Isabella

In the middle of the night, a few hours after my birthday celebration had ended, I awoke to my father’s voice. He was yelling at Mark for getting me drunk. I thought I was still on the couch in the pool house, but I was in my bed with no memory of how I’d gotten there. They were in the hallway, their foreheads almost touching with how close they stood. Mark never backed down to my father, but he respected him for it. Whenever I tried the same thing, I paid for my retaliation.

I sat up, about to tell them to be quiet, when Mark fled down the stairs, and my father rushed into my bedroom.

“Where did you get this?” He had something in his hand.

I blinked the sleep from my eyes, trying to focus on the object. My hand fell to my neck. It was the choker from Stephan. I didn’t remember taking it off, but I also didn’t recall how I’d found my way into the house. Mark must’ve carried me. I never slept in my jewelry. Some part of my subconscious must have been awake enough to remove it before I crawled into bed.

“I bought it for myself,” I lied. “For my birthday.” Holding out my palm, I added, “Can I have it back?”

With some hesitation, he placed the heavy white gold necklace in my palm. I squeezed it between my fingers, feeling closer to Stephan already. My father could never know who gave it to me. But I had no doubt he would check my credit card statement and determine I was lying to him. The charm was custom, something Stephan would’ve had to order in advance. My father was no fool, but he didn’t push the subject.

“I don’t approve of you getting drunk. Just because you’re an adult now doesn’t mean you can make stupid decisions that could jeopardize your future.”

“A few glasses of champagne won’t kill me. Normal kids my age hang out with friends on Friday night… not with their butlers.” I rolled onto my side, tucking the choker inside my pillowcase to keep it safe. “Why aren’t you in D.C.?”

He frowned. “I came home for your birthday.”

I tried not to roll my eyes at him. The clock on my nightstand read two-thirty in the morning. “You missed it,” I informed him. “Tell Tanya thanks for the gift.”

Covering my eyes with the pillow, I blocked out the light from the hallway. It was giving me a headache along with this conversation.

“It was from your mother and me,” he growled.

“Thanks,” I shot back.

The card was written in Tanya, his secretary’s, handwriting. I hadn’t even opened the box she’d sent to the house. It was hidden in the back of my closet with all the things I didn’t want to deal with. If only I could stuff my dad in there, too, right under the old pile of blankets.

“Happy birthday, Isabella.” He said the words through gritted teeth.

His anger caused me to smile against the pillow. I didn’t respond and kept my eyes closed, hoping he would leave. A beat passed before he finally got the hint I was tired and didn’t want to talk to him. He stomped out of my room, closing the door behind him. The silence was nice. I welcomed it.

Before I dozed off again, I unzipped the protective case covering my pillow and made sure Stephan’s necklace was secured inside. I couldn’t trust my father with it. The second he found out I didn’t buy myself a present I would be screwed. He would demand to know where it had come from. At least it was in a place where no one would find it.

On Sunday morning, my phone buzzed along my nightstand with a text message. I clutched the phone in my hand.

Nicki: Wanna hang out today? I’m going to a book signing in Midtown if you want to come with me.

My fingers hovered over the keyboard, about to type, when I considered what lie I would have to tell my father to get out of the house. He was still pissed about me drinking with Mark on my birthday. Maybe I could sneak out without him seeing me.

For a split second, I wondered if someone was staring at this message, waiting for me to reply. A chill crept up the back of my neck. I had no idea how fast a response time my father’s security team had when it came to intercepting my incoming calls and messages. I said a silent prayer it wasn’t immediate and typed out a quick message.

Me: Sure. What time?

Nicki: 2pm. Meet me out front of Strand.

Strand Bookstore, a landmark in the East Village, was an independent bookstore and a popular tourist attraction. I’d been there once when I was younger.

Me: Perfect. See you there.

I pushed myself up from the mattress and tugged my hair from the ponytail on top of my head. Before I set foot in the city, I needed a hot shower and some concealer for the dark circles under my eyes. Realizing I was about to have a girls’ day out, my excitement was so uncontainable I couldn’t stop smiling. My face hurt from how much I was doing it.

After I showered, I slipped into a pair of jeans and a cranberry colored tunic. I sat in front of the vanity and added some product to my curls, fluffing them with my hands. My father had the same loose curls, which he kept short. We looked alike in so many ways it sometimes sickened me. He was an evil monster, and yet when I stared in the mirror, it was like looking at his reflection.

