CHAPTER THIRTY
Paolo
I was so disturbed to discover that Gia Santoro was the hot brunette who’d sucked me off in Cayenne the night I’d met Jelly, that I bypassed work colleagues and headed straight for Jelly.
I could tell she was happy with Nadine, who was standing off to the side of the action with Reynolds. “I’m going to the restroom,” I whispered in her ear.
“Okay,” she smiled at me and squeezed my hand. “I thought your parents were nice.”
Oh my God. I hoped she was just being nice. If not, I could never let her walk through a dark alley at night. If she couldn’t sense that both of my parents were about as nice as a pair of barracudas, then she couldn’t be trusted to take care of herself.
I gave her the best smile I could muster and hurried off down a back hallway of the club that led to some private sitting rooms as well as the bathrooms. I’d opened a door to one of the sitting rooms, hoping to find it empty.
It was, so I went in and leaned against the wall, happy to have a place to process what I’d just learned.
The door creaked open, and I looked over. I was frustrated to lose my privacy, but when I saw who’d come in, it was so much worse than that.
Gia Santoro sashayed into the room. “Hello, Paolo.”
“Gia.”
I stared at her. What in the world was she going to say? I’d always thought that interaction at Cayenne had seemed a little… off. Now I knew it had been. She’d known exactly who I was when she got down on her knees in front of me.
Her smile was like the cat who got the cream. She had one over on me, and she knew it. “I wonder what the hospital would think of you being a member at the Salazar’s sex club.”
I gave her a bemused look. “Are you willing to let the public know you’ve been there before?”
“Sure. Why not? If anything, it will make a lot of society men think more highly of me. They’ll think I’m a sex fiend or something. Men like that, right?” She walked her fingers up my chest, and I jerked away from her.
She didn’t care if she outed herself. She wasn’t even from here, and I guess she didn’t have that much to lose. I tried not to show how much what she’d just said affected me, but I knew I’d failed when she laughed. “My God, it’s like you’ve seen a ghost. Don’t worry. It’s not like I’ll tell them.”
I breathed a sigh of relief.
“If,” she held up a finger, “you do as I say.”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuckity. Fuck!
“What do you want?” I couldn’t keep the anger out of my voice.
“Jeez. Control your temper, please. I’ll have to tell your parents, too, you know, if you’re not nice. They deserve to know where their golden boy spends his evenings.”
“Just tell me.”
“I want you to date me publicly. You’ll take me out and show me West Bay. I’ll come to the hospital to see you. And…” her smile turned predatory, “you’ll take me to the hospital gala.”
I started shaking my head. “No. Out of the question. I’ll just explain myself to the board before you go to the press.
” I shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. “And if they’re not okay with that, I’ll walk.
I’ve made billions off my medical invention anyway.
I don’t need the job.” I just loved the job, but it was true I didn’t need it, per se.
Gia frowned at my blasé attitude. “Oh, and I’ll have to out your little girlfriend, too, for being a stripper at the Salazar’s club.”
Oh no. “She’s not a stripper.” I was grasping at straws. How had she found out about Jelly?”
“Stripper, hostess, there’s not much difference. She’s just a glorified sex worker, right?”
“No,” I protested.
“We’ll see if the papers and news shows care enough to check the facts,” she grinned maliciously.
If she went to the press about me, my practice and reputation would take a hit.
I might even get fired from the hospital.
Ultimately, though, I’d be fine. Jelly? If this came out about her, she’d have a very difficult time finding work as a PA in West Bay.
I wasn’t sure how far away from here she’d have to go to leave the truth behind her and be able to find a job.
“You don’t know what you’re doing…”
“I don’t really care as long as we’re together.” She looked at her claw-like nails, studying the polish on them as if we were talking about something of little importance.
“How long do I have to date you?” I said through gritted teeth.
“As long as I decide,” she said smugly. “I’ll be in touch. Ciao.” She wiggled her fingers at me and left the room.
I wanted to punch the wall. Anonymity at the clubs were ensured by NDAs and a mutual desire among the other gentlemen to keep the public from knowing we were members. I couldn’t let her get away with this… but how in the world would I stop her?
***
It was Monday night, and I was officially in hell, otherwise known as my mother’s mansion in the Estates at South neighborhood.
We were seated around the massive dining room table, in the middle of a dinner so formal you’d think the president was attending. We were trying desperately to come up with topics to discuss.
It was a fucked up group, that was for sure, and I’d be giving my dad an earful later. Sitting around the table were me, Jelly, Mom, Dad, and freaking Gia Santoro and her parents.
Gia Santoro and her parents. I had no clue that they would be there, and it was freaking me out.
I was no closer to figuring out how to distance myself from Gia, or to refute her claims. Jelly could tell I’d been off ever since the benefit, but she wasn’t prying into what was going on with me.
I was thankful since I sure as hell wouldn’t know what to say.
And there was no way I wanted her to know Gia and I had been sexually involved in the slightest, even if it was before I’d met her.
It just didn’t look good since we’d known each other since we were kids.
I was afraid Jelly would think I was lying if I told her I hadn’t recognized Gia.
It also didn’t help that my mom and Mrs. Santoro were basically treating this dinner as a pre-engagement party for Gia and me while they completely ignored Jelly.
Dad and Mr. Santoro openly leered at Jelly, convinced she was just some pretty floozy I was fucking.
I was sitting in between Gia and Mrs. Santoro, while Jelly was seated across from me between my mom and dad.
Gia kept grabbing my thigh and trying to give me a hand job under the table.
I’d jumped twice now, hitting my knees underneath the table and almost knocking everyone’s drinks over.
I could tell from the dark look on Jelly’s face she knew exactly what was going on.
It was awkward as hell, and I felt like I was going to have to do a song and dance routine to keep everyone at least somewhat happy.
I rubbed a hand over my face. Why the hell had I said yes to this dinner?
Then it got worse.
“Remember,” Gia leaned in and whispered, “if you don’t want your family to know about your extracurricular activities or what a cheap slut your date is, you’ll go along with me.”
“What exactly do you mean by going along with you?” I asked quietly.
“Just follow my lead wherever that goes.” She had a self-satisfied look on her face that was making me very, very nervous.