"Stop complaining! You look freaking hot! With a capital H,” Emily declared, eyeing me in the mirror with approval as I tugged at the hem of the mini black dress, trying to cover a little more of my thighs. The silk dress was pretty, no doubt, with a cross spaghetti strap neckline. But it hugged my curves a little too tightly. Not that I didn't enjoy looking sexy, but I didn't want to flash everyone.
“I'm really not sure about this. It shows too much skin, Emily!” Technically, this girl had barged into the mansion, telling me we were going to one of her friend’s parties, whom I did not even know. And was not even invited to. Since Lorenzo had been extremely strict with my security with the ongoing incidents in my life, obviously I did not want to provoke the lion and leave my only shelter for now without informing him. So I called and told him that I was going out with Emily. But with a little twist.
She told me to tell him we were going shopping instead. I did not see any point in lying, but Emily insisted that he would not let me leave, given how he had his men watching me like hawks and reporting everything back to him. She got all the insights from Giovanni. Which makes me wonder sometimes, they have been spending an awfully good amount of time together.
Lorenzo did not have a problem with me going out, but he told me that I would have to go with his guards in one of his cars since he was very busy with some work. He specifically said and I quote, ‘Make sure your phone and the guards are with you all the time.’Something about the fact that he cared about my safety made my heart flutter.
“First, you're making me lie to Lorenzo about where we're going, and now the dress. Something tells me he's not going to be happy if he finds out,” I remarked, feeling the weight of guilt settle in. It was frustrating knowing I was deceiving him, even if it was for something as trivial as attending a party. I mean, it was not necessary. I'm sure he wouldn't have minded me going anywhere. Besides, why did I even feel the need to satisfy him by letting him know where I was going in the first place?
“Girl, he ain't your dad that you're worried about upsetting. Why do you even care? Is there something I should know? Are you falling for the big, bad Alpha? I thought you said it was nothing. Just a silly crush?” Emily's frown made me pause, her words hitting a little too hard.
“I mean, I'm practically living in his house. I should be considerate and not add to his troubles,” I reasoned, trying to justify my unease.
“Like what? Causing an accident while you strut down the road, sporting that sexy ass and looking like the sexy princess you are? Trust me, girl, even if you do go to jail for that, I'm pretty sure he could bail you out. I mean, he did cause all that drama at the club and saved you, didn't he? He would surely have his way with the police. So chill,” Emily waved off my concerns with a flick of her hand. “Besides, no one is going to tell him. Plus, I already know he's already in deep for you. So one solid puppy eyes from you andbam. All problems solved,” she added, her assurance only leaving me more bewildered.
“First, the club where he caused the drama is practically his own. Second, we're leaving with his men. How are you going to get rid of them?” I retorted, feeling a surge of sass bubbling up. “Third, what does it even mean that he's in deep for me?” I pressed, eager to unravel the mysteries surrounding Lorenzo's actions.
‘You are mine.’
That surely had to mean something? And the kiss? Maybe he does like me.
“You, my girl, are forever going to be clueless. No one, and I mean absolutely no one, lets somebody stay in their house without a reason, for free!” Emily pointed out, her words hitting me with a dose of reality. “And second, we don't have to worry about his men,” she continued, her plan unfolding with theatrical flair as she draped an overcoat over my shoulders and tied it neatly above my belly. “We're going to go to the mall, like you told your man—”
“Well, he's not my man,” I interjected, feeling the need to clarify our relationship status.
“Yet,” Emily teased, flashing me her trademark cheeky smirk. “While they wait outside the mall, we're going to escape from the backdoor and ditch them,” she explained, her gestures adding an extra layer of drama to her plan.
“Is that really necessary?” I questioned, still unsure about the need for such elaborate measures.
“Yes. Because you're a free woman. He doesn't own you. You can come and go as you please,” Emily reminded me, her words resonating with a newfound sense of liberation.
“Why do you have to make everything so dramatic? It feels like an escape scene from a movie,” I remarked, adding a touch of skepticism to Emily's grand plan.
“Trust me, girl. Life's no fun without some drama,” she quipped, her enthusiasm infectious as we prepared to embark on our clandestine adventure.
“His men are going to report back to him anyway when we don't show up.”
“We won't take that long. On average, a girl needs four hours for shopping. We'll surely be done before that.”
As we stepped outside the mansion, we were greeted by the sight of an orange Lamborghini parked alongside a Mercedes G-Wagon. My jaw dropped in disbelief, mirroring Emily's stunned expression. It seemed our escapade was about to take an unexpected turn, courtesy of Lorenzo's unexpected generosity.
The G-wagon had exactly four men sitting in it, all dressed in black. One of them got out of the car and opened the door of the Lambo for me.
“I’m Christopher. Capo said that you can drive his car. We'll be right behind you.”Oh. My jaw dropped as I turned to face Emily, who had a similar expression as me. Obviously, we two broke knuckleheads could only ever dream about riding in a Lamborghini. Let alone driving one.
“And what were you saying about him not being in deep for you?” Emily teased, her smirk widening as she enjoyed my stunned reaction.
“Shut up,” I muttered, unable to suppress the flutter of excitement building within me.
***
"Come on. Loosen up, will ya?" Emily nudged me, downing another shot of martini. We managed to escape Lorenzo's guards a little too easily, to my surprise, thanks to Emily's meticulous planning. Her friend, James, was already on standby at the back door of the mall to receive us when we madeour escape. Emily had even taken the liberty of setting my phone on airplane mode to ensure we would not be disturbed by what she called 'our guard dogs'.
"Out of all the places we could go, you had to take me to a club?" I remarked, feeling out of place between Emily and James, who seemed to be trying a little too hard to impress me with his pickup lines.
"Well, it's not my fault my friend decided to have her birthday party at a club. And it's not that bad. Just enjoy yourself for once," Emily urged, taking another shot with Gusto, another one of her friends who had a great body.
"Yeah, and where is this guest of honor anyway?" I asked, feeling a twinge of annoyance at being dragged to a club against my will.
