Chapter 19 Dangerous Wager
Giovanni didn't turn around. "I’m not going to waste my time sparring with you."
"Why not?" I moved to stand in front of him, forcing him to acknowledge me. "Afraid I'll make you look bad in front of your men?"
Giovanni turned and looked at me, and there was something almost pitiful in his expression. "You're too small."
Heat flooded my face, humiliation and fury mixing together. "I beat Enzo."
Giovanni's eyes flicked past me to where Enzo stood. Enzo, to his credit, gave a single, reluctant nod.
Something shifted in Giovanni's expression. He studied me for a long moment, and I could almost see him turning it over in his mind.
"Fine," he said finally.
The guards immediately stepped back, creating a wide circle. I heard footsteps and I caught sight of the maids peering through doorways positioning themselves for a better view.
"What's the wager?" I asked, surprised by how steady my voice sounded.
Giovanni's lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. "You set the terms."
I thought about it, my mind racing. What did I want? What could I possibly ask for that would matter?
Then it came to me.
"If I win," I said slowly, "I want a phone call."
Something flashed in Giovanni's eyes and I saw his jaw tighten almost imperceptibly.
The request hung between us, and I immediately wanted to take it back, and ask for something else, anything else.
"Agreed," he said.
I exhaled in relief, not realizing I’d been holding my breath.
Giovanni took a step closer, close enough that I had to tilt my head back to maintain eye contact. When he spoke, his voice was low, meant only for my ears.
"But if I win," he said, and his eyes dropped to my lips before returning to meet my gaze, "we consummate our marriage tonight."
My jaw hung open and heat rushed to my face, spreading down my neck, and I hated that I could feel my blushing.
My mouth opened, then closed. Unable to form the words.
“No.” I finally managed to force out, shaking my head. “Choose another thing. N-Not that.”
Giovanni scoffed. “Why not?” He taunted, reminding me of my own words earlier. “That’s what married people do, isn’t it?”
He took my chin in between his fingers and squeezed gently. “You think I won’t satisfy you, piccola? I assure you that I’m nothing like the boys you’ve had before”
I mentally shook my head, my lips parting to realize that words had failed me again.
It would be useless, right? Telling him that I was a virgin.
On the other hand, it would make it seem like I was inexperienced and I didn’t want to give him more ammunition against me.
So I tilted my chin, forcing a look of courage on my face. “We have a deal then.”
It was almost laughable. How we always came to making deals as though they were as easy as exchanging our names.
Giovanni's smirk was slow and devastating. He stepped back, giving me space but his eyes never left mine.
"Come on, dolcezza," he said, rolling his shoulders, settling into a fighting stance. "Show me what you've got."
I sucked in a breath, and pushed away the lingering tension from my body. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” I said with a twisted grin.
His eyes flashed with excitement. “Bring it on.”
I circled him slowly, my eyes tracking every one of his movements. I was looking for an opening, anything I could attack to immobilize him.
Giovanni just looked bored. And that irritated me more than it should have.
I struck first, pivoting on my left foot and snapping my right leg up in a roundhouse kick aimed at his ribs.
It was the same kind of move that had taken Enzo by surprise.
Giovanni blocked it almost lazily, his forearm meeting my shin with enough force to send a shock up my leg.
But I was moving again. I used the momentum of the block to spin, dropping low and driving my fist toward his stomach.
I aimed for the side without the wound, because despite everything, I wasn't trying to actually hurt him.
My knuckles connected and Giovanni staggered back a step, surprise flickering across his face.
A single clap echoed through the courtyard. Enzo, wearing a grin that was probably going to get him killed later.
Pride swelled in my chest. I had landed a hit on Giovanni De Santis.
But when I looked back at him, his expression had shifted. The boredom was gone, he was glaring at her now, dark eyes promising retribution.
He moved.
Faster than I’d anticipated. His hand shot out to grab me, but I had been waiting for it. I ducked under his reach, dropping to the ground and sweeping my leg out in a low arc aimed at his ankles.
I felt it connect but then his hand clamped around my ankle like a vice.
Oh no.
Panic spiked through me. I was off-balance and he knew it. His grip tightened, and I could see the way he was already planning his next move.
No. Not like this.
I twisted my body violently, using every ounce of flexibility I had. I pushed off the ground with my free leg, tucking into a somersault that wrenched my ankle free from his grasp.
I landed in a crouch several feet away, breathing hard, my heart hammering.
The courtyard erupted. Guards clapped, someone whistled, and I heard Enzo's voice rise above the others.
"Hell yes!"
Giovanni straightened, and for the first time, there was something like respect in his expression.
"You're a good fighter," he said, his voice carrying across the space between them.
I couldn't help the smirk that curved my lips. "An excellent one, actually."
His eyes glinted. "Unfortunately," he said, and suddenly he was moving, before I could even blink. "I always get what I want."
He was right in front of me now, his presence was overwhelming.
"And in this case," he murmured, his voice dropping to something dark and intimate, "it might be to fuck you."