Chapter 7
ARIA
A sudden banging noise from somewhere rouses me from the deep sleep I'm in. I let out a groan as I stretch my arms and legs out in the bed, my body shivering a little from the slight chill in the room when the sheet slips down to my waist.
I wonder why my room is so cool when it’s normally warm, but I don’t pay too much mind to it as I blindly grab for the fallen sheet. I pull it up to cover me again, intent on going back under the warmth of it so I can get some more sleep. It feels much too early to be awake.
Just then, another hard knock sounds at the door. I’m guessing that’s the sound that woke me up in the first place. When it sounds again, louder this time and more insistent, my eyes instantly pop open.
It takes a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the low light coming from the nightlight in the room. I’m disoriented for a moment as I look down at the unfamiliar bed I'm currently in. I look up, take in my surroundings, and see that this is definitely not my room.
All at once, I remember my night with Enzo Andretti and my body heats all over again, cheeks flaming at the memory of every dirty thing we did together. I turn my head to his side of the bed only to see that it’s empty.
What else did you expect, Aria? For him to profess his undying love to you after only one night together?
I run my hand along the sheets where he’s supposed to be and find they're cold, which means he obviously left a long time ago. I don’t know why the absence of him causes an ache to form in my chest, but it does.
I should have known this was coming, since all we agreed on was a one-night stand.
I was determined to lose my virginity, even though he didn’t know that.
But still, it kind of stings that he didn’t at least wait until I woke up.
Then again, it might be a good thing that he’s gone, so we don’t have to face any awkwardness.
Even though we’re supposed to be enemies because of our families—well, because my father hates his family—I couldn’t help but feel like there was a connection between us last night.
The chemistry was undeniable and explosive, and we couldn’t resist it.
I mean, it had to be, to have that kind of mind-blowing sex, right?
I look over at the clock on the bedside table and see that it’s three a.m. I instantly scramble out of bed. Shit! Shit! Shit!
How could I be this stupid?
I’m going to be dead if my father ever finds out I snuck out of the house and spent hours being gone.
My thoughts race as I quickly pull my clothes back on.
Once I’m done, I take a quick look around the room.
Being the sucker for punishment that I am, I look at the bedside table to see if he left any kind of note for me.
I’m wildly disappointed when my search turns up nothing.
Not wanting to dwell on that right now, since I need to get out of here and sneak back into the house before my father finds out, I quickly walk out of the bedroom to head for the front door. Just as I’m almost there, there’s more knocking on the door before the pounding begins again.
I’m about to turn around and head back into the room to climb out the window or something because I don’t know who’s there, friend or foe.
Since I’m no longer dressed in my disguise, I don’t want anyone else besides Enzo knowing that I was even here.
Just as I’m about to make a run for it, I hear Giana’s voice from the other side, and relief sweeps through me.
“Aria! Open up. I know you’re in there! I swear to God if you don’t open this door in the next minute, I’m breaking it down and kicking your ass since you apparently want to get killed!
” Giana whisper-shouts. I rush the rest of the way to the door and pull it open just as she’s about to hammer on it again.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I lost track of time and fell asleep,” I say apologetically.
“So, I take it ‘operation lose your virginity’ was a success then, since we didn’t end up going to the club and you fell asleep here,” she deadpans.
“Oh, absolutely, and it was amazing! I didn’t know it could be that good,” I say with a dreamy sigh, getting lost in the memories of earlier. “How did you know I was here?”
“I want to hear all about it, but that’s going to have to wait until later.
Right now, I need to get you back home before your father returns.
I don’t want him to get there, only to find you missing.
We both know he’ll kill you for sneaking out.
And I kinda like you, ya know?” she says in a rush.
“And I’ll explain how I knew you were here later. ”
“Right. Yeah, let’s go!” I tell her as I walk out the door, pulling it closed behind me. I see Bruno standing there a few feet away, and I wave at him.
He nods and begins to walk ahead of us. I take one last look at the guesthouse, then turn around and follow Giana and Bruno. He quickly takes us to the front of the property where we were parked. There are still a few cars here, but most are gone. Thank God no one else is outside right now.
