Page 27 of His Vicious Vow
CHAPTER 10
Carina
Lydia is amazing. I understand why Celia gushed about her. She’s so cool, I wondered if I could ask her to help me escape. Except the long ingrained rule of never to include a citizen in mafia business won’t let me. Despite her knowing of mafia business in her being friends with other women married into the mafia at the end of the day she’s a citizen.
Instead, I smile and thank her for taking time with me. She knows what looks good on me in a way I was sure I knew better only to find I was wrong.
I twirl in front of the mirror. “I thought I was too short for these.” I sigh.
“No, missy you are not. Although we are going to send these to have a few of them hemmed for you. Your man knows his body types well. He has a great eye.”
Up until I haven’t said a word about Sandro and neither had she. “This dress was his idea?”
She studies the expensive gowns I’m going to try on once I’ve taken this dress off. “His list of what he wanted to see you in was extensive. The man had you measured from your ankles to your breasts. I was shocked when I saw how right he was, including your bra size. It’s so adorable how the saying is true: former rakes make the best husbands.”
I don’t even want to think about how he knew my bra size, he wasn’t exaggerating when he admitted he’d been with a lot of women. “What the hell is a rake?”
Her laugh fills the huge dressing room. “A former manwhore in today’s speak. It was something they said back in Regency England or maybe it was just today’s historical romances. I think it’s true though. Maybe it’s because they got all their wild oats sown and—” She breaks off when she sees my confusion. “I thought you said you were a reader?”
“I am. Of manga.” My books fit into six boxes that fit forty books a piece and that was after selling almost half of my collection because I wouldn’t reread it later.
“Oh, okay. It means they get all that manwhore phase out of their system by being a ho.” I can’t help but laugh when she says ho.
Her outfit looks like something out of a magazine. I’m also surprised by how stylish she is at eight months pregnant. I thanked her a dozen times for helping me when she should be off her feet. Only for her to laugh and say this is probably the few hours when she’s off her ass.
She rolls her eyes at my laughter. “That’s as new as I got in the slang thing. I have no idea what the kids mean when they cap and bet and all that.”
I laugh. “Cap means lie and bet means challenge accepted.” I explain as I take off the dress and accept the pretty burnt orange dress she hands me.
“What the fuck? Where the hell did that come from, cap? Why can’t it stay lie? That’s stupid. But I get the bet thing, makes sense. Your fiancé bet me I couldn’t make you look anymore beautiful than you already are.”
I’m blushing as I remember Sandro saying he loved a challenge and how fast he turned me inside out with his fingers. I see her watching me in the mirror and focus on the feel of the gown against my skin.
As she zips me up, I sigh at the woman in the mirror because holy hell she is a woman. This woman is sophisticated, she knows the right thing to say and do and has perfect manners. I close my eyes, ashamed to admit this is who I want to be. Except I didn’t believe I could be her. Someone would see through me. I would fumble and end up embarrassing myself.
I shake my head. “He just doesn’t want me embarrassing him.”
“A guy who spends an hour on the phone telling me everything he wants you in, in minute detail, doesn’t care about you embarrassing him—he cares about you.” One eyebrow goes up as she studies me. “Can I give you some advice?”
I shrug. “Okay.”
“I get it’s scary to trust a man but there’s something I’ve learned about these men with more money and power than the regular person could hope to have—they don’t say things they don’t mean. For better or worse.”
The laugh that comes out of me isn’t something I could stop if I wanted to. “These men are also manipulative in their sleep. I appreciate the thought. But,” I shake my head. “I’m not going to make the mistake of trusting him.”
She studies me. “Do you have plans after this?”
“Not that I’m aware of. My three guards aren’t letting me go anywhere unless it’s approved by Sandro or Carlo. I’m to go straight home after this, I think.”
There’s one guy at the elevator, another at the fire exit at the back of the enormous floor and the third guy said he’d be outside on the street after he parked the SUV.
“We’re far from done, maybe another hour, a half hour at least. How about a very late lunch in the café here at the store?” She asks.
“Sounds good.” I shrug.
“Okay, I’ll be right back.” She unzips me before walking out of the dressing room.
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