I wondered if one day I would end up like him. If it was even possible for someone to be so cruel and still live with themselves. He made my blood run cold. His presence sent chills up my arms.

A little concealer under my eyes helped to cover the dark circles. Accompanied by a light gray shadow and pink lipstick, I looked more like myself. I inspected my appearance in the mirror one last time, before I slid a winter coat over my shoulders and grabbed my handbag from the chair in the corner of my room.

My father was in his study, which made it easier for me to creep out the front door and slide in the back seat of the black Mercedes parked in the circular drive.

“Hey, Fernando,” I said to our driver. “Can you take me to the Strand Bookstore in Manhattan?”

He smiled at me in the rearview mirror. “Of course, Miss Parisi.”

I was old enough to drive, with a driver’s license sitting in my wallet, and still, my father wouldn’t allow me to have my own car. My trust fund was on lockdown until I turned twenty-five. Over the years, I’d tried to take the train several times. Hell, I’d even walked off the property to escape, only for him to hunt me down. It was easier for him to stalk my location if Fernando drove me everywhere. And that made my life somewhat simpler because I didn’t have to argue.

Nicole waited for me out front of the bookstore in a pair of loose jeans, sneakers, and a black North Face jacket pulled up to her mouth. She rubbed her hands together and approached my car, tugging on the doorknob.

“You’re here,” she squealed. “We’re going to have so much fun today.”

I thanked Fernando and told him I would be a few hours. He sped off down Broadway, disappearing into the masses of cars. Manhattan was the complete opposite of where I lived—overcrowded and far too loud. But I loved it.

I raised my hands above my head and closed my eyes, taking in the sounds and smells of the city. “What book signing are we attending?”

Nicole flicked her blonde off her shoulder and laughed. “Technically, I didn’t lie about that part. But it was just an excuse to get you to come into the city.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “What did you do?”

She bit the inside of her cheek with a sneaky look on her face. “I invited someone.” Nicole hooked her arm through mine and led me inside the bookstore. “Well, he kind of invited himself and asked me to make it happen.”

We moved through the stacks until we reached the back of the store, where Stephan was waiting for me.

“I hope you don’t mind,” she said. “Stephan asked me to help him. Don’t be mad. I know your dad hates him, but I also know you have a crush on him. So…”

The muscles in my face hurt from smiling so much. “Mad? No way. This is the best surprise ever.” I hugged her and whispered into her ear, “Thank you. You’re the best friend ever.”

Stephan approached us, dressed in fitted dark jeans and a long-sleeved gray oxford rolled up to his elbows, with the top two buttons open. His black hair had a slight wave to it, a few strands falling onto his forehead.

“I had to see you again,” Stephan confessed. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

I blushed from his words. They were so sincere and sweet. “I would’ve seen you tomorrow at school.”

He shook his head, unsatisfied with my answer. “I didn’t want to wait another day.”

“This is a big risk.” I sighed, keeping my fingers crossed my father didn’t know Stephan was here. “I could get in a lot of trouble.”

“I was careful.” He tugged on my hand to pull me into his chest.

His breath on my lips forced me to close my eyes and suck in a deep breath. He gave me a quick peck that went straight to my core, igniting a fire beneath my skin. If we were alone, I would have leaned back against the bookshelf and let Stephan claim my innocence. He’d asked me to let him be my first of everything, and I had every intention to wait for him.

I angled my body to look at Nicole. “Is there a book signing today, or was that a lie?”

“Oh, no, that’s real. My favorite indie author is signing here.” She removed a paperback book from her oversized purse and held it up for me to see. “I’ve been a fan of her work for the last year. She’s an amazing writer. You’d love her.”

I inspected the cover. A man with bulging muscles held a woman in a Victorian dress in his arms. “Historical romance isn’t my thing,” I admitted.

She shrugged. “You have no idea what you’re missing. J.P. writes the hottest sex scenes ever. Like, fan me hot.” She waved the book in front of herself.

I laughed. “I’ll take your word for it.”

Who needed to read about sex when I had Stephan in my life? The orgasm he’d given me with his fingers was life-changing, earth-shattering. One hour with him awakened my sexual desires.

