“That’s a great idea. Go on, then, something surprising.”
I’m not exactly sure that I was suggesting we play, but what the heck. “Okay … I’m a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. Both my sister and I competed as teenagers.”
“I’m impressed. And it’s good to know that I shouldn’t sneak up on you in the dark.”
“Were you planning on doing that?” The sound that slips from my mouth is a girlish giggle. I slap it quickly back in with my hand. I don’t want to wake my friends, and I certainly don’t want him to think I’m a giggler. Because I’m not.
“Your turn,” I rush to ask in an attempt to mask my awkward moment.
“Nothing as impressive as that, but I was into rowing at university.”
Rowing, that would explain his impressive chest and arms. “Which university did you go to?”
“That’s another question, and I’m keeping count.” I can hear the smile in his voice. “It was Harvard Law. What about you, did you go to university?”
“Yes, in Sydney. I have a business degree, majoring in Sports Management. During this last winter in London, I was working temporarily as a fitness manager at a central London leisure centre. That’s where I met the friends I’m travelling with; Tina is from California, and Amy is from Ireland.”
My mind then drifts to the fun times Charli and I had together there. We may have done different degrees but being at the same university meant we could share the experience.Speaking of Charli …
“Hey, I need to ask you something?”
“Isn’t that the point of the game we’re playing?” Another round of his laughter fills my ears. It’s not fair that someone as good-looking as Gio has an equally delicious, panty-melting laugh. I try to focus on my important question.
“No, something different. You know back in Capri when I mentioned my sister was working with this guy she went on a couple of dates with, and he’s now being an arsehole to her? Well, things are getting worse, and she really needs to find a newjob, but it’s hard because her boss is good friends with the guy.” I take a short breath before rushing on. “Do you think you could ask your friend if he has any bar vacancies?”
“Sure, I’ll ask Ryan tomorrow. Nobody should have to put up with crap like that. Ryan’s a good guy and would never stand for anyone being bullied in his club.”
“Thank you, I appreciate that. And, Gio, I would never have asked except for you suggesting it that day. I don’t want to take advantage of our friendship.”
“I get asked for a lot of things by a lot of people. But you asking on behalf of your sister felt nothing like you taking advantage.” The call goes silent for a moment before he adds, “I have to say, though, I don’t like the suggestion that you might have friend-zoned me.” His tone is once again flirty.
“You’re definitely not. I plan on getting you naked again in Florence.” Oh shit, what am I saying? “Sorry, I didn’t mean that. No, wait. I did. But I shouldn’t have said that. You might not want to do that … I think I drank too much wine tonight.” Finally, the words stop, and I release a heavy sigh, one hand dropping over my eyes.
“Tori, I’m eager for us both to be naked in Florence.” His words almost have me levitating from the bed in exultation. “Now it’s getting very late, and I should probably let you get some sleep.”
At the mention of sleep, a yawn stretches my mouth wide. “Probably. But thanks for calling. I really enjoyed talking to you.” Another yawn captures me. “Maybe we can do it again,” I murmur, suddenly unable to keep my eyes open.
“Buona notte, bella.”
“Buona notte, Gio.”
Chapter nine
Gio
Florence, Italy
Buzz, buzz, buzz.
My cell lights up with the name of Ryan Kelly, the owner of The Vice Club, in which another friend—Hunter Carlson—and I are silent partners. It’s not our scheduled monthly Zoom call to discuss the business because Hunter isn’t able to join. Like me, Hunter is CEO and the public face of his family’s company, Carlson Publishing. And also like me, we both like to keep our involvement with the club a closely guarded secret. We could probably count on one hand the number of people who know of our involvement in the club. For me, it’s only my three brothers, who all enjoy the benefits as VIP members. My father knows nothing about it, and I’ve gone to great lengths to keep it that way, including using an LLC company that even the most diligent investigator would struggle to uncover.
The call connects. “Hey, man. How’s life in the Big Apple?” I ask, happy to spend some time talking to my friend rather thandealing with the shitshow that was just dropped in my inbox. Somehow, my father has caught wind of the proposal Ant and I have been working on. And he’s not happy. No fucking surprise there. He’s never happy when somebody else has a good idea that he can’t claim as his own.
“Is that your way of flexing over the fact that you’re enjoying the beautiful city of Florence for the summer while I’m stuck in a sweltering concrete jungle?”
“It’s pretty sweet being able to go south to the coast and call it work.” My mind instantly flashes back to Tori and me swimming in Capri. It’s a well-run set of featured images in my dreams since we said goodbye in Sorrento. Now it’s not long before she’ll be here. I’m hoping we can pick up where we left off, and the text messages we’ve shared the last few days seem to indicate she feels the same.
I turn my attention back to Ryan as I stride across the piazza. “… so it’s been pretty busy. We’re still not seeing the gym numbers pick up after the renovations, but that’s the only area of the budget that’s down on our year-to-date forecasts.”
