“I’m sorry,” I said, taking the slice of pizza she handed me although I didn’t really want it. “As you probably know by now, it was Gio that I’d seen at the club. He was there meeting with another woman. I freaked out and didn’t know what to do. And then I just wanted to be alone.”
“Where were you guys at? The usual hang-out spot?” Jessica asked.
I nodded.
“Well, then it’s settled. We have to go back there tonight.”
“Excuse me?” I said, not following her logic at all.
She smiled. “That’s our favorite spot! And it’s the best local nightclub we have in town. So, I refuse to let that place become a source of bad memories for you. We’re going back, and we’re going to turn those bad memories into good ones.”
I took a bite of pizza and nearly choked on it, the tomato sauce was too hot. I coughed. Angela reached over and thumped me on the back. “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea,” I said, once I could speak again.
“And why not?” Jessica asked, taking a large bite of her own pizza.
“Because I met Gio in that club. I fell for him in that club. I did things with him in that club…”
Now it was Jessica’s turn to nearly choke. “Oh, my God, Arianna. You did not tell me that!” Her expression was a mixture of shock and elation. “Details! I want all the details!”
I set the pizza down and placed my head in my hands. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“This guy apparently has friends in high places,” Angela said, clearly deciding to spill the details for me. “He was able to rent them a private room right there in the club. And things got kind of sexy and heated on the pool table. And then continued later that night in his apartment.”
Jessica squealed, while I, on the other hand, wanted to sink into the couch and disappear. “Must you sound so impressed?” I said, folding my arms.
Jessica laughed. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I’m so amazed that our little Ari is growing up! I know you’ve never done anything like that before. I imagine this Gio dude must have been quite the hunk, huh? He had to be in order to bring out that side in you! Girl, don’t even worry about it though. Guys like that get the best of all of us.”
In spite of myself, I couldn’t help but laugh. Soon, Jessica, Angela, and I were all laughing hysterically. At that moment, I no longer regretted that they were there. I guess I had needed a proper girls’ night, after all, more than I had realized.
I reached for my pizza, some of my appetite returning. The tomato sauce had cooled, making the pizza far more enjoyable.
“All right, Jess. What are we watching?” Angela asked.
“I was looking for something with hot guys in it. You know, to take Ari’s mind off Prince Charming who turned out to be a toad.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Angela said.
* * *
After watching a movie about male strippers, I had to admit I was in a much better mood than I had started out in. With our bellies full of pizza, we were more than ready to dance off the calories that we’d acquired.
“You need to look extra good tonight,” Angela said, grinning widely as she searched through my closet.
“Let’s go for it,” I said, feeling reckless.
“That’s what I like to hear,” Jessica said, clapping her hands together.
The next hour was spent with the three of us priming ourselves to perfection. We curled our hair, painted our nails, and changed clothes about a dozen times before we were each satisfied with our outfits. When it was all said, and done, I was wearing a short red dress with silver accents, with earrings and heels to match. Angela had settled on a pair of skinny jeans and a halter top that showed off her slender waistline, and Jessica wore a black party dress that twirled when she danced, along with a bright green belt at the waist that brought out the color in her eyes.
Before leaving, we stood in the mirror, admiring ourselves and taking at least a dozen selfies.
“All right, ladies,” Jessica said. “Let’s go break some hearts, shall we?”
And with that, we made our way downstairs and out the door, laughing and ready to dance the night away. As I locked up the house, I just hoped that by the end of the night, I would be left saying, “Giovanni who?”
We piled into Angela’s car, me sitting in the passenger’s seat while Jessica sat in the back. Once our seatbelts were buckled, Angela cranked the full radio volume, getting us pumped up for the night.
When we were on the road, I put down the window, enjoying the feel of the wind in my hair and face.
“Girl, raise that window back up!” Jessica said from the backseat. “You’re going to mess up our hair!”
I burst out laughing.