I get in the front seat and wait for Giana and Bruno to say goodbye to each other, which involves a few kisses. I’m happy for them, but I feel a pang of sadness. I wish I had the freedom to choose my boyfriend and eventually my husband, but alas, that has already been decided for me.
I just have to look on the bright side, I guess. I got to choose who I gave my virginity to. I’m glad that monster Salvatore won’t ever get that part of me. Giana gets into the car a moment later, and Bruno taps the roof as she begins to drive toward the gates, then toward home, back to my prison.
“Looks like I’m not the only one who got lucky tonight,” I say teasingly into the silence to try and lighten the mood.
“We’ll swap stories later. For now, I just want you safe and sound in your bed,” she tells me.
“Sounds good to me. I’m bursting at the seams to tell you!” I laugh.
“I’m glad you got to let loose for one night. Think about it. Now you can call yourself Cinderella, like when she snuck out that one night to go to the ball,” she jokes.
“We are not the same. If we had to compare families, I’d say mine is worse than hers. And she got a prince out of her ordeal. All I got was a one-night stand. Even if it was the hottest night of my life.”
“Who knows? Maybe he’ll turn out to be Prince Charming.”
“I highly doubt that. Just because he didn’t kill me, it doesn’t mean he’ll want a repeat. I mean, he was gone before I even woke up, and from the looks of things, he was already gone for a while.”
“Maybe we’ll get lucky, and Salvatore will have a heart attack or someone else will kill him before it’s time for you to marry him,” she says.
“As if I’d be that lucky,” I tell her. Looking up, I see that we’re almost home, and adrenaline and anxiety course through my body as Giana turns onto the road that leads to the one that runs past the back of our property.
There is a wooded area that separates our property from the road.
Giana pulls off to the side and drives in a little, parking between a set of trees where the lower branches hide her car.
We both get out and make our way through those woods, trying to be as stealthy as possible as we walk toward the fence.
Barbed wire runs along the top, but thankfully, there’s a gate here.
I look at the time and see it’s four a.m., which means the guards are changing shifts from the night crew to the early morning one. Looking around to make sure that no one is patrolling the grounds, Giana uses the key she swiped earlier to open the gate before she hands it to me.
“Go! Get in there safely and try not to make any noise. I’ll see you later,” she tells me, and I hear the lock click back into place behind me. When I look back at her, I see that she’s already making her way back through the woods to her car.
I have the guard’s movements, shift changes, and other details memorized.
I know that at every shift change, they spend a few minutes in the office, leaving the yard clear.
You pick up a lot of shit when there are lots of sleepless nights and when people think you’re just an airhead who doesn’t know anything that’s going on around her.
To the people around me, I’m just a wallflower, and I take advantage of that, not bothering to let them know otherwise. Late at night, sometimes I sit on my balcony for hours just observing.
I used to resent the way people thought of me, but I’ve come to see the power in that. The power of being quiet and alert to everything around you. You learn a lot that way.
Double-checking the yard again, I see that it’s still clear, and I make a run for it, avoiding the cameras.
I know where the blind spots are. I go all the way to the door leading to the household staff’s quarters, since it was left unlocked earlier when we went out.
I quickly but quietly make my way through the halls, hurrying up to my room.
The house feels light as I make my way upstairs, which means Father isn’t back yet, so he doesn’t know I was gone.
I don’t know if it’s even real or just in my head, but I can tell when Father is home.
When he isn't in the house—well, prison—it feels lighter. When he’s here, it feels like a dark cloud is consuming all the energy in the place, making it suffocating.
I hasten my pace, and once I make it to my room, I change out of my clothes.
I grab a quick shower since I can feel Enzo’s cum dripping down my legs.
Cum… Holy fucking shit, his cum is inside me!
Thinking about that as I wash my body has me all hot and bothered again.
Gah, I wouldn’t have minded going at it again, but too bad this was just a one-time thing.