“See, there it is again,” I say, tilting my head curiously, deliberately trying to piss him off now in the same way that he’s pissed me off. “Those orders. Like is it a fetish? Does Violetta know about this?” A muscle flicks in Christian’s jaw as he stares down at me, and honestly half of me wonde
Frankie doesn’t say anything when I get down to the car, just smirks at me and raises an eyebrow. I don’t bother to fill him in, giving a coy shrug as I move to the front seat and slide in. We’re on the road quickly and Frankie fills the ride with chatter, telling me the basics about Lupa, which a
“Let’s get something straight,” Andre says, turning to face me the moment that he puts the bar back in place. My eyes go wide at way he’s already snapping at me – god, is he my boss? Is this what my days are going to be like now? I nod, eager, letting Andre know that I’m listening. “I don’t know
“Sir?” Andre says, coming to my rescue as he walks to my side, polishing a glass as he does. His hands are always in motion, I’ve noticed – always busy fixing, cleaning, setting straight. “Well, Andre?” Romano says, shifting his eyes to the man in charge. “How’s she fitting in?” “So far so good,
“Did you get a GED?” I ask, fascinated, but then Andre barks my name and I blush. He nods significantly down at the paper in my hand and I bite my lip, forcing myself to pay attention. But I can’t help it when my eyes drift back to Frankie. Frankie – he really is full of surprises, isn’t he? I f
“What the hell, Frankie!” I hiss, leaning over the bar to smack him on the arm. “Why didn’t you tell me that!?” He grins at me, pleased at his little trick. “You didn’t ask, Bambs. Come on, you ready to go home? I’ll let you make me dinner.” I scowl at him, but I admit – it’s hard to be mad at h
I smile at him, pleased to be seen, pleased to have him understand me. “You looked good, happy for once,” he says, pulling the car to a stop at a red light and taking a long moment to look into my eyes, to study my face. “You looked…really good, behind that bar.” I fight my urge to bite my lip b
Frankie bursts into a grin. “Iris,” he murmurs, shaking his head, “we didn’t save you from one prostitution ring just to sink you into another. Besides, you know Christian would never allow that.” I scowl, angry to have been led astray by his story, but Frankie just laughs some more and continues.
A small smile creeps on Leo’s lips. “Yeah, okay,” he says, relaxing back against our chair. “Our secret.” I grin at my baby, leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek, because my boy can’t resist a secret.“What’s all this?”I turn to see Christian standing at the open door, peering into the dining
The danger. It’s…it’s far too poignant.My heart breaking, I open a private browsing tab on the web browser and quickly search for Craigslist in both this city and Athens, Greece. As I do my memory goes back to a conversation I had with Frankie, when he told me that this is the best way he knows for
I stand frozen, staring down at the letter as it sits on the little hall desk, my breath coming in fluttery little gasps.The words are very simple.There are vineyards in Greece as well. I’ll take you there.I read it again and again as my heart pounds in my chest, each beat echoing with a mix of h
“You don’t know anything about my life,” I whisper, my voice barely audible, turning my eyes back down to the dishes. “I had no choice.”“You think you’re the only one who suffered?” Lucy whispers. “You think I wanted to be in this position? We were friends once, Iris. We were good to each other. Bu
“Mommyyyy,” Leo says, looking anxiously towards the kitchen door, shifting from foot to floor. “Hurry up! Aunt Bianca says we have to go!”I laugh, glancing down at my little boy, who looks so adorable in the private school uniform he wears to Kindergarten – crisp white shirt, navy blazer, his dark
But…was it? Was it me, missing Chris? Wanting to have yet another piece of him, even if I long denied wanting any ties to my past life?I look down, my heart heavy, not truly understanding what I think or what I feel.“I mean it, Iris,” Chris says, his voice steady and cool. “I’ll be a father to her
My heart sinks as I look Christian in the eyes – because beyond all hope, I had been praying that he hadn’t noticed that Leo is his son. But how could I have been so naïve? Leo looks just like him - dark hair, striking grey-blue eyes. The resemblance is unmistakable. I feel a wave of guilt crashing
“Yes,” he answers, a growl in his voice. “That should suit just fine.”I laugh at the irony in this and shake my head, looking away. “So now you want me to come back, to pretend as if nothing ever happened? You expect me to just accept this, the way things are now?”Christian opens his mouth to resp
Disappointment floods my chest, a sense of disbelief washing over me. “You think I would trust you again after everything? After how you treated me? You expect me to just come back and forget?”His eyes narrow, disappointment etched into his features. “You were faithless. I thought you’d be loyal. I