Dirty Flirty Enemy

by Rayne, Piper

  “You tell me where you disappear to every weekend and I’ll tell you about Bella and me.”

  Enzo glances at Dom then props his elbows on the table, staring at me. “It’s not usually something you’d care about. I mean, normally you’d skip the Hamptons for the rest of the summer, dodge her in the hallway at the office, and hope she goes bankrupt. Why do you care?”

  Should’ve figured that the man who fell first would see right through me.

  “Because I like her, and this is going to gut her. I mean, the client she stole from me left her and came back to me. I had a client go to her and she figured out that I’d sent them her way. She’s two properties behind me in sales, and Greg Throttle pulled the project out from under her.” I start on my next drink.

  “When you say like…?” Enzo asks.

  Dom remains quiet.

  “I like spending time with her,” I say, looking into the bottom of my glass.

  “What are you guys to one another? You say no labels and all that bullshit, but you’re always together. You’re spending all weekend in the same bed. Be honest with us.” When our new waitress places Dom’s meal in front of him, Dom picks up a fork and dives into his mac and cheese.

  They wait while my mind runs over the last few weeks. “It feels a lot like she’s my good friend and we have sex.”

  “Come on!” Enzo rolls his eyes, and the table next to us glances over.

  “Fine. She’s my girlfriend. Although she doesn’t want to classify it that way.”

  “And that word scares you?” Enzo asks.

  It was the reason I called him in the first place, wasn’t it? I figured my older brother who just went through this could weed through all the bullshit for me. Direct me to the clearing so I could pass through without any pain.

  “Of course it scares me.”

  “Are we talking Kami again? That girl was a bitch from the start. That’s why you’ve been a manwhore your entire adult life?” Dom manages to get a full sentence out between his enormous bites of food.

  “No. Yes. She fucked me over, but with Bella, it’s different. I know we were supposed to just have a summer of fun, but with all the shit that’s happening, I want to be there for her. Help her through this. But how can I when I feel like I’m the reason she’s in this situation to begin with? Plus, Greg Throttle said her mom told him why she left the traditional brokerage and went FSBO, said it’s not a huge secret, but she’s never shared it with me, even after all the times I’ve pried. Obviously, she doesn’t see me as long-term if she doesn’t trust me enough to talk about it.”

  They both remain quiet, processing what I’m saying.

  “And I told her about Kami right after we first slept together. I told her how fucked up I was because of it.”

  Matching shit-eating grins rise on my brothers’ dumbass faces.

  “Shit. I never thought I’d see it,” Enzo says.

  Dom nods. “Out of all of us, I pegged you last.”

  “What?” I ask.

  They share a look and turn back to me.

  “You love her,” Enzo says. “Welcome to the club. You’re screwed.” He leans over and pats me on the back. The waitress sets his goat cheese pizza in front of him and he looks at her. “Thanks. Can I also order a club sandwich with fresh fruit to go? No mayo.”

  The waitress nods and leaves.

  “How does it feel?” Enzo gloats.

  “Weird and uncomfortable.” I twirl my glass in my hand.

  “But…?” he keeps prying.

  “I kind of like it. That is, if she loves me back.” I down the rest of my drink. I could use the liquid courage with this revelation that my happiness is now in the hands of another. “What about the reason why she went FSBO? Do I demand she tell me?”

  “Hell no. Even I know that’s stupid.” Dom wipes his mouth with his napkin and pushes away his plate. To my surprise, he didn’t finish his meal.

  I pick up my own fork and eat off his dish because now that I’ve identified that weird feeling in my stomach, I’m starving.

  “Wait it out. Give her some time. You’ve just realized your feelings and we had to tell you what they were. I’m sure once she trusts you and feels safe to tell you, she will,” Enzo says.

  “When did you become the Yoda of love?” I ask, piling more mac and cheese into my mouth. I see why Dom loves it so much.

