Chapter 30
Sofia
“Thanks, Anna.” I hang up the call on one of the crew members, satisfied with myself.
After having a mini-panic attack about Alessandro choosing today as his birthday, I was able to collect myself and come up with a simple plan, and all I needed to do was make a simple phone call.
And be in a financial position where a handful of people can drop everything they’re working on to help me out with this type of last-minute request. But Alessandro will pay them well, so it’s a win-win for everyone.
I asked the crew to delay our boarding and give us an extra couple of hours on the island. All so that the chef can prepare a birthday cake. I also gave them a list of a few gifts they should be able to acquire on this island.
I get back to our table pleased with myself.
He looks up at me in exaggerated horror before I take my seat. “What did you do?”
“You’ll see.” I flash him a coy smile. “Shouldn’t have picked today. If you had done something reasonable, like chosen a date a week or two from now, I wouldn’t have needed to get so creative.”
On cue, his phone vibrates in his pocket.
“That’s probably the captain.”
He pulls his phone out of his pocket and looks at the screen, then shakes his head and laughs before answering.
The phone call is brief. He flashes me a look that says he’s planning his retaliation for tonight in the bedroom.
He clears his throat to grab the attention of the table.
“The crew is having issues starting the tender. We’re stuck out here for another two hours.”
Sal snorts next to him. “Told you we should have flown somewhere instead.”
Alessandro elbows Sal’s side, accidentally making him spill his drink.
But neither seems angry with this exchange.
Sal tilts his head back, not a care in the world, and laughs along with Alessandro.
I sense those two have gotten closer on this trip, and I can’t help but wonder if being able to socialize with these men without Marco and Vincenzo messing with him is helping.
Gio speaks up, some of his words slurring. “I’m happy with it. Time for another round or two.”
“Alessandro?” Sal asks. “Call the captain and tell them to bring a wheelchair for Gio. I’m not dealing with him tripping down some stairs and breaking his face again like at Elio’s bachelor party. We’ll fucking wheel him back.”
Everyone laughs at the table. Sal’s wife, Giorgia, catches my attention and playfully rolls her eyes at her husband’s comment.
I notice Elio’s gaze before turning to face Alessandro again.
He looks just as plastered as Gio does. His dark eyes glassy.
His shirt unbuttoned a hair too much as he casually leans back in his seat.
“I’m worried Sofia isn’t having any fun.
” He nods towards my glass of water. “At least have a coffee to perk up.”
At first, I figured he’d just blurted that out because he's drunk. But my blood goes cold as he looks pointedly at my stomach. I quickly turn away and ignore him, annoyed that Alessandro hadn’t caught that interaction.
Was that a threat? No, I’m sure he was just joking and has no filter anymore because of all those gin and tonics.
As much as I find Alessandro’s overprotectiveness hot and comforting, it’s times like these that I resent it.
I’d like to tell him what happened and get his opinion on whether that comment was anything to be concerned about.
But I loved spending time with Aurora today, and the last thing I need is for him to go nuclear because of some dumb, off-handed comment that Elio won’t even remember tomorrow.
The next couple of hours go by quicker than I thought they would.
We spent the time talking to Sal and Giorgia.
I enjoy talking with her; it’s like I’m spending time with one of my aunts back home.
I am so happy that I have her to distract me because Alessandro is using this boat delay to torture me.
Slowly rubbing his foot against my leg. Occasionally shaking his head slowly at me, faking being angry with me.
At one point he leaned towards me while Sal and Giorgia were distracted and whispered to me, “You think you’re messing with me with this delay? This only gives me two hours to prepare and plan how to punish you for this whole birthday stunt.”
I gulp, feeling my face blush.
He hides the smirk on his face as he jumps back into the conversation with Sal. I continue eating my appetizer that I ordered a moment ago and share some with Giorgia.
Alessandro’s phone buzzes in his pocket again.
“Hello?” he answers in English, his accent thick and adorable. A language that sounds almost foreign to me now that I rarely speak it. “Perfect, thank you.”
Sal raises his eyebrows. “Bedtime?”
“Yes,” Alessandro answers and then gives me another one of those looks that makes my core flutter.
I enjoy our last walk through the island.
The way everything is lit up and how everyone around me has the same tired, relaxed look of contentment on their face.
