“No. I think I’m beginning to like staying up in my tower all day.” I stared off into space, ignoring him.
“Do I have to remind you again of who you’re dealing with?”
I raised my eyebrow at him. “Yes. I think I need many, many reminders. My Luca shot is obviously wearing off. Maybe I need a stronger dose?”
Luca growled in frustration. “You drive me crazy, woman!”
“Should I take that as a yes?” Looking up at him, I fluttered my eyelashes.
Luca chuckled and shook his head. “I’m never going to live this down. My reputation will be ruined.”
Jumping up, I landed a big kiss on his cheek. “Thank you, Luca.”
“You’re one hell of a woman.” With that, I had earned myself a swift pat on the bottom as I dutifully headed for the shower to get ready.
Later on, I found myself in the clothes store along with twenty-eight women and fifteen men. The store attendants couldn’t believe their eyes when we walked in. Of course, Luca insisted we have bodyguards because—you know—we lived such a dangerous lifestyle that we needed fifteen of them! How on earth did I ever manage beforehand?!
“Did I hear correctly that Alessandro is coming back tonight?”
Looking at Mia, I smiled. She looked delighted by the prospect. “Yes, that’s right.” I suddenly realised why Mia was so eager to share a cubicle with me.
“Whatever it is you did to get him to agree to it, I thank you.”
I smiled. “Don’t mention it. I didn’t have to do anything. I think he just knows I’m not a woman who will take no for an answer. I quickly bent him to my will.”
She looked eager. “How did you do it?”
“I refused to go anywhere today or take part in this masquerade ball later.”
Mia’s eyes widened in surprise. “Wow! Judging by what I’ve heard, that sort of thing never happens with Luca. He is a man not to be messed with.”
I smiled. “Well, I guess he’s finally met someone who won’t take any of his domineering crap.”
Mia giggled. “Yes, the alpha male has finally met his match—an alpha female. Grrr. Sounds sexy!”
We both laughed as I finally managed to hook myself into a dress. “What do you think?” We both turned to stare at the dress in the full-length mirror. It was a simple, elegant, gold dress with a matching gold mask. I thought it was the best out of the five I tried on so far. Not only that, but the mask I was wearing looked just like a cat. I thought Luca would get a kick out of that.
Mia admired me for a moment. “It looks perfect on you.”
Thinking the same thing, I sighed in relief that I didn’t have to try on anything else. “Tell me something, Mia?” I stared down at her as she fussed over my dress.
“Anything,” she said as she carried on fussing.
“Do you really like Alessandro?” Mia stilled for a moment and looked in the mirror. “You can tell me. I won’t get annoyed if you do. You can’t help liking someone.”
Mia bit her lip and looked down at the floor. “Yes, I do like him. When he got fired yesterday, he begged me to come with him—to leave The Castle. I told him that I could never do that to you. My loyalty is with you, not with someone I hardly know.”
I was surprised by that. “He wasn’t angry with you then? With what we did?”
She shook her head. “No. Actually, he was angry at first, but I explained to him that what I did was something I wanted to do—not something I felt I had to do. After what happened, he took time pleasuring me. I’ve never had a man who really wanted to take the time to pleasure me before. I felt cherished—if that makes sense?”
I smiled, knowing all too well what she meant. “It makes perfect sense.”
The start of the evening eventually arrived, and I insisted Luca wait for me whilst I got dressed. I didn’t let him see what I bought … or shall I say what he bought.
All of the ladies were thrilled with their items and couldn’t wait for the evening to arrive. I didn’t think I had ever seen them so pumped about the prospect of sleeping with their clients.
Once I was ready, I opened the door to find Alessandro and Mia looking cosy by the wall. “Clara, wow! Look at you.”
“And look at you!” She looked elegant in her black, feathery ensemble.
“What a pleasure to see you again.” Alessandro smiled and took my hand for a kiss.
I looked over his attire and couldn’t help but admire his physique. “And you, too. You look fantastic in a tux.”
Alessandro smiled. “I just want to thank you for everything you did.”