"E-Excuse me?"

"I said, I got locked out of my own room." He said each word very slowly, emphasizing every letter.

I gaped at him. "How did you get locked out?"

He rubbed the nape of his neck, redness covering his face. "I... I was so nervous before, um, you know, our date that I removed the key card from its slot but forgot to take it with me."

And I am supposed to believe that? Because I don't believe a single shit he just said.

"That's a very interesting story." I said blatantly. "So you decided to take your belongings with you then 'accidentally' lock yourself out?"

"Oh. You talking about this?" He lifted his bag up. "Adrian was having it. He wanted to use my iPad to answer some mails before he went to sleep so I just told him to take it from my bag before I came to you. He kept it with him."

"Sounds pretty much made up to me." I shook my head. "Why don't you go to the receptionist and ask for another key?"

"I did. They said that a spare key card can be sent to me in a few minutes."

I yawned and rubbed my eyes. "Then why are you here? You could have stayed in Adrian's room."

He frowned. "He kicked me out. I pulled my Little Leo card but he didn't listen to me."

"What happened to keep your key cards safe till morning? Oh wait! Yours is safe but it is not with you!" I laughed at my own joke.

"That is not funny, little girl." He muttered.

"I. Am. Not. Little." I gritted and looked outside at the empty hallway. "There is nobody here. Maybe you should tell them to hurry up and send the spare card."

"There is no need for that."

"Why?"

"Because I told them not to."

My eyes widened. "Wait, what?"

He didn't say anything and welcomed himself to my room, placed his bag beside mine and started taking out his clothes and toothbrush while I kept gawking at him, my mind still not being able to process what he just said.

"You are done with your shower, right?" He looked over his shoulder and saw my semi dripping hair. "Good. I need to take a shower too. I hope there is some hot water left, but it doesn't really matter to me because that nightie you are wearing is definitely worth a cold shower for me." He grabbed his items and faced me, a frown etched on his face. "Close your mouth, Amelia. I do not want anything to go inside it except for food, water and my tongue. Be a good little girl and carry on with what you were doing while I take a shower."

Then he closed the door of my bathroom. A few seconds later, I heard the shower running.

That son of a...!

I stomped my foot and checked his bag for a key card and much to my surprise, I didn't find any. Just an iPad, a few papers related to work I assume, extra clothes for tomorrow morning, his sunglasses, phone and a pair of boxers which I refused to touch.

Who does he think he is?! He can't just barge into my room and use my shower, saying that he got locked out of his! It has to be a goddamn lie. Why can't I find his key card?! Did he left it in Adrian's room? Is his elder brother also involved in this little act of annoying me late at night? Or is he actually saying the truth? Ugh! He is definitely up to something.

The question is, what is he up to?

The scowl on my face was permanent as I faced the mirror and continued drying my hair with a towel. I have to get him out of my room. I want my privacy. I want my sleep. I want him gone.

A couple of minutes later, I heard the shower turn off and I was ready to give him a piece of my mind, but that thought flew straight out of the window when I saw him walk out of my bathroom.

Sweet holy mother of Jesus...

My mouth dried and watered at the same time as my eyes roamed around his hard built body shamelessly. It should be a crime to hide those contoured muscles and broad back from me. There is a towel wrapped around his neck, his tattoo playing peek-a-boo with me. Memories of our unspeakable night in my bathroom played in my mind like flashbacks and they were not helping me at all.

No temptation, Amy. No temptation!

He looked over his shoulder and quickly, I averted my eyes from him. My jaw ticked in irritation. "Have some shame, August-mini. At least you could have worn a shirt and a pant."

"I do not wear my clothes in the bathroom. They get wet."

"Then why did you take them?" I asked, confused.

"Thought about wearing them in the bathroom for your sake, but changed my mind at the last minute. It's not like you have not seen anything before."

Jesus Christ. That's too forward. What's next? Him removing the towel, flashing his goods and wearing pajamas in front of me?

"Since you are now done with your shower... leave." I growled, shooting glares at his back through the mirror. "This is my room. Book another room or get that spare key card, I don't care. You are not staying here for the night."

He gasped as he turned around. "Are you... Are you kicking me out?"