When we pulled into the club, we felt like a trio of superstars. All eyes were on us from the second we stepped inside. The dance floor was packed, and the music was loud. Jessica and Angela each grabbed one of my hands, and we squeezed our way onto the floor.
While I was tempted to glance around, I forced myself not to because Gio was still in the back of my mind. I had to remind myself that starting tonight, he was no longer a part of the equation. He was my past, and I had to leave him there.
I knew that most women had had their hearts broken before. I wasn’t the first and certainly wouldn’t be the last. And now that I had entered the world of men, there would undoubtedly be others. On a positive note, if I had to thank Giovanni for anything, it was for making me wiser and better able handle situations like this in the future.
Smiling, I began to sway my hips to the beat, while Angela and Jessica danced alongside me, cheering me on. After a while, Jessica nudged Angela in the arm and wink. She then nodded her head in my direction—or at something just passed me, rather.
Suddenly, I felt a presence and knew someone was behind me. My heart skipping a beat, I slowly turned around.
I released the breath I’d been holding upon seeing that it wasn’t Giovanni. It was another handsome man though. He was tall with broad shoulders, short shaggy hair, and bright brown eyes. He smiled and held his hand out to me.
“Can I dance with you?” he asked.
I took his hand and grinned. “Sure.”
“What’s your name?”
“Arianna.”
“Nice to meet you, Arianna. I’m Brad.”
I simply smirked, not having the heart to tell him that I didn’t care what his name was. I just wanted him to help me forget Gio. “Well when this song is over, Brad, how about you buy me a drink?”
He grinned. “My pleasure, beautiful.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he slinked his arms around my waist as we moved together to the beat. When the song went off, Brad took me by the hand and led me to the bar. I glanced back over my shoulder toward Jessica and Angela. They smiled and gave me the thumbs up, which I laughed and returned.
Tonight, was starting off pretty good already. I just hoped it stayed that way.
CHAPTER 20
Giovanni
As was always the case whenever I was in a heated mood, I figured the only thing that could help me was going out for a drink. I had tried to call Maria, asking her to come along, but she had been busy and couldn’t make it. I then tried to contact my brothers. Yet, they were weird towards me. I couldn’t even be upset with them though, for I knew my father was behind any unusualness in their behavior. They were in a difficult position—torn between their older brother, and their father. As hateful of a man as Luca Romano was, I wouldn’t have put it past him to have threatened my brothers, telling them that if they took my side, or even showed me too much sympathy, they too, would be kicked out of the family.
It just made me sick.
It pained me to think it, but I just couldn’t help feeling that all my years of dedication to the sorry excuse of a man I called my father had all been in vain. I even wondered if he had truly even wanted a family to begin with, or if he had just wanted kids for the sole purpose of having read
y-made employees responsible for putting more money in his pockets.
Had love ever really been part of the equation? I truthfully couldn’t tell anymore.
I pulled up outside of the nightclub, seeing that there was a large crowd tonight. For a moment, I just stared at the entrance, wondering if I really wanted to go inside, or if I should keep driving to find a smaller, quieter, less rowdy pub to have a few drinks in peace and solitude.
I turned off my car engine and decided to go inside. A larger and noisier crowd would serve me better regarding taking my mind off my father and Arianna. Besides, if the crowd became too much for me, I could always request my private room for some time alone.
Then again, maybe that wouldn’t be such a good idea either, considering that room now had some very distinct memories of Arianna tied to it; I wasn’t sure I wanted to relive those particular memories after the way she had ripped my heart out and stomped on it without explanation.
Maybe you had it coming, Gio, a voice in my head said. Perhaps all the years of being a self-defined playboy had caught up to me, and I was bound to find a woman who would teach me the error of my ways.
I headed straight to the bar once I got in, walking right to the front of the line, to the dismay of customers who’d been waiting patiently.
“Hey! You can’t just cut the line like that!” some guy yelled at me.
