Chapter 10

• "Dominic Lombardo, my dear friend, the biggest womanizer in all of Great Britain, tell me, how is your situation with Alessandra? Have you conquered her already?" Bruno asked with curiosity, as they dined together that Sunday at a distinguished restaurant in the city.
• "Nothing has happened yet," replied the powerful brunette. "The lady is playing hard to get, but she will fall, I guarantee it."
• "You know, the other day I ran into Paulina at the agency, we had a coffee together and we chatted for a while. Part of the conversation was about Alessandra, I wanted to find out a bit about her and I only got good references from her friend," Bruno said. "I don't think she's playing hard to get, rather, I think she is a well-bred, cultured girl, not the type who likes to have fun with men, or rather, the type of women you like to have fun with."
• "And I don't say this because of what Paulina said, but because of what I have perceived since I met her."
• "Bruno, they are friends, do you expect them to betray each other? Don't be fooled, they are all the same, all of them, without exception. They like to play hard to get, they love to get attention and have us chasing after them. What I can't understand is why they make things more difficult, if, in the end, they all end up in the same place. It's just a waste of time and I don't like dealing with that."
• "Has Alessandra shown herself to be that kind of woman? I mean, has she given you reasons to think that way about her?"
• Dominic considered it for a moment, the question took him by surprise.
• "Well, not as openly as others, she seems to be a bit shy or that's what she wants to act, but I know she is just like the others, all cut from the same cloth. But why so much interest in her, Bruno? I find it strange that you have taken the trouble to investigate her," Dominic said, noting his friend's strong inclination.
• "It's nothing special, it's just that I like her, she's a good girl, and besides, we also have a mutual friend and well, I wouldn't like to see her hurt. I think you should leave her alone, there are women everywhere, I don't know why you have become obsessed with her."
• "I haven't become obsessed with anyone. Just because I have insisted a couple of times, doesn't mean I have an obsession. I just like her, that's all. She's attractive like any other and it's not like I'm going to beg her for the rest of my life, women are what I have in abundance."
• "That's why I say, with so many at your feet, why don't you leave her alone once and for all? Besides, I think Vittorio is interested."
• "What?" Questioned the magnate, unconsciously hitting the table, startling some of the diners around them.
• "Calm down!" Bruno demanded, seeing him agitated. "What the hell is wrong with you, Lombardo?" He laughed seriously.
• "Are you insinuating to me that Vittorio likes Alessandra?" Dominic insisted, ignoring his friend's words.
• "Yes, that's what I said," the businessman affirmed, looking around embarrassed. People had their eyes fixed on his table. "Could you calm down? You're attracting everyone's attention. Do you want to be on the front page tomorrow?"
• Dominic, aware that he had gone too far with his behavior, decided to calm down. There was no reason to be like that. Why did it bother him so much that his brother liked her? After all, he didn't want anything serious, he just wanted one night. But there lay the problem. If he was also interested in her, he wouldn't be able to do what he wanted, since Vittorio, when he was interested in a woman, was looking for something stable, without games or adventures, therefore, in that sense, they were very different.
• Damn, Bruno must be wrong!
• "Explain to me why you think my brother is interested in Alessandra. Did he tell you?"
• "No, he didn't tell me so openly, it's just my assumptions. Most of the time we see each other, he talks about how well she does her job, how much she has helped him all this time they have worked together, that he couldn't have found a better person for the job, and that besides being pretty, she is very responsible, intelligent and many other things that I wouldn't finish enumerating."
• "But that doesn't mean he likes her, maybe he's just satisfied with her performance," he said thoughtfully.
• "I don't think so, I had never heard him speak so well of someone, my man's intuition tells me he's interested. And well, maybe the feeling is mutual."
• "What the hell are you trying to tell me, D'Conti?" Dominic interrogated again, startled and with a slight, but noticeable blush on his face.
• "The same thing you're thinking. If Alessandra doesn't pay attention to you, don't you think there's a possibility that it's because she's interested in your brother? Normally women don't resist you so much, it could be that Vittorio has something you don't and that something, conquered her, done."