I tossed the towel on my bed and grabbed my hair brush. "Kicking out is a harsh word. Forcing you to leave is a polite word. You are lying about being locked out. I do not tolerate liars."

"I am not lying."

"Then get another room!" I snapped. "I'm sure you will find many empty rooms right in this floor. Go anywhere, but not my room."

His lips pursued. "I do own thirty seven percent of the shares of this hotel. I can get any room I want..."

"Good." I grinned. "Dress up and then you may take your leave."

"... But I do not wish to disturb the staff anymore. It's almost midnight."

You have got to be kidding me.

"Why?" I whined. "Just let me sleep in peace, will you? It's been a really long, amazing and tiring day."

"It is quite obvious, isn't it?" He smirked.

Of course it is. It's night. We're not in that godforsaken mansion. We're in a hotel room. Alone. He's almost naked, only covering himself in a towel and I am trying my best not to imagine him doing a strip show for me.

I sighed loudly and began to brush my hair. A silent surrender.

"I call dibs on the bed." I said after a moment of silence.

"Mi scusi?" He asked, dumbfounded.

"You heard me." I shrugged.

He looked at me as if I had grown two heads. "You want me to sleep on the floor?"

I laughed. "No. Of course not. You'll sleep on the chair. I'll lend you a pillow and a blanket."

"Hmm... We'll see."

I winced slightly when I felt a knot on my hair yet I kept brushing on it. He was still in a towel, checking his phone and drying his hair.

Everything was going peacefully until he tossed his phone on the bed and dropped the towel on the floor.

And no, it wasn't the one around his neck.

It was the one which was previously wrapped around his waist.

"JESUS CHRIST! HAVE SOME SHAME, WILL YOU?!" I screamed and covered my eyes, my face turning red. How in the world am I going to survive a single night with him without dying in embarrassment?

"What? You don't find my ass cute anymore?" The humor was quite evident in his voice as I hear him approach me.

"NO! NO! STAY BACK! GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU DISGUSTING PIG! AND WEAR SOME FUCKING CLOTHES!"

He laughed heartily. "It is common sense that I will wear my clothes here, Amelia. So let me wear them or maybe I should stay like this for the rest of the night and enjoy seeing you like this."

"JUST... JUST WEAR IT PLEASE!"

"Okay. I will." I heard a few shuffling of clothes. "I'm done wearing my pajamas."

"Are you sure?" I squeaked, my eyes squeezed shut and covered with my palm.

"I am. So you can go back to your hair grooming and I will check my mails."

Very slowly, through the gap of my fingers, I peeked and saw a very glorious, hard, well defined naked butt. I screamed again.

"WHY DID YOU LIE TO ME?! YOU DIRTY, DISGUSTING NAKED MONSTER! WEAR THOSE DAMN CLOTHES!"

I threw my hairbrush at his direction which did not hit him at all and kept screaming long string of curses I had never spoken out so loudly before while Leo kept laughing at my misery.

"Oh mio Dio," He gasped for air. "That was fun."

"Just wear the goddamn pajama!" I yelled.

"I already did."

A shameless act or not, I turned around and saw him lying on my bed, shirtless and a phone in his hand. Luckily, he was wearing a grey pajama.

"So nice of you to dress up half." I said sarcastically.

"So happy to hear that you liked it." He retorted. "I do find it amusing that you used to say that I am hot and now you find me dirty and disgusting. You prefer to hide away. Women kill to get a look at this glorious specimen."

"Then why don't you go to those women and leave me alone?" I asked.

He closed his eyes and exhaled sharply. "I don't want to. I have not been with any woman in the past months and I still do not understand why. It's like I am repulsed to them. I am never repulsed to them."

I scoffed. "Oh, I know why. You have been annoying the shit out of me in these past months. No wonder why you are not interested in other women... for now."

An uncomfortable silence passed through us. Leonardo watched me intently as I took my hair to one side of my shoulder so that I could start tying it into plaits and get ready for bed.

"You know..." He began, "I did get locked out of my room because I was nervous and forgot to take the key card with me after I removed it."

"Yeah, right. And I totally believe you. No worries about that buddy." I muttered.

"Nervous because I had never taken a woman out on a date before."

