{DANTE}
Despite what Vivian thought, l'd scheduled my
Europe trip before she moved in. A majority of
Russo Group brands were headquartered on the
continent, and I blocked off a month every year to hold in-person meetings with the heads of our subsidiaries.
This year's timing just happened to be extremely convenient.
However, I made sure to keep tabs on Luca and Vivian
while I was gone. I'd assigned Luca a sales role at one of our jewelry subsidiaries' retail stores. He was a people person, and putting him in a back office somewhere would only spell disaster for him and the store in question. According to the store manager, he had a rough start–my brother had never been punctual–but by the time I returned to New York, he seemed to have settled, albeit begrudgingly, into his new role.
Vivian, on the other hand, had taken to her new
surroundings like a duck to water. Greta and Edward gushed about her in every repot, and I came home to find a new European painting in the gallery, towels monogrammed with D&V in the bathrooms, and fucking flowers everywhere.
"Dante, relax your expression," Winona said. "Give me a
smile...that's it! Perfect."
The camera shutter clicked in rapid succession.
Vivian and I had spent the morning taking engagement photos in Central Park. It was as excruciating as l'd imagined, filled with fake smiles and faker embraces as Winona guided us into poses designed to show off how in "love" we were.
"Vivian, put your arms around his neck and move closer."
I stiffened when she said the words. I could as well have become ice when Vivian obliged and took a tentative step toward me.
"Closer. I can practically drive a tractor between you right now," Winona joked.
"Do as she says so we can get this over with," I ground
out. The sooner I put more distance between us, the better.
"You grow more charming every day." Vivian's voice was so sweet I could've drizzled it over pancakes.
"Europe truly did wonders for your personality."
"Closer," Winona encouraged. If she picked up on our
hostility, she didn't acknowledge it. "One more step..."
Vivian's breasts grazed my chest when she closed the remaining gap between us.
My muscles went rigid.
"Dante, put your arms around Vivian."
For fuck's sake.
Since I just wanted to get the torture over with, I set my jaw and placed my hands on Vivian's hips. Heat seared through the silk of her dress, and her damned apple scent crawled into my lungs again.
Neither of us moved, afraid the slightest shift would
inadvertently bring us even closer.
"I received an interesting call from my accountant when was in Paris," I said in an effort to distract myself from our disturbing proximity. "One hundred thousand dollars charged to my Amex in one day, including ten grand on flowers. Care to explain?"
"You gave me a black Amex, I used it," Vivian said with
an elegant shrug. "What can I say? I like flowers. And
shoes."
Translation: You were an asshole before you left, and I
took it out on your bank account.
A subtle but petty act of revenge. Good for her.
There was no one more irritating than someone who
didn't stand up for herself.
"Clearly," I said, trying not to breathe too deep so her scent didn't envelop me completely. "And the towels?"
"They were a gift from my mother."
Of course they were.
"Let me know in advance the next time you leave for a
month," she said. "I want time to plan a party, redecorate the living room, maybe come up with a robust shopping list.
It's amazing how much you can do with no spending limit."
I narrowed my eyes.
I didn't care about the credit card usage. Luca once spent a million dollars on a ridiculous twenty-four-karat solid gold bathtub for a pajama party. A hundred grand was nothing. What pissed me off was the way Vivian rearranged everything while I was gone. The towels and flowers were just the tip of the iceberg. There was new art on the walls, aromatherapy piping through hidden diffusers, and a massage room where the gift-wrapping room used to be.
I left for a month and came back to find my home
transformed into a fucking Club Med.
"You had a good time while I was gone, did you?" A
dangerous current twined around my words.
"I had a wonderful time." Vivian threaded her fingers
through my hair and tugged hard enough to hurt. She
smiled. "The house has been so pleasant without all the scowls and grunts."
"Here I thought you'd miss me." I tsked. "I'm hurt."
"I would apologize, but catering to your feelings isn't part of our arrangement. It's just a business deal. Remember?"
A reluctant smile touched my mouth.
Touché.
"Look at you two. So sweet." Winona sighed. "Dante, why don't you give her a kiss on the lips? It'll be the perfect photo to wrap up the shoot