Page 68 of Sins of the Orchid

His reply came right away.*Sorry. I’ll make it up to you.*

Another message from him came in immediately after.

*I have to do something. We’ll hang out tomorrow.*

Probably a woman, not that I could blame him.

Tomorrow was my flight back to Italy, so I’d spend most of the time with Dad and Luigi. Adriano was welcome, but if there were things brewing inside of him, it might be better he talked to his brother.

*Maybe take tomorrow and talk to Santi.*

The moment I pressed send, I regretted it. Adriano didn’t exactly like for people to tell him what to do. It was the reason I couldn’t comprehend why he was so desperate to work for his brother.

I quickly sent another text.*Or we can hang out. Whichever you want.*

Glancing at the clock, I saw the time. I had two hours to get ready. Plenty of time. Despite loving fashion, I was efficient when it came to getting ready. Tonight was different though. I didn’t want to look younger than my age, and all the dresses here were at least two years old.

Two hours later, right on the dot, Santi came through the foyer and before Dad or my brother could come out I rushed to him.

“I’m ready,” I told him.

I didn’t dare take his hand, so I walked past him and into the cool evening air. He came behind me and caught up.

“Where are you running to?”

“Your car.”

When he stopped, I did the same. His hand scratched his chin pensively, and I found the move oddly erotic. Made me want to lean into him and kiss his chin. Oh God, he had really turned me into a sex monster.

He remained on the spot, waiting for me to elaborate. I thought it was obvious but maybe Santi thought Dad would be okay with this.

“I don’t want Dad to throw a fit if he sees me going out with you,” I admitted.

“He knows.”

“Oh.”

“Of course, he assumed I was taking you out and Adriano was meeting us there. I debated correcting him but then decided against it. I killed enough today.”

I shook my head, though a stupid smile tugged on my lips. “You better not shoot my dad or brothers. Now let’s go.”

He took my hand and opened the car door for me, letting me slide into the seat of his Maserati. I wasn't a stranger to luxury, but Santi seemed to go to extremes when it came to his cars.

He shut the door and came around as I buckled my seatbelt.

“Jesus, Santi. How many cars do you have?” I asked him as he started up the car. Suddenly, I wished he had an old truck, like I’d see in the old movies. With the whole front being one seat, so I could sit next to him as he drove.

“A few.”

Leaving the driveway behind us, I couldn’t help glancing in the rearview mirror. I half expected my father or Luigi to come out and call out Santi on what we were doing.

“You should get one of those old trucks with a bench seat,” I told him. “That way I could sit next to you.”

He threw his head back and laughed. “I will be sure to look them up and get one.”

I couldn’t hold back my smile. It was too easy to feel giddy around him. As he sped down the road and towards the city, I turned my head to watch him.

“Did you have a good day?” I asked him, not really expecting an answer. Nobody ever answered questions on their activities. It was either a good day or a bad day. That was as far as it went.