Page 10 of An Inevitable Marriage

“Has anyone ever told you it’s rude to eavesdrop?”

He shrugged. “Not my fault your voice carries or that you drew the attention of everyone around when you stomped over to this bench, muttering curses loud enough for the poor people at the Empire State Building to hear you.”

A rush of heat slipped into my cheeks. I’d been so furious with Anthony, I still didn’t remember much after I’d slapped him in the bathroom. But this guy didn’t need to know that. Forcing ice into my tone, I bit out, “Exactly how long have you been watching me?”

He didn’t even flinch. “Oh, pretty much since you arrived”—he flicked his wrist and tugged his jacket and shirt up a few inches to reveal a thick silver watch and slivers of what I presumed to be a tattoo— “almost two hours ago.”

Two hours?

I’d been sitting here for two freaking hours already! How the heck was that even possible?

“Back to my proposal,” Mr. Italy said, his voice all rich and velvety. “I have this friend who desperately needs a wife—”

“He must be quite a catch if he hasyouscouring the local parks searching for his future missus.” I shook my head, barely containing an eye roll.

Unfazed, Mr. Italy threw his head back and barked a laugh I assumed most women found attractive. Hell, I bet they found all of him a lot more than just attractive. And maybe if I wasn’t so pissed off, I would have, too.

But as it stood, someone had already made a fool of me once today—twice if you counted the whole Fiona incident—and I wasn’t about to let it happen again.

“I don’t know what kind of sick game you’re playing but, buddy, today is not the day, and I am most definitely not the one. Go get your kicks somewhere else.”

I was angry that I’d sat there and listened to him for so long, so I pushed to my feet. He did, too. And before I could take even a single step, he grabbed my wrist and smacked a card against my palm.

“No games. My friend finds himself in quite a predicament, and by the sounds of it, so do you.”

I tried to free my arm, but he held on too tight.

“Just think about it, and when you realize exactly what I’m offering, call me.”

Then he disappeared as if he’d never even been there. I would have believed it, too, if it hadn’t been for the black card stuck to my palm.

The card I should have just tossed in the nearest bin but inspected instead.

Rafael de Luca

PR Manager

Orologio Media

Flipping the card over, I trailed my thumb over the intricate foil clock in shiny gold, which matched the lettering on the front.

What if he wasn’t lying?

I couldn’t just set my parents up for a while, but I could actually start over. Maybe even start the event-planning business I’d been thinking about for some time…

Or I could just come back down to earth and figure out the mess that was my life right now. Starting with where the heck I was going to sleep tonight.

Because there was no way in hell I was staying in that apartment with Anthony and his…women.

The thought alone shoved a fresh batch of bile up my throat just as another shudder rattled its way down my spine.

Ugh. How had I been so blind?

I didn’t have an answer, or maybe the obvious one staring me right in the damn face was the one I wasn’t willing to admit.

Whatever it was, no amount of wondering would change what had happened. The important thing now was to get out and move on as best I could.

This was precisely what I planned on doing when I returned to the apartment a few minutes later. With any luck, Anthony and his posse would be long gone, and I could pack up in peace.