Chapter 5 - The Drive Home
The rest of the rehearsal dinner passed in a surreal blur of polite deferment. No one dared cross Roman Rossi again. Eleanor treated Sadi with a newfound, almost pathetic level of respect, constantly refilling her water, asking about her life in Pilsen, and desperately trying to stay in Roman’s good graces.
By 10:30 PM, Roman escorted Sadi out to the valet stand. As they waited for the matte-black SUV, the cool autumn night air blew gently across the drive, making Sadi shiver slightly in her sleeveless green dress.
Before she could wrap her arms around herself, Roman unbuttoned his charcoal suit jacket, slipped it off his massive shoulders, and draped it carefully over her back. The heavy wool instantly enveloped her in his heat, carrying the rich, intoxicating scent of his expensive cologne.
"Thank you," she murmured, pulling the lapels tightly around her chest.
"It's cold," he said simply, opening the passenger door of the SUV as the valet brought it to a stop.
They climbed inside, and the heavy doors sealed out the noise of the country club. The drive back toward Chicago was silent for the first ten miles, but it wasn't the uncomfortable, icy silence of the drive out. It was thick, heavy, and charged with an intense, unspoken tension.
Sadi looked out the window at the passing city lights, clutching his suit jacket around her frame. "You didn't have to do that," she said quietly, breaking the silence. "With Derek."
Roman kept his hands flat on the steering wheel, his eyes on the highway. "He needed to be corrected."
"He was right about one thing, though," Sadi admitted, her voice dropping, filled with old, buried pain. "I am a caretaker type. I let people walk all over me because I’m afraid if I stand up for myself, they’ll realize how much space I take up and leave."
Roman guided the SUV off the highway exit, navigating the quiet, industrial streets of Pilsen. He pulled up to the curb outside her drafty apartment building, killing the engine.
The interior of the car fell into deep, heavy shadow.
Roman unbuckled his seatbelt and turned fully in his seat to face her. "Look at me, Sadi."
She hesitated, then turned her head to look into his pale gray eyes.
"You take up space because you are a queen, not a ghost," Roman said, his dark voice rough and completely devoid of deceit. "That boy was a weak, pathetic dog who couldn't handle a real woman. If he had half a brain, he would have spent his entire life on his knees thanking God that a woman like you ever baked him a single loaf of bread."
Sadi’s breath hitched violently. Her chest heaved, a single, hot tear slipping over her eyelashes and running down her cheek. "Roman..."
Roman reached across the space between them. His large, broad thumb gently caught the stray tear, brushing it away from her cheekbone with unbelievable gentleness. His hand remained anchored there, cupping her cheek, his thumb slowly tracing her lower lip.
"You are soft, Sadi," he murmured, his voice dropping into a raspy whisper that made her core ache with desire. "You are lush, you are brilliant, and you are mine for as long as I say you are. Do not ever let a weak man make you feel small."
Sadi stared at his dark, sharp lips, her pulse hammering so loudly in her ears she thought her chest might explode. She wanted him to kiss her. She wanted it so badly it felt like an actual physical pain in her blood.
"Was... was the alibi successful?" she managed to whisper, her voice trembling.
Roman’s thumb stroked her lip one last time before his hand slowly slid down to her neck, his fingers wrapping possessively around her throat, not with force, but with absolute ownership.
"The Morettis are no longer a concern," Roman stated coldly. "And I spent the entire evening in the company of fifty witnesses, staring at a breathtaking woman in an emerald green dress." He leaned in closer, his dark face inches from hers. "It was the most successful operation of my career."
Sadi’s breath came in short, ragged gasps. "What happens now?"
"Now," Roman whispered, his lips brushing against her cheek, "you go upstairs, lock your door, and get a good night's sleep. Because on Monday morning at 5:30 AM, you are making my espresso again."
He pulled back slowly, releasing her throat, though his eyes never left hers.
Sadi sat there for a long moment, her body burning with a desperate, wild longing she had never felt in her entire life. She slowly unbuttoned his jacket, handing it back to him, her fingers brushing against his chest.
"Goodnight, Mr. Rossi," she whispered softly.
"Goodnight, Sadi," he replied.
May you like
She opened the heavy SUV door, stepped out into the cool Chicago night, and walked up the steps to her apartment. As she unlocked her front door, she looked back down at the street.
The matte-black SUV remained idling at the curb, its headlights piercing through the dark, waiting until she was safely inside her locked apartment before finally pulling away into the shadows.
