4. Somewhere Private
CHAPTER 4
SOMEWHERE PRIVATE
S erena
Neon lights are strung between ancient trees, painting everything in a surreal glow. The peaceful Parco Sempione is transformed into a vibrant, beating heart of music and movement. I move to the rhythm, the bass resonating through the ground, mirroring the heartbeat of the gathered masses. It’s a freeing escape; all the usual shit that gathers around my shoulders dissolving into the night.
Tonight is the first night since I arrived in Milano that I feel free to just be me. With my family surrounding me, I don’t have to be Serena Valentino, heiress and aspiring fashion designer. I can just have fun and let loose and not think about a damned thing. Most would have no idea the burden of responsibility I feel, which is why I do my best to drown it out with a life of partying and meaningless sex.
My therapist says it’s normal given my rather particular upbringing, so we’re still working on it. My phone vibrates in my purse, and I fish it out, the flash of the shiny metal of my gun glinting beneath the lights. Finally, a response from Santi. I’d been texting him all night to come meet up with us.
Santi: I think I’m going to stay in tonight.
Me: Are you serious? Since when do you miss a Friday night out?
Santi: It’ll be good for you to spend time with your family.
Me: Come on! I really want you here.
I wait for the telltale sign of blue bubbles that he’s typing a response, but I see nothing. A second later the annoying Santi has notifications silenced pops up. Damn it.
“Everything okay?” Isabella shimmies her way closer, sipping her cocktail from a bright pink straw.
“Yeah, it’s just my friend Santi. He was supposed to come meet up with us and he cancelled.”
“Oh, that sucks. I was looking forward to meeting him. He sounds like a lot of fun from all your tales of wild nights out.”
“He’s the best.”
“What’s wrong with you two?” Matteo asks.
Alessandro and Alessia saunter up behind him, the twins impeccably dressed as always in their mom’s designs. My aunt Jia has her own fashion label with her flagship store in Manhattan. She’s the one who got me the internship with Dolce & Gabbana and has been my inspiration for years.
“Nothing is wrong, right, Sere?” Bella grabs my hand and spins me in a circle.
“Nothing at all.” I give my cousins a smile as I give into the beat of the pounding bass, and I’m squeezed between Ale and Alessia in a twin sandwich.
“Happy birthday to the twins!” Isabella raises her glass, and we all clink our cocktails against it, the sharp clank echoing over the booming music.
The hours fly by, the enveloping beats captivating me in their hypnotic rhythm. A few guys have attempted to approach, but most are chased away by Raf and Alessandro’s intimidating glares. I sure as hell wouldn’t come near with those two surrounding us.
Matteo, on the other hand, has already danced with multiple females, and if I’m not mistaken fucked one behind the encircling trees. I have a nose for sex, and that man looks like someone who’s just been screwed. In the good way.
If I have any hopes of getting laid tonight, I need to lose these scary ass males surrounding me. Dancing over to Alessia, I whisper, “Let’s go to the bar.”
She eyes my nearly full glass, her dark brows furrowing.
“We’re surrounded by cock blockers, Alessia,” I hiss, eyeing her brother and Raffaele. “Don’t you want to have some fun tonight? It’s your twenty-fourth birthday, damn it.”
Her dark eyes light up, and she tosses her drink back, her bleached blonde hair cascading down her bare shoulders. “We’ll be right back.” She wiggles her fingers at her twin before weaving her arm through mine.
Alessia and I have never been super close. Somehow, we never clicked like Bella and me, but now that my baby cousin has a man, I’ll need a new partner in crime when—if—I return to Manhattan. I haven’t told anyone yet, but my boss Bianca told me I have a real shot at getting a full-time job. I’ll know for sure in the next few weeks. I’m excited and nervous as all hell about it.
Alessia pushes her way through the mass of bodies and finds a spot at the bar. With her exotic Asian Italian mix, the guys are putty in her hands. Two attractive men squeeze closer together just to let her stand beside them.
“ Grazie .” She smiles, flashing them perfect white teeth.
Both men watch her in awe as she orders our drinks in perfect Italian. The craziest part about the twins is that not only are they fluent in their father’s native language, but they also understand quite a bit of Mandarin from their mom’s side.
Once the bartender hands her our cocktails, one of the guys makes a move. He’s cute with wavy, dark hair and light hazel eyes. Alessia would devour him.
His friend inches closer to me, an easy smile stretched across a scruffy jaw. “ Ciao, sono Giancarlo .”