At least, the people that aren’t too drunk, anyway.
We walk arm and arm; he walks slowly so we fall to the back of the line so that he can freely grab my ass whenever he wants to.
“What did you do?” he asks, referring to the birthday plans.
“You’ll find out soon enough.” I give him an evil smile.
“Can you at least tell me if it involves the rest of these people?” He nods his head towards our group.
“Hmm. I don’t know.”
“You brat.” He hisses in my ear and pulls me closer to him, squeezing my side. “Maybe you didn’t do a damn thing except for delaying our trip back to the boat, and you’re only messing with my head.”
Now that would have been a great idea.
I bite my bottom lip to stop myself from smiling so much and shrug my shoulders.
“Have your laugh now. The more you frustrate me, the more I’ll take it out of you later in the night.”
“You don’t scare me,” I tease. “Isn’t it three hours past your bedtime, old man?”
“Oh, you should not have said that.” He laughs and pulls me so that my backside is plastered to the front of his body.
No doubt so that I can feel how hard he is from this amount of teasing and anticipation I’ve forced us both into.
“You will not get a minute of sleep tonight for that comment, Sofia.”
I grind my hips against him as subtly as I can because we’re in a crowd of people, and I’m sure we’re being obvious if anyone is paying attention to us, but most are too self-absorbed.
He hisses in my ear. “This walk is fucking unbearable. I want to be on that boat now. And you will strip that pretty dress of yours off the moment our cabin door closes and spread yourself out for me on the bed.”
“Mmm. Maybe I will, or maybe you’ll have to force me to do it.”
He makes a noise that sounds tortured behind me, then we hurry to catch up with the group, nearly at the cable cars to take us back down to shore.
We’re mostly silent for the rest of the journey: both tense until we finally step off the tender and onto the yacht. Then we hurry off towards the cabins. Anna winks at me as we speed-walk down the hallway. The anticipation of whatever she and the crew pulled off is killing me.
My hand hovers on the doorknob to our room, then I turn to him, stepping aside. “You should be the one to open it.”
“What? Did you create some sort of trap?” He laughs and opens the door.
The crew delivered.
Gold streamers hang from the wall, giving the room a classier feel than the classic rainbow streamers would have given.
The bed covered in roses. A large chocolate cake with a four and a zero candle placed on top sits on the table along with a bucket containing one bottle of champagne and one bottle of sparkling grape juice.
A few wrapped presents sit on the chair next to the table.
I was expecting him to ignore his birthday gifts and decorations and strip my clothes off immediately.
But he looks around the room in awe. The fact that the crew got these things together so quickly is impressive, but part of me wishes I could have done more.
If only I had more time, I could have thought of some more personalized gift ideas, hell, even asked what his favorite type of cake is instead of assuming chocolate.
A huge smile is on his face, and his eyes even look a little glassy as he reaches for the presents on the chair.
He shakes the first one, a small box, near his ear as if he’s a little kid on Christmas morning.
How excited and appreciative of all of this makes me ask a question that I won’t say out loud because it makes me so sad.
Has he ever opened up a present before in his entire life?
Then he tears the wrapping off like an animal, letting the small bits of paper fall to the floor.
He reveals a box that contains a gold watch.
Judging from the label, he’s going to get a large bill for this room service.
I wish I had my own money to pay for this stuff, but I guess he’s so stupidly rich now that it doesn’t matter.
He pulls the tissue paper out of one of the gift bags and throws it over his shoulder. “Hah!” He produces a bottle of whiskey. “I’m picky, and this is the only brand I drink.” He looks deep in thought. “Did you tell them that?”
I nod.
He’s practically glowing. “I didn’t think you ever noticed.”
“Of course I noticed. I even noticed little things like this when I still hated you.”
He makes a noise in his throat. “I suppose you were gathering information on how to kill me in a non-bloody way in that stage.”
“Exactly,” I laugh.
He puts on a look of exaggerated scrutiny and examines the seal of the bottle. “Doesn’t look like you asked them to poison it.”
He has the rest of his presents ripped open in the blink of an eye.
I’ve never seen him this happy, this boyish, this… light and innocent in my entire life. Before opening this door, I was looking forward to being tied up and doing whatever vile things Alessandro had in mind for me.