Chapter - 11

The only reason Sofia didn't panic right away was because she knew that Vincenzo didn't understand french. Even if he had heard her talking to the woman, he hadn't understood a word because they had been talking in french.

So pasting on a smile, Sofia gestured to the dress she had hanging on her arm, "Oh, just this dress I had tried on and how my husband back home would love to see me out of it."

Vincenzo raised a brow at her words, his lips twitching up into a seemingly amused smile. "You know I would."

Sofia blushed despite herself, letting out a relieved sigh internally that Vincenzo had bought her lie so easily. She didn't like how that made her feel, lying to him like that, but she brushed the feeling off. She had to do this and much more if she wanted to get out of this unscathed when all was said and done.

"It wasn't you I had in mind when I told her that," Sofia replied breezily, brushing past him and placing the dress back in the rack she had found it at.

"Why not?" Vincenzo asked, following her out of the store and towards the elevator, their bodyguards following close behind.

"You're not exactly husband material now, are you, Mr Moretti?"

It was almost funny how offended Vincenzo looked as he followed her into the elevator, holding up a hand to the guards to let them know they weren't required, leaving the two of them alone in the lift.

"Careful now, gattina, you don't want to face an angry me."

Sofia couldn't help but smirk. "Why? Is the big bad wolf going to ravish me? Hmm?"

Vincenzo narrowed his eyes, though the way his lips twitched the slightest bit, Sofia knew he was anything but angry. He moved in towards her until there was barely an inch separating the two, caging her in with his arms on either side of her head.

Bending down low, he murmured, "You have no idea of the things I want to do to you, Sofia."

Fuck. She nearly melted at the way he said her name, like he was meant to say it all along, the syllables rolling off of his tongue like honey, smooth and spicy all at once.

Sofia tried to push him away from her, both because his proximity made her go crazy, and also because she was scared someone would come in and see them like this.

Of course, he didn't budge, smirking down at her instead.

"What, scared already?" Vincenzo taunted.

Sofia scoffed. "No. But we're in an elevator in a public place. Anyone can walk in and see us like this."

Vincenzo simply raised a brow at her, his smirk only deepening as the elevator stopped on the floor below them and another couple got on. Sofia saw the couple look at them and giggle before turning away.

"Get away from me," Sofia whisper shouted at Vincenzo, an embarrased flush painting her cheeks.

Vincenzo moved in closer still, skimming his nose along her flushed cheeks before saying in a loud voice, "I'd love to see where that flush starts, baby."

Sofia's eyes widened at his words before narrowing. He was doing this on purpose.

Well, two could play that game.

Moving her hands up and wrapping them around his neck, she replied, just as loudly, "We'll have to go get your viagra first, baby, if we want this to go anywhere."

It was Vincenzo's turn to narrow his eyes at her words as they heard the other couple disguise their laughter as cough.

Before anyone could say anything else, though, the elevator door dinged open again and it was their turn to get off.

"That wasn't very nice of you, gattina," Vincenzo muttered, clearly not happy she had one upped him like that.

"I never claimed to be nice," she simply shrugged in response as their guards greeted them with the car already ready to go. Talk about being efficient.

"What are you doing here, at the mall, anyway? Didn't think I could handle shopping on my own?" Sofia asked as the pair got into the car.

"I wanted to see you," Vincenzo replied casually, as if the words hadn't just made her world tilt.

"Why?" She managed to ask.

Before he could reply, though, his phone rang. He held up a finger, taking it out and frowning at the screen before putting it to his ear.

"What is it?"

His frown deepend as he listened to what the other person was saying. A muscle in his jaw ticked as he clenched his jaw, clearly getting angry as the other person continued speaking. Moments later, he let out a string of quite colourful expletives before saying he would be there soon and hanging up.

"We need to go back after we drop her off," he said to the driver who nodded without a word, shooting a nervous glance at his livid boss through the rear view mirror.

