MY BOYFRIEND ~~~~

Valentina POV

Today has been perfect. Before shopping, Dimitri had taken me to see the Coliseum, Papal Basilica, and Trevi Fountain. But more than the tourist locations, he’d shown me his favourite spots: the charming side streets and gardens, the fruit stands and cafés. It was better than any tour I could have asked for.

“You come here a lot, don’t you?” I asked as we strolled. “As much as I can. It’s easier here than in Siderno. Here we can blend in.”

“But you still have to be careful.”

“Yes. My father’s reach is vast and our enemies are everywhere. There is no truly safe place for me.”

“I’m sorry, Dimitri.”

“Things are changing, slowly. Perhaps the next generation of our brotherhood won’t judge a man for his preferences.” I doubted it, but didn’t say it. Progress in the mafia never matched progress in the real world. From what I had seen, the mafia was still stuck in the nineteenth century.

Dimitri pointed to a four-story cream stone building with black shutters on every window. A bakery occupied the ground level, the smell of coffee and bread filling the air. “We’ll stop here.”

At the door, he punched in a code on a keypad and the lock opened. I followed inside. “Where are we?”

“Technically this apartment belongs to my father, but he never comes here so I use it.” Rafael had a Roman fuck pad? Of course, he did. Why was I even surprised? My feelings were a bit hurt that I hadn’t heard a word from him since I sent that video. Was he angry that I’d gotten myself off?

From romance novels, I knew some domineering men didn’t like their women to come without them. If that was the case, then that was too damn bad. I was my own person and I wasn’t about to stop masturbating when I felt like it just because I was sleeping with him. We climbed the marble stairs, the guards following us, until we reached the top floor, where Dimitri entered another code and held his thumb on some sort of scanner.

The Ravazzanis took their safety seriously. We walked in and my jaw fell open. The apartment was gorgeous, light and airy, with huge rooms and, like the castello and yacht, tastefully decorated. The double-height living room opened directly onto a balcony, so I immediately went outside and marvelled at the views.

It seemed like all of Rome stretched out before me, with brown tiled roofs and domed church bells every way I turned. A marble dining table with iron chairs awaited, and planters filled with lavender ran the length of the balcony. Unable to help myself, I bent to inhale the clean scent. This place was unreal. Why didn’t Rafael use it?

“Would you like a tour?” Dimitri came up beside me. “Or do you just want to stand here a little longer?”

“I think I could stand here forever. It’s absolutely gorgeous.” We both stared out at the buildings. “When I thought of Rome, this right here was exactly what I pictured.”

“It is beautiful, no? I love the combination of the old and the new.”

“Me, too.”

“Signore Ravazzani,” a voice behind us said. Dimitri and I turned at the same time to find a guard standing in the doorway. “Sí, Paolo?” They exchanged rapid Italian I couldn’t understand, so I turned back toward the city. Why didn’t Rafael ever come here? It was too beautiful a spot not to be appreciated.

“Tina , this is Paolo.” Dimitri nudged my arm until I turned around. “Ciao, Paolo,” I said quickly. The guard had been with us all day, so I wasn’t certain why we were just being introduced now.

“No, you don’t understand,” Dimitri said, his voice low and soft. “This is Paolo, il mio ragazzo.” My boyfriend.

“Oh, my goodness.” Hurrying toward the other man, I held out my hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Tina .” He blushed slightly, his expression turning sheepish as we shook. “Ciao, Tina .”

“He’s embarrassed because you saw his dick at the club,” Dimitri put in, his tone amused. “I told him that you were too busy admiring mine to even look at him.”

I held up my palms. “It was a blur of dicks, to be honest. I don’t really remember either.” I also didn’t remember Paolo. I guess I hadn’t been looking at their faces at that moment. Dimitri translated and Paolo smiled, his large shoulders relaxing slightly.

He was handsome, in a rough and tumble sort of way. I could see him strangling a man with his bare hands, which were the size of hams. Was Paolo hoping to get Dimitri alone?