  “Because I’m the most mature and I’m not afraid of my feelings.” Enzo smirks.

  My phone vibrates in my pocket. Pulling it out, I see that it’s the office calling. “What’s up?”

  “Carm?” It’s Justin.

  “The one and only.”

  Enzo and Dom start their own conversation about how we should maybe throw an end-of-the-year party with all our friends in the Hamptons.

  “It’s me… Bella Scott is here asking about you.”

  Then I hear a lot of murmuring behind him.

  “Carmelo Mancini, we need to have some words.” Bella’s voice comes on the line.

  As my brothers sit across from me discussing the invite list and whether our parents should be invited or not, I clear my throat and finally man up. “Okay. I think we both have something to say.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I’m leaving the Trading Post in a few. Do you want to meet at my condo so we can talk?”

  “Fine.” She bites it out as if it’s a big deal.

  “I’ll be there in a half hour.”

  “Okay.”

  “Have you eaten?” I ask.

  “What? I’m not hungry. I’m pissed. Just don’t be late. I have to work, you know, because I just lost a big account.” Click. The phone line dies.

  I raise my finger. “I need a to-go order as well,” I say to the waitress as she passes our table.

  My brothers smirk at one another.

  Fuckers.

  Chapter Thirty

  Bella

  Justin’s face regains its color once I hang up the phone.

  “Thanks,” I say, happier now that I know we’re about to lay down the law on this relationship.

  He cannot send Evie in to console me when business goes his way. We have to separate business and pleasure if we’re going to coexist. All this has made me realize that we need to figure out where this is going anyway. I don’t need a proposal, but I can’t continue to exist in purgatory with him either. The thought of us not being together spurs my stomach to revolt against the only thing I’ve had this morning—coffee.

  “Can we talk before you rush over there?” Evie asks as the three of us head back to my office.

  I take a seat at my desk, calculating how long it will take me to get to Carm’s condo. But then again, he’s the one who should be worried, not me.

  “Yeah,” I say and signal to my small couch in the corner of the office.

  She shuts the door and sits down, crossing her legs so they don’t touch the floor. I always admire her “I am who I am and no one or thing will change me” attitude. I get up from my desk and take a seat beside her.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left you out in the cold like that these past weeks. It’s wrong of me to judge. It’s just that you deserve so much better than a guy who is going to use you for sex and toss you aside.”

  I cross my legs and lean back into the soft fabric. “It’s not really like that. I was on board with the whole thing. We’re having fun, and I kind of enjoy the non-label.”

  She shoots me her look that says, really?

  “It’s true. I can’t deny that I’ve grown to like the egomaniac, but he’s not who we thought he was. There’s a layer underneath that’s kind and sweet and…” I don’t finish because I can tell from the way her head slightly falls back and her eyes widen a millimeter, she’s taking my compliments to mean I’ve fallen.

  Truth is, I kind of have. Which is why I’m not sure this arrangement of ours can last much longer.

  “So it’s too late.”

  “No.” I look out
my door at Max.

  Justin’s at the edge of her desk and they’re having a heated discussion—probably about how we busted in and attacked him. I smile because she’ll own him in and out of the bedroom, I’m sure. They’re two dramatically different people. But so are Carm and me.

  Evie pats my leg. “I don’t like it, but the fact that he was worried enough to beg me to come over here so you wouldn’t be alone when that douche Throttle called says that maybe I was wrong about him. Your business is your business. You know I’ll be there for you regardless of the outcome—whether I’m the maid of honor or a gravedigger.”

  I laugh, happy to have my friend back.

  “But do me one favor,” she says with a crease between her eyebrows.

  “What?”

  “Don’t sell yourself short. You’re an amazing woman, and you’ve been through hell this last year. None of that means you don’t deserve a guy to worship your feet. If you want to just have fun and damn the consequences, well, I can’t be a hypocrite, but make sure it’s not because you’re settling.”