I snarled and flipped him off. The guy, along with a few others, proceeded to call me all sorts of names. Noticing the outrage and commotion, the bartender came over. “Is there a problem over here?” he asked.
“Yes!” several people hollered, pointing at me.
I nodded at the bartender. “My name is Giovanni Romano. Give me my usual spot, and keep the beers rolling,” I said, and then tossed a crisp one-hundred-dollar bill at him.
His eyes bulged for a second. “Yes, sir. Certainly,” he said, although I had already turned my back to claim my favorite table.
I settled into my seat, and my first beer arrived shortly after that. I almost chugged it all in one swallow.
After the third beer, I began to think coming there was a mistake. The beer wasn’t doing anything to improve my mood. I had been hoping it, along with the music, would have a numbing effect on me, but that proved to not be the case. Instead, I was starting to feel more and more solemn, and the thoughts I felt toward my father were just growing more bitter by the second. I contemplated ordering something stronger than beer but knew that wouldn’t be reasonable considering I needed to drive home. Sitting at the table, I felt that I had essentially placed myself in a trap.
Way to go, Gio.
The people laughing, dancing, drinking, and flirting around the club all seemed to be mocking me. I stared at them, envious of everyone who wasn’t going through what I was going through. I regretted not being the same man I’d been just weeks before all these problems arose. If only I could turn back the hands of time, I would make it so that I had never agreed to marry anyone. I would make it so that I had never even met Arianna Marino.
Yet, even as the thoughts drifted through my head, I knew they weren’t true because as angry as I felt toward Arianna, I knew the anger was directly in response to how much I still cared for her. If I didn’t still care, I wouldn’t have been feeling like I was falling to pieces. If I didn’t care for her, I would have been relieved that our engagement had been broken, no matter what my father felt over the matter. If I didn’t still care, I would have just moved on to the next woman…
I was pissed because I still cared. And I was also pissed because I hated feeling as if I didn’t have control over what was going on around me. I hated how much Luca controlled my life, and how he could literally flip it upside down and back again with just a few words.
Another beer was delivered to my table, and I began to feel that I had officially had enough when I glanced out on the dance floor and saw someone who was the spitting image of Arianna.
What were the chances that she and I just happened to be at the same nightclub again? It just couldn’t be.
Yet, the more I stared, the more convinced I became that it was her. Again. After a while, there was simply no denying it. This time, however, she wasn’t just with a girlfriend.
The blood in my veins felt like it was literally boiling as I stared at Arianna dancing with some guy who had his hands all over her. He was tall and good-looking, with blond hair and greed in his eyes.
The main problem though, was that he wasn’t me.
Unable to stop myself, I slammed my beer on the table and in a flash, I headed for the dance floor. I pushed passed people, not at all caring about the scandalized expressions they threw my way. When I came to a stop, I stood directly behind the guy. Neither he nor Arianna had noticed my presence.
I reached out and gripped the guy’s shoulder, squeezing it with all my might.
“Oww!” he hollered in surprise and spun around to face me. He looked at me, confused. “What the hell, man?”
He shoved my hand away from him.
My eyes locked with Arianna. Her eyes became wide circles. “G-Gio?” she stuttered.
“Surprise, surprise,” I said with a sneer and then turned my focus back to the guy. “Back the hell away from her, and keep your hands to yourself.”
Taken aback, he glanced at Arianna. “Do you know this guy?”
She folded her arms. “Not anymore, if I can help it.”
“Look, buddy,” the guy said, “the lady has spoken. So, I think you better leave us alone.”
“You don’t tell me what to do,” I said angrily. “Nobody tells me what to do!” Once again, unable to stop myself, I shoved the guy in the chest. He stumbled backward a few steps.
“Stop it, Giovanni! Get the hell out of here and leave us alone!” Arianna yelled.
“Listen, you’ve got one more time to put your hands on me,” the guy warned.
“Oh yeah? Or what?”
