Page 96 of Bene

She struggled to come up with a lie, blurting, “Got a call, something came up, and I don’t want to wake him up. You’ll let him know in the morning that I said sorry, right?”

“Yeah, sure … can I help with anything?”

“No, I’m good. I just have to get out of here.”

Beni nodded. “Sure, and uh, sorry we didn’t have a lot of time to chat earlier. I was worried about my brother, but he’s doing okay now, and it seems like that’s partly because of you. He does better with you, huh?”

God.

Her heart split more.

“I have to go,” Vanna muttered.

She didn’t even wait for him to respond.

She just needed to leave.

It was another two hours before Vanna finally faced the front door of her penthouse. Her hands trembled as she slid the key into the lock, seconds away from a breakdown that she had been keeping at bay lest her cab driver watch her ugly cry in the backseat while he drove her back to the city.

She wasn’t thinking about anything except getting inside, stripping off her clothes, and finding her bed for the next several hours. Maybe days, who fucking knew? As long as she could get away with it, then that’s what she planned to do.

Vanna stumbled into her penthouse, expecting a darkened hallway and the safety of silence. Instead, she was met by every single light turned on, and the loud sigh of a guest that in no way was invited to be standing at the end of the hallway like he’d been waiting there for her all night.

Mario.

She sucked in a breath, the clutch dropping from her hand as he tipped his head to the side when their gazes met. There was no hiding the way his stare took her in—from the dress she wore, to the heels that were currently killing her feet. His scowl deepened when he took in her messy makeup, and ruined hair.

Shit.

It wasn’t that she forgot about him.

Quite the opposite.

Vanna simply figured this would be like every other time that she blew Mario off in the past. It wasn’t like this was the first time she was supposed to meet up with him, but instead, fucked off somewhere and came back later. He’d be pissed, sure, but he got over it.

Because he didn’t own her.

Except now he does.

The ring in her clutch that she took off to attend the party with Bene said so.

“I will give you exactly twenty seconds to tell me where you were,” Mario murmured.

“I—”

“No lies. I already know. Start speaking the truth.”

What?

He couldn’t possibly know.

“Out,” she said.

Mario’s jaw tightened. “Don’t fuck with me tonight, Vanna. Do you know how long I’ve been here waiting for you to get back from being with that fucking scum—that goddamn Guzzi?”

Her eyes widened.

He sneered. “Oh, you didn’t think I knew? The bitch downstairs at the front desk—she calls me whenever someone comes around here. Your fucktoy was just stupid enough to give her his name when he came around.”