18. Alessandro
I’ve sat and watched Valentino and Natalia flirt with each other all night and it’s put me off my game. I’m losing nearly every hand. And that never happens.
“Hey, Natalia, come join us,” Val calls out to her as she cleans up in the kitchen.
“No,” I hiss at my cousin.
“Fuck you,” he bites back.
“I’m not very good,” Natalia says.
“I’ll help you,” Val adds.
“What the hell are you doing?” I ask him.
“Welcoming her to the family.” He grins as he waves her over, tapping the chair beside him, and putting her in between us.
“I don’t want to crash guys’ night,” she says, walking over.
“Too late for that,” I bite.
“Ignore him, he’s upset because he’s losing for the first time.” Val chuckles as he stands up and pulls out her chair for her. She takes a seat, and I try to zone her out.
“My brothers have taught me to play, but I never win,” she explains as she’s dealt in.
“Rocco never wins either so you’re in good company,” Val jokes.
“Fuck you,” Rocco says, flipping him off from across the table. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have sworn.”
“Like I fucking care if you fucking swear,” she says, grinning as the curse words fall from her lips, which has the entire table laughing, even Rocco cracks a smile at her.
They aren’t supposed to like a Fiorenzo. What the hell is happening?
“Can we play the fucking game,” I ask, staring at my boys.
“Someone is testy tonight,” Val says from the sidelines.
“Yeah, it’s because of me. I invited myself to move in tonight,” Natalia adds nonchalantly, staring at her cards.
“With the entire Roman paparazzi hot on your tail,” I add.
“That’s normal for me,” Natalia states.
I place my cards down and turn to her. “That … circus is normal?” I question her.
She shrugs her shoulders. “Yeah. Not many places I can go that doesn’t warrant that kind of attention.”
Really? That sounds exhausting. I thought it was bad enough when they trail me every so often, but all that? Hell no. That’s your life now. Shit, it is too. I might need to arrange extra security to keep those vultures at bay.
“That must be hard,” Val says, giving her his concerned puppy dog eyes that work on all women.
“It is,” she says, reaching and placing her hand on his. His face lights up at her touch, he then looks over at me and grins.
Fucker.
And why is she touching him?
“Most people think I deserve that kind of harassment because of who my family is or that I court it because of my public persona, and sometimes I do, especially when we are trying to raise money for different charities. But when I’m on a boat in the middle of the ocean with my friends I shouldn’t have to worry about long-lens cameras catching every intimate moment I’m having on there,” she explains.
“Nico, you care to explain?” Val questions my friend.
Natalia looks between the two guys, confused over that statement.
“Francesca is my cousin, she works for me. I don’t have any say in what she does, it’s all her. I’m more of a silent partner in it all,” Nico explains to her.
“I love Francesca, she’s always been so kind to me. She …” Her hands raise to her mouth in a gasp.
“She what?” I turn and question her.
“Nothing, it doesn’t matter,” she adds.
“It does matter,” I say, pushing the subject.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“But I want to talk about.”
“The world doesn’t revolve around you, Conti,” she bites back as she starts shuffling her cards again.
This woman is so fucking frustrating. I slam my cards down on the table, which silences everyone. “You’ve ruined guys’ night,” I yell at her.
Her blue eyes blink quickly as she takes my venom.
“Hey, what the hell, man,” Val says, standing up on the other side of her as he glares at me. “It’s not her fault you can’t handle her being here.”
“Fuck you,” I yell at my cousin, pointing my finger at him.
“Fuck you too,” he shouts back.
“Guys, what the hell?” Nico asks, looking between the two of us.
“I’ve had to sit here all night and watch my cousin and wife flirt with each other,” I tell them.
Val’s brows rise high at my anger. “You sound jealous, Andro?”
“Fuck no. I couldn’t care less. You want to fuck her, go ahead, she’s all yours,” I yell at him.
“Enough,” Natalia says, standing up between the two of us. “I am not some object that can be freely given. I’m a fucking human being,” she explodes at me. “And you,” she says, turning to Val. “You’re doing this to get under his skin, which I normally would love to be doing, but it’s ruining the entire night for everyone. And personally, I would like to sit down and play fucking poker and forget how shit my life is for one fucking moment.”
The entire room is silent.
“You’re right,” Val says, sitting back down.
Natalia turns to me. “And what about you?” she asks.
“That’s all I’ve wanted to do tonight,” I answer.
“Good, glad we could settle that. Now, let’s go,” she says, taking her seat again.
“No fucking way,”I curse as I lose again. “This isn’t beginner’s luck.”
Natalia is grinning widely as she pulls the large pot toward her. “It’s not, you all assumed I didn’t know how to play.”