"Everything okay?" Sofia asked tentatively. Obviously, something was wrong, but she didn't quite know what else to say when he was that angry.

Vincenzo shook his head, letting out a breath and visibly trying to calm himself down. "It will be," was all he said before he became busy with his phone, an obvious indication that he didn't want to talk.

They spent the rest of the ride in silence.

"Be ready at eight. I'll be here to pick you up," Vincenzo told her once they had reached the hotel, still not looking up from his phone.

"Sure," Sofia replied before exiting the car.

When she got ready in the sparkly red number she had picked up, she briefly wondered if she should change given how dark Vincenzo's mood had been when he had left. But she had already bought the dress by then, so it was not like she could change now.

Shrugging to herself, she gave her appearance one last look before grabbing her purse when Mateo told her that Vincenzo was downstairs waiting for her, right on time.

She smiled to herself when Mateo's eyes widened at her appearance. The dress she had picked up was a sparkling red number with a plunging v-neckline and spaghetti straps while flaunting an open back and delicate crisscross straps. The skirt formed a sheath design with a mini hemline which barely covered her ass. She looked sexy as hell and it showed in the way Mateo couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her as she exited her room.

"Eyes up here, Mateo," she said, a teasing lilt to her voice so he knew she was only kidding.

Much to her amusement though, the man blushed before quickly looking away. "Right. Sorry," he muttered before making his way towards the elevator, Sofia right behind him in her sky high heels.

Once they had reached the hotel lobby, she saw Vincenzo leaning against a black Rolls Royce dressed in a silk black shirt with the top two buttons undone and black dress pants.

He looked ravishing with his hair all mussed up in the sexiest way possible as he stood there, engrossed in his phone. Wait, was that blood on his knuckles?

Sofia frowned as she quickened her steps and reached him to examine his hands. His knuckles were cut up, it looked like they had been bleeding not too long ago and he had cleaned them up recently, not bothering to put a band-aid on.

"What happened to your hand?" Sofia asked.

Vincenzo looked up from his phone at her voice, his eyes widened a little before darkening as he took in her appearance, his eyes skimming over her exposed shoulders, her breasts, her legs, everywhere all at once. It made her feel hot all over.

Grabbing her hand, he pulled her closer, taking her breath away, both literally and figuratively as his hands came around her, holding her firmly in place. "I got into a little fight, no big deal," he murmured, twirling a lock of her hair around his finger. "Though, with the way you're looking, I reckon it wasn't the last fight I got into tonight."

"I can fight my own battles just fine, Mr Moretti," Sofia replied, though her voice sounded breathy to her own ears.

"You don't have to as long as I'm here. Let's get going, though. We don't want to be late," he murmured, letting her go and opening the car door for her to get in before getting in behind her.

Sofia leaned back as the car started forward, the leather of the seat feeling cool against the bare skin of her back.

"I thought I told you to wear black," Vincenzo remarked, running a finger along her bare thigh, the sensations going straight to her core.

She squeezed her legs together, squirming a little in her seat as he continued running his finger along her thigh. He was making her all hot and bothered and judging by the smirk on his face, the man knew it, too. Maybe this was his way of torturing her for not obeying him.

"I am wearing black, Mr Moretti. You just can't see it," Sofia replied, aiming to affect him just as much as he was affecting her.

She smiled to herself, satisfied as his finger stopped moving, his eyes latching onto the one part that was burning for his touch, for him.

"Fuck, gattina," he rasped out, his eyes full of restraint as he looked up at her. "You're really testing my patience tonight," he muttered before the car rolled to a stop and it was time for them to get out. The club seemed like it was close to the hotel, that was probably why he wanted to buy it.

"We'll continue this conversation later. For now, stay silent and look pretty in there," Vincenzo told her.

Sofia nodded. She could do that.

Let the games begin, she thought, as she got out of the car with him and the pair made their way inside the club.