Tainted Affair

Five: пять

Sophia already regretted agreeing to this lunch.

Their small group of four had just made it to Mercello's car parked down the street - and it had taken them a while considering Liliana's slow waddle - when her pregnant friend paused abruptly, and sighed deeply. A frown pulled on Liliana's soft features and she looked... defeated for lack of a better word.

"What?" Sophia asked.

"She needs to pee." It was Mercello that answered for Liliana, wasting no time in turning his wife around as they headed back towards the birthing class before anything more could be said.

"Stupid fucking pregnancy." Sophia heard Liliana mutter under her breath.

Great. Alone with Giovanni.

"We'll meet you there," the man beside her called out towards his brother, already in the process of hailing a cab.

Sophia shot him an incredulous look, mouth falling open.

"No we won't!" She snapped. "We'll just wait for them."

She was not getting in a cab alone with him.

Call her childish or immature but Sophia was well aware of her own limitations. And being in a small confined space with this man would be agony.

He arched a brow, seeming unimpressed as he informed her, "She's gonna' take forever. There's still at least 6 very pregnant women in there who are likely all needing to use the restroom. We might as well get there and order for them. I don't know if you've met pregnant, hungry Liliana, but she's not someone I want to be around."

A cab pulled up beside him, quicker than Sophia had ever been able to hail one, and the towering man held the door open for her, a wicked grin aimed her way.

She was scowling as she climbed inside.

He knew what he was doing, no doubt about it. He knew how irritating she found his presence. And he certainly knew just how attractive he was.

Stop, she reprimanded herself internally.

Don't think of him like that.

And yet Sophia couldn't stop her eyes from wandering from the view outside the window towards Giovanni as he made himself comfortable.

The top two buttons of his shirt undone, Sophia's eyes fixed helplessly on the sight of his tanned chest peaking out from his suit. She couldn't stop herself from admiring his strong jawline - clean shaven, exactly as he knew she preferred. Nor could she stop herself from staring it his lips, parted slightly as he rested his head against the back of his seat, eyes closed. Then there was that blasted smirk again, as if he knew without even opening his damned eyes that she was staring.

Dammit.

Sophia ripped her gaze away and focussed her scowl out the window once again.

Infuriating man.

—

Gio's phone pinged, and vibrated against the café table large enough for four. He briefly glanced at the screen, but he didn't bother to answer whatever notification had popped up, instead watching her intently from across the table. Sophia however was doing her very best to look at anyone but the handsome Italian.

The café was small, exclusive. She knew just by looking at the expensive décor and minimal customers that this café catered exclusively to the elite. She expected nothing less from Mercello D'Onofrio and his heavily pregnant wife. Exclusivity meant better protection; and with what they had all been through, protection was crucial.