Page 101 of Sins of the Orchid

Both of us took our positions. Locking eyes, I waited and watched. DeAngelo always warned that you could tell by a man’s expression what the next move would be. So, I waited, keeping a keen eye on his every move. No matter how small.

His gaze flickered for a second to my shoulder and he went to attack. I sidestepped him and avoided his assault. He was going for my right shoulder and was probably going to flip me and land me on my ass.

I chuckled. “Well, well, DeAngelo,” I teased. “You are getting slow.”

His left foot swept across the floor. I had gloated too soon, tripping over his foot and landing flat on my back.

“Ouch,” I muttered.

“Not so slow, huh?”

“Jerk.” Though it was all in good humor. He reached out his hand and I took it, lifting me back to my feet. Seeing my opening, I twisted his arm and flipped him over. As if in slow motion, he landed belly down, and I couldn’t help my victorious exclamation.

“Don’t mess with a Bennetti,” I purred, pushing his hand slightly harder.

“I’m impressed,” he commended. “You could be lethal if you wanted to. Just like a Carrera.”

Instantly, I let go of his hand and sat on the floor of the gym. Coming from DeAngelo, that was a compliment.

Our eyes met and I exhaled before shaking my head. “Except, I don’t want to be Carrera, nor Perèz, or even Regalè.” He watched me pensively. “I just want to be me, DeAngelo. I want to make them pay, but this is not really me.”

“It could be you,” he tried to reason.

“But it isn’t,” I retorted stubbornly. “Tell me honestly, DeAngelo. Could you ever see me thrive in this world?”

“No,” he answered reluctantly. “You would be miserable.”

We sat in silence for a while, both of us lost in our own thoughts. “Amore, you realize that you are next in line for a cartel empire?”

Yes! Except I didn’t want it. My mother didn’t want it, my grandmother didn’t want it, though she reluctantly took it to ensure our safety. Wouldn’t it be better if it all just burned to hell?

Santi’s finger traced the line of my nose, bringing me back to the present. To him.

I wasn’t ready to reveal all my cards to him, so I just smiled. It was too early to show him that invariably I had been turned into a weapon by force of circumstance. I had a promise to keep.

His fingers gently tugged on a strand of my hair. “You know, Amore, I am convinced even if you were born and raised in this world, you’d still be you.”

Tilting my head, I studied him unsure how to take his words. “Is that good or bad?” I asked him.

From the little I knew, from Adriano’s references, it was hard to gather what Santi preferred. However, I knew one thing for sure. Usually, he went for a completely different type of woman. Curvy, meek, blonde women that kept their mouths shut and only opened it to suck his cock were Santi’s type. Adriano’s words not mine.

Needless to say, I was nothing like that. Though sucking his cock… hmmm, I was getting hot just thinking about it. His taste was addictive. Or maybe it was just the fact that it was Santi.

“It’s good,” he rumbled. “You are soft. Untainted. So damn honest.”

“I can’t quite decide if that was a compliment or not,” I half-joked, my cheeks blazing hot. The truth was that I wasn’t that honest. And I certainly wasn’t untainted. Not since seeing my mother tortured.

His teeth nipped the sensitive spot on my earlobe. “It’s a compliment.” My chest swelled with satisfaction while my cheeks burned harder. “Now back to your question. Your father’s family is from Capri.”

“Capri, huh?” I guess that was good to know, though somehow it meant nothing. “And of course, you know where your mother’s family is from.”

My heartbeat faltered for a fraction of a second before it resumed beating.

My heritage from Mom’s side was a bit more complicated.

CHAPTER32

Adriano