I sent a nervous glance into the apartment, but Dimitri said, “No one else is here. The other guards are downstairs.”

“Let me guess. Rafael owns the entire building.” Dimitri grinned and leaned against the stone surrounding the balcony. “Sí, certo.”

“Would you two like to be alone?” Dimitri shook his head. “No, Paolo needs to go sit with the guards downstairs. Otherwise, it attracts attention.”

“Oh. I suppose that makes sense.”

“Give me a moment, bella.” Dimitri strode purposely toward Paolo and cupped the bigger man’s jaw. Dimitri pressed his mouth to Paolo’s and began devouring him with a kiss, so I turned away to give them privacy. They whispered in Italian for a moment and then Dimitri returned to the edge of the balcony.

“You two are cute together,” I said. “I worry for him. If we are caught, he will suffer more than I will.”

“So don’t get caught.”

“Of course. It is so easy. Why didn’t I think of that?” His phone pinged and he glanced at it. “What should we do now? We could make bellinis.”

“Do you have the ingredients?” He made a sound that said I was an idiot for even suggesting he didn’t. “We freeze the white peaches, so they are always on hand. Come on. I’ll show you.”

“Can we drink them out here?”

“Is there another way to drink them in Rome but on a gorgeous terrace such as this? Then we will get ready for dinner.” I followed him inside. “Where are we going for dinner?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“That sounds fun.” We entered a modern kitchen with marble countertops and white cabinets. A huge island rested in the middle, with stools on one side. I dropped onto a stool and took my phone out of my back pocket. I checked for a text, but Rafael had left me on read, the asshole.

“Missing someone?” Dimitri teased, nodding at my phone. “Baciami il culo.” Kiss my ass. I had been busy translating today on my new phone when not buying clothes.

Dimitri laughed as he went to the freezer. “We will make a true Italian of you yet, bella.” Soon Dimitri blended peaches into puree and poured it into a pitcher with prosecco. He told me where to find two flutes and then we were back on the terrace, watching the sun drop in the sky over Rome as we sipped bellinis. “I don’t hate this,” I said, swallowing more of the cocktail. “I could do this forever.”

“Ask my father to give you this apartment when you part, and perhaps you can.”

“Ew, gross.”

“What is gross?”

“I don’t want him to give me gifts or pay me off. Even though Enzo D’Agostino called me a puttanella, I’m not.” Dimitri ’s face darkened and he grew serious. Scary serious. “Che palle! Did he say this to your face?”

“No, he said it to your father, who laughed.”

“I will have a word with him. He should have put D’Agostino in his place.”

“Perhaps as D’Agostino’s brother-in-law, you can put him in his place.”

“Do not remind me. But my father should not tolerate such disrespect.”

“That is what I told him.” Dimitri looked confused. “What did he say?”

“That he was too angry over the black bikini to even hear what D’Agostino said.”

“I bet this was true. He’s very protective of you. Another man seeing all your gorgeous skin must have driven him crazy.”

“You saw me in that bikini.”

“Which was why my father arranged that trip with Katarzyna in the first place. He thought you and I were fucking on the boat.” Rafael, jealous over other men?

Ridiculous. He was gorgeous, powerful and wealthy, and had a big dick. What other man could possibly compare? Not that I would ever tell him as much. “What’s up there?” I pointed to an upper terrace.

“That is part of the master suite. There is a jacuzzi and more seating.” Wow. “You Italians really know how to live.” Dimitri lifted his glass. “Indeed we do, bella. So, why would you ever want to leave?”

As I sipped the cocktail, the Roman sun warming my face, I had to agree. This was about as close to perfection as I could imagine. But perfection never lasted. Losing my mother at such a young age had taught me that. You had to appreciate what you had in the moment, because who knew when it would disappear?

This summer, I was in Italy and I had a smoking hot boyfriend who was incredibly wealthy. For now, that was enough. One thing I learned since staying here was that Italians like to eat dinner late. It was