Page 58 of Tryst
He stood, then reached out his hand. Confused, I offered him mine. He pulled me to my feet and brushed himself off. He scanned our surroundings, then tugged me into his body. “As fun as it would be, I want to take you back to the house and fuck you there. I can’t forget who I am.”
“Right.” I rolled my eyes. Sometimes, I still had to remind myself of who he was.
He picked up our shoes, handing me mine. He slipped his on and cupped one of my butt cheeks in his palm, giving it a quick squeeze before we trekked back to the car. Once on the small pier leading to the restaurant parking lot, I held on to his shoulder, dusting my feet off before sliding my sandals back on.
RING! RING!
Groaning, Vincenzo slid his arm out from under me, rolling over to his phone. “Merda.”
“Who is it?” My sleepy voice cracked.
“Dimitri.”Pronto.
After he answered in Italian, they only spoke that. I lied next to him, eyes closed, trying my best to go back to sleep. Whatever they were discussing had nothing to do with me. At least that’s what I thought until I heardNickandElizaseveral times. I sat up, hugging my legs to my chest, propping my chin on my knees.
Vincenzo stroked the top of my foot for a moment before he sat up and slid to the edge of the bed. His voice, though still quiet, was becoming increasingly more agitated. Standing, he paced the room before grabbing a pair of grey sweatpants off the top of his suitcase and stepping into them. He then snatched a pack of cigarettes and lighter off a table by the balcony door. Marching to a keypad on the wall, he pressed the four-digit security code, disarming the alarm, then glided the glass door open, stepping outside.
I wanted to follow him. He was bothered and while I was curious about what they were talking about, I only wanted to comfort him. He was now in work mode. The door slammed closed, and he lit a cigarette, taking deep drags as he paced the terrace overlooking the magnificent gardens and spa-like pool we’d not yet utilized.
I rocked back and forth, wondering if I should text Maddie. It was a work night, and I knew she might text back something…anything. For once, I didn’t take the chance of making things worse. I lied back down, closing my eyes, waiting as patiently as I could for Vincenzo to come back inside.
It felt like an eternity, and I was certain I had dozed off several times. It had to have been at least an hour. Finally, the door opened, and he stepped in, closing it. He set his cigarettes, phone, and lighter down, then took his pants off.
“Sorry about that,” he murmured as if everything was okay as he slid into bed. He tucked his arm under me, pulling me into his side.
“Everything okay, or is that a dumb question?”
He kissed my forehead. “Get some rest.”
The following morning, I peeked into the bright room. It took a moment to remember I was in Florida. I rubbed my hand on the cool, empty sheets next to me. Vincenzo was nowhere to be seen. Guessing I’d slept late, I rolled over and glanced at the clock on the nightstand.
“1:30 p.m. Are you kidding me?!” Throwing the blankets back, I shot up out of bed, grabbing the first shirt I saw. It was one of his black, V-neck T-shirts. I wrenched a pair of my muted grey and white camouflage shorts off the top of my luggage and put them on. “How the hell did I sleep so long?” I grumbled to myself, and I scurried down the stairs as fast as I could, thinking he’d be down there.
Once I got into the foyer, I realized I didn’t know my way around. I heard chatting coming from one room, so I hurried toward the sound. The minute I rounded a corner, the voice sounded familiar.Antonio?I mouthed as I turned the next corner into a large living area. It was Antonio with Dimitri standing in the corner, staring out the window.
“Eliza!” Maddie jumped up from the couch.
“Oh my God!” I squealed, spotting her. “What are you doing here?!”
Vincenzo entered the room from the open-concept kitchen, carrying several drinks in his hand, placing them on the coffee table. Maddie ran around the white linen sofa, throwing her arms around my neck.
“Hi, Eliza,” Antonio smiled, picking up one of the drinks from the table, gulping it down.
“Hi,” Confused, I mustered up a polite grin.
Dimitri rotated around, pointing to an earbud, but lazily waved, no ounce of happiness painted anywhere on his face. I assumed he was on a phone call. Maddie took a few steps back as Vincenzo approached, his face solemn.
“What’s wrong?” I darted my eyes back and forth. “Not that I’mnotexcited to see you Maddie,” I narrowed my gaze on Vincenzo, “but why is she here and why are they,” I gestured to the brothers, “here?”
Vincenzo took a sip of his drink. “We have a business matter to attend to that can’t be delayed any longer. I asked them to bring her to hang out with you so you wouldn’t get lonely.”
“Ummm.” I didn’t know what else to say. I knew it wasn’t good because the atmosphere in the room was tense.
Maddie was slightly cheerful but appeared just as perplexed in her own way. She was also not one to show any apprehensiveness about anything. She shrugged, rolling her eyes.
Vincenzo placed a palm on my lower back. “Come with me.”
Maddie bit back a grin as she watched me turn to leave the room. I knew she was dying for more details about Vincenzo and me. I was unsure what I could tell anyone. We were still living, whatever this was, in secret.