Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 103124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 516(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 516(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
When I asked Arianna where he was, she simply said, business, and when I pushed for more, she added cryptically, there’s currently a struggle for power, and he’s ensuring that power sways in favor of the De Kysa.
Whatever that means.
Then she clammed up like a dutiful Mafia princess should.
“I’ll see you tonight,” I say to Imogen.
I kiss my best friend and race out of the bakery.
Nico will probably be furious at me for being late.
But it’s not Nico waiting for me.
It’s Anastacia.
“You’re late.” She rushes toward me as I enter the suite. “The car will be here in under an hour.”
I see the dress I had delivered is hanging on the back of the bedroom door. Well, it’s not exactly a dress. It’s a black jumpsuit that will make my boobs look awesome. “Relax. I’ll be ready in twenty minutes.”
Anastacia looks at me with rampant disapproval. “You don’t get it, do you? You’re about to become Mrs. Domenico De Kysa. Do you understand what a big deal tonight is going to be? He’s showing the world whom he intends to marry.”
There’s something in her voice. A terseness. An edge. I can’t really put my finger on it.
“If it’s such a big deal, then why isn’t he here?”
“He’s working. He will meet you at the gala.” Her eyes sweep over me. “And you’re wrong. It’s going to take a hell of a lot longer than twenty minutes to get you ready.”
“Excuse me?”
Anastacia doesn’t like me very much.
“Come on, we’ve already wasted enough time.” She ushers me into the dressing room, where a short woman with pink hair and a tall, flamboyant young man wait for me by the mirrored dresser. “Isla and Ziggy are going to help you get ready.”
I’m nudged toward my chair and forced to sit. Immediately, the pink-haired lady, whom I now know as Isla, starts wiping my face clean with little cotton pads while Ziggy frees my hair from its ponytail and shakes it around my shoulders.
“Gorgeous!” he coos, his eyes meeting mine in the mirror and winking. “What are we going to do with these luscious locks tonight, honey?”
I open my mouth to reply, but Anastacia beats me to it.
“Nico likes it down. Accentuate the curls.” She turns her attention to Isla. “She’ll be wearing the yellow Valentino dress. Make sure you choose a makeup palette to match.”
I glare at Anastacia in the mirror, but if she notices, she doesn’t show it.
“Don’t I get a say in any of this?” I ask.
She gives me a sharp look. “Domenico has already chosen the outfit, and he’s insistent about your hair. So no, Bella, you don’t get a say in it.” She turns back to Isla and Ziggy. “The yellow Valentino. And her hair down. Got it?”
She glances at the big gold watch on her wrist. “I have to go.”
“You’re not hanging around to micromanage?” I ask. “How will they know what to do in case of a fashion emergency?”
Her expression is cool. “Some of us don’t have the luxury of floating about as if they have all the time in the world. I’m due at the gala in fifteen minutes, and unlike other people, I like to be on time.”
Two jabs in one reply. She’s on a roll.
She looks at her watch again. “Your car will be here in exactly fifty-nine minutes. Make sure you get in it.”
When she leaves, I apologize to Isla and Ziggy for keeping them waiting.
“I didn’t realize it was going to be such a production to get me ready. I usually just run my fingers through my hair and put on some lip gloss.”
“Oh, don’t you be apologizing, baby doll. I can’t wait to get my hands on your glorious red hair. Mmmm-mmm-mmm! That is some color. Like West Virginia in the fall.”
“Thank you. My mom was Irish. Red hair is strong in our family.”
“Honey, it’s gorgeous!” Ziggy plays with a strand of curls. “Now forget what Madam Micromanager says. How are you wearing your hair tonight?”
I give Ziggy a wicked look. “Well, I’d like to try something. But I’ll have to collect something from my apartment.”
I could send James to get it.
I tell them my idea, and the three of us share conspiratorial looks before Ziggy grins. “Let’s do it.”
20
Nico
She’s late.
But then I had expected she would be.
From the mezzanine on the second floor, I watch her walking through the crowd like she’s parting the Red Sea, and my fingers tighten on the railing in front of me until I’m white knuckled. Every pair of eyes in the room is watching her as she makes her entrance. But none more than mine.
She has defied every wish I had asked of her tonight.
The dress.
The hair.
The jewelry.
And she looks stunning.
In place of the yellow Valentino, she wears a black jumpsuit, strapless, with a belt tight at the waist, and a pair of heels so high I’m not sure how she walks in them. She isn’t wearing any jewelry, but she doesn’t need it, and it would only be lost on her because she is so fucking beautiful.