And I stopped functioning for exact ten seconds.

He has to be lying again, right? The look on his face told me an entire different story. I knew he was eagerly waiting for me to say something regarding his statement, but I didn't know what to say. It was confusing me. An image of him and that skimpy woman back in his office, doing the naughty thing in a naughty position flashed in my mind and I grimaced to myself. A part of me did not believed him at all and surprisingly, there was a small, teeny tiny part of me which already believed him.

Now that is something I should be getting worried about. Trusting and believing him. I don't know anything about whether I still hate him or don't trust him or everything that concerns about him.

He kept staring at me with a blank look on his face, waiting patiently for me.

I ran my fingers through my hair and finally said, "Hand me that hairbrush. It's fallen near your side."

Silently, he got up, picked up my hairbrush from the floor and gave it to me then sat on the edge of the bed. I grabbed my hair tie and wore it on my wrist then I began the most boring job of dividing my hair into three sections and making plaits.

Damn this long hair to hell!

"It's not like my men back in the mansion like you." I heard him grumble under his breath.

"Excuse me?" I snapped. "What was that again? Say it out loud to me."

He hesitated a bit.

"Don't worry, I won't bite or chew." I winked. "I just wanna know what's going on in that rat poop size brain of yours."

"My men..." He trailed off and made some weird hand gesture. "They like you and I do not like it. There! I said it! Happy now?"

"Aww," I cooed in fake enthusiasm. "Is somebody jealous of my growing acquaintanceship with a group of men who have shown me that they have a heart unlike you at the very first moment we met?"

"I have a heart." He muttered.

"Too bad that it took you a really long time to prove that." I deadpanned. "And speaking of your men, they don't like me. They adore me just like I do to them. We simply go by a lot of 'Hellos' and 'Good evenings' whenever we would cross paths and that only happens when I am not doing any household work. So next time when you try to put some nonsensical blame on any single of them, think twice before you decide to speak."

"They are trained killers, gunmen, fighters and businessmen!"

"And normal human beings who are always ready to have a nice chat with me." I added with a smile. "You said it yourself, simple things to keep you away from the brink of insanity. You told me about your brother and you told me about you, but what about them?"

"I—"

"Besides," I interrupted. "It's very rude to reject a woman's company, isn't it? It's been a really long time since any of them had a company of one or maybe they never did."

My face fell in an instant when I realised that I had reached a little sensitive topic for the Agostini son.

"Fine. Topic closed." He grunted in annoyance.

"Hey, capo?" Bad Amy. Nosy Amy. This is not my business yet I am poking my arms and legs in this matter.

"Si, Amy?" He answered, looking at his phone.

"Do you..." I bit my lower lip nervously and took a deep breath. "Do you know what happened to your, um, mother after your father did that?"

His face darkened as he shot me a grave look.

"I-I... I am sorry. I didn't mean to pry or anything. I w-was just curious. Forget what I asked." I dismissed it off as I avoided his gaze on me and kept my head low.

"I do not know what happened to her after he did it." He said after a long, tension filled silence. "I was child. A toddler."

"You ever thought about it?"

His eyes softened. "Sometimes."

A lump formed in my throat. "And?"

"There are thousands of different scenarios of what happened to her after that. Who knows? Maybe Mama started a new life with some other man and had another child with him, forgetting about me and the famiglia or she is still homeless and alone or... I do not wish to go too far in that."

"Okay." I nodded in understanding. "I get it. Sorry for asking and thank you for answering."

He didn't respond and kept staring into empty space. I choose not to ask him anymore personal questions. I had done enough in the past twenty minutes.

"Amelia," He grabbed his night shirt and got up from the bed. He sounded determined. "I have been planning to do something for a very long time."

"I'm listening."

"I want to give padre a taste of his own medicine." He said.

I stopped doing what I was doing. "And when you say medicine you mean..."

He exhaled sharply. "Next day, after the party, I plan on teaching him a lesson about every wrong he had done and finally ask him about Mama's whereabouts."

"You think he knows where your mother is?" I asked, shocked by his sudden confession of future plans.

Leonardo shrugged. "He is the last person who ever saw her. He must be knowing something and I deserve to know it."

