The Sexy Enemy: A Fake Relationship Romance (Italian Nights Series Book 3)

32. Natalia

“Thank God he’s gone. Tell us everything, Nat, he is hot.” Lilly grins.

“Not much is going on,” I tell my sister-in-law, who huffs and rolls her eyes in disbelief.

“You two look comfortable together,” Giada states.

“I live with him, it doesn’t take long to feel comfortable with someone,” I reply.

“And?” Lilly adds.

“What?” I pretend not to know what she is asking.

“You’re the worst liar, you’ve had sex,” Lilly says, pointing at me.

“In Vegas,” I argue.

“You’ve been living with him for a month as if you haven’t fucked,” Giada muses.

“Shut up will you, my parents are just there,” I hiss at her.

“Then spill.” Lilly smirks.

I roll my eyes at my sister-in-law. “As if I’m not sleeping with him, look at him,” I confess, and the girls all squeal with delight.

“Is it good?” Lilly asks.

“Look at her, she’s practically glowing,” Giada adds.

“Could be a new skincare routine,” I quip.

“Bullshit. He just kissed you in front of your family while defending you, that man is smitten,” Allegra adds.

“Aw, that’s cute,” Paige says.

“He’s done that a lot. Defend me against people.” I sigh.

“Sounds like you’re smitten, too,” Lilly suggests.

“I don’t know how this happened, but I have feelings for him,” I confess, and the girls all shriek again.

“This is bad,” Allegra says.

“No, it’s not, it’s good,” Giada says, defending me.

“What are you going to do if your brothers win the deal?” Lilly asks.

“Last night I heard a conversation between him and his dad, where he warned him that he would destroy Alessandro if he lost. I’ve never heard such hatred from someone, let alone their own family,” I explain to them.

“That’s horrible,” Paige says.

“His father is really that bad?” Allegra asks.

“He split his lip when he found out we were married.”

“That’s brutal,” my sister says, shaking her head.

“Alessandro told me that his father has wished he was dead. He blames him for his brother’s death. When they argue, he tells him that the wrong brother died.” My girls gasp at my confession. “I honestly believe Alessandro has always been alone against his father, and for the first time he has someone in his corner.”

“Do you think he will do anything to win to prove his father wrong, though?” Lilly asks.

I shake my head. “Last night, he left the dinner with Elek Papps because we watched him fondle a waitress while insinuating I’m a bimbo and air-head socialite. He was going to fake being sick so that we could leave, but instead, I said I was.”

“Urgh, Elek Papps, he’s a known creep.” Giada groans.

“Is he?” Lilly asks.

“He likes hitting on younger girls at the clubs in his hotels. I’ve seen it when I’ve been DJing, it’s gross,” Giada explains.

“Then why the hell are we trying to buy his hotels?” Lilly asks.

“Alessandro said because they are good hotels in great locations,” I tell them.

“That’s what Luca has always said,” Lilly adds.

“Are you saying Alessandro left a meeting with a client that he’s trying to schmooze, who owns the hotels he wants to win the sale of to prove his abusive father wrong, and to win against your brothers because of a long-held family feud? Who blackmailed you into staying married to him hoping that he could wear you down, but instead, after being with you for a month, chose to protect you over winning?” Paige asks.

“Yes,” I answer hesitantly. The girls all stare at me in silence, and I feel uncomfortable. “He was being nice, that’s all. Not like Gio and Luca did anything to stop him.”

“And your brothers saw this behavior?” Lilly asks.

“Not where he slapped the waitress’s ass, no, but they didn’t say anything when he insulted me,” I tell them.

Paige’s mouth falls open in surprise.

“I think I’m going to have words with your brother,” Lilly says, storming off.

“As am I,” Paige adds, not looking happy, following her.

Oh no, I should go, too.

Allegra stops me. “Let them sort it out.” She grins.

“I’ve known Alessandro for many years on the party circuit, he was always a good guy. It was his older brother, Dario, that was the problem,” Giada explains.

“What do you mean?” Allegra asks.

“Dario liked to party, and when he did, he went to a dark place. I know you shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, but I wasn’t surprised that his life was cut short. He liked to push things to the limit. There was also talk that he didn’t treat the women he was with nicely either. He had a temper and an ego, you know the typical rich guy, he could buy anyone off to get out of trouble. When he was sober, he was a completely different person. Almost Jekyll and Hyde. Alessandro wasn’t like that. Was he a playboy? Of course, but he also had to clean up a lot of shit from his brother. I’m guessing Dario took after his father more than Alessandro ever did, maybe that’s why his father doesn’t like him because he can’t mold him into his image like he did Dario,” she explains.

“I don’t think punching your son or wishing them dead is going to make them want to grow up and be like you. What kind of parent does that?” I say to Allegra and Giada.

