Giovanni goes to leave, clearly in a foul mood now that a man he dotes upon has put him in his place. But I can’t help but have the final say.
“Oh, and Giovanni?” I call out politely. When he turns, I smile sweetly as I speak. “Call my brother a gay boy again and all those pretty threats will be closer than ever. You can push me all you like, but start to target Manuel and I won’t care how much it hurts. I will make sure you feel every bit of pain I am willing to inflict on you. It doesn’t do you much justice that I have my own grievances against you that will stop me from going lightly.”
“Whatever, this family is a mess.”
I sit nodding as he storms from the room. For once, I’m entirely on Giovanni’s side. However, I stop when I turn my head and find my father staring at me. His eyes are so venomous now, I wonder what it would take to find the antidote.
“The meeting’s at ten AM. You best go get ready,” my father announces and stands up, tossing his napkin down onto the plate before him. “I have other business to attend to. Make sure this goes smoothly.” He starts to leave, speaking as he does so. “The car will be waiting for you in forty minutes.”
“He’s pissed, isn’t he?” Zane asks me quietly, leaning in toward me.
“Oh, yeah,” I mutter, throwing my fork down. “I’m going to get ready. Be ready, Zane. This is your first chance to prove your worth.”
I saunter out of the dining room and leave them all to it. I head to my bedroom and go straight to my bathroom. Once in, I lock the door behind me and start the shower. I undress while the water heats up and make quick work of hopping under the pouring water. I wash myself quickly and allow the water to soak through my hair. I know if I stay in here too long, my thoughts will run wild, each vying for freedom. I grab my shampoo and quickly lather my hair up before rinsing it all out under the shower. I feel like I’m rushing everything, but if Zane is to make a good impression, it means Carlo and I cannot slack and be late. Being given limited time does not help my nerves to do so.
When I leave the bathroom, steam billowing in my wake, I go straight to my dresser and pull out the first matching lingerie I find. I have no idea what I’m going to wear, but I need to get my hair dried and my make-up applied. Picking out a killer outfit should be the easy part. With a towel wrapped around my hair, I drop the one from my middle and use it to dry my body. I hear people speaking outside of my bedroom so I wander over and lock my door. I hear the muffled voices of Enzo and Carlo discussing this little mission and they seem very positive about it – at least someone does!
Approaching my bed, I quickly put my underwear on and head for my vanity to dry my hair. As I do so, I wonder what Zane is doing. Is he pacing manically, gearing up to be a tough guy? Or does he want out already? I don’t spend an eternity hoping to dry my hair, I leave it to dry partially natural so my natural curls will work their magic. Again, my thoughts go back to Zane, and I wonder how he’s preparing for this. While I’m applying foundation to my freshly moisturized skin, adding eyeliner and mascara, drawing around my lips with a red lip pencil only to fill in the rest with red lipstick, what is he doing? How well is he prepared for what he’s being asked to do? He’s been asked to take on a tremendous task that all of us, apart from Manuel, have been entrusted to do in our lives. He is being asked more than one of our own.
I sigh, unable to answer any of the questions that feed my curiosity, and as I pucker my lips and look at my complexion, I realize it’s something I’m just meant to find out. I cast my eyes to the clock on my wall and realize I have only ten minutes to find an outfit and really perfect my look.
Leaving my room, I head to the door beside my bed and find myself standing in my large closet in nothing but sheer, black underwear. I’m staring at the vast majority of my clothing when I hear a rap on my bedroom door. I huff and stomp my way to the door to see who’s there. We were given half an hour to get ourselves ready to leave for the swap, and I’m nowhere near more ready than I was ten minutes ago.
“What?” I ask as I swing my door open.
“Oh, wow,” Zane gasps as he looks down me. I then see him smirk, rubbing his jaw as he does so. “You’re going to be the absolute death of me if you continue to dress like that.”
I look down at myself. “Guess I’ve found my go-to outfit on these lonely, lonely nights.”
“Amelia,” he groans, and I hear him get louder as I waltz away from the open door.