Chapter 210

The cut and fit is beautiful and I am instantly envious of her. Not just because she’s ‘blow your mind’ hot, but because she’s standing with Alexi’s arm around her waist cosily as they continue to have a quiet conversation in Italian, as though it’s the most normal thing for him to do. She has his full uninterrupted attention.

Gino seems completely unfazed, waves to me and then slides into a centre seat as his woman is being monopolized by his twin. I am getting no hints of jealous or mistrust from his manner, even while my own heart is pounding out of my chest painfully. Trying to rip my eyes from the sight of them.

I wonder if Alexi finds her attractive, I mean he obviously does. Even I can see her merits, and I am straight as they come. Although I am not against girl on girl when it serves my purpose and I have seduced women before when I needed to.

She leans her arm on Alexi’s shoulder when he lets her go and continues talking, perching against him as though she owns him, which makes me bite my lip to curb the breathy wave coming over me. I feel sick, even though I know I am being dumb—it’s just he used to use women as a weapon on me frequently and I cannot stomach seeing it now, even when it’s innocent. It feels like anxiety or something painful and I try like crazy to squish it down. They carry on chatting, oblivious to my mini meltdown.

From here all I can pick up is Italian, which I cannot speak. Alexi is returning in fluent dialogue too, so I get nothing of the conversation anymore and it’s frustrating to have no clue what’s being said. The odd glances she sends my way unnerve me and I look down, opening my book to appear disinterested. It’s obvious he has mentioned me, and I don’t actually want to know what he just said if I am honest.

Scanning the pages to find the last place I left off and trying so hard to calm myself internally, I jump when dark hair falls in front of me like a curtain as she leans over to perch on my table.

‘Hello. I’m Alessandra. You’re Cam- eell- eeya, right?’ Her accent makes her pronounce my name in a very quirky way that gets a tingle of a smile from me. It’s oddly cute, even if this is the woman who was using my Alexi as a leaning post a moment ago.

I mean Alexi … The Alexi … That Alexi … Not My …

Never mind!

Up close and personal she’s even prettier and that accent is heavy and husky and effortlessly sexy. I can see why Gino would never cheat on her with someone like me. She’s a goddess walking among mere mortals and up this close there is not one blemish on her. He would be mad to look elsewhere.

‘Hi, Camilla, yeah.’ I shake her outstretched soft hand, feeling uncomfortable at the attention of this girl and glance by to see Alexi is leaning into Gino’s aisle, they are locked in deep conversation as we wait for more guests; ignoring our little introduction—Unimportant to him, I guess.

‘Ahhh how sexy, I love your accent. Lex told me you were a cute little English girl, but he didn’t tell me how beautiful you were. You are just adorable.’

Cute. Little. English. Girl!

Is that how he sees at me? Some naïve immature child! Stereotypically British! And cute? What the fuck is cute? Puppy dog or kitten like? Jesus Christ!

I feel so offended and somehow completely gutted if that is how he describes me to people. It’s the most unflattering thing a man could say about a girl who spent her years training herself to be a vixen.

‘Thanks, I wasn’t expecting a siren to board the plane and now I feel a little underdressed.’ I point out charmingly, nodding at her obvious club wear and then back at my casual black trousers and top. I came dressed to travel and packed my outfit. I never even looked at my hair and makeup from what I had done already. She looks set to walk off the plane and straight onto the red carpet, and I hope to God that’s not what we are doing as I will have to get ready on the plane. I should have asked him. I don’t feel particularly confident anymore.

‘I came straight from a shoot. I am a model and just couldn’t resist borrowing this little number for our night away.’ She giggles naughtily and throws me a wicked smile.

A model … go figure.

I feel like I am paling in comparison, yet despite what she is and how she looks I am not getting any catty vibes at all. The exact opposite in fact. She seems genuinely nice and I have never known how to take nice people. I haven’t had many interactions with them and my brain always tries to find out what they are angling for.

I have met very few in my existence and I just don’t know how to interact with them. I feel inadequate and uncomfortable and just smile her way; my inner pangs of emotion settling down once more.

‘I like it. I have a weakness for expensive clothes.’ I distract, turning on the faux sultry charm I normally reserve for men in the hopes it covers how out of my depth I am around her.

‘Me too; I think you pay for quality and glamour and luckily Gino indulges me—My Bambino.’ She glances back and smiles their way; unconcealed adoration for the man she is besotted with, and I get a bigger pang of stomach clutching envy, wondering what it must feel like to have that sort of connection with someone and have it returned equally.

Alexi looks this way, watches us for a moment and then goes back to chatting. Nothing in his expression at all, like always; infuriatingly disinterested in me while Gino sends little puppy eyes wandering over at his woman.

For a second a little sharp spike in my heart hits me and I wonder what it would be like to have Alexi look at me that way.

It’s stupid and destructive. I should wash that toxic right out of my head.

I’m letting this weird mood colour my thoughts and all this crap with him needs to exit immediately. I need to get better control of my messy feelings, sooner rather than later.

I can see more people boarding just past her—A mix of very Carrero looking men and their women and spot Jackson too, with a small blonde pretty. He left the club to go fetch his wife earlier, unlike Mico who had her come meet us here. I haven’t met most of these people and they all split up to nestle around the plane in little groups, waving and saying hey to everyone else. It’s obvious they see one another frequently as no one rushes to congregate in an excited huddle.

‘I better go sit beside my lover; he misses me when I am gone too long. I am sure Alexi feels the same when he lets his beauty out of his sight. You finally tamed the beast in that one.’ She winks at me demurely, catching me off guard.

What?

‘Oh, we’re not …’ I don’t get a chance to finish as she leans in and pinches my cheek in a surprising and very personal manner that shuts me up with the jump she extracts out of me.