“You said you weren’t very good,” Rocco moans.
“I’m not against my brothers, but it seems like I’m pretty awesome against you all.” She smirks.
The boys grumble as they watch Natalia take all their money. I’m pissed but also impressed.
“Kind of hot, watching you demolish us.” Val winks at Natalia, making me want to punch him in the face. She smiles and shrugs as she starts to exchange the chips for money. Once she’s converted it all, she hugs the notes closely to her and stands up. “It’s been fun, boys. Guess I’ll see you again next week.” She giggles as the boys moan.
“Think you’re forgetting something,” I say, holding out my hand to her. She stares at it with a frown. “Don’t they say in a marriage everything is fifty-fifty? Wouldn’t half of that money be mine?”
Natalia’s eyes narrow on me. “The saying is what’s yours is mine and what’s mine is mine,” she says, turning on her heels and walking away from the poker table.
All the boys burst out laughing as she disappears upstairs.
“She’s trouble that one,” Nico says with a grin.
“I like her, she’s fun,” Val adds.
“Of course you do, you’ve flirted with her for half the night. What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I ask my cousin.
“Um, she’s hot, why wouldn’t you flirt with her?” he states.
“Because she’s a Fiorenzo, and I’m trying to get her family to drop out of the Emerald Hotels deal,” I explain to him.
“Why does your father hate the Fiorenzos so much?” Val questions me.
Valentino’s mother is my father’s sister. They were never close, especially when she got pregnant out of wedlock with Valentino. She was sent away by my father for embarrassing the family. She was told to get rid of the baby, but she refused, so my father, in his stubbornness, refused to acknowledge her or Valentino’s existence. My aunt ended up falling for the widowed billionaire who she worked for as his nanny. She looked after his twins, Adeline and Etienne, who were two years older than Val. Two years later, they were married. They then had two more kids together, Colette and Xavier, and became one happy family, the complete opposite of my own upbringing—which was hell.
“The Fiorenzos stole from my father,” I tell him.
“What did they steal?” he asks, pushing for more information.
I’m not sure exactly. I just always remember being told they were bad my entire life and that we should never do business with them. “A business or something, I don’t remember.”
“Isn’t that weird? You hate someone so much, but you don’t know why?” he questions.
“You know you never question my father,” I remind him.
He nods in understanding. “You don’t have to be like him though, Andro.”
He doesn’t understand what it’s like to have Giuseppe Conti as a father. “I don’t have a choice.”
“Yes, you do.”
“It’s not that simple, Val. Now that Dario’s gone there’s no one else to take over the business.”
“You have Romeo.”
“Who moved to New York to get away from him,” I explain.
“And he’s happier for it, maybe you should try it,” Val says.
I glare at my cousin. “He would disown me if I did.”
“Wouldn’t be such a bad thing,” Val adds quietly.
My cousin means well, he only wants the best for me, and he’s right. I would be a hell of a lot happier if I wasn’t under my father’s microscope, but then I would have to leave my mother. She’s lost one son and the other has moved away, and she’s stuck in a loveless marriage to a tyrant. I’m all she’s got left.
“If I can win this deal then maybe he will ease up on me,” I tell him.
“Yeah, but at what personal expense, Andro?” my cousin asks.
“Personal life? I don’t have one.”
“Not true, you have a beautiful wife upstairs.” Val smirks.
My eyes narrow on him. “Never happening,” I warn him.
He chuckles. “Such a shame, it could have been beautiful,” he teases.
“Right, well, I’m ready to head. It’s been an interesting night, boys,” Rocco says, then says his goodbyes.
“I’ll come too,” Nico adds, following his brother, leaving Val and I alone together.
“You staying? Want another drink?” I ask him. He nods, and we head over to the bar, grab a drink each, and then take a seat on the sofa.
“You sure about this fake marriage?” he asks, waving his hand in the air.
“Yes, if it gets me what I need.”
Val shakes his head at me. “She’s in well over her head.”
I nod in agreement. “She thought her stunt tonight would have me running to sign the annulment papers. Just goes to show the Fiorenzos have no idea who they are dealing with.”
Val frowns as he looks at me. “Be careful, Andro, you don’t always have to win at all costs,” my cousin warns me.
“That’s the Conti way,” I quip.
He rolls his eyes at me. “You going to be able to handle her in your space? I know how particular you are about it,” he asks.
“She won’t last the week,” I tell him.
“Wouldn’t be so sure about that.” He grins over his glass.
“Natalia will be gone by next poker night, just you watch,” I say, then sip on my whiskey.
My cousin bursts out laughing.