Infatuated: Mafia Romance

VI

VI.

Sophia sipped anxiously at a sparkling water. She sat between the two girls, Lacy babbling on drunkenly, which caused Maeve to fixate on the crowd of paparazzi that had gathered outside the gated grand-entrance of the Romanov family mansion.

"There must be a celebrity that is arriving," the redhead assessed, a bit excited as she looked out the window of the private cab.

Sophia opened her mouth to apologize, though Maeve knowingly shushed her.

"Apparently these events end up becoming a bit scandalous, so it's likely best that we left early," Maeve told her. "Giovanni let it slip that its very much a huge sex party. All of the models hook up. They try to keep it discrete, but most everyone knows."

Sophia was taken aback, as she hadn't understood, despite Helena's subtle mention of the topic. The thought of Kane Romanov made her blush suddenly into her sparkling beverage; as it was now clear to her that he, too, had sought to inform her. The slight buzz from the glasses of Armand de Brignac, followed by more blushed wine, had caused her to see the handsome man beneath her eyelids— the supermodel's catty friend, Tabitha, at his side.

"Perhaps we can go back to your father's estate. He is on business still, isn't he?"

Sophia nodded. "He won't be back from Dubai for some time. I can call Henley. I'm sure he'd be happy to have us."

Lacy perked up at the mention of the estate, as she enjoyed lounging in one of Sophia's luxury bathrobes and drinking fruity cocktails.

Sophia knocked politely at the privacy window, separating the driver's compartment with that of the passenger's cabin. The young handler noticed the sound first, nodding towards her cheekily with the emptied champagne bottle still at his lap.

The cab quickly set course for the estate, leaving the mansion in a manner of promptness. Lacy swayed into Sophia, the topic of the bartender still on her mind, though she chose not to mention it and grew sleepy during their short car-ride.

Once they'd arrived, Maeve assisted Sophia in dragging the petite brunette from the cab and into the estate-house. She complained softly of not being able to stay at the party longer, but was easily quieted after the girls had all changed into night-dresses and silk robes. Gathered upstairs in the left-wing lounge, they sipped on a round of beverages.

Henley had thought it best to serve Lacy a fruit spritzer, casually informing her that it was Voss. The tipsy brunette was none the wiser, assuming it to be a fancy brand of vodka and not a sparkling mineral water.

Sophia had also opted for a mocktail, though her apprehension of the night still lingered beneath her dying buzz. As Henley offered them a final round of refills and had delivered them a cheese platter, Sophia insisted that he retire for the night so he could rest.

Maeve cuddled close to Sophia, looking lavishly posh with her styled red hair against the silk fabric of the peach-tinted robe. "I find it uncanny that the men from our night out ended up being prominent sponsors of Giovanni's event," she stated absentmindedly. Nibbling on a pickled olive, the subject was just as soon acquitted.

They turned to Lacy, who had begun to doze lightly across a tufted love-seat.

Maeve giggled, popping another olive into her mouth. "Brie?" she offered to Sophia, noting her quietness.

Sophia nodded as Maeve passed her the cheeseboard. "Perhaps we should get Lacy to bed."

Maeve lightly snickered. "She sure doesn't know how to limit her fancy cocktails. She's had so much of that blushed wine. I could barely keep up!"