Last person who ever saw her? Didn't Louisa say that she saw his mother being forced to leave?

"If he doesn't say anything about it then what?"

"With the power I will have over the entire famiglia, I can easily send him on a long, permanent vacation." He said nonchalantly and started buttoning up his shirt as he stood beside me.

Something dreadful settled in the pit of my stomach. I understood his thirst for revenge and I understood his words very clearly, but it didn't feel right. Just like the time when I first heard that his father is giving up everything to him.

"You'll kick him out?"

"Si."

"Oh."

"That's what I have been planning for years."

"Does your brother know about this?"

"He does."

"Oh."

I pulled out my hair tie from my wrist and tied a knot around the small ends of my hair, feeling satisfied with my artwork.

"Will you stay with me after that?"

My breath hitched. "W-What?"

He looked at me through the mirror as he buttons up the last button of his shirt. "You heard me."

"I don't think I am allowed to leave that mansion." I pointed out as a matter of fact.

He shook his head. "I am not talking in that sense. I am asking you to stay... with me."

"I still don't understand. I won't be going anywhere. Even though my future is very uncertain, but we both know that I will be staying in the mansion."

"I do not mean that way, Amelia. I lost one important woman in my life when I was only a child, I don't plan on losing another one as an adult."

Wait, what? Did he actually say that I am important to him? Boy, that did swell my heart in pride and something so beautiful that it made my eyes brim up with tears.

"So will you stay with me after that?" He asked again.

Stealthily, my hand reached out for his and with our fingers entwined, I saw us together 'together' for the first time.

How is this possible? When did this happen? This wasn't supposed to happen. This wasn't part of my original plan and so was he.

He saw us in the mirror and his grip around my fingers tightened in a very protective manner.

This wasn't an answer. It was a promise. A promise to stay with each other no matter what happens.

Our eyes met and we sucked in a sharp breath, the tension between us increased to soaring heights and just like many other nights, we pounced on each other like wild, hungry savages.

Fire ignited in me as our lips moulded together perfectly, my hands wrapped around his neck, clinging onto him for my dear life when I felt him sweeping me off my feet till my back hit the soft mattress. His hands roaming on my body added fuel to the fire in me.

"Let me take this off. I never liked it." His fingers reached to my hair tie and pulled it. My protests were gibberish, my mind in haze and hair now sprawled open on the bed, I was mentally crying for my efforts which are in ruins. It took me a really long time to make those plaits!

"Oh, that feels so good..." I raked his hair through my fingers as he buried his face in the crook of my neck, biting, sucking and licking the sweet spot he had found which always made me lose my senses.

"Hmm-Hmm. I can make you feel so good, Amy. So, so fucking good." He breathed in my ears and continued his pleasurable assault on my neck.

My toes curled and my eyes rolled back when his lips crashed into mine again, but the need to touch him was overwhelming me so my fingers reached out for his shirt, fumbling as they unbutton his shirt. He wasn't stopping me. He was letting me do as I pleased. The last button popped open and I pulled that useless piece of clothing away from him, now carelessly fallen on the floor and shuddered in excitement, feeling him under my skin. Smooth. Hard. And so mouth watering.

From his soft, messy black hair, his neck, his shoulders, his tattoo and further down to his hard ripped chest, abs and his V line, I was a very naughty child who had no shame in touching everything I could touch and explore. His hands did a few touching on their own. My waist, my back, my stomach and my arms. Soon, they reached on the outline of my mounds and gave it a very low, gentle squeeze. I froze.

Holy shit.

For a mere second, I looked over his shoulder and saw the bags placed on the table then I remembered something.

I left my bra in the bathroom. He went to take a shower in the same bathroom. He must have seen it and now he's touching the No Touching Area. He has never touched my No Touching Area. He knows I am not wearing any bra in the No Touching Area. What do I do? WHAT DO I DO?

I threw my head back and moaned softly when he gave it another squeeze, this time a bit stronger than the first. Oh wow, that sure feels good. Another squeeze. Another moan with a little squirm. The clothing between his hands and my mounds was just a thin barrier.

Embarrassed by the noises I was making, I hid my face on his neck. It gave him better access to mine and I mewled when I felt his teeth grazing on it. I latched my mouth on his neck instead and sucked it really hard.