  I nod and debate telling her the truth. She’s being upfront with me, so how can I not with her? My head falls into my hands.

  “What? Is this about…” I shake my head and she slides over, putting her arm around my shoulders. “What is it then?”

  “I think I’ve fallen,” I mumble.

  “Come again?” She swipes back the veil of hair blocking her view of me.

  I pick up my head. “I’ve already fallen for him. It’s done and over.”

  “Oh.” A smile lights up her eyes.

  “What?”

  “Then I think it’s time for you and Carm to be adults and talk this out, because you might not be alone.”

  “Something has to give. Maybe I should just end it.”

  “No.” She stands and offers me her hand. “Come on.”

  My gaze diverts again to Max and Justin. Are they, or aren’t they? Justin pulls his phone out of his pocket and answers. He waves goodbye to Max and hurries out the door.

  “How did I ever let myself get into this?”

  “Because he’s like Zeus. Men like Carmelo Mancini were born to be noticed and wanted and craved. Even if he ends up being the asshole we cast him as, you had great sex, right?” She picks up my purse and thrusts it into my chest.

  “True. He is great in bed. Not selfish at all.”

  “Huh… that does surprise me a little.”

  Oh, the stories I could tell her. How his eyes are always watching, soaking in information. Or how he’s perfected the way I like him to play with my clit. He’s figured out my body like a genius solves a complicated math problem. Step by step by step.

  “I see I’ve lost you to a recollection of sex with him, so don’t forget you’re mad at him.” Evie chuckles.

  “Right.” I point at her because I was close to wanting to strip down as soon as I entered his condo. “Very good point.”

  She laughs and opens my office door. “Now go and be the strong, self-assured woman you are.”

  Max turns her chair to face us. “Back straight, chin up, Bella.”

  I nod.

  Evie opens the door to the hallway. “Call me after… even if it’s tomorrow morning.” She winks.

  I hope she’s right. I hope he feels the same way I do. That whatever this is between us is worth the risk of being hurt if it were to end. Maybe we can keep business and personal separate. Maybe Carm has changed his view on relationships.

  Maybe, maybe, maybe.

  “Thanks,” I say.

  Evie wraps me up in a big hug, her patchouli perfume suffocating all my senses. “It’s what I should’ve done in the first place. Love you, chica.”

  After one more tight squeeze, she pushes me out into the hall—right into Margo Gregory exiting Carm’s brokerage office.

  * * *

  “I’m sorry.” I touch her bicep. Damn, she must work out regularly.

  She smiles curtly. “You’re that FSBO girl, right?”

  Girl?

  “Yes,” I say, making my way to the elevator.

  “What’s your name again?” she asks.

  I press the button for the elevator since she’s standing there expecting someone—me, I suppose—to press it. “Bella Scott.” I put my hand out between us.

  She looks at it, contemplates for a second, then daintily puts her hand in mine. “Nice to meet you. You should use my pore reducer. It does wonders.” I’m not sure what my expression says, but she rushes to clear up her meaning. “Not that you’re not beautiful.”

  “Thanks?”

  The elevator arrives and we step inside. Again, I’m the one who presses the button even though she stood on the button side of the elevator. I guess with wealth comes immobility. The door closes and the elevator descends.

  “So you’re fucking Carm, are you?”

  My head whips around. She’s got that smile in place. A fixed grin women like her have mastered from conniving and manipulating people over a lifetime.

  “Um… I’m not sure why you would think that.” I glance at the numbers on the elevator. Three floors to go.

  “The first time I met you, he stared at your ass until you got into your office. I know men like Carm. Hell, I know Carm—well.”

  The insinuation is purposeful. She’s spun this conversation just so she could tell me.

  “Carm is definitely a flirt, but I’m not sure why it matters where Carm and I stand with one another. It’s none of your business.”

  She laughs. The elevator dings when we reach the main floor, but she rushes forward and puts her finger on the Doors Closed button.

