by Penelope Sky
Mom stood off to the side, watching us as my father moved closer.
He approached me in the entryway, his face clearer now that the bright sun wasn’t washing out his features. His jaw was a hard line, despite his age. His face was slightly weathered from sun exposure, but it made his skin tight and gave him a glow of youth. His shoulders were still strong, and his forearms were corded with veins. My dad had been ripped his entire life, and even without seeing him with his shirt off, it was obvious that he was still in great shape. Ever since I could remember, my father ran around the estate every morning and then used his private gym afterward. There were times when I’d look out the window in the morning on summer vacation and see his outline on the other side of the vineyards. He’d always been a role model to me, the definition of what a strong man should be. The strong and silent type, he didn’t say anything unless it was worth being said. He showed my mother he loved her by the way he looked at her, the way he touched her. He commanded the respect of his children through his silence, not his anger. He laid the foundation of exactly what I should be, and because of him, I’d become the man I was today. “Son.”
“Father, how are you?”
He never answered me. All he did was stare at my face, studying my expression like he’d never seen me before. We went months without seeing each other sometimes since we lived so far away from one another. So when he did see me, it was always with this same kind of inspection. “Better now.” My father greeted his clients and friends with just looks. His brother was his best friend, and I’d never seen them hug in my life. My father hardly extended a handshake, even to his clients. But he’d always been different with us. It was the only time he showed affection. He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me.
I hugged him back. It didn’t matter how old I was. I would always live for the approval of my father. His pride meant a lot to me. He was the biggest role model I’d ever had. He expected a lot of me.
He held me for a long time, like he always did. Even if there were people around, he did the same thing. Then he pulled away, cupped the back of my head, and planted a kiss on my forehead.
Mom’s smile widened.
He patted me on the arm and turned away. “Beautiful day, isn’t it?”
I watched his strong shoulders shift as he walked. He was over six feet tall, and the day I’d reached his height, I knew it made him choke up a bit. “Yeah, it is.” I watched him grab my mother’s hand and walk inside after Vanessa.
I joined them a second later.
* * *
Father and I walked to the fence where Carbine grazed. He had his own plot of land, separate from the mares because he was territorial and aggressive. Marco had extensive experience, but even he struggled to control the stallion. I told him Muse wasn’t allowed to go anywhere near Carbine because it was way too dangerous.
Dad stopped at the fence and clicked his tongue.
Carbine raised his head from the grass, his ears twitching. He turned his head our way, his mane flowing in the slight breeze. His large brown eyes settled on us, and he gave a quiet neigh before he trotted to us.
Dad smiled as he eyed the horse. “Beautiful steed.” He held out the carrot.
Carbine stuffed it down in a few bites.
Dad scratched him behind the ear. “He’s looking good.”
“Very.” I ran my hand up his snout, feeling the short hair that shifted under my fingertips. His warm breaths fell over me, and the sound of horse flies accompanied him. His dark hair was shiny under the hot sun, and his beautiful black form contrasted against the white fence and the green grass.
“Marco does a good job?”
“Yes.” But Muse had been doing a great job as well. Marco told me she busted her ass around the stables, shoveling shit and restocking hay like she was born a country girl. She wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty or put in a hard day of labor. Marco loved having her around, and it made his job a million times easier—and more enjoyable.
It made me more fascinated with her. She was a strong woman with a lot of potential. It really was a shame she’d gotten mixed up with such bullshit. Her brother was dead, but I wanted to kill him anyway.
He deserved to die twice.
We stared at the horse for a few more minutes before we walked up the path back to the house.
“Do you ride often?” He walked beside me with a perfectly straight back, carrying himself like a man in his twenties rather than his sixties.
“Haven’t had time.”
“I know how that is.”
“How’s the wine business?”
“Good,” he answered. “Business is good.”
“And Uncle Cane?”
“A dumbass, like always.”
I chuckled because I knew he didn’t mean that. “Aunt Adelina?”
“She’s good too. She’s not a dumbass.”
“Lucky for him.”
We’d left Mom and Vanessa on the patio, where they drank sangria and lay by the pool as they waited for Dante to prepare lunch.
“So you’re in town for business?” I asked.
“There’s a restaurant owner up here that wants to start hosting weddings. So we talked about a deal where he could have a collection of wines by the barrel. He makes a commission, and I make a commission.”
“Sounds like a good deal.”
“How’s the fashion business? Your mom and I watched the show a few weeks ago. It was great.”
My dad never seemed awkward about my livelihood. He must have known what my lifestyle was like, but he never asked me about it. I was almost thirty and unmarried, but neither of my parents asked about my desire to start my own family. I knew my parents had been my age when they got together. Before that, it didn’t seem like either of them had had any significant relationships.
When we reached the terrace, my heart stopped in my chest.
My mother and sister were sitting together at the table with their glasses of red sangria. But a third person had joined them.
Muse.
She fucking disobeyed me.
