4. A Random Hook-Up

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~DANTE RUSSO~

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"Are you alright?" 

That's what she had asked. 

If I was alright? She wanted to know. She was the only one who wanted to know. 

Norah and I had been betrothed when the both of us were sixteen. Fourteen years later, she wanted to keep the relationship a secret. Until she found her footing, she said. 

And then suddenly, I found out that she was seeing Chad Friggman. I had heard rumors of it but she had brushed them off saying that the fans were making things up after they shot an ad together. Then why was I so surprised when Carlson knew that they were in a relationship? 

Maybe because I did not think a prude like Carlson would be interested in Chad Friggman or the entertainment gossip. Again, I am almost right because it did not look like she was that interested. She only heard it in passing. 

But whatever it may be, the truth remained that Norah and I were over now. She was sleeping with Chad, who used to be a good friend. Both of them had backstabbed me. 

And my rebound, though a plain Jane from afar, was a freak in bed. I could leave with that. 

"What is this I hear?" Francesca stumbled into the room, Carlson helping her stay steady. 

"You are drunk." I rolled my eyes at my elder sister. Why was she up so early? It was not like her. 

"And you got dumped." 

"I dumped her." My eyes involuntarily moved to Carlson as I defended myself. I did not want her to think of me as a pathetic fool. 

Her eyes, though, were on my sister and she was clearly struggling to hold the weight of the woman double her size. 

"Sit down, Frankie." I waved at the couch. 

She nodded and turned to Carlson. "Fifi babe, will you be a sugar and get me some tea?" 

"Sure." She smiled and turned to me. "Would you like your usual coffee, Mr. Russo?" 

"Dante." I corrected, ignoring her question. If it wasn't for my sister being here with us, I would have taken her across my knees and punished that fine ass of hers until it was engraved in her brain what she must call me. 

"Dante and all huh?" Francesca chuckled. "Fifi, don't tell me he made a move on you the moment he got freed from that witch!" 

Carlson opened and closed her mouth, a beautiful pink tint appearing across her cheeks. Why was my sister here? 

"I will get you guys your drinks." She sputtered and hurried out the door. 

I was mourning the chance my eyes had missed of admiring those fine cakes when my sister cleared her throat. 

"Did you sleep with her? Or is she being shy just because she is?" 

I did not plan to keep me sleeping with Carlson a secret from anyone. But anyone did not include my sister. She was only going to be here for another two days while her husband wrapped up a deal and then she would be off to Italy to her devil spawn twins. I needed to keep everything under wraps until then because Francesca could change Carlson's mind about what I had planned for the both of us. 

It was nothing unfair. Just a profitable relationship for both of us. 

There couldn't be a worse time for me to find out about Norah's betrayal. Or in other ways, this was the best time to find out about her infidelity. If I had learnt of this after our wedding, then she would have had half of everything I worked so hard to make. 

Everything happened for the best. 

"Do I look that desperate to you?"

"We all know the clauses of that goddamn will, Dante. I am sure you are cooking up a storm in your head. You have three months till your thirtieth birthday. And if you don't have a bride till then, then you will lose everything to some goddamn foundation." Maybe it was not a bad idea to tell my sister what I have been plotting. I had no doubt that she was on my side or not but I just needed to be sure her conscience didn't get in the way. 

"But Fiona is not the woman for that."

Okay, I take it back. My sister is not the best person to tell all this to. 

"Dante," She slurred. "That girl has too much on her plate and that girl has been through hell a lot so please don't." 

I was not going to make her go through any more hell. If anything, her life was going to be better because of me but it was going to be hell trying to make my sister understand my point of view. 

Instead, I just said the one thing that I could promise her, "I promise you, big sister, no one is going to get hurt and no one is going to suffer so you can put your conscience to rest and just go enjoy your life with your husband and children. I have got everything under control." 

"Alright." She sighed as she sat up straight. 

We sat there in silence for another three minutes before Carlson walked back in tea for Francesca, coffee for me and some cookies. 

"Yay!" Francesca's face lit up at the sight of the cookies. "This is why you are my favorite, Fifi. This and the fact that you know to choose gifts." 

Francesca gave me him snide glare, informing me that she was aware that it was not me who had been choosing those gifts for her. 

I was not one to give gifts but Francesca's love language was receiving gifts and like any other sibling, she nagged her younger brother until she got a gift for every occasion she could think of. 

"So Fifi, how is your boyfriend?" Francesca asked. 

I spat my coffee back into my mug which made Francesca laugh while Carlson just looked bewildered at the both of us. 

"What boyfriend?" She asked. 

"You have a boyfriend?" I asked her at the same time. 

"Then where did you get all those hickeys?" Francesca snickered. 

Carlson touched her neck and quickly readjusted her shirt, turning red as a tomato. I know another place where I would like her to turn that red. 

"A random hook-up." 

I narrowed my eyes at her. 

Did she just call me a random hook-up?

"Mmhmm." Francesca was clearly enjoying this. "Was he any good?" 

The tint on her cheeks deepened to a beautiful cherry red. Those cheeks looked so kissable right now. Wait, what am I thinking? The lips looked kissable. Not the cheeks. 

"He was... okay," 

I smirked. 

There, she had done it.

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