Page 78 of Worship

Antonio tips the scales first and barks out a deep laugh. All the other guys follow suit. I can’t help myself, and I put my face in my hands, exasperated by these men.

“What’s so funny?” Michael whispers to me as I sit down.

“Michael, there aren’t any ‘wannabes’ at this table. So, let’s move on. Stop trying to have a pissing contest with Luca. Even if you win, you lose.”

He looks at me and swallows hard, reality sinking in. My eyes follow Michael’s to where Luca sits nodding his head.

Michael looks aptly nervous, and I take his hand in mine. I hate Luca for enjoying this so much. I point at Luca angrily.

“And fuck you for having some kind of pissing contest. I’m not your prize—you don’t treat me like some silly girl who’s happy to get attention. We’re equals.”

Blair snaps her fingers in a circle and looks at Antonio, who shrugs and looks away sheepishly.

Drew points at me. “Mmhmm. All of that. Yes.”Don’t ever fuck with smart girls.

Luca taps his glass heavily against the table, and I bite out, “See, spankings can be pleasurableandpunishing.”

I’m angry that Luca would reduce us to such a ridiculous show, and I want him to know it. He looks away, the muscles in his jaw strained.

“You should remember my place next time, Luca.”

When he looks back, his eyes are dark, angry. He’s pissed at me for calling him out. Karma’s a bitch. His deep gravel echoes through the room.

“You should remember my place, Angel. Seems you’re on the wrong side of the table.” Michael tenses, and the vibe in the room turns from petty to murderous.

“Gretchen, why don’t we settle down now. It was all fun and games, it just went too far…” Michael adds with a lot less strength than he possessed before. Idiot.

Luca points at Michael, keeping his eyes on me, his face murderous.

“Now’s when he stops.” I squeeze Michael’s hand, and Luca’s face shoots to where they’re joined before he says, “And Mikey, you’d be better served to keep your hands to yourself. You know, if you want to keep them.”

Luca sits back in his chair, smiling at me, as Michael pulls his hand from mine.

Michael sits up straighter, looking a bit more nervous than he did before, and I feel terrible and irritated that Luca intimidated him so easily. I’m going to kill Luca.

“Don’t worry, Mikey, we’re all out of cement.” Dom smirks, and Nico laughs.

Dom takes a bite of food before turning his attention to Drew, who is glaring at him from across the table. She points her finger at him, and he pretends to be injured, grabbing his chest.

Lyla tries to change the subject by getting everyone to gather for a picture.

“You guys fight later; right now, I want the godparents and the parents in a picture.”

Drew nods in agreement.

“You can’t say no,” she snaps at Luca. “I’m pregnant and that means everyone has to say yes to everything I say.” He laughs and stands, fight forgotten.

God, I love her—such a knack for diffusion.

I stand, and Michael looks at me.

“You owe me an explanation later.”

“I do,” I agree before turning to walk to the opposite side of the table where a wall of roses grows.

It’s the perfect backdrop. I smile as Blair comes over with her phone, and Lyla arranges me and Drew, stepping back as Blair snaps a few photos of us. I laugh as Drew immediately asks to see the photos and zooms in to check for a bump. Luca’s arm slides around my waist, and I tense.

“Me next,” he says to Blair.