“Giuseppe Conti, that’s who. There’s nothing nice I have to say about that man, except that maybe he did do something right with Alessandro if he is nothing like him,” my mother states angrily. I’ve never seen her so angry before nor so shaken.

The chef comes out and tells us lunch is ready, cutting short our conversation.

“I’ll tell the boys,” my mother says as we head into the dining room.

“Well, good luck with lunch today,” Giada says, clapping me on the back before walking into the dining room.

“Let’s get it over and done with,” I say to Allegra as we head in.

I watch as my family walks in before Alessandro. His shoulders seem tense and his face tight as he searches the table for me. When he finds me, his face relaxes and a wide smile spreads across it as he takes a seat beside me.

“You’re not dead, so that’s good,” I say as Alessandro sits down.

“It could have gone either way.” He grins. Under the table, his hand gives my thigh a quick squeeze of reassurance and offers up his glass to Giada, who has been placed beside him, as she pours him some wine. “I’m going to assume you were grilled while I was gone?” He smirks.

“Of course,” I say, taking a sip of my water.

“Did you tell them that you’re a sexual deviant,” he whispers. I choke on my water at his words. I can’t believe he said that at the lunch table in my parents’ home.

“Would you stop that? You can’t say those things to me here,” I hiss.

He slides his arm over the back of my chair and smirks. “I love to see you squirm, I just wish it was on my face.” I slowly blink as I stare at him, and he just chuckles as if he’s not saying the filthiest things to me at the lunch table.

“Stop,” I say as I go to squeeze his thigh because I can’t hit him in front of my family, but I overshoot and grab his dick instead. He jerks in surprise, pouring red wine all over himself, and I knock over my water as I lurch back.

The entire table goes still, staring at the carnage.

“Sorry, that was me, I accidentally kicked him,” I say to the table, my face burning with embarrassment.

“I probably deserved it.” He chuckles.

My brothers start laughing as does my father, and then the rest of the family join in, the tension breaking.

“I might just clean myself up,” Alessandro says, pushing his chair back.

“Follow me,” I say, excusing myself from the table.

I take him to the guest bathroom and hand him some toilet paper. “Luckily, I’m wearing black today.” He grins up at me.

“I’m so sorry.”

“You grabbed my dick.”

“By accident,” I argue.

“At your family’s table.” He smirks as he pats down his shirt.

“It was an accident,” I say again.

Alessandro leans forward, placing hands on either side of me at the bathroom sink. “If your kitty is feeling needy, just say the word, and I can bend you over this sink and give you a quickie. It won’t be my finest work, but you know.”

“Would you stop that. We’re at my parents’ home,” I say, hitting him as I giggle.

“Does he want one of your father’s shirts to wear?” my mother asks, knocking on the door and surprising me. My cheeks are burning bright as if she’s busted us doing something we shouldn’t.

“No, he’s fine,” I say, stepping out of the bathroom and closing the door behind me. My mother’s eyes narrow on me, but she doesn’t push it, and I walk back to the lunch table.

After the wine incident,lunch went pretty well, even with my brothers flashing Alessandro death stares during most of it.

“Please tell me if I am overstepping, but Giada and I were just talking, and I wanted to know why the Fiorenzos and Contis hate each other so much,” Allegra asks.

I drop my dessert spoon and it clatters against the porcelain as the entire table falls silent.

My father clears his throat. “I understand the curiosity, Allegra, but it’s not something we should talk about at the lunch table.”

Oh, that doesn’t sound good.

“But he’s family now. When would be the right time to talk about it?” Allegra pushes. I shake my head at her, telling her to quit it but she ignores me.

“I’d like to know what Alessandro thinks on that matter. What lies his father has spewed about us,” Gio says.

Oh no.

Alessandro bristles at my brother’s words but gathers himself. “All I know is that you were once childhood friends. Then he said you stole something from him, something important, and you’ve hated each other ever since.”

My father laughs at Alessandro’s explanation. “Of course he would say that. No offense to your father, Alessandro, but he likes to bend the truth for his convenience. You can’t steal something that was never his to begin with.”

My mother reaches over and grabs my father’s hand, holding it tightly as if she knows it’s hard for him to tell us. Alessandro’s brows rise high, but he doesn’t interrupt my father.

“Giuseppe always wanted what I had growing up. It started with toys, my clothes, then cars, and then girls. He was relentless in his pursuit of what he thought he deserved. Our fathers were best friends, just like our grandfathers, and so on and so on before us. The Fiorenzos and Contis, throughout history, were inseparable until your father.” The room is silent as they listen to his story. “Then along came Maria, my Maria,” he says, pulling my mother’s hand to his lips and kissing it ever so gently. “She is the love of my life. There were some things I was not prepared to give him.”

Oh. I understand now. They were fighting over her.

