Chapter Two
Alessia
I weaved through the tables of the restaurant with a shopping bag in hand.
Billie Eilish’s song, Bad Guy, pumped through my earphones.
It was like my private soundtrack. Each step I took matched the rhythm, lifting my mood and making the mundane seem cinematic.
People crowded the tables mid-conversation.
Others clinked glasses, and soft laughter created a comforting hum around me.
My best friend, Carina, waved at me from a cozy spot by the window, adjusting her eyeglasses with a bright grin. I was late again, something she’d come to expect.
I dropped into the chair across from her as I placed the white shopping bag on my lap, still bopping my head to the music.
Carina’s mouth moved, but I couldn’t hear her words beneath my earphones. She snapped her fingers in front of me, her brows knitted in frustration. Grinning, I slid out one earbud, finally granting her the attention she demanded.
“Talking to me?” I teased, eyes dancing.
She rolled her eyes and took a sip of her cola, setting the bottle down just as I snatched it. I sipped from her straw, careful to avoid smudging my lipstick.
Clearing my throat, I leaned in, excitement bubbling inside me. “Guess who showed up at the cafe today?”
“Please don’t tell me it’s Lucas again.” Carina’s voice was laced with dread, but a smile tugged at her lips.
I shook my head, the grin still plastered on my face. “Would I be smiling like this if it were him?”
Her laughter was warm as she removed her eyeglasses. “Alright, spill the tea.”
I leaned closer, my voice low and teasing. “Professor Gilbert.” Memories of high school flooded in. Carina’s hand flew to her mouth, laughter spilling out. “He left me a tip, you know?”
“Oh, please, let’s not bring him up. I’m still mad at him.”
I smirked, raising a brow. “You’re mad because you drew a cock on your answer sheet. Who should be mad here?” The old memories brought a mischievous smile to my lips. “Honestly, he could have done worse.”
Back in high school, Gilbert was our least favorite teacher.
He was a strict biology professor who never hesitated to remind us of our shortcomings.
We spent countless hours dreading his classes, yet our rebellion found its moments.
Carina had drawn a particularly unflattering cock on her test paper, and I threw coffee into his car when he left the window open. The old revenge still made us giggle.
Carina raised her brows. “He went easy on us because he liked you.”
I signaled a waiter, chuckling. “He knew my father. That’s why.”
The waiter took our orders and departed, leaving us to our memories.
Carina’s eyes fell on my lap, and she smirked. “What’s in the bag?”
Lifting the bag with pride, I laughed. “New underwear. I bought some with the tip he left today.”
Her eyes sparkled with intrigue. “That big of a tip, huh?”
“Yep, but please don’t call me paranoid.” I needed to be ready for Marco’s birthday, which was coming.
She rolled her eyes, a skill of hers, and grabbed the bag. Rummaging through it with a dramatic sigh, she pulled out the first thing she found. “Panties? Really? You bought granny panties?”
Defensively, I shrugged. “Come on. They’re pretty enough.”
Carina looked unimpressed, tucking the underwear back with a huff. “Hell no. We’re going back for a real shopping trip. Babe, you’re preparing for a birthday, not bingo night.”
Her insistence was ridiculous, yet I couldn’t help but laugh.
Carina’s imagination, sparked by her romantic novels, colored every decision.
Fine, maybe she was right, because it would be my first night with Marco since we started dating.
My cheeks flushed at the thought. Was I overthinking it? Or Was she?
After lunch, we went to a lingerie shop, ushered in by a smiling attendant. Carina’s eyes glinted with the thrill of the hunt as she approached her.
“Which section has the best goodies?” She asked, her words loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.
The attendant pointed at a spot in the back, leaving us to browse without her help. Carina dragged me toward the brighter-colored section, the racks brimming with laces and silks.
“We need something alluring,” she declared.
I trailed a hand along the racks, feeling out of place in the midst of Carina’s endless enthusiasm. “I don’t know,” I muttered. She spun on her heel, her curls bouncing, while her brow quirked. “I have a bad feeling about this.”
“About what? Losing your virginity?”
My cheeks warmed as I brushed past her. “No, just about… all of this. It’s too much. I mean, look around. How do I even choose?”
Her laughter rang out as she picked a hot pink set, holding it up with a gleam in her eyes. “See? It’s appealing.”
My face scrunched up. “Appealing to what exactly?”
“Appealing to Marco, silly.” Her voice dropped. “A little sexy, it’s all about entangling his desires.”
A flutter of nerves sparked low in my stomach. “I love this,” I said about a black set. “It’s—”
Carina interrupted with a scream. “Mother of Jesus, girl, are you attending a burial on Marco’s bed?”
“It can’t be that bad.”
“Yes, it is.” She nodded toward another set. “I would rather choose red.”
“Red is danger,” I emphasised, grabbing a blue coloured pair instead.
“Who doesn’t want a little danger in bed? Legs up, legs around his neck, legs around his waist. Do you know that the positioning of legs defines a sex style?”
A chuckle escaped me. I was about to say something witty when a man entered the aisle with the saleswoman.
He was tall, muscular, and in a perfectly tailored black suit.
I couldn’t help but stare as he examined one of the high-end pieces, the red set Carina almost forced on me.
He must have felt my gaze on him because he looked up, eyes catching mine with an intensity that pinned me to the spot.
Dark gray eyes. The color reminded me of storm clouds before a downpour.
Eye colour was my weakness. A sinful thrill worked its way through me.
They held an intense look that seemed both distant and dangerously close, demanding respect.
My breath caught, a tingle racing down my spine.
I turned back to the rack, forcing myself to focus.
With a mischievous gleam, Carina held up the pink and red sets and walked over to him, ignoring my mortified look. “Excuse me, which of these do you think is better?”
Shocked, I stepped closer, intending to drag her away. “Carina, please don’t—”
The man glanced at the options in her hands, a slight smirk tugging at his lips as he turned back to her.
“Depends,” he said in a voice that was all rich velvet, layered with a thick Russian accent.
Carina, unfazed, tilted her head. “On what?”
My face was burning, but his eyes flickered over to me. “Who’s wearing it?”
Carina pointed at me. “My best friend here.”
His gaze locked onto mine with an undeniable glint. “Red.”
Every inch of my skin became warm as I tried to regain my composure. “Thank you,” I mumbled, attempting to grab Carina’s hand to leave. This was a stranger, and I did not need the extra embarrassment.
Completely unfazed, she pulled her hand free, grinning. “See? Told you so.”
The man turned to the saleslady, grabbing the red set I discarded moments ago. “I’ll take this,” he said and left to the cashier, leaving Carina and me standing in stunned silence.
Carina nudged me, her eyes glinting with teasing amusement. “He is hot.”
The fact that he shopped for his woman was hotter. But I didn’t say that to Carina or acknowledge the excitement in her voice. She finally bumped me with her hip, tired of my silence and I forced myself to speak.
“And dangerous,” I whispered. Very dangerous.