"Ah shit!" His hips buckled and he hissed. His palms began to knead on my mounds a lot more faster. Moans after moans flew from my lips as the tension between us increased tenfold. It grew hotter and wilder in need.

For a moment we stopped, our foreheads touching as we breathed heavily, taking in as much air as possible.

"Hi." I smiled cheekily.

His palm ran over my face and stopped right on my lips. His eyes shining in a strange emotion.

"Bellissimo." He murmured in awe.

My heart skipped a beat and our tongues dueled in a passionate kiss. We pulled ourselves closer to each other, his knee accidentally brushing the region between my legs – and I was wet.

My eyes grew big and I froze again.

Did... Did I... Oh, my God. How is this possible? Ew, I peed myself.

Leonardo didn't notice my discomfort yet and moved a little more closer to me, his knee brushed again and I actually felt something gushing out from my downtown region.

I cringed to myself. Oh, God. Ew, no. That's not how I pee. That happens when I get up or sneeze during my period. Holy shit. Am I on my period now?

Awkwardly, I pulled back from him while making a face. He finally noticed something was wrong and frowned.

"Is everything alright?" He asked very slowly.

"Er..." I can't be on my period right now. Mother nature isn't supposed to grace me with her presence for the next two weeks. "I-It's not you." I tried to scoot away from him, so that I could get some of my private space back. I felt something tugging in my chest when I saw his expression. I didn't like it, but how the hell am I supposed to explain this unexpected womanly situation to him?

He got away from me too quickly and it pained me, both physically and emotionally. Regret and reject. That's what he felt. "I'm... I... I did not had any intention to, well um, make you feel uncomfortable or... I apologise for my previous actions."

"Don't. It's not you." I moved my hips a bit and I literally felt that weird wetness pooled in my panties. I grimaced. "I... I have to use the bathroom."

I sprang out of the bed and dashed into the bathroom, shutting the door loudly on his face and feeling panicked about what went wrong with me. Heck, I don't regret anything about what happened out there and I was surprised by it.

I washed my face, arms and neck with cold water, wore my bra but didn't apply the hook then finally went down to the main business.

Ew.

It clearly looked like it wasn't going to spill out or something, but that's pure gross and wet. I think I might be suffering from some sort of bacterial or hormonal discharge problem because this has never happened to me before.

After freshening up, I opened the bathroom door and much to my relief, I saw capo casually sitting on the bed, all dressed up and concentrating on his iPad. I tip toed myself to the other side of the bed and sat beside him.

He didn't even look up or acknowledge my presence.

I poked his arm. "Leo?"

He hummed in response, his eyes still concentrating on the iPad.

"I am sorry," I smiled apologetically. "It's just that... something came up."

He craned his neck in my direction, regret still evident in his eyes. "I am at fault here. You should not apologise. I went too far. I am sorry."

"No. You didn't went too far! You... You were perfect and I was really enjoying it."

"But I made you feel uncomfortable."

"No. I was feeling the opposite of that!" My virgin self blushed when I tasted my own words in my tongue before I spoke them. "I felt d-desirable a-and really good, if you know what I mean. I don't regret anything, but if you do..."

"I don't." He said, "I thought you did."

"But I didn't." I smiled and scratched my messed up hair. "It wasn't a big deal. Just something came up and I had to take care of it."

"Something...?" He asked, confused. Gosh! He looks so damn cute like that.

"Not a big deal." I laughed it off. "So are we cool now?"

He shrugged. "We are."

My smile brightened and I leaned over, giving him a quick peck on his cheek. His eyes grew wide and slowly, he touched his cheek. A bright shade of red crawling up from neck.

"You can take the chair whenever you are ready to sleep and try not to stay up too late. It's way past midnight."

"You still want me to sleep on the chair?" He gasped.

"Why not? That's the only place you can sleep for tonight."

"Fine." He muttered, "I'll take the chair."

I shifted away and arranged the pillows for me to sleep. I switched off the lamp then covered my body with the duvet.

"Oh, and one more thing." I whispered to him in the dimly lit room.

"What is it?" He whispered back.

"The legs of the chair might kick you when you are sleeping so try not to get annoyed by that."

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