Chapter 51 The Art Of Lying
Chapter fifty-one
The Art Of Lying
Marco
I carry Sophia back to our bedroom, and we shower and dress, moving around each other in a comfortable silence that feels like decades in the making. Today will be her first interaction with her dad since she moved in with me, and I can sense her nervousness.
He’s made it clear he doesn’t approve of the recent upgrade of our relationship.
I step in behind her as she finishes getting ready in front of my full-length mirror.
Sophia looks every bit the powerful lawyer.
Her tailored gray suit fits like a glove, while the touches of red with her pointed Prada heels and deep cherry lipstick give off an air of “don’t fuck with me.
” My girl is no wallflower. She adds her diamond drop earrings, the ones I gifted her, and a satisfied smile tugs at my lips.
I loop my arms around her waist and rest my chin on her shoulder.
“Are you ready to blindside those fuckers with your brilliance this week, Miss Princi?”
She leans back into me and sighs. “I feel like there’s not enough camouflage to weather the onslaught of my dad’s disapproval. I just hate the way we left things on the weekend.”
She turns in my arms. “Marco, tell me what I’m missing. Why you two were arguing?”
This is it...I should tell her. But we’re going to need more than the ten minutes to unpack what I need to confess to her.
“Baby, can we table this discussion? I need to get to Chiara. She’s got me running her around the city all fucking week in preparation for the Natalia Hirsch exhibition, and Avery is going to be here in…” I look at my watch. “Five minutes to drive you to work.”
“Marco. I feel like you’re hiding something from me.”
I lean in to kiss her lips, mumbling against them. “I promise we’ll talk about this later. Time check. Avery will be here in four minutes. Coffee machine is ready for you.”
She pins me with a warning look that I’m sure is going to be her secret weapon in court.
“This conversation is far from over. We’re going to talk about this tonight, okay?” I give her a mock salute, and she exhales exasperatedly.
“Also, I would’ve just ordered an Uber or asked Raf’s driver to swing by and get me. I’m a thousand percent certain Avery has far better things to do than drive around your...”
“Love of my life. And no, Avery does whatever the fuck I tell him to.” Putting my lips to her ear, I whisper, “Besides, don’t forget what you promised me when you were desperate for my cock earlier. Signed in cum, making it legal and binding.”
Heat stains her cheeks but doesn’t stop her giving as good as she gets. “You may have dick-matized me, but if I remember correctly, it was you who was desperate to fuck the life out of me this morning, Marco-Boy. Regardless, I’ll take the ride”—she winks —“on your cock, and the one to work.”
“This smart mouth,” I say as I press my lips to hers. “Have a good day. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Good luck! I can’t wait to get all the details about today’s audio porn experience.” Her cackle follows me all the way out the door. My heart swells at the domesticity of it, the comfort of knowing I’ll be coming back home to her.
My phone buzzes. Dad flashes on the screen.
I contemplate ignoring his call like I ignored Raf’s, but I owe him this conversation.
We’re a team, and I’m positive he’s already gotten Patrick’s version of events.
The split-second decision I need to make now is how much of the true version of events I want to give him.
Fuck. I feel like I’m in a game of Jenga where every single choice is a moving part that has the power to bring my life crashing down.