Chapter 21
Daisy Peonia Mary Parker
Silver River, South Mississippi, USA
I saw the certainty of his intentions in his jade eyes, and I couldn't shake the memory of Senator Jones' lifeless body. I imagined Aunt Lizzie, Oli, and Liv in the same situation, and it twisted my gut into a knot. I remembered Lester, who had died because of me too.
I couldn't let history repeat itself. I couldn't let those I loved suffer the consequences of my actions. However, I wasn't lying to Camillo Vicari when I insisted that they would never believe that far-fetched story. No one in their right mind would buy it.
Call my family and go, ‘Bye, bye, I got a new job and I’m moving to Italy!’ Yeah, very believable.
Still, that's what that mafia idiot expected. He stood there, on the other side of the table, staring at me with a predatory look, waiting for me to pick up the phone and agree to his demands.
I scanned the room, paying attention to the kitchen with its white cabinets and black marble countertops, its stainless-steel appliances that looked way too expensive, and the depressing absence of any sharp utensils close enough to be used.
He seemed to read my thoughts. He flashed a wicked smile that further accentuated his well-defined jawline and revealed perfect teeth, his expression saying, ‘try it, and you'll see’.
I shifted uncomfortably in those oversized clothes. His musk scent was ingrained in them and now spread warm across my skin, closing the distance between us in all the wrong ways.
Was I already suffering the first symptoms of Stockholm syndrome?
I held my breath.
My inappropriate thoughts about the man's scent, however, gave me an idea that might actually work. That might be enough to convince Aunt Lizzie and Olivia that there was a valid reason for me to go to Italy, but I would need him to cooperate.
“Alright.” I agreed, sucking in a breath. “But we’re going to the bedroom, and you're going to have to take your clothes off.”
His olive skin took on a tone that was too yellow to be healthy.
“Scusa...?” he asked me, his huge eyes wide open.
“You're scused” I replied, too amused by my kidnapper's horror. “You want me to convince my family, right? My friends?” I reminded him. “They won’t buy a work contract. But if I tell them I met a hot businessman and I’m going away with him…”
“And how exactly does me being naked help, Signorina Parker?”
“Relax! Your dignity’s safe, sugar. I just need my aunt and my friend to see you in the background while I FaceTime them.
Like you’re asleep. It’ll make everything more believable.
” I explained, seeing his unconvinced expression.
“Or would you rather they think I got kidnapped by some pervert and I’m calling them at gunpoint? ”
He grunted, ruffling his black hair, full of waves as shiny as satin. “Va bene. Andiamo.”
He took my phone and, once again, decided it was appropriate to drag me by the arm as if I was cattle being led back to the herd.
Instead of throwing me into the small room where I spent the night, he shoved me into a rather spacious one, with simple furniture but decorated with a few pictures of animals and potted plants.
The unmade bed, with dark blue silk sheets falling to the floor, and a clock on the bedside table, revealed that he had spent the night there. But I didn't need them to understand that. The smell of his perfume, sweet, some mixture of vanilla and liqueur, filled the air.
His sudden movements made me stare at him and I had to hold my breath.
The shirt he had been wearing was now on the floor, allowing me to observe his muscular torso, with tattooed shoulders and neck.
Unable to stop him, I took a step back, my mouth falling open as he unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants, pulling the rest of his clothes down. All of them.
The man was naked.
I squeezed my eyes shut. “Taking your shirt off would’ve been enough, you fucking exhibitionist!” I squealed.
“You're the one who said it had to be believable,” he muttered, and I could hear the creak of the mattress. “Phone’s on the nightstand. Hurry up.”
I forced myself to open my eyes again, focusing on the bedside table and its light stone top and the phone over it.
I walked over to the device and took one last look at him before unlocking it.
He was lying face down, one leg bent and his arms under the pillow.
The muscles of his body accentuated by the position he was in.
The bastard had no right being that attractive.
I cleared my throat and composed myself, turning my back to him and bringing the phone to my face. It didn't take me long to notice the missed calls from Aunt Lizzie and dozens of messages from Olivia.
“Just pretend you’re asleep,” I said to my captor, who responded with a grunt.
I took a deep breath, forcing myself to smile. The phone's ringtone filled the air, and it wasn't long before Aunt Lizzie's swollen, disheveled face appeared on the screen.
“DAISY PEONY MARY PARKER, WHERE IN HEAVENS ARE YOU?!” she shouted, and I widened my eyes. Aunt Lizzie had never yelled at me before. But her anger was short-lived, and she began to sob. “Do you have any idea how worried we were?!”
