My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 21

Gianna

━⊰ ❦ ⊱━

I was bored.

Not the normal kind of bored where you scroll through your phone for a few minutes and it goes away. This was the annoying kind. The kind that sat on your chest and made the house feel smaller every hour.

Back home I used to leave whenever I felt like it. I’d walk to the corner store, sit at the park or get coffee at midnight with my girls if I couldn’t sleep.

Here, even stepping outside felt like asking permission. I stood by the window and looked down toward the gates.

Ten guards.

Always ten.

One leaning against the booth, the others pacing slowly across the driveway. The mansion was beautiful but it was also a cage.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and scrolled through my contacts until I found the name I wanted.

Ciro.

Texting was a nightmare so I just pressed the call button. The phone rang once then he picked up.

“Hello?”

“Hey, it’s me,” I said.

There was a beat of silence.

Then—

“No way,” I could practically hear the grin in his voice, “Gianna?”

“Yeah.”

“Well I’ll be damned,” he laughed quietly. “I thought you forgot I existed.”

I leaned my shoulder against the window frame, watching the guards shift positions near the gate.

“Not really,” I said.

“So this is a friendly call?” he asked.

“More like a bored call.”

He chuckled, “Ah, so I’m the emergency contact for boredom now.”

“Pretty much.”

“Wow. I don’t know if I should feel insulted or honored.”

I smiled slightly, “Take it however you want.”

“Fair enough,” then there was a short pause on the line, “What are you doing right now?” he asked.

“Staring at the gate,” I said.

“That sounds exciting.”

“Thrilling.”

“You could go outside,” he said casually.

I snorted, “You know that’s not how this place works.”

“True.”

I watched one of the guards adjust his jacket near the driveway lights, “You guys treat the front yard like it’s a military zone.”

“Well,” Ciro said lightly, “technically it is.”

I rubbed the side of my neck, “I just want to go somewhere,” I muttered, “Anywhere.”

His voice changed slightly, “Actually…”

I frowned slightly, “What?”

“There’s a party tonight,” he said.

“Really?”

“Yeah,” he continued. “Just some people. Music. Drinks. Come with me.”

I blinked, “What?”

“I’m serious,” he said. “I’m not on duty tonight anyway. If I sign you out, no one’s going to question it.”

I looked down at the guards again, “You can do that?”

“I work for the Capones,” he said simply, “Half my job is moving people around.”

I hesitated but the idea of getting out of this house, even for a few hours felt like fresh air in my lungs.

“When?” I asked.

“Late,” he said, “Starts around midnight.”

“Midnight?”

“Yeah. People show up around twelve, one… it runs until morning.”

I stayed quiet for a moment, staring at the gates.

“So?” he asked, “You want out of that mansion or not?”

I didn’t even need to think long, “…Yeah.”

“Yeah?” he repeated, surprised.

“Yeah.”

He laughed softly, “Damn. That was easier than I expected.”

“Don’t make me regret it.”

“Relax,” he said. “Worst case? You get music, drinks, and a few hours away from those walls.”

I pushed away from the window, already feeling lighter, “What time are you picking me up?”

“I’ll swing by around one,” he said. “That way we’re not the first ones there.”

“Okay.”

“Get dressed up,” he added.

I rolled my eyes even though he couldn’t see me, “It’s a party, not a wedding.”

“Still,” he said. “You’ll thank me later.”

I smiled a little and ended the call. For a moment I just stood there with my phone in my hand, staring at my reflection in the dark window.

I turned away from the window and walked to my room. The closet doors slid open with a soft sound. My fingers ran across the hangers.

A small black top hung near the back. I pulled it out and held it up. It was cropped, the fabric soft and thin, with narrow straps that crossed over the back.

I tossed it over my arm, next came a pair of denim shorts, light blue, worn at the edges. I changed quickly.

The shorts hugged my hips just right and suddenly I got reminded of Raphael's slap against my skin, I shook the thought away. The top stopped a few inches above my waist, showing a strip of skin when I moved.

I walked to the mirror. My hair was still loose from earlier, falling past my shoulders. I ran a brush through it and let it stay natural, just a little volume at the ends.

I sat down at the vanity and opened my small makeup bag, foundation, a little concealer under my eyes and mascara and then I added a bit of gloss to my lips and pressed them together.

I grabbed a pair of white sneakers from the floor and slipped them on. My phone buzzed in my hand.

Ciro.

I answered right away, “Hello?”

“I’m outside,” he said.

My heart jumped, “Like… outside outside?”

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