spoken to you in a w
hile.”
“I know,” I said guiltily. I haven’t had a real conversation with him in at least a week. He always seemed distracted, and I was just so busy with college applications, school, and Roman. “How’ve you been?” I hesitated, then added, “Are you and Rico getting along better?”
The moment I said Rico’s name, I couldn’t help but think about what James told me. I’ve never asked Carlo if it was true. I just couldn’t think of how to bring it up.
Carlo stared at me for a moment, his dark eyes searching my face. “You know.” His voice was matter-of-fact.
I blinked. “Know what?”
“About Rico.”
My jaw dropped. How did he do that? “H-how did you--?”
Carlo chuckled, looking a bit sad. “Your face is like an open book, Maya. I’m assuming someone told you?”
I nodded.
“And you want to know if it’s true.” It was a statement, not a question.
I nodded again.
He sighed, fiddling with his flute of champagne. “Honestly, I don’t even know. Rico was definitely involved with a gang, and they definitely participated in some…unsavory activities. However, I can’t tell you for sure if he personally engaged in anything more serious than the occasional fight with a rival gang, maybe some grand theft auto and robbery.”
I swallowed. Gang fights. Grand theft auto. Robbery. Wasn’t that bad enough?
“He had to leave though, because he was accused of—“ Carlo hesitated. “Of raping somebody, but I suppose you know that. Rico’s always denied it. He said he was framed by the gang’s leader—who conveniently disappeared soon after—but there was no hard evidence. It was enough for my dad to send him out of the country though, it was too much of a scandal.”
“And now he’s back.” I couldn’t quite believe it.
Carlo nodded guiltily. “I shouldn’t have let you stay at my house, it wasn’t safe. It’s just—“ He sighed. “I may not like him very much, but he’s still my brother. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt.” He paused, a concerned look sliding over his face. “Did he—“
“No! No.” I shook my head. “He didn’t do anything to me.”
Nothing beyond creeping me out, anyway. “So you guys still aren’t talking to each other?”
“Oh, we are, if you call the occasional jab and insult ‘talking,’” Carlo said wryly. “He’s here tonight, you know.”
I looked around. Rico had disappeared. “I know. I saw him earlier.”
“Saw who earlier?” Adriana had stopped talking about her horses and was tuned in to our conversation. The others gazed at me curiously.
“Rico,” Carlo said casually. Judging from the looks on the their faces, the others already knew all about him.
“Ah.” Adriana looked at me. “Who told you, if you don’t mind me asking?”
I cleared my throat. “Um, James.”
Roman snorted and looked away. Even Parker and Zack looked a bit disturbed.
“James what?”
“Holtzman.”
Adriana tilted her head, a thoughtful expression on her face.
“Holtzman? That sounds familiar.”
“Probably. His dad is in business too, you’ve probably heard about him that way,” I explained.
She pursed her lips. “Maybe.”
Before we could dwell on it any longer, the butler announced that dinner was ready.
Everyone filed into the dining room, and when dinner was served, I couldn’t help but gape at the lavish spread in front of me. According to the calligraphed menu in front of me, it was a French gourmet dinner, with winter fruit and nut stuffing, herbed potato gratin, the juiciest turkey I’ve ever seen, and several other dishes I couldn’t pronounce.
Dinner went fairly smoothly, although Roman was still a bit tense from his earlier run-in with his parents.
To my chagrin, I found myself seated directly across from Rico, who kept shooting me suggestive looks the entire time, but he disappeared somewhere—again—in the middle of dinner. He was still gone by the time dessert was served.
I shifted in my seat, wishing I hadn’t drunk so much wine. At least I wasn’t as tipsy as Venice, whose skin color nearly matched her hair after several glasses of Bordeaux.
“Where’s the bathroom?” I whispered to Roman.
“Go out the doors, make a left, and it’s the third door on your right,” he answered quietly.
I smiled, then stood up and quickly excused myself. I followed his instructions and was about to pull open the door to the bathroom when Rico stormed out, a pissed-off look on his face. He was clutching his phone so tightly I was surprised it didn’t crack.
I let out a small squeak of terror, remembering what James said about the possibility he might have murdered someone, but for once, Rico brushed past me without even looking at me.
I stared after him, stunned, but then darted into the bathroom before he could change his mind and come back to rape me or something, even though the chances of that happening was very slim.
Call me paranoid, but I wasn’t taking any chances.
Shaking a bit, I used the facilities, washed my hands, and was drying off on one of the monogrammed guest towels when I caught sight of something on the floor, wedged between the sink counter and the wall. It looked like a…picture?
Curious, I bent down to pick it up. It was folded in half, and when I opened it, it felt as though someone had dumped a bucket load of ice down my back. My hands trembled as I stared at the photo. I couldn’t believe it.
In the photo, I saw Rico and several other boys, some of them smiling, some of them scowling. They weren’t what caught my attention though. What caught my attention was the blonde standing front and center, a small smirk on her face.
Lexi. Rico knew Lexi. Lexi knew Rico.
I sank down slowly on the closed toilet seat, my knees feeling weak. What the hell did this mean? Was Rico the one who’d hired her to seduce my dad? But why would he do something like that? I didn’t even know him! Plus, I hadn’t met him until after I caught my dad in New York.
Was it just a coincidence? That would be a pretty big coincidence.
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to breathe. Whatever was going on, I needed to figure it out, and fast. Otherwise, I had a feeling things might spiral even more out of control than they already were.
CHAPTER 26
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
I tapped my pencil against my notebook, jiggling my foot even though my superstitious mom had told me a million times that it was bad luck.
Could this class period go any slower?
After five more torturous minutes, the bell finally, blissfully rang, and I jumped up so fast I banged my knee against the underside of my desk. Wincing a little, I shoved my books into my bag and joined the crush of students battling their way out the narrow doorway.
The minute they saw me, though, they parted like the Red Sea, their eyes wide as I passed by them. Their faces were a combination of awe, envy, and nervousness.
Even in my haste, I couldn’t help but suppress a laugh. They were
just so predictable. Ever since they found out I was dating the Roman Fiori, they either treated me like a goddess or like I was the wife of a mafia kingpin or something.
When I was “dating” Parker, everyone couldn’t wait to get a piece of me. They hounded me at every turn, begging me to go shopping, to attend their parties. and I even had a few people ask me for photographs and autographs. Or both.
Now, though, everyone kept a respectable distance, satisfying themselves with just staring at me. It was like they were afraid of getting too close to me in case I decided to smite them with the almighty powers I’ve gained as Roman’s girlfriend. They couldn’t even look me in the eyes, the way servants couldn’t look royalty in the eyes in medieval Europe or whatever.
I can’t say I’m not enjoying the space, though. It’s not like I wanted to talk to them.
When I reached my locker, I s
hoved my books into the narrow space, then ran down the hall and into the parking lot. I didn’t even break stride as I yanked open the front door of Carlo’s giant Range Rover and slid onto Roman’s lap.
Technically, that was illegal, but I couldn’t wait to get off school grounds.
“Jeez, it’s about time, My-My. I’m starving here,” Zack complained from the backseat, where he, Adriana, Parker, and Venice were squished together.
“Sorry, not everyone can come and go from their classrooms as they please,” I said, rolling my eyes. I looked at Venice. “How did you get here so quickly?”