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“I won’t, and it’s not why I’m calling. Did you really agree to marry Renato? The guy who ogled your breasts like a Neanderthal during my wedding?”
Giorgia sighed. “I did.”
“Why?”
“Because my mother found a man for me in Italy who’s twenty-two years older than me and makes a toad look like a model.”
“Oh no, really?”
“She wants me to marry as soon as possible. It’s not like I’m the best catch, considering my family isn’t high ranking, and we’re not swimming in money.”
“But him?”
“He’s only nine years older than me, good-looking if you ignore his intolerable character, and he needs to marry soon.”
“He’s also a manwhore and won’t be faithful, according to Samuel.”
“I don’t care. I need to get out of marrying that old fool in Italy. And I’d be living close to you again.”
“That’s true. So you want Samuel to convince your brother?”
“My brother isn’t the problem. My mother is.”
“Samuel can be convincing.”
“Then let him work his charm.”
We talked for another hour before I finally ended the call. I went upstairs. As expected, Samuel wasn’t there. I changed into my nightgown, then climbed into bed and read a romance book Giorgia recommended. The heat level soon made me feel quite hot, and I put the book down. Should I go downstairs and check on Samuel?
Remembering his words about his command being law, I decided to stay where I was. I had a feeling if I pushed too hard right now, he would close himself off even more—if that was even possible.
I woke to an empty bed the next day. It was seven, later than my usual wake-up time, and the explanation why Samuel wasn’t still in bed, but one look at his side made me doubt he had slept here at all. Maybe he had fallen asleep in his office again.
Sighing, I got ready for the day. I hadn’t heard from Ines yet about the self-help group for Made Men, so I decided to spend the day shopping. Samuel’s comment about my shoes still hung in my head, and maybe a little out of spite, I had every intention of buying a couple more heels for my collection. I hadn’t chatted with Anna since the wedding, so maybe I’d use my shopping spree to send her a couple of pictures of my planned purchases and ask for her professional advice. She was the Outfit’s fashionista after all.
Once I was dressed for the day, I moved downstairs and had breakfast then asked Leo to take me shopping. The moment Ireached the car, Leo appeared beside me and held the door open. His expression burst with uncertainty. “Should I help you?” He gestured from me to the back seat.
I smiled. “No, thank you.” I moved my wheelchair even closer to the car until it touched the side of the car. Danilo’s car had quite a few scratches because of this. I engaged the brakes and grabbed the armrest of the door and the seat, then used my legs to push me out of my wheelchair and slide into the back seat.
I disengaged the brakes and gave Leo instructions on how to fold my wheelchair before I closed the door and waited for him to get into the car as well. I could tell that Leo was still unsure how and if he was supposed to assist me, but I knew that was only temporary until we found a routine.
Luckily, Leo knew the best places from his years as Sofia’s and Ines’s bodyguard. I felt strange spending the day shopping like a trophy wife. I’d never considered myself one, but today, I definitely acted like one. Leo remained my shadow throughout the day and had lunch with me in a small restaurant that belonged to an Outfit member so he regarded it as safe.
On our way back home to the mansion, I finally decided to give the dance studio a call and ask for a tryout session. I was giddy and nervous when I hung up. It had been a long time since I had dance lessons.
Leo gave me a worried look through the rearview mirror. “Is this Outfit-owned?”
I frowned. I doubted the Outfit had any dance studios. “I reckon the only dance studios the Outfit would maintain are forexoticdance.”
He burst out laughing but sobered quickly. “Naturally, but if this isn’t Outfit-owned, you need your husband’s permission.”
I bit my lip. It wasn’t new that I needed to ask for permission. Danilo had kept a very close eye on me, but Samuel switchedbetween hot and cold so quickly that I wasn’t sure how much of my daily life he really wanted to be involved in.
“You are right,” I said quietly.
Leo returned to the staff room, and I decided to take a dip in the pool as it was a particularly warm summer day. After changing into my bikini and a bathrobe, I wheeled outside. Steps rang out, and Leo showed up on the terrace. I raised my eyebrows.
“Samuel made it very clear that I should be by your side the moment you are outside.”