Chapter 46

“Well,” Christian says, crossing his arms as he continues to smirk at Frankie and me. “Isn’t this…cozy.”

Frankie finally comes back to himself, jumping to his feet and spilling me out of his lap. I fall back onto the couch, mercifully, though I yelp and spill my entire makeup bag as I go.

“Oh my god!” Frankie shouts, covering his face and bolting for the bathroom.

I sit up in time to see Nico just staring after him, appalled, while Christian laughs, slipping an arm around the woman’s shoulders. “Frank, come back!” he says. “You look so pretty!”

“What…” the woman says, struggling to keep her smile in her confusion as she looks up at Christian. “What’s going on here?”

Christian just shrugs, closing the door behind him. “I’m really not sure. Iris?”

I raise myself further so that I’m peering fully over the back of the couch now, not just peeking over it like a spy. “Yes?”

“Are you turning Frank into a drag queen?”

I scowl a little, getting to my knees to glare at him. “Well, there’s not much else to do, Christian,” I say, ignoring the woman for a second as I find my anger. “You left us alone here for three days –“

Christian just laughs, grinning at me like he loves that this is where we ended up. And though part of me is tempted to smile back at him, as I always am, my eyes move inevitably back to the woman. The woman who has my Christian’s arm wrapped around her.

My face falls slack and her smile wavers even further.

Christian looks between us, his own cheer falling away. “Iris, I’d like you to meet Violetta. And Violetta, this is Iris, she’s…under our care, for a while.”

Something rankles in me at being described like this – under his care, again like a golden retriever that he’s babysitting. I’m tempted, of course, to tell her that I’m actually one of his oldest friends –

But then I remember that that’s kind of a close-held secret, isn’t it?

And I have no idea who this woman is.

My manners come back to me, though, after a moment of shock. “Hi!” I say, shaking myself and forcing myself to my feet, coming around the couch. I hold out a hand to Violetta and give her a warm smile, taking in with a bit of chagrin her generously curved figure, her lustrous dark brown hair, her alluring blue-violet eyes. Damn, this would all be a lot easier if she wasn’t so pretty.

“Hi,” Violetta replies, taking my hand and pressing it warmly. “It’s so nice to meet you. And so nice to see Christian’s home!” she grins up at him. “He’s been telling me that you’ve made it so cozy since you’ve been here.”

I take my hand back, working very hard to keep my smile on my face. So, he’s told her about me, has he? Well. I can’t say the same there, can I?

“Are you, um…” I hesitate, not knowing precisely how to word the question that’s burning in my gut. “Are you…visiting?”

She grins at me and takes a step closer to Christian, wrapping an arm around his waist that makes my heart plummet.

“Iris,” Christian says quietly, and my eyes move directly to his. “Violetta is…my girlfriend.”

My jaw drops open in shock. Because…I mean, I clearly figured out that they were involved but…

But…Christian doesn’t have girlfriends…

“What?” Frankie’s voice comes from behind and I turn to see him with a clean face, a wet towel in his hands clearly smudged with the makeup that took so long to apply. “Your girlfriend?”

“Yeah, it all happened really fast,” Violetta says with a tinkling little laugh. “Our moms have been trying to get us to meet forever, but then when we did…” she snaps, a happy smile on her lips. “Like that! Just…we knew it was meant to be.”

She smiles up at Christian, and he smiles back down at her, and I have never been a violent person but…

Well. I have to fold my hands behind my back, don’t I? To keep from clawing her damn face off.

“Come on,” Christian says, giving Violetta a little tug towards the bedroom. “Let me show you the place. Nico?” he calls, looking over at his bodyguard. “Maybe we can order something for dinner, for all of us? And some wine? I’d like us all to sit down – get to know each other.”

And without another word, Christian and Violetta disappear into the bedroom, him narrating all of the features of the house.

And after the door closes, Nico turns to glare at me. “This is all your fault.”

“What!?” Frankie and I gasp in unison.

“Seriously!?” Nico growls, striding over to me as Frankie comes to my side, speaking into a low hiss because he clearly doesn’t want Christian to hear. “For years he very smartly avoids getting involved with any woman, and then you come into our lives for like a week – swanning around in your little sleep shorts, making us dinner –“

I gasp, appalled, because Nico’s talking about these perfectly normal things like they’re the sluttiest things anyone has ever done.

“And you get him so worked up that he has to go out and get a girlfriend!? Why couldn’t you just lay off, Iris!?”

I just stare at Nico, open-mouthed, shocked – appalled – horrified – guilty – livid – stunned – disgusted –

Just, all of the bad emotions at once filling me to the brim, so much that I don’t even have words anymore. I forget all of them, every single one, as I glare at this man, my mouth hanging open.

Luckily, Frankie has them for me.

“You need to back off, Nico,” Frankie snaps, putting an arm out in front of me and tucking me behind his back, just a little. “Iris had nothing to do with this.”

“Oh,” Nico huffs, crossing his arms and glaring at Frankie now too. “What, she’s got you wrapped around her finger now too? You’re going to be walking around here as well, all insane with lust, just doing stupid shit –“

“What the hell are you talking about!?” Frankie snaps, taking a step towards Nico.

“We come in here and she’s sitting in your lap!? And you have makeup all over your face!? What the hell else am I supposed to conclude!?”

I groan, putting my face in my hands, still angry but trying desperately to figure out what the hell just happened. Christian, with a girlfriend? And now Nico saying it’s all my fault, but also simultaneously that I’ve seduced Frankie!?

What….how the hell did the world blow up so much in two minutes!?

Suddenly a knock comes at the door and I jump nearly out of my skin as I turn towards it, wide-eyed and shocked because – I mean, I don’t think I can handle any more surprises right now.

Frankie and Nico forget their fight and stand still next to me, likewise staring at the door. Because who the hell could that be? I mean, everyone who knows about this penthouse is already here, plus Violetta!

The pounding comes again and Nico, this time, reaches out an arm as if holding us back. “Just, stay silent,” he whispers. “Don’t answer it.”

There’s a long, silent pause, and I jump as the pounding knock comes again.

“Nico!” A voice shouts, and both boys beside me go rigid with fear. “Open this damn door! I know you’re in there, I bought this damn penthouse and saw the car downstairs, you idiot!”

I look up at Frankie, who looks down at me with the same bewilderment and fear.

Because we’re both now very aware of who is here at the door.

But, what the hell could Don Romano want with us now?