Mamma gives my father a loving smile. “Maybe I should explain the next bit, sweetheart,” she says softly, and my father shakes his head, but she stops him. “I can do it,” she reassures him. “I must do it for our children.” Reluctantly, my father nods, and my mother steadies herself to tell the story. “Your fathers were at university together with my older brother, they were all friends. One summer, my brother brought the two of them home with him, I can’t remember why. This was the first time meeting them both, they were two of the handsomest boys I had ever seen. It was thrilling having two university guys flirting with me, a senior in high school,” she explains. “My brother was very protective over me and warned the two of them that if he caught either of them with me, he would kill them.”

Hmm, reminds me very much of my own two brothers.

“I didn’t listen.” My father chuckles.

“No, he didn’t, and when I had come home one night from a date with someone from school, he told me how jealous he was and that he wanted to be the one to take me out,” she says, smiling at my father. “We then embarked on a secret relationship the entire summer. I didn’t have eyes for anyone else, not even Giuseppe who was adamant that he would win over my affections while hooking up in secret with my best friend,” she adds.

My father’s hand tightens around my mother’s, and a sinking feeling hits my stomach. “It was during one of my brother’s parties that Giuseppe had seen us making out. He lost his mind and told my brother, and my brother and his friends tried to beat up Francesco,” she explains.

“They broke my arm,” my father adds.

Oh, my goodness. Uncle Mimmo is a savage.

“I was in tears, distraught that my brother could be so cruel. Unfortunately, I stormed off into the forest and I didn’t know Giuseppe had followed me.” My mother swallows, and I can see how uncomfortable she is. “He thought I had betrayed him by dating Francesco. He yelled at me for leading him on. He said I was flirting with him and making him feel like there was a chance. I was in shock at how angry he was at me, I had never done anything to give him an indication that I was interested in him, it was always Francesco.” She grips his hand tightly. “Something in him snapped, and he attacked me, but thankfully before he was able to do anything more than rip my clothes and give me a black eye, my brother saw the entire thing and grabbed him and broke his leg.”

What the …? I’m shocked.

“After that night, he vowed to destroy my family and Francesco’s.”

The entire table is silent.

Alessandro’s face pales. “Will you excuse me, please?” he says, getting up from the table.

“I’d be embarrassed, too, if my father did something as disgusting as that,” Giorgio states.

“Shut up, Gio. For God’s sake,” I say, throwing my napkin down on the table and rushing after my husband. “Alessandro, wait, please,” I call out after him, but he ignores me as he heads toward the underground garage. I follow him silently till he reaches the car. “I’m sorry,” I tell him. He stills and looks up at me. I can see the anger and hurt swirling around inside him. I walk slowly toward him until I am right in front of him.

“How can you look at me and not see a monster’s son?” he asks me.

“You’re not your father.”

“Yes, I am. I blackmailed you into staying married to me. I fucked you when you were drunk not once but twice,” he shouts at me.

“You were drunk, too,” I argue with him.

“Once,” he says, holding up his finger at me.

My brows pull together. “I wanted you, too.”

“I could have said no,” he argues.

“Who cares about Paris? What I care about is now, and how I’ve fallen in love with you,” I say, unable to stop the words tumbling from my lips.

He shakes his head. “No, you can’t have.”

“I have.”

“No,” he answers back stubbornly.

“You can’t tell me that I don’t love you. You have no control over that,” I tell him.

”I don”t, though.”

Oh.

It’s as if he punched me in the stomach. Everything that happened between us, all the good times we had flash in front of me, and now he’s telling me he doesn’t feel the same way.

My eyes glisten with tears as my heart breaks in front of him. “Don’t shut me out.”

“You were never let in,” he replies. Ooof, that stung. Did I ever know him? “I think it’s best if you stay here tonight.”

“You don’t want me to come home?” I ask as I wipe away my tears.

“This is your home,” he tells me.

“This is my family, you’re my home,” I tell him. He’s crept past my defenses and into my heart.

A Conti has stolen my heart.

“Don’t do this to us,” I beg him.

He stills, and the next thing I know, he is leaning forward and kissing me, and I just know this is goodbye.

“Marrying you has made me the happiest I’ve ever been.” My heart flutters wildly in my chest.

“Please, stay or take me with you?” I say as he backs away from me. I watch as he unlocks his car and gets in. Not even the rumble of his Ferrari can pull me from the daze I find myself in. I watch as he reverses out, and not once does he look back at me.

Then he’s gone.

“Nat?” Allegra says quietly behind me. When I turn around and see her there, I rush toward her and break down.

“He left me.”

“I’m sorry,” she says, holding me tightly against her.

“I love him,” I confess to her with tears sliding down my cheeks.

“I know,” she says, giving me a sad look.

“He didn’t love me,” I say, hiccupping on my tears.

Allegra brushes them away. “I don’t believe that. He might just need some time. What he found out today must feel horrible.”

I shake my head. “I saw it on his face, he’s done. He’s gone. We’re over before we had a chance to start.”