29

29
ARIA

"Aria. Come here, please." I heard Sandro's voice from a room in the penthouse, calling me over. He sounded more serious than usual and it grasped my attention immediately.
I dropped the knife, deciding against cutting my apple and instead to just bite into it. And of course it was the best fucking apple I've ever had. I really needed to ask Sandro where he got all his fruits and vegetables from.
Quickly striding up the stairs, I turned down the hallway. I entered Sandro's office, finding him sitting at his desk with an open laptop in front of him. He raised his head, motioning with his fingers for me to join him.
I walked to where he sat and his hand slipped around my waist to pull me into his lap. I sat on his thigh, tilting slightly to the side to get comfortable as I let my free arm hang on his shoulders.
Sandro opened his mouth and I put my apple to his lips without hesitation. He took a massive bite, almost biting it in half and I scowled at him before pulling it away.
"Jeez," I whispered under my breath, giving him a dirty look.
After he chewed, he rest his chin on my shoulder. "Bellissima, do you know this person?"
I looked at the screen, leaning closer. It was a black and white pixelated picture, obviously from a security camera and I recognised the background instantly.
It was taken outside of my complex, and the date in the corner of the screen correlated with the day my door had been kicked down. I narrowed my eyes, zooming in on the man in the frame.
I shook my head, "No I don't think so. It's very difficult to tell,"
"Are you sure? Look closer," Sandro said, keeping his hand on my waist to steady me as I attempted to get a better view. No avail.
I didn't recognise the person, but one thing I knew was that Kian didn't look like that.
The man on the screen was dressed in a hoodie and it was clear that his face and hands were covered in dark bruises.
My shoulders slumped in disappointment. I loved staying with Sandro but I was also starting to miss my space. How long was this going to take? Days? Weeks? Months? I rest my back onto Sandro's chest and he offered me a comforting kiss on my shoulder.
"It could be someone working with Kian," Sandro said, playing with my hair and twirling it around his finger. "We don't know for sure. My men are working on finding this person,"
"Okay," I said softly, pursing my lips. "Are you packed?"
We were supposed to leave in the next few hours.
I felt his smile on my skin. "Of course I am,"
"You seem more excited than me," I commented, turning around to straddle him instead. His hands went to my hips almost immediately.
"I feel like I am. I cannot wait to meet your mama," Sandro said, and I grinned at how adorable he was being.
He stilled, biting his lip and he almost looked nervous. "Do you think..." he trailed off.
"Think what?" I asked.
"I can't believe I'm asking this. Do you think she'll like me?" Sandro asked and then cringed at himself. I chuckled, taking his hand in mine to give him a kiss on his tattoos. I always found it endearing how Sandro was capable of being so cute and hot at the same time.
"My mother will love you, Sandro. Don't worry about it," I assured, knowing that my mother loved anyone who was nice to me and Sandro surpassed that standard.
"And your dad?" he asked.
"You're a gentleman, Sandro. You'll be fine," I said, letting my head rest on his chest. He held me tightly and let out a deep sigh.

"Take care of my dog or I'll kill every single one of you."
I choked on my Redbull. I coughed, trying to get the liquid out of my throat while my eyes stung and instantly watered.
Sandro reached over, slapping my back hard with a concerned look etched on his face.
"I'm fine!" I gasped, trying to catch my breath.
He retreated his hand back to the steering wheel. "Three days. Everyone listens to Carlo. Everyone does what Carlo says. I don't want to be disturbed, do you hear me?"
I finally stopped coughing and relaxed into the seat of Sandro's car. We had another hour left of the tedious drive. I peeked over at the speedometer, frowning when I saw how fast we were going.
"165 kilometres per hour and you're holding a phone to your ear. Fuck my life, right?" I said, glaring at the side of his head. Sandro was quick to end the call and place his phone into the centre console.
The road was straight, and partially empty but I still felt uneasy.
"It's a bad habit, I know. Won't happen again, bellissima," he murmured, returning his focus to the road ahead.
"Thank you," I muttered, reaching over to lay my hand on his thigh for a brief moment. Before I could let go, Sandro grabbed my hand and placed it back down. I smiled, giving him a small massage.

I bounced my leg nervously.
"Why am I nervous? I shouldn't be nervous. It's my family," I said, watching as we entered the small town. Even with the greenery on both sides of the road, it was still as bleak and dead as ever.
I did not miss it, not one bit, but it held memories of my childhood that would always stick with me. I swallowed down the nerves when Sandro put his palm on my bouncing knee and successfully calmed me down.
Everything was familiar. I saw familiar faces and lowered myself in the seat to avoid them noticing me. I was not in the mood for conversations, especially in a town where nobody minded their business.
Luckily, my parents house was in the secluded part and we were only about five minutes away.
"If anything, I should be the one that's nervous," Sandro said, turning down a small street when the GPS told him to. I knew the way, I just didn't feel like explaining so I let Sandro follow the map.
We stopped at a red light, right next to the familiar diner where I used to hang out in high school. I scooted lower in the seat until my head was barely visible underneath the window.
Sandro eyed me warily. "What are you doing?" he asked, continuing to drive when the light turned green. I shook my head, and sat up straight. Thank fuck nobody had noticed me.
"Nothing," I said, gazing at him.
Dressed in only sweatpants and a black t-shirt, he was still the most gorgeous man I had ever seen. I noted that Sandro dressed a lot more laid back than he use to when we first met, and I couldn't tell if he noticed too.
He wasn't as stiff, and his shoulders were relaxed. It comforted me to know that I wasn't the only one crawling out of my shell.
"You got a haircut," I stated, smiling slightly. "You look good, Sandro. I don't think I tell you that enough," I complimented him, watching how he failed to keep his grin to himself. He was always showering me with sweet words and sweet gestures, without expecting anything in return.
"Sandro, are you blushing?" I asked with a small chuckle.
He cleared his throat and scowled. "I'm a grown ass man, Aria."
"Aw, the big man is blushing," I cooed, pinching his cheek. Sandro glowered, but I didn't miss the roll of his eyes and the smile he was trying to hide.
"Stop that," he said, his voice small.
"You're so cute. I'd give you head right here but we're two minutes away from my house," I said casually, watching his eyebrows shoot up in surprise.
He shifted in his seat, and I could sense that my words had affected him more than I thought it would.
His veiny hand reached over to hold my inner thigh, giving it a hard and cautionary squeeze. I spread my legs further, urging him on.
"I'm going to fuck your pretty mouth if you don't stop with all that teasing."
"Promise?"
Sandro looked at me for a split second, perhaps to see if I was serious. I was. Memories of any intimacy we've ever had came flooding in at the most uncalled for times. I clenched my thighs on his hand, loving how it looked when he touched my bare skin.
"Fuck," Sandro breathed. "We're here,"
He turned to me, keeping his eyes on me as he unbuckled his seatbelt. "We might not be able to do anything here but remember, bellissima, when we go back home, we're alone. I won't forget this,"
I smirked, leaning forward to give him a kiss. "I don't want you to,"