Eva

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I move away from Carmine, smiling inwardly because he’s been on my mind since I spent the night with him. And I haven’t been honest with him; I wanted to touch him, to know what it would be like to sleep in the arms of a man like him. I deliberately snuggled up to him more closely, and without him realizing, he gave me the most comforting night I’ve ever experienced.

I’m pulled out of my thoughts when Roman stops me by my arm, almost barking, “Did you get Carmine’s phone?”

“No, he’s very careful with it,” I lie, trying to act natural.

At that moment, Liam walks by, and when he dips his chin to Roman, he halts him too as Gwen and Carmine come toward us.

Carmine casually swipes a hand through his thick hair, and the other women ogle his bulging biceps. How handsome he looks in his customary white dress shirt and tailored charcoal suit. Even slightly wrinkled, it’s still evident that it’s made of the finest material.

He grins wickedly at Gwen but ignores me, making me feel silly to have fallen for his charms. Carmine is a seducer, a man who idolizes feminine beauty. As much as I hate to admit it, he and Gwen do make a dashing pair.

“Good morning,” Roman says to Carmine. Then he grabs a couple of coffees off the table behind him and gallantly presents them to Carmine and me.

Gwen regards me with derision, yet I refuse to cower. Although I do feel inferior to this golden-haired beauty, I secretly hope I don’t turn green with envy, because I’d hate to admit it.

I take one sip of the steaming brew as Roman asks, “How was everyone’s night?”

As Carmine watches Roman and me with suspicion, his lips thin every time I glance at him. I know by now that he loathes any situation where he isn’t in control – we have no idea what Roman’s intentions are or if he’s onto us, and Carmine obviously still doesn’t trust me.

“Did you sleep well?” Gwen steps closer to Carmine and he inches to the side a tad, to her aggravation. Then she touches his arm, but he doesn’t shake her off, and when I peek at Carmine’s face, he’s schooled his expression into one of indifference.

“I did,” Carmine answers, gazing at Gwen. “It was lonely though—”

Is he flirting with her?

Unexpectedly, Roman clarifies, “They’re old friends.”

And that’s when I realize that I’m blatantly gaping at them.

“Well, more than friends,” Gwen interjects, skimming her palm down Carmine’s arm to his wrist. “Not wearing your watch?”

Carmine doesn’t answer while I learn some interesting information. So his precious watch was given to him by Gwen? I knew it! He mentioned he dumped her after she bought him a gift. Although it also leads me to believe that she must mean more to him than he revealed.

Roman finishes his drink, smugly watching Carmine, who doesn’t move a muscle. “So what did you do last night, Carmine?”

I can guess exactly where Roman’s going with the sudden change in subject; he’s testing us.

“Why do you ask?” Carmine retorts in an amiable tone as palpable tension cloaks us.

“Because Gwen said you didn’t feel well,” Roman replies and adds, amused, “I hope it wasn’t what we put in the drinks during the orgy.”

Why is he telling us this?

“It probably was. It was nothing though; I just needed a good night’s rest,” Carmine responds around a charismatic grin, acting as if he’s with friends and attempting to lighten the mood.

“And what did you do, Eva?” Roman asks, and I lock eyes with Liam, not knowing if he’s going to blow my cover.

“I was with Liam.”

“You had fun with my girlfriend,” Roman speaks kindly, stating girlfriend because he clearly still believes that Carmine doesn’t already know that’s a lie.

“We did,” Liam answers, thank goodness, and I grasp that Carmine has instructed Liam as well – Carmine’s thought of everything.

Roman dips his chin. “Then I’m glad.”

I cautiously let out a sigh, elated that I’ve made it through another conversation with Roman unscathed.

When Gwen murmurs something to Roman, Carmine’s gaze meets mine, so I mouth, “We’re in the clear.”

He nods quickly and mouths back, “My watch.”

I bob my head just as Gwen focuses on Carmine and pulls him away. Much to my chagrin, he seems to go with her eagerly. Spending too much time with Carmine is messing with my mind.

Roman shifts close to me. “Apparently, you were a profitable escort last night, so you may continue with your job today. Leave Carmine alone.” And he saunters away, taking Liam with him.

Even more perplexed than I was earlier, I begin to understand that other escorts are now probably being told to steal Carmine’s phone. So I’m glad I warned him to keep it close.

Either way, this works perfectly for me. I’ll take this opportunity to sneak out and get Carmine’s watch. Then I’ll return later in the day to hand it over to him and to collect my two thousand – It looks like I’m actually going to make it through this weekend in one piece.

Secretively, I’m a little proud of myself, but would I have pulled it off without Carmine’s help?

No.

Although he almost certainly had his own reasons and needed to save his own ass.

Instead of going right away, I watch Gwen fawning over Carmine and it upsets me. For him, I was just another one of his women. For me, annoyance has made way for a strange attraction.

Then I notice the abundance of food on the buffet table, so I plate up eggs, bacon, and biscuits and eat until I’m stuffed. After today, I’ll need to live off cereal again.

When I’m finished with breakfast, I attempt to leave the living room, but I catch Carmine eyeing me as he whispers something into Gwen’s ear. I simply lift a brow at him, but he doesn’t react at all, and I don’t break away from his penetrating stare until I’ve stepped out of the room. Rushing to the end of the hall, I reach the back door that opens onto the patio, and fortunately, it’s unlocked.

Just as I touch the knob, I hear from behind me. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Rotating around, I swallow heavily as Roman glares at me. “I was just going to get some air.”

He angles his head to the side. “Come with me.” Turning, he holds out his arm, ordering me to precede him.

With heavy feet, I comply. Gripping my elbow, he steers me back through the hallway and stops at the first door we come to, which opens into an office where Liam is standing in front of the desk with a guard beside him, pointing a gun at his temple.

“Stand next to him and keep your hands in front of you,” Roman hisses as I’m propelled inside, stumbling forward.

“What is this?!” I gasp and swivel around, but Roman clutches my shoulders and shunts me toward Liam as my panic reaches new heights.