Page 42 of Unrestricted
Eliza leans against the counter, coffee cup in hand and looks up at me.
We don't speak. I look down at my phone, then back at her.
The morning light coming through the window falls across her face and I think about the gala last night, fucking her on the terrace and then ripping her dress off before taking her on all fours in my bedroom. It was wild, animalistic and everything I thought I needed.
This morning proved otherwise. It seems I also crave gentleness. Fuck! Is this woman making me weak?
Almost as if she's heard my thoughts, she smiles. "This morning was, uh, different," she says.
My heart beats faster. She looks at me expectantly, waiting for me to echo the sentiment. Suddenly my throat feels dry. I pick my phone up off the counter and stuff it in my pocket. Then, like a coward, I walk away.
FOURTEEN
Eliza
Dinner is an uncomfortable affair. Neither Adriano nor I seem to know what to say to each other. We don't mention this morning or the way he rushed out of the kitchen as if Interpol was beating down the door.
He pours the wine, a crisp Pinot Grigio, and we eat our cacio e pepe in silence.
When Rosa comes in to clear our plates and bring us the main course of pollo alla cacciatore I thank her profusely and ask where she sourced the chicken, just to make conversation.
She tells me it, and all the produce she buys, comes from the market in the village.
I say I'll check it out sometime and then realize Adriano would have to open the door to my cell before that can happen.
When she leaves the room I struggle for something to say to Adriano. The obvious thing to talk about would be the gala last night, specifically his cousin Olivia who I liked very much despite her probing nature. I wasn't quite sure if she was concerned for me or trying to get dirt on her cousin.
Talking about the gala would open the door to Adriano asking me about the man who was staring at me, the one I claimed not to know. Unfortunately he was all too familiar to me.
Marton Vida is the Hungarian crime boss my brother became indebted to, the man who used me to get to Gabriele. Knowing he’s here in Rome weighs heavily on me. I don’t like concealing his presence but I’m scared hell will be unleashed if I reveal it.
Adriano isn't an idiot. He could tell I was lying when I said I didn't know the man who was staring at me.
Seeing Marton Vida at the gala was a shock and I didn't hide my reaction well.
I don't know why I didn't tell Adriano about him there and then. I don't know why I don't tell him now.
It's fear, I guess, that he'll think badly of me. Hah! What a thought. As if his opinion of me could be any lower.
The man collared me and took me out in public. It's not a sign he views me as his equal.
As I think about that band of leather around my neck I can't help raising my fingers to my throat. I let Adriano do all sorts of things to me last night I've never considered doing before. It would be a lie if I said I didn't love every minute of it.
Being fucked on the terrace at the party was the greatest thrill I've experienced in years. I hate to think what that says about me.
"This chicken is delicious," I say in a lame attempt to make conversation.
"It's dry," Adriano says with a sniff.
"What are you talking about? It's smothered in sauce."
"Yes, but I still find it dry."
He's being like this on purpose. I suspect he's feeling as awkward as I am about the shift that happened between us this morning when we moved from raw fucking to making love.
Of course Adriano would never admit that's what it was, or that he feels any kind of way about it. Where emotions are concerned he's a steel trap. Well, apart from anger maybe, I bet he can express that just fine.
"You are such an…" I stop dead as a man walks into the room accompanied by an older woman.