• "Stop talking nonsense and let's finish eating to get the hell out of here," he replied with a furrowed brow, suddenly feeling conflicted.
• "Are these my ideas or are you jealous?" Bruno provoked, about to burst into laughter.
• "Of course, they are just your ideas," he asserted, "How could you think I would get jealous of that? You know perfectly well the only thing I want, then, let them do whatever they want with their lives."
• "In that case, and since you're not jealous, I suppose I can tell you something else."
• "Something else?" He frowned.
• "I have a slight suspicion that Vittorio and Alessandra already have something. I've noticed them acting strange on several occasions when I've gone to say hello, even the last time I went to see you, before leaving, I decided to go to his office too. When I entered, she was inside and I noticed them nervous, maybe it was just my impression, although I don't think so. Yesterday when I went out with them, I saw them very close, too close, I would say."
• "Excuse me? What do you mean you went out with them yesterday? Why the hell didn't you tell me they were going to meet?" He complained, irritated.
• " I didn't know, it came up suddenly, I was leaving a friend's house, the same place where I invited you and you declined because you said you were meeting with Viviane. Vittorio called me and told me they were at a bar with Alessandra, Paulina, and other acquaintances. I had the intention to let you know, but then I remembered that you were having a pleasant night, so I didn't want to interrupt you."
• "You should have called me. It was the perfect opportunity to talk to Alessandra."
• "Dominic, are you even paying attention to what I'm saying? I told you that your brother and Alessandra seem to have something going on, and do you think she will fall for you like all the others? Leave things as they are, don't insist, or do you not care about Vittorio? Because if everything I suspect is true, I recommend you stop pursuing your brother's girl, that could bring serious complications."
• "I'm not going to waste any more time listening to your absurd stories." Dominic retorted, pushing his plate aside, and feeling his blood boiling. “And take care of the bill." He added furiously. He stood up and turned to leave, not even saying goodbye.
• "Of course, don't worry, go on,” Bruno replied with a sly smile. Seeing his friend like that was priceless. Definitely, Dominic Lombardo was jealous, and if telling that little lie would keep him away from Alessandra, then at least for that night, he would sleep in peace. He didn't want to see the poor girl hurt by his best friend, who sometimes didn't consider the consequences of his actions.
• *******
• The weekend for Alessandra was great, on Saturday night she went out with Paulina for a while, and by chance, they ran into Vittorio, ending up spending the night in his company, along with Bruno and other friends. She got to know him better and the more she learned about her boss, the more she liked him. As a friend, of course. She had no other special interest. He was a very handsome, intelligent, and attractive blonde, she wouldn't deny that, but nothing more. They talked most of the time, even reaching the point of using the familiar "you" form, and by his request, from that night on, they would address each other informally when they were alone.
• That Monday, while she was doing her makeup to go to work in front of her vanity mirror, she remembered everything she talked about with Vittorio and discovered through that conversation that he was very different from his brother. One was kind, attentive, fun, respectful, and very chivalrous, while the other was a womanizer, cheeky, rude, shameless, and tactless when it came to treating women. How could two such different people share the same blood? Worst of all, how could she be attracted to Dominic, knowing he was all that and even worse? She was completely crazy, just like that, but, it's just that he was... extremely handsome, like no other, imposing, like no one, striking, like she never thought she would meet someone, and his gaze, God, when she looked into his eyes, she felt hypnotized, even though he was a jerk, she wouldn't forget it, she had to engrave that in her mind if she didn't want to suffer.
• She finished getting dressed, opting for an old pink pencil skirt, a gray high-neck crop top, knee-high boots in the same tone as the top, and a matching trench coat. The cold was starting to become threatening, so she needed to cover up and get ready. She tied her hair up in a high ponytail to finish off, and lastly, she added one of her favorite perfumes, VIP ROSE 212 by Carolina Herrera.
