Page 38 of Ruin

I push past Tommy and look down the hallway after Antonio, but he’s already gone.

Tommy scowls at me. “What the fuck do you care what this guy thinks?”

“I don’t. But he’s going to tell my dad, and that will trigger a shitstorm that I have no interest in dealing with.”

Tommy forces me to face him, scrutinizing me. “Are youembarrassed by me?”

“What? No. It’s not like that.” I search for the words, flustered. “My dad is just… Tommy, it’s not personal.”

Tommy’s expression ices over. “So that’s it. That’s why you just want to fuck me. You’ll use my dick, but I’m not good enough for anything more than that.”

“That’s not true,” I say quietly. Because it’s not. If anything, my father isn’t good enough to be around Tommy. “It’s just—it’s complicated.”

He kisses me, hard, and I can taste myself on his lips. When he pulls back, my heart twists at the pain and anger on his face.

“But it’s not. You’re fucking mine, Giovanna. I’m just waiting for you to figure that out.”

15

Tommy

As I try to tug my tie into place, I grimace at my reflection in the mirror. I didn’t sleep last night, and it shows. There are dark bags under my eyes, my skin looks sallow, and I have a general air of anger about me.

The distress on Giovanna’s face when Tony left the restaurant is grinding in my gut like glass. The sting of the claw marks she left on my scalp and the look on her face when she came screaming my name are not enough to erase it. She wants me, but she won’t be with me.

And I’m already fucked without her, like I knew I would be.

I can’t get my fucking tie straight, and I yank on it angrily as I head out the door, almost running into Matti.

“Hey,” he says with his hands up when he sees my face. “Who’s about to die?”

“The dean of admissions for the law school if he decides to fuck with me,” I grumble.

“The interview is tonight?”

I nod curtly and push past him.

“Hold on,” he says, grabbing my shoulder and gesturing to my tie. “Give me that.”

I pull my tie off over my head, hand it to him, and start walking. He follows, putting the tie around his own neck and tying it correctly. In the elevator, he fixes it in his reflection, then hands it to me and adjusts it for me when I put it on.

When we step off the elevator, he claps me on the shoulder. “If this asshole gives you any problems, let me and Vin know.”

I nod. But he’s not going to give me any problems. I’m not in the mood to take anyone’s shit, and tempered with Giovanna’s advice, I’m determined to pull this off on my own.

When I get to the restaurant, everything is set up as I requested. All the tables have been moved off the floor, except one small table and two chairs next to a window overlooking the entrance. The waitstaff have positioned themselves against the back wall, ready to attend to anything we need.

I text Giovanna a picture of the room setup, not knowing if she’s going to respond. She barely spoke to me when I drove her home last night and got out of the car with a clipped goodbye, slamming the door.

Is this good?

When I see the little dots indicating that she’s reading it and responding, every muscle in my body relaxes.

It looks good. Have some wine out

along with a charcuterie board.

I frown. I thought this was supposed to be dinner.