“Or we can take this outside,” he snarled.
I pushed him in the chest again.
He gritted his teeth. “That’s it. I’ve had enough of you.” He stepped forward and shoved me. I stumbled backward, but only because I’d had too many drinks. I was pretty sure I could beat this guy in my sleep if I wanted to. I grinned and pushed him again.
We got into a wrestling match right there on the dance floor. Not before long, security hurried our way.
“HEY! BREAK IT UP! GET OUT OF HERE!” they yelled. One guard grabbed hold of the guy, and another grabbed hold of me. Together, they began pushing us through the club, and then shoved us right out the door.
“Look what you did! What’s your problem, man?” the guy yelled.
I punched him in the jaw, taking him completely off guard. He fell into the wall beside the entrance. Not giving him the chance to recover, I punched him in the stomach until he doubled over and fell to the ground. Once he was on the ground, I kicked him, taking pleasure in the way he howled and sputtered and begged me to stop.
“GIOVANNI! LEAVE HIM ALONE!”
I halted at the sound of Arianna’s voice. She hurried towards us and kneeled beside the guy. “Brad? Brad? Are you okay?”
I stepped back, running my hands through my hair. My knuckles hurt from punching him, and upon seeing his bloody and bruised face, I finally began to sober up somewhat.
“Shit,” I said, realizing what I’d done as I watched Arianna help the guy—Brad—to his feet.
“You’re a real asshole, you know that?” he said, his voice choked with blood. He then shrugged away from Arianna’s touch. “Stay the hell away from me. Your ex is psycho. I’m out of here.”
“Brad, I’m sorry,” Arianna said to his retreating form. But he just waved a dismissive hand at her and continued on his way. Slowly, Arianna turned around to face me. Her gaze was so cold, my previously boiling blood now seemed to freeze in my veins.
It was safe to say that I was completely sober now. And I had no idea what to say for myself.
Asham
ed, I lowered my head, seeing a trickle of Brad’s blood on my shoe.
CHAPTER 21
Arianna
I closed my eyes and raised my head to the sky, praying for patience. When I reopened my eyes, the full moon, sitting high in the sky stared back at me. I almost wanted to laugh. Was it true what they said about full moons turning people crazy?
Clearly, that was the case for the man standing before me.
As I looked at Giovanni, I saw that he looked worse for wear. His normally pretty eyes had dark circles under them, it looked like he hadn’t shaven, and despite the circumstances, he looked embarrassed of himself. But it didn’t matter. I felt no sympathy for him.
I let out a long and slow breath. “Giovanni—what the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“I could ask you the same,” he said in a low voice, although he avoided my gaze.
I laughed mirthlessly. “What I’m doing is none of your business. You and I are over. We are done. The engagement is no more. So again—what the hell do you think you’re doing? What right do you have to act like this? What is wrong with you?”
Giovanni shook his head. “Unbelievable,” he said. “I…I can’t even deal with you right now.”
He turned his back to me and proceeded to walk away.
“Don’t you dare walk away from me without an explanation!” I screamed.
Giovanni turned back to me. “You have a lot of nerve, you know that? If anyone deserves an explanation, it’s me! But then again, I guess I got my explanation already, didn’t I? I guess that bastard who had his hands all over you is the explanation, right? What was his name again? Brad?”
I was so angry at his hypocrisy that I couldn’t even form the words to express it. I swore and turned around. Now it was my turn to walk away. I didn’t feel like engaging him in this irrational argument.
“Yeah, just walk away,” he yelled after me. “Maybe it’s for the best anyway. I can see that you’re just as unreasonable as my father. Neither of you knows the meaning of talking things out. It’s either your way or the highway, and you can’t be bothered to even explain shit to anyone. You just leave people behind, lost. Go figure he wanted you as a daughter so badly. You’re just two peas in a pod.”
7+Us Makes Nine: A Nanny Single Dad Romance (Baby Makes Three) Page 28