“ Ciao , I’m Serena.” Though I can get by in Italian, I’m still more comfortable flirting in English.
“You are beautiful.” His accent is thick and rich, and I can already picture him moaning my name as I ride his cock in the backseat of his car. “Would you like to dance?”
“ Certo .” I offer a smile before he ticks his head at his friend who’s already whisper-shouting to Alessia over the music.
He tries to lead me back to the crowded dancefloor, but the last thing I need is Giancarlo getting a peek at one of the overprotective men dancing just a few yards away. Ale gets crazy when any man comes near his sister, and I’m not in the mood for that drama tonight. “Let’s go somewhere more private.” I tick my head toward a thick copse of trees just past the bar.
Giancarlo calls out to his friend and the four of us make our way around the crowd of people huddled at the bar. We’re just beyond the main dancing area, but still well within range of the DJ’s intoxicating beats. I start to dance, and Giancarlo moves behind me, hands gripping my hips. He’s rubbing his dick against my ass and after a few seconds, he’s already hard.
As I lose myself in the music and the pleasant heat growing between my legs, the time blurs by. While I dance, I cast an occasional glance in Alessia’s direction then swivel to the rest of my cousins in the middle of the jam-packed dancefloor. Thankfully, Raf is enormous and easy to pick out of the crowd.
I throw my head back, resting it on Giancarlo’s shoulder and catch a glimpse of the stars peeking through the thick canopy of trees overhead. I was right, it was a perfect night. Giancarlo’s hand slips from my hip and drops to the hem of my tight dress. I rock my hips, urging him on and his fingers slide beneath the clingy fabric and run across my silk panties.
A groan vibrates his throat, and he presses his cock harder against my ass. “Can I?” he whispers against my ear, his finger sliding closer to the waistband. Alessia is only a few yards away, making out with her guy under the shade of an enormous oak.
I’m horny as fuck and fiery heat is streaking down my core. “Yes,” I murmur, spreading my legs.
His finger slides beneath my panties, and glides between my wet folds. I rock against his finger, urging him inside me. He takes the hint, filling me up with one finger while the other circles my clit.
“Mmm, yes,” I moan.
“Let’s go back to my place?” he pants against my ear.
I’m not going home with anyone tonight, not with my cousins in town. “Do you have a car?”
“No, I took the tram.”
“Shit,” I mutter, my hips still grinding against his palm. I glance at the woods to our right. It’s dark and everyone is entranced by the DJ and free-flowing alcohol. No one would notice. I tick my head toward the encroaching forest. “Over there.”
His light eyes blaze in excitement as he pulls his finger out, and I lead him into the murky shadows. The moment we’re cloaked beneath the canopy of trees, his mouth captures mine as he backs me against an enormous trunk. One hand is on my breast which he’s freed from my dress, his fingers teasing my nipple into a sharp point. “Mmm, yes, that feels good,” I groan. Then, I slip my panties off and get to work on his zipper as his lips burn a scorching trail down my neck.
His fingers are working me again, pumping in and out in a steadily intoxicating rhythm. I let out another moan when he pushes a second finger inside me and my pussy stretches around his skilled digits.
“Condom?” I whisper against his lips.
He pulls one from his wallet with his unoccupied hand as I free his cock. He’s hard as hell, cum already glistening on the tip as I stroke his shaft.
The sharp crackle of a twig snapping sends my eyes leaping over his shoulder.
“What was that?” He drops the condom on the ground and mutters a curse.
“I’m sure it’s nothing.” Still, I scan the darkness, in search of what I have no idea. “It’s probably just another couple hooking up.”
He glances over his shoulder, eyes wide. “Maybe we shouldn’t…”
“Are you serious?” I release his cock and glare up at him.
Another crackle, closer now. A hint of unease sparks low in my spine, and I reach for my purse. Luckily, Dolce is always ready.
“I’m married,” he blurts as he stuffs his dick back into his jeans.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” I hiss.
“ Mi dispiace .” He takes off through the woods, racing toward the sound of the music.
“Yeah, I’m sorry too, coglione .” Tugging up my panties with one hand, I keep the other tight around my purse. Gun laws in Italy aren’t as lax as they are in the U.S., and I don’t want to risk just anyone seeing me swinging my Glock around.
Narrowing my eyes, I scan the darkness once more, but all I can make out is a whole bunch of nothing. Heaving out a breath, I turn toward the clearing. I just hope Alessia had better luck than I did.