In a long blue dress with her hair in curls, she looked like a supermodel ready for a fashion shoot. She wore tan strappy sandals and a large sunhat to keep the sun off her shoulders. With her legs crossed and perfect grace, she looked like the model who was the headliner of my show.
When she heard us approach, she turned to look at me.
With a big fucking smile on her face.
Oh, this was intentional.
If my family wasn’t there right that moment, I might actually have slapped her.
And slapped her fucking hard.
“Hey, honey.” Muse rose to greet me, her drink still in her hand. She walked up to me, carrying all the confidence in the world. She had me by the balls, and she knew it. She tilted her head up to kiss me, her eyes full of glee.
It was the only time when I truly didn’t want to kiss her. I didn’t want to feel those arrogant lips against mine. I wanted to grab her by the hair and yank her into my bedroom. Just when I thought I’d claimed the upper hand in this arrangement, she fucked me over. “Hey, baby.” I craned my neck down and gave her the coldest kiss I’d ever given anyone. I even kissed my mother on the cheek better than that.
She turned to my father and extended her hand. “So nice to meet you, Mr. Barsetti. Your son talks about you often. I’m Sapphire.”
My dad eyed me before he took her hand, and unfortunately, a small smile spread across his lips.
Shit.
He shook her hand and turned his gaze back to her. “It’s lovely to meet you as well.” He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.
Fuck, my dad never kissed a woman on the cheek except my sister.
“Can I get you something to drink?” Sapphire asked. “Your son tells me you like scotch. I’m a scotch drinker too.”
This couldn’t be happening.
My dad smiled again. “I’d love some, sweetheart.”
No. No. No.
“Coming right up.” Muse walked to the bar to prepare the drinks.
My father turned back to me once she was out of earshot. “She seems like a lovely woman.”
I could tell my dad already liked her—and he didn’t like anyone.
Mom joined our conversation, grinning wider than I’d ever seen her. “Why didn’t you tell us about your girlfriend?”
Muse had caught me off guard, and I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t tell my parents the truth, so I had to lie. I was at her mercy because she’d outsmarted me. “I wanted it to be a surprise, I guess.”
Mom turned to my father. “They live together.”
My father’s expression hardened slightly. “So she’s more than just your girlfriend.”
Fuck.
Vanessa joined our huddle. “Con, I really like her. I always thought you’d be into dumb bimbos, but I guess I was wrong. She’s awesome.”
“I like her too,” Mom said. “She’s sweet.”
I kept my features steady, but a storm was brewing deep inside me. Muse had crossed a line with this. She was making my family believe in a lie—and I didn’t lie to my family. She was messing with their hopes and feelings.
I could strangle her.
Muse returned with two glasses of scotch. She handed one to my father and one to me.
She didn’t even ask what I wanted. She just knew. And she just proved to my family that she knew me too.
I definitely had underestimated this woman.
* * *
Vanessa sat beside Muse, immediately taking a liking to her. “So, when did this start?”
I sat across from Muse, and I eyed her coldly in response. If she wanted to continue with this lie, she’d be the one making it up.
“About six months.” She held her glass of sangria and took a drink before she set it down. “And then he asked me to move in with him three weeks ago.”
That last part was partially true, but I never asked her to move in with me—I told her to.
“Aww,” Vanessa said. “I didn’t think my brother had a romantic bone in his body.”
She was right. I didn’t.
Mom turned to me, accusation in her eyes. “I’m surprised my son didn’t tell me he’s been seeing someone for six months…” Disappointment was in her eyes, lots of it.
I glared at Muse harder.
“Since we work together, he wanted to keep it a secret for a while.” Muse continued to lie effortlessly, doing so well, I almost believed her too. “I did a few photo shoots with him, and we didn’t want the other models to feel like he was giving me priority because of our romantic relationship.”
“That’s why you look so familiar,” Vanessa said. “You were the headliner of his last show.”
“Yes,” Muse said. “I was. Conway is a brilliant designer. I’m honored I get to wear his clothes.”
She had a funny way of showing it.
My dad didn’t say anything. He listened to the conversation and ate the meal Dante prepared for him.
“What brought you to Italy?” my mother asked.
I couldn’t picture myself going along with this fable for the next decade. I would have to keep these lies in check anytime I was around my family. And then I couldn’t be seen with other women because it would seem like I was a cheater…and my family would be extremely disappointed in me if they saw that. The idea of being with another woman hadn’t even crossed my mind since I met Muse, but that wasn’t the point. She was the prisoner, and I was the master. How could I let her flip it on me? Now, I was at her mercy. I could never let my family know what really happened between Muse and me. My mother would never forgive me if she knew Muse was just a prisoner in my mansion. And the disappointment from my father would kill me.