Two other heads appeared on the screen.
“Daisy Doll, you almost gave your aunt a heart attack!” Oliver scolded, his tattooed bald head appearing on the screen. He didn't stay there long, nor did Aunt Lizzie.
The image spun around before I could even process what was happening, and stabilized again on an angry face, where a pair of brown eyes glared at me.
“What the hell did you get yourself into, you mad woman?!”
I bit my lower lip, praying to the good Lord that the mobster behind me would be able to keep up the charade.
“I… I was heading home last night, and I ran into someone…” I whispered, turning my phone slightly so the naked man behind me slipped into frame. “Let’s just say it was… interesting.”
Olivia's mouth first formed a shocked O, then broke into a thunderous laugh.
“Daisy!”
“Shhhh...” I asked, acting as if I were trying to avoid waking the man behind me. “It was… quite a night.”
“Yeah, I can tell by that miserable look on your face!” My friend declared, and I huffed out a laugh.
“What's happening? What's going on, Olivia?” I heard Aunt Lizzie ask, and choked as I realized something.
Oliver had met my kidnapper. If he saw the man, he might recognize him, and if that happened, we'd all be dead.
“Tell her it’s girl stuff!” I blurted out, grimacing at Olivia.
“Oliver, Daisy was getting laid last night. Unless you feel like seeing another guy naked, get out.”
I closed my eyes. How had she managed to become a prosecutor with that lethal tongue?
I could hear the echoes of Oli's protests and a distant ‘God forbid’, followed by a door slamming and women's laughter. Aunt Lizzie suddenly appeared on the screen, her rectangular glasses perched on the tip of her nose and her face too close to the camera.
She opened her mouth wide, laughing immediately.
“Oh my good Lord, Honeybee! All your sins are forgiven.” she declared, and Olivia pressed her head against hers.
“Your aunt is right. Where the hell did you find that piece of cake?”
“I already knew him... We met at the gym.” Fortunately, the man had enough muscles to sustain the lie. “He offered me a ride yesterday and I guess one thing led to the other.”
“And you ended twelve years of celibacy in the best way possible, babe!” My best friend laughed.
“What's his name, Daisy?” Aunt Lizzie wanted to know.
My kidnapper could remain unperturbed and calm, but I knew the conversation was dragging on too long. Worse, I couldn't say the guy's name. I decided to be creative, smiling with a hint of mischief.
“His name is Pasquale Carmelo Filiberto.” Aunt Lizzie and Olivia frowned, and I almost burst out laughing when I heard the heavy sigh behind me.
Small victories.
“Uh, that's...?”
“Italian,” I replied with morbid satisfaction. “He's a veterinarian, you know?” My aunt and Olivia seemed impressed, until I added the following information, “He works in bovine insemination. He basically collects bull’s sperm, and has been working on one of the farms on the outskirts of our town.”
My aunt and Olivia seemed mortified. They exchanged looks, not knowing how to respond to that information. But I was getting deep pleasure out of it.
“He… wants me to go to Italy with him.” I finally announced.
“What?!” They yelled in unison.
“Like, today.”
They looked flabbergasted.
“Daisy, no.” Aunt Lizzie growled, shaking her orange curls. “I don’t care how hot that Tamale Caramelo is…”
“Pasquale Carmelo Filiberto, Aunt Lizzie.” I corrected, fighting an overwhelming urge to laugh.
“Whatever. Don’t care how hot that fella is. You.don’t.know.him.”
“Your aunt is right, Daisy!”
“Guys…” I whispered, leaning in closer to the phone. “He’s not just handsome. He’s… big. Like, really big.”
They laughed like schoolgirls.
“Daisy, I don’t care—”
“Aunt Lizzie, he’s rich too.” I knew those were the magic words my aunt wanted to hear. As much as she loved Oliver now, for years, the indispensable quality in her idiotic lovers had been a fat bank account.
She peered over her glasses. “How rich are we talking about?”
“Aunt Lizzie, please!” Olivia scolded, interrupting us and dragging my aunt away from the phone. “Daisy, come home. Don't do this.”
“Liv...” I begged, as much as I wanted to do what she asked. “It’s just a week… okay?”
“Daisy, no.”
I heard a discreet clearing of the throat behind me and shuddered at the warning it contained. I knew I had to convince them, whatever it took.
There was only one thing I could say to convince them that I was really willing to travel with a man I had just met. So, with a heavy heart, I uttered the words.
“I haven’t felt this alive since Lester.”