• She was running late, so she didn't have a chance to have breakfast. On her way, she quickly stopped by a Starbucks and bought a latte and a croissant. She arrived at the office at eight o'clock on the dot, late for her usual thirty or twenty minutes early arrival. As she exited the elevator, her pulse quickened when she saw Dominic and Vittorio talking right in front of her. Both had just arrived as they were carrying their briefcases. Dominic turned to look at her and didn't take his eyes off her for several seconds. Nervously, she began to walk towards her desk, feeling like she would collapse at any moment, her heart almost bursting out of her chest.
• "Good morning," she greeted both as she passed by.
• "Good morning," she only heard Vittorio respond.
• She reached her desk, and placed her bag and coffee on it, her hands trembling strangely. Did she have Parkinson's?
• "How was your Sunday, Alessandra?" Vittorio asked from behind her, taking her by surprise and causing her to jump.
• "Vittorio... you scared me," she replied, turning to look at him. She could feel intense eyes on her.
• "I'm sorry, it wasn't my intention," he smiled at her.
• Dominic, who was standing in the same place, could barely believe what he was hearing. Were those two really on first-name terms? Did Bruno have a point, and did his brother and Alessandra have something going on? He saw them both laughing and exchanging a few words, feeling a burning heat in his body like the day before. Unwilling to witness more of the scene, he entered his office and slammed the door shut, not even acknowledging his assistant who greeted him.
• Alessandra and Clara finished setting up the meeting room for the morning's meeting. Shortly after, everyone started arriving on time, including the two magnates. The meeting began, and both started handing out brochures to each member present. At one point, Alessandra leaned over to Vittorio, who was whispering something work-related in her ear, and Dominic, who was presiding over the meeting, almost lost his concentration when he saw them. He was starting to feel uncomfortable seeing them together.
• "Clara, please find me this document in the files," Dominic ordered his assistant, leaving her a Post-it note with the information on the desk. He then watched as Alessandra stood up and headed towards the cafeteria area on the floor. After Clara left, he took the opportunity to follow her.
• The door was open, and he quietly entered to find her with her back turned, preparing a coffee. He looked her up and down, she was a beautiful woman and he was fascinated by her. He couldn't stand the thought of her being involved with his brother. What did Vittorio have that he didn't?
• "Do you need anything, Mr. Dominic?" He heard her say. How did she know he was there and that it was him if she hadn't even seen him?
• "How did you know it was me?" He asked, puzzled, approaching. He had an absolute need to feel her close.
• He saw her blush and look at him attentively. What damn beautiful eyes she had! They didn't let him organize his thoughts properly when he looked at her directly.
• "Tell me, how did you know it was me?" He insisted. By that time, he was already in front of her, he noticed her hesitate and get nervous as if she didn't know what to say. Alessandra wanted to tell him that she recognized his perfume, that's how she knew, but she didn't dare to say it, she shouldn't.
• "I..."
• "You?"
• "I... it was just intuition."
• "Really?"
• She nodded slowly.
• "Well, you have a good intuition." He murmured, getting closer. He looked at her lips hungrily and perceived the trembling in her body that betrayed how affected she was. Either she was afraid or definitely not indifferent to him, one of the two. He had never had a woman like this in front of him, her attitude seemed so real and if she was really as she seemed to be, God, she was unique.
• He leaned towards her face, dying to kiss her. If he didn't kiss her right there and then, he wouldn't be able to be calm. His lips barely touched hers, she turned her head and made a move to leave, but he was faster, he grabbed her by the waist, pulled her towards his body, and lowered her to her lips. He took them gently, tenderly, as he didn't usually do. Alessandra resisted and tried to break free again, but she couldn't, Dominic surrounded her torso with both hands and held her against him. Finally, after several seconds of resisting, she finally gave in, letting herself be carried away by the taste of those experienced and soft lips that made her lose her mind. With her warm response, he went crazy. He slowly introduced his tongue into her mouth in search of hers, that contact was enough for both of them to completely lose their reasoning, the kiss deepened, the intensity increased, and her hands traveled to his chest. Dazed by a sensation foreign to him, Dominic moved a few centimeters away to look into her eyes, what kind of kiss had that been? He kissed her again with more passion than ever, what lips and what addictive taste she had, who was Alessandra D'Santi that was making him behave that way? He felt sorry for her, but he needed to kiss her until she was breathless.