揅liffy isn抰 a man, he抯 a boy, and once you抳e been with a man, you抣l know the difference.?
揧ou抮e forgetting about Maurice.?
Santino scoffed. 揌e isn抰 a man either.?
揥ho said I haven抰 been with someone else than Clifford and Maurice??I said in frustration. 揧ou know Clifford doesn抰 care about our traditions. He doesn抰 expect me to wait until marriage.?
Santino抯 face became pure stone. 揋ood for him.?Then a taunting smile pulled at his lips. 揧ou can do whatever you want but I won抰 kiss you again. I learned my lesson.?
I could have screamed in frustration. Why did he have to be so stubborn? I decided to try another, more honest approach.
揑抦 dutiful like you Santino, but I want to live before I spend my life being the good politician抯 wife. Clifford enjoys himself, why shouldn抰 I??
He only stared. I wished I knew what went on in his head.
揥ould you rather I enjoy myself with someone else??
揧our father asked me to protect you and that抯 what I抦 doing.?
I huffed. 揊rom sex.?
He looked back at the TV. I got up with a shrug. 揟hen I抣l just get myself off without your help, like I did in the shower.?
I turned, not waiting for his reply, and went into my room, not bothering to close the door. 揧ou know where to find me if you find your courage.?
Steps rang out behind me and then Santino grabbed me by the shoulders and whirled me around so I was facing him.
He glowered down at me. 揥hat is it you really want, Anna? For me to lose control? My mind? My job? My life??
His voice was harsh and low, stroking the fire in my belly.
He was the sexiest man I抎 ever seen. He was everything I wanted. 揑 want you to lose control.?
Santino growled and shoved away from me, taking two steps back. Without another word, he stormed out of my room and threw the door shut.
I bit my lip and closed my eyes, listening to the furious beating of my heart. My golden cage allowed me few pleasures, even fewer thrills. But provoking Santino always breathed life into me.
The next few days, I gave Santino some room and focused on my schedule. The first introductory courses were about to begin and I wanted to make sure I had everything I needed. I also signed up for an additional sewing course. I had already taken sewing lessons with our maid in the months leading up to my move to Paris, but I was still far from good. I knew I needed to get better if I wanted to get a good understanding of how clothes were made. How could you be a good designer without being able to sew a piece of clothing yourself?
Santino worked out in his room while I stayed in mine. Eventually, we headed out on foot to go to a secondhand shop that also sold sewing machines to people who wanted to upcycle items.
揗y mother used to sew,?Santino said when we picked up an older model that still required plenty of handy work.
Surprise washed through me. He rarely talked about family, and if he did it was about his dad. I wasn抰 sure what to say, completely caught off guard. I抎 have thought he抎 keep his silence for a few more days to punish me for my teasing. 揑t抯 a handy skill.?
Santino nodded simply and silence descended on us once more as he carried the heavy machine while we strolled back home. As we waited on the sidewalk for the pedestrian lights to turn green, a group of nuns came our way. I stepped back with a small smile. Santino, however, let the nuns pass with a hostile expression as if they抎 personally offended him.
揥hat抯 your problem with nuns??I asked as we finally crossed the street. The sidewalk here was narrow so Santino and I had to walk arm against arm, which felt nice. Santino had stopped walking a few steps behind me since we were alone in Paris anyway. It felt less and less like a working relationship.
揑 don抰 have a problem with nuns,?he said nonchalantly. Whom was he trying to fool? I抎 known him for years and seen him at his worst and best, mostly worst though.
I knew when he was lying.
I made a face that made it blatantly clear I didn抰 believe him. 揜ight. Did you hit on a nun and she refused your advances??
That was something I could imagine vividly. Santino was the type to do so, just for fun.
Disgust skimmed his lips. 揥hy would I hit on a nun??
揟he thrill of the hunt and the forbidden? Just out of spite? Or maybe even boredom??
揝ince you entered my life, boredom is the least of my problems.?
I flashed him a cocky grin. 揟hanks.?
揟hat wasn抰 a compliment.?
揑t sure sounded like one. I take it.?
Santino shook his head but I could tell he was fighting a smile. I really wished he would let it win more often. The sun had been shining all day, and it almost felt like spring. Considering how cold it had been a few days before, this caught me completely off guard. 揕et抯 head into the park and soak up the sunshine for a bit.?