Breakfast on Tuesday

20. Boring girl

"Guys, oh my god. Grow up," Eduardo said sternly. He stood up, displeasure stamped on his usually kind face and grabbed some paper towels to clean up my mess. "Stop acting like thirteen-year-olds. And Eli, show Carla some respect. That's no way to talk to a woman. Who raised you?"

Eduardo had a point. That kind of talk was sexier and dared I say, more acceptable coming from a man like Dante.

And that's what's wrong with society today. Good-looking alpha males can get away with a lot of shit that isn't necessarily right and should be considered abuse.

Hmm.

Madeleine got up as well and was now holding me back as I continued to stare at Eli, wishing that certain looks could literally kill people. My hand itched to give him a proper slap.

My screaming voice had alerted Dante and Annabella. Moments later they were at our table. Annabella fussed when she saw the spill but soon forgot about that when she saw Eli's bleeding cheek. She touched his face and his demeanor changed immediately, the aggression in his shoulders subsiding, his eyes softening. I rolled my eyes and looked away.

Dante maneuvered himself around Madeleine and wrapped his hand around my waist. Without warning, he gripped my jaw and turned my head until our eyes met.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice low and menacing. "Why are you screaming in my restaurant?"

"I'm fine. Just a small dispute among friends" I forced a smile when his eyes narrowed. My response didn't seem to please him.

He leaned down, his lips brushing my ear, his voice low and provocative. "I think this is your way of begging me to fuck you and it's working. I promise I would and I almost always keep my promises, cariño."

Before I could answer, he pulled away and addressed the group. "The storm is getting worse outside. You guys are welcome to stay. We have spare bedrooms. If not, I suggest you find your way home now before it becomes impossible."

Madeleine looked at me. "What are you doing, Carla?"

I bit my lip and looked at Dante. I wanted to stay and I knew that he wanted me to as well, and yet there was a moment of silence that caused my heart to hammer frantically in my chest.

His serious gaze held me captive but didn't give anything away. "She's staying," he said after a long while.

"Then I'm staying as well. I am not going to leave her here alone..." Madeleine didn't finish her sentence but I knew what was left unsaid. She didn't want to leave me alone with a stranger.

I realized at that moment that I had such good friends. I had only known Madeleine for a year and I now considered her as one of my closest friends. She always had my back. Eli was like a big brother and I cared about him, and that was why it annoyed me that he couldn't truly be himself. Eduardo was a sweetheart in every way and the perfect person to talk to whenever we were going through some tough shit. I loved my friends.

"Thank you, Mad," I said. "What about you Eduardo? Do you want to stay as well?"

He nodded curtly. "I will stay. Maybe we can work on that group marketing project we have coming up."

"That sounds great," I said. "And maybe Eva can join on a video call. She's going to want the notes from this morning."

I didn't bother to ask whether Eli wanted to stay or not. Annabella had taken him to the men's restroom while we were talking. I guessed to care for his tiny wound that was barely a scratch.

Your nails aren't exactly clean. Now stop being a hater.

Hater, my ass. Eli and I had never had any problems before today. He was a good guy and looking back, maybe I shouldn't have gone at him like that. And I definitely shouldn't have tried to slap him.

Well, he shouldn't have called me grumpy. And he knew why. They all knew the way my mother treated me after I went mute and the effect it had on me psychologically. He was hitting below the belt on purpose and I just couldn't let that slide.

"Let's get you cleaned up, cariño," Dante said. "Annabella will show the rest of you to your room.

I told my friends that I would see them soon and then I followed Dante up the stairs to his bedroom.

The paintings on the wall greeted me once again. I didn't know how he could walk into this room every time and not be turned on. Those two paintings were damn near erotic.

"What was that all about downstairs?" he asked when the door fell shut behind us.

"Eli made a rude comment about me not getting enough of you and I sort of lost it." I entered the spacious bathroom and took off my sweater. "Do you have a spare?" I held the sweater out for him to see.

"Yes, but you won't be needing it now." All of a sudden he was standing right behind me. His golden eyes burned into mine in the mirror. "Strip. We're going to take a shower."

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