  Oh, now she can press the buttons.

  “The fact you’re calling him Carm is one sign. The other one is that he was supposed to show me a condo today, but Justin tells me his lunch is running late. You’re leaving the building in a rush, so I assume you must be his lunch.” She raises a brow in challenge.

  “What’s your angle? What is it you want?”

  Her gaze falls over my body. “If you can’t figure it out, then you’re as naïve as I thought you were.”

  I say nothing because all I want is to end this conversation and get away from her.

  “Men like Carmelo Mancini don’t change. He’s still the man who likes to celebrate with his clients after signing a deal. And I’m not talking about champagne. Consider this a nice way of telling you he’ll only crush those sweet, little girl dreams of a happily ever after you have.”

  My heart rate increases, and my veins feel as if they’re pulsating. Warmth spreads up my neck and hits my cheeks. “You have no idea who I am or what I want. Please release the button.”

  Another laugh escapes her throat. “I know women like you. Women who think they can change a man. I’m doing you a favor here. Believe me.”

  I nudge her hand off the button. The door springs open and I rush out. “I don’t need any favors from you.”

  I head to the doors, praying there’s a taxi there.

  “He’s good though, right? The way he knows his way around a woman’s body. Did you think he read it in a book?” She laughs, and I raise my hand frantically for a cab. “Maybe I could join you. We could surprise him. I heard he’s into that too.”

  The creamer from my coffee curdles in my stomach and tears spring to my eyes. I blink them back and keep my hand in the air. Thankfully, a taxi pulls alongside the curb and I jump in as she smiles at me with a small wave.

  My hands shake in my lap as I rattle off Carm’s address. He slept with her? Maybe she’s lying.

  I pull out my phone and almost call Evie for that pep talk that I’m not some naïve Cinderella looking for my Prince Charming, but that I’m a queen and deserve to be treated as such. I don’t need a man who lies and cheats and manipulates to get what he wants.

  Was I the fool who let him take everything from me and now I’m just waiting until he drops me after he’s stripped me of everything, including my dignity? The rational si
de of me says to get his side of the story. She might like Carm and be acting out of spite.

  But if they have slept together, then he’s lied to me.

  My phone dings in my purse with a text message I want to ignore because I’m sure it’s Carm asking why I’m late. But when I pull it out, I see my mom’s name on the screen.

  Mom: I called the office and Max said you’re out. I didn’t want to interrupt in case you’re working. I’m sorry about Greg, sweetie. It’s just business.

  I clench my phone. It’s only a matter of time before Greg breaks my mom’s heart. He cut out her daughter before the competition he put into place was over. But I don’t have the heart to tell her, so I ignore her text.

  The taxi stops in front of Carm’s building. I pay and step out, staring at the tall building and telling myself I need to have a spine as strong as that steel.

  I can do this. I will not cry.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Carm

  I press warm on my oven and pop the pizza I ordered for Bella inside, then I loosen my tie and unbutton my top button so I can breathe. Right now I feel as if one of my brothers has me in a chokehold.

  Do I really love her?

  No.

  I definitely shouldn’t tell her I love her. Right? Then she’ll be able to use it against me.

  It’s been a couple months that I’ve been in daily contact with her. You have to be with someone for, like, a year before love comes into the equation, don’t you? Then there’s Enzo and Annie. They fell fast. Hell, even all my cousins. From what Mauro told me, when he was in town, Luca went from hating to loving his new fiancée.

  My doorman calls up, and I don’t have to answer to know that Bella has arrived. I already told him she’d be coming.

  “She’s on her way up, Mr. Mancini.”

  “Thanks,” I say, walking to the front door and unlocking it.

  I remain in the doorway to wait for her to get off the elevator, like I always do. Surely, she has to see that this is out of my control. That I can’t decide what Greg Throttle does. Up until that meeting, I thought I’d win the contract fair and square after the allotted time.