Page 118 of Wounded King

Marcello:

Both. One for the ceremony. One for after.

Also—don't forget something red. Tradition.

Me:

You're lucky I like you… and beach shopping.

Marcello:

I'm lucky for a lot of reasons, tesoro. See you tonight.

He's lucky I'm used to switching gears at a moment's notice. I have a feeling this will happen a lot in my life now, which brings a smile to my face, because life with Marcello will be anything but predictable.

"What?" Pippa asks, fingering the purse she bought with a credit card Luciano gave her. The purse was eight thousand dollars. Eight thousand! I mean that's a drop in the bucket compared to what I spent on the ball gown—that I won't be wearing anytime soon now—but still. Never in a hundred years would I have ever considered going insideMaison Étoile, let alonebuyinganything. Hell, I wouldn't have even been able to afford flip-flops or sunglasses here. The only thing I've seen that cost under a grand was a pair of panties, and they were over five hundred.

Forget about buying anything. It took me a good hour before I daredtouchsomething. This place, which was once an eight-story apartment building, has been completely renovated into a shopping center that can't be called amall. It's a palace. Travertine tiles reverberate with the sound of hundreds of stilettos walking over them, and tall ceilings echo with the sound of voices and laughter, mostly women's. Inside each store, Pippa and I are offered free champagne—and not the cheap kind. After a few glasses of the very potent stuff, my inhibitions slowly left me, igniting a shopping frenzy. It reminds me of sharks attracted by the scent of fresh blood. Six times, Alejandro had to send one of the bodyguards back to the car to drop off bags. They're getting close to having to do it again, and now, it seems, Pippa and I are on a whole new mission.

"Change of plans, looks like Marcello and I are going to the Maldives this weekend," I answer her question.

"Maldives." Her face takes on a dreamy expression. "Nice."

"Yeah," I agree. I've seen pictures of the Maldives. I mean, who hasn't? But just like being insideMaison Étoile, it's nothing I ever thought I would get to visit in real life.

Pippa shakes her head, "You know what this reminds me of?"

I have an idea. "Karen Hill?"

She grins and nods. "That's why I love you, you and I are on the same page."

"I'm not sure," I hesitate, then continue, "I'd rather go to the Maldives than the shooting range…"

She cocks her head. "That is a hard choice indeed. You have no idea the kinds of weapons Luciano has…"

"Who is Karen Hill?" Alejandro interrupts us. At first, he stayed a good distance back, but over the past couple of hours, after Pippa and I used him and the other men shamelessly to get their opinions on clothes and shoes, he's become more animated with us.

"Who is Karen Hill?" Pippa stares at me. "Did he just really ask that?"

"Dude." I shake my head at Alejandro.

"What?"

"It's only one of the most epic movie scenesever." Pippa fills him in.

"I'm not much of a movie person," Alejandro says, sounding like Marcello and making me giggle.

"For you, I would have thought watching this would have been some kind of… training requirement." Pippa shows no intentions of letting the poor man off the hook.

"Training requirement? Now I'm completely lost." Alejandro admits. "Any of you guys have any ideas?"

Bosco coughs into his elbow, and the cough sounds a lot likeGoodfellas, making Pippa and me snicker.

"Goodfellas? The movie?" Alejandro still doesn't get it.

I turn to Pippa, putting on my best Karen Hill pout. "Baby, I need some money to go shopping."

Pippa doesn't miss a beat and channels her inner Ray Liotta, complete with swagger. "How much?"