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We sat on my mom’s white leather couch, and Stephan moved slightly closer to me. I stayed there for two hours listening to the three women talk and gossip about everyone they’d ever known and chatted with Stephan. He asked how I felt now that I was graduating high school and tried to convince me that the good life was about to start. I made sure to laugh at all his jokes and touch his shoulder or grab his arm from time to time. I had no idea where in the house Hugo was, but I knew he was close, and I knew he was watching me. I could feel his penetrating eyes preying over me so I pushed it.
Stephan said something about the time he was playing lacrosse in his high school team, and I put my hand on his leg, right above his knee.
“Oh, I remember coming to your games a couple of times. With Gino, remember?” It only happened once, and the only reason we went was because Stephan’s father was arrested the week before. We tried to offer him some comfort.
“I do, yes. You were the prettiest cheerleader my team ever had.”
I knew my mother, my aunt, and Liz were watching us with hawk eyes, seeing my sweet behavior towards Stephan, but it was a price I had to pay.
“You were so good on the field.”
“I tried my best,” he said and leaned even closer to me, our thighs almost touching. “I’m glad it impressed you.”
He was definitely getting into my game, trying to flirt as much as possible under the vigilant and very interested looks from our mothers. When he leaned back, smiled and casually put his hand over my shoulder, I felt the energy in the room change, and the hairs on the back of my neck raised, but it had nothing to do with Stephan. My body felt Hugo getting closer. He was now a few feet away, looking at me with murder in his eyes.
“I’m sorry to intrude,” he said to everyone in the room but looked only at me. “I have to take Catherinelle back to the city.”
Huh?
My mother got up and turned to speak to him.
“Hugo, you are silent like a cat. Next time make a noise when you enter a room, dear. If you need to go back, I can send Cat with my driver later.”
“Not possible, ma’am. Gino’s order. We need to go back. He’ll call soon and wants to talk to Catherinelle.”
I wasn’t buying that bullshit for a second.
“Ok, then.” My mother gave in. She would never question Gino’s decisions in front of other people. “Cat, please say goodbye.”
Liz was the first to jump up and kiss me on both cheeks with a new found enthusiasm, probably because she actually thought I was interested in her son. The Berlusconi family was powerful, but man, they would love to tie themselves tighter with the Nucci name.
“It’s such a shame that you have to go, Cat,” she said with some over dramatic sadness. “You and Stephan were having such a good time. You have to come visit us soon.”
Oh, fuck. I had to get out of this. Stephan Berlusconi had served his purpose in my book.
“Sure, we’ll keep in touch.” I tried to move on, but she held onto my wrists.
“How about next Wednesday?”
If she wasn’t grabbing my arm so tightly, I would have slapped my forehead. I should have seen this coming, but I was too focused on Hugo.
“I’ll see how my schedule is and have mom call you, Liz. Thank you for the invitation.”
Luckily for me, Aunt Diana cut in, and I went in for a hug while she whispered in my ear that I could do better than the Berlusconi kid, and I completely agreed with her. Who wanted a boy when I already had a taste of a full-fledged man, forged in sheer force and savagery? A fool, and I – Catherinelle Nucci – was not a fool.
Mom walked me to the door, and we said goodbye after I promised to let her know what Gino wanted, which would probably be hard to do since I was almost entirely sure Hugo hadn’t spoken to my brother at all.
The moment the door closed behind us, Hugo took me by the elbow and marched me to his car like I was under arrest, virtually throwing me in the passenger seat. He didn’t say a word, but his body spoke for him. Today, I had managed to step on all his nerves, which was exactly what he deserved for the way he treated me. It was time for the Monster to see that this little girl was ready to fight him down.
He put the car in drive and pulled out onto the usual road we took when we were going back to New York, and I waited a few moments before breaking the silence.
“Did Gino really call?” But all I got for an answer was an animal-like sound.
Hugo kept his eyes glued to the road, refusing to acknowledge me in any way until we got on the Long Island Expressway, that was almost entirely empty at this hour. He pulled the car over suddenly and got out. I watched him walk in circles a few times in front of the car, confused by his actions and then suddenly, I felt a gush of cold air hitting me when Hugo opened the passenger door. He pulled it so hard, for a second, I thought he had ripped it from its hinges.
“Hugo, what the hell are you doing?”
“Don’t fucking talk,” he shot back, and I scowled.