“I’d always wanted to be a model for Barsetti Lingerie, so I left New York in pursuit of my dream. I met Conway, and he took a chance on me.” Muse wove this story so well. It was a bunch of bullshit, but she managed not to incriminate herself. Both of my parents saw through bullshit pretty easily, but neither one of them seemed to catch on to this. It was probably because they assumed if I ever owned up to a relationship with someone, she must be the one…since I never had relationships.
She had me under her thumb.
“Will you continue to be in the shows?” Mom asked.
I refused to participate in this conversation, so I didn’t say anything.
“Conway is a little bit jealous when it comes to me, so he took me out of his lineup.” She stared at me across the table, a knowing smile on her lips.
“Aww…” My mom’s eyes softened. “Just like his father.”
Fuck, this was bad.
If I didn’t change the subject, it would just continue. My mom and sister were already infatuated with the woman they thought I was in love with, and the longer I let it go on, the worse it would get. “Vanessa, how’s the painting going?”
“Great,” Vanessa said. “We started doing watercolors this week, and I love it. I didn’t think I would love anything more than traditional oil painting, but all the colors and the drips really fascinate me.”
“Have you made anything?” It was the first time my father spoke.
“I just finished my first painting this week,” Vanessa answered.
“I’d love to see it.” My father went out of his way to be invested in everything we did. He obviously didn’t care about art whatsoever, but he made it clear he cared about whatever his daughter cared about.
“I’ll show it to you,” Vanessa said. She turned back to Muse. “Do you know about the stunt my brother pulled a few weeks ago?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Shut it, Vanessa.”
Muse grinned. “You have to tell me now.”
“Alright.” Vanessa set her napkin down. “So I went on a date with this nice guy I go to school with…”
My dad suddenly stopped eating, setting down his fork and reaching for his scotch right away. There hadn’t been a single boy who ever came to the house as long as Vanessa lived there. Not even for school dances. When it came to my sister dating, my father turned into a different person.
“And Conway watched us have dinner from across the street, followed us as he walked me home, and stood in the shadows as we said goodnight on the doorstep. Then he followed the guy for a few blocks.” Vanessa rolled her eyes. “That’s the kind of man you live with, just in case you didn’t know…”
When Muse turned to look at me, she didn’t regard me with the same coldness my sister did. It was the softest expression she’d ever given me. She actually seemed touched by what my sister said.
Yes, I wasn’t an asshole all the time.
“He’s such a psychopath,” Vanessa said. “A complete breach of privacy.”
“I don’t give a damn.” I drank my scotch to kill the nerves. “There are a lot of assholes out there, Vanessa. You don’t know that because I’ve made sure you’ve never met one. There are—”
“Enough.” My father’s voice was quiet, but it was filled with so much anger. He finished his scotch and set the empty glass on the table.
Even Vanessa shut her mouth.
Muse eyed my father but didn’t say another word.
I knew exactly why my father ended the conversation. He’d told me what happened to his sister, Vanessa’s namesake. It never stopped haunting him, even now. He protected my sister every second of the day before she moved out, and he didn’t even realize it. As the man’s oldest son, it was my responsibility to take care of our family if something happened to him, so he dropped the burden on my shoulders.
And I took that responsibility seriously.
* * *
My family finally left when the sun set.
Thank fucking god.
My mother kissed me on the cheek. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Mom.”
She squeezed me hard around the waist. “I really like Sapphire. She’s lovely.”
I forced a smile. “I’m glad.
She’s very sweet.”
“I knew it was only a matter of time before you found the right woman.” She kissed me on the cheek again before she walked to the car with Vanessa.
My father kissed Sapphire on the cheek. “It was very nice meeting you. I look forward to seeing you more often.”
“You too,” she said. “Conway has a very nice family.”
“My son treats you well?”
Why did my father have to ask that?
Sapphire’s smile didn’t falter, but her eyes definitely did. “Yes. Your son is a good man.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” He turned to me next, his eyes examining me like two X-rays. “You should bring Sapphire down to Tuscany. Give her a tour of your childhood home and the winery.”
“I’m sure I will.”
He hugged me. “Love you, son.”
I hugged him back. “Love you too, Father.”
He cupped the back of my head and kissed me on the forehead before he walked away. They piled into the car and rolled down their windows so they could wave as they drove off.
Sapphire came to my side and wrapped her arm around my waist as she waved at my family.
The second their car was out of sight, I dropped my hand and turned my hostile stare on her.
Her smile was long gone, and her arm was no longer around my waist. She placed her hands on her hips and stared at me with the same menace.
“You have no idea what you’re doing.”
“I think I do,” she said confidently. “Things are going to be different around here. Cross me, and I’ll tell your family who you really are.”
“You’re crossing a line.”
“Like you haven’t crossed the line a million times over.”
I’d done a lot of things I wasn’t proud of, but I’d never cared about my image before. People could think whatever they wanted about me. But my family was a different story. Their approval meant a lot to me. I couldn’t stand my parents’ disappointment. If my father knew I was keeping Muse against her will, he’d beat me to the brink of death. “What do you want?”