~Catalina~
I hope I'm not late.
Closing the door of the lodge, I shuffle on my heels down the wooden stairs of the porch. A magical scene invites me outside, of a patchy forest, six inches of sparkly snow, and a black suv parked in front of the lodge.
Silas's gaze finds mine through the falling snow. Right now, he's the complete opposite of the winter wonderland around him.
Charcoal suit and tie. Eyes darker than the night. A cigarette hanging loosely between fingers I can't tell are just tattooed, or are bruised too.
He might think he belongs in the darkness. Behind walls of metal and tendrils of smoke. But standing here in the light, he's never looked more beautifully twisted.
Almost grimacing, I ask myself who's side I'm on. I try not to trip over my heels and head towards him, eying his stupid cigarette. I really hate his smoking habit. Papa's teeth are yellow now.
He must have sensed my agitation because when I stop near him, he smirks a little and offers me the cigarette. I just have to stare at him like he's insane. Is he serious?
"No." I say and he pulls back, slipping it between his lips and pulling my side of the car door open. Seeing this, my body relaxes a little. "Is that...a gentleman I see?"
"Nowhere near it. Sit your ass inside before I push you."
My mouth opens to speak before he pushes my shoulder and I stumble into my seat. "Are you demented?"
"Very." He says smugly and shuts the door. I'm seeing Leone tonight right?
———
The annoyance in Silas's eyes intensify the more they run over my legs. "Where's your jacket."
"Don't worry, you don't have to give me yours." I declare snakily, but as we start walking, the irritation is gone and I'm left with thick tension around me.
He looks like everything that could destroy me. His hair neatly combed. Sleek confidence in the way he moves, but not too much. Enough to let a person know he's full of himself, yet still draw them in without an ick.
"So this dinner..." My shoulders stiffen with the cold. "Is there anything I should know before?"
He guides me towards the elevator at the side of the underground parking lot. It's so cold and wet down here, I regrettably feel like pressing myself against him.
Moscow is beautiful. The streets are clean, the city is huge, but the people here scare me. The two bodyguards at the entrance of the parking garage looked like they were sent from space. Bald, with black sunglasses, only giving a nod as Silas said one word to them. "Cavallaro."
I can only wonder what big criminals we're about to meet that are powerful enough to invite Silas to their home. The thought makes me want to cling onto his jacket.
"Just stay close to me." His low voice pulls me out of my thoughts. "Don't go anywhere alone, and don't converse with the people there." He clicks the elevator button. "They're not good."
"And you are?"
He ignores me. "After dinner, the women and men separate. Stay in the woman's room, I'll get you after I'm done."
"Done what?"
I think I've asked something wrong because he stares at me like I'm a brainless child. "We aren't here to eat steak if that's what you think."
"Of course we aren't." I blurt as we step into the elevator. As the doors close, I look his way. "Because we're here to....?"
Sadly he doesn't finish my sentence. He only gives a small smile and shakes his head.
"Don't be nosy Catalina."
I am not nosy, I tell myself as his palm slides over my hip. The heat from his skin casts a red glow over me that demands my attention. Even when the doors part to reveal grand, Great Gatsby-like interior, all I can think of is his hand.
We're so different. He's used to touching me, while I'm here freaking out over it. It only reminds me that I'm a virgin, and that Silas has probably been with women since he hit puberty.
Frowning at the thought, I pull my focus away to the golden foyer filled with people, all of them the palest white and all of them turning to look at me.
I never wanted to be invisible, but this is not fun.
Eyes follow as we enter, and I notice that everyone here is armed. Even some of the women have guns tucked into the holsters of their cocktail dresses, not even fearing being seen.
"Guns?" I ask Silas in a hushed voice.
He leans closer to me, invoking a curl of satisfaction in my stomach. "You're here with me. Guns are the least of your worries, chiaro di luna."
He's not wrong.
We meet the host - a young Russian man named Ivan, wearing the flashiest clothing. And then we eat - sitting at a round table in the middle of a giant, candle lit room. Outside the tall, arched windows is a twinkly view of Moscow I can't stop looking at.
My nail taps against the surface of the dining table while everyone around me chatter to no end.
Life must be bliss for old money. For people who have always lived life looking down at others from these high places. With these beautiful views.
I can't imagine growing up and never worrying about my meals, or whether or not somebody broke into my house to steal my Mama's savings.
Even after my Papa got into crime, I never let the money change me.
Maybe that's why I stand out so much here.
"This place is beautiful." I breathe to myself. "Why did you choose a lodge for us to stay in, when we could have lived in the city?"
I think Silas hates this country. "We have to keep a low profile. It we stay in the city, we'll be seen by everyone."
"I like being seen."
"Yeah, until it kills you."
He sips his drink while I eye him. What a positive man, I think as I slip in a bite of the beef stroganoff.
"You can kill me too."
"Unlike the others, I wouldn't hurt you."
Just one sentence, and the voices around me shatter into white noise. My chest stops rising, but he doesn't notice until his eyes reach mine.
"I know." I reply, and with full conviction. His eyes darken with disbelief beneath candlelight. I understand him being surprised, I am too.
After struggling to eat the six course dinner - Ivan said it was "Russian tradition", the guests gather in the drawing room. This room is huge, and looks so Victorian, I feel like a royal.
An entire book shelf covers the wall from floor to ceiling. A few windows look out onto the Moscow skyline, and the floors are carpeted in the middle with red Persian rugs.
Everyone sits on the leather brown couches in the centre, but I want my heart rate to go down so I stray from Silas to have a look at the books. Besides, I need some time to understand what I'm feeling.
Silas's words struck a chord in me.
He's always said he wouldn't hurt me, but I never believed him until today. There was something so casually raw in the way he said it, it made me wonder if he was saying the truth before too.
My fingers stroke the spines of the old books as another few words come to mind.
He's obsessed with you.
My shoulders stiffen. Why am I repeating useless phrases in my head like they matter to me? They don't. Silas is and always will be a cheat. A manipulator.
The whole reason I'm here is because he likes to play around with people's lives. Pulling back from the books, I sigh and try to focus on why I'm doing this.
One day, I'm going to walk out of the Cavallaro mansion holding a 50 million cheque. I'll be free of this marriage, free of the people back in New York that hate me. I'll be free.
But what would I do after that? While I chew on my thoughts, I turn and catch onto a sight that makes me freeze.
One flashy brunette. Another blonde dressed in gold, who reaches out and puts a hand on Silas's bicep. Silas's eyes narrow the tiniest bit, and though he looks completely detached from the situation, he doesn't take her hand off of him.
The itchiness beneath my skin makes me shift on my other leg. I don't understand the spiking of my adrenaline, or why my I can't tear my eyes away from them.
All I do is scan the room, particularly the men to see if there are any eligible bachelors for Catalina Cavallaro. And when I find one, I don't shy from making my move.
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Authors note - hi guys, hope you enjoyed! I know I've had a gap where I stopped posting but I'm returning to the schedule I posted on my message board so keep a look out for updates!!