“How long do you have?” Stephan brushed the hair from my neck, his fingers sending a pulse of electricity down my arm.

I leaned into his touch. “A few hours. If I’m not back by dinnertime, my dad will have a fit. He has this thing about us sitting down to eat dinner together on Sundays, even though we’re not a real family.”

He laughed. “Ma is the same way. She makes my brothers and me come home for Sunday dinner, too.” Stephan hooked his arm around my back, staring down at me. “It’s still your birthday weekend. What do you want to do today?”

“I’d like to go to the Met. I haven’t been there in a long time, and they have an exhibition I want to see.”

Stephan kissed the top of my head and held me tighter. “Let’s go then. We don’t have a lot of time.”

“You like art?” I asked Nicole. “They’re showing works from the Château de Versailles.”

Nicole forced a smile, and before she responded, I knew she had no interest in art. “Nah, that’s okay. You guys go ahead. I want to get this book signed.” She held up the paperback, hugging it against her chest as if it were her prized possession. “I’ll meet up with you later.”

I frowned, upset that she didn’t want to hang out with us. “But I was hoping to spend the day with you, too.”

“Go ahead.” She shooed us away with her hand. “I promise to join you after I meet my literary idol. I won’t be long.”

“Okay.”

Before I left the store, it occurred to me that someone was probably tracking my cell phone. I removed it from my purse and handed it to Nicole. “Can you hold this for me?” She stared at it, confused, and so I added, “My driver dropped me off here. If I leave so soon and without you, it might cause some suspicion.”

I’d filled Nicole in about my crazy father and less than normal life at school. That was why she went out on a limb to help Stephan and me. It was so embarrassing to have another person know about my shitty life, but I was determined to keep my new friend. I didn’t want her to be taken from me, too.

Nicole slipped my phone into her purse. “I’ll text Stephan when I’m on my way over.”

I thanked her one last time, and then I left the store with Stephan. We walked down Broadway, breaking through the crowd passing by to hail a cab. A car pulled up to the curb next to us, and Stephan opened the door for me.

“The Met, please,” I said to the driver.

Stephan got in next to me, and within seconds, we were flying down Broadway, driven by an insane cabbie.

“Thank you.” I squeezed Stephan’s hand and smiled. “I can’t believe you brought Nicole into this.”

“She was more than happy to do it. You’re the only person at Walcott Prep who was nice to her.”

“I like her. She’s nice and funny. I just hope my dad doesn’t try to scare her away like he does to everyone I get close to.”

“He couldn’t scare me away if he tried.”

I laid my head on his shoulder, cocooned in his warmth. “I hope not. I like you too much to lose you.”

“Are you kidding?” He played with one of my curls, twirling it around his finger. “I remember the first time I saw you. You were the prettiest girl in school. You still are. It was in first grade, on the first day of class. Your hair was in pigtails, tied up with pink ribbons. I couldn’t stop staring at you. Even back then, it was like I’d been struck by lightning. There was always something between us that drew me to you.”

Italians had an expression about real love feeling like a lightning bolt struck you. Was Stephan telling me that he loved me? My heart swelled with so many emotions I covered it with my hand and sighed.

“I remember that day, too,” I admitted. “You got into trouble for yelling across the room at Victor Delmont.”

“That’s because he was acting like a little bitch and crying for his mom.”

I laughed, my fingers gripping his shirt. He smelled of clean linen and the manly spiciness of his aftershave. “You were always so tough. Nothing ever bothered you. So many people at Walcott are afraid of you.”

“But not you,” he growled. “At least not anymore.”

“I was never scared of you, Stephan. More like what my father could do to you and what he will do to you and your family if he finds out we were together.”

“He’s all talk.”

I peeked my head up to look at him. “No, he’s not. My dad doesn’t hand out empty threats. He follows through on every one. Never underestimate him. I learned that lesson a long time ago.”

“My dad is a powerful man. I’m not worried.” Stephan released my hair to place his hand on my shoulder. “Today is about you, my raven-haired girl. Even if it’s only for a few hours, forget about your dad and all of his rules and focus on us.”

The way he said us sent a ripple of happiness through me. It was temporary. I was too much of a cynic to believe in fairytale endings. But I wanted to believe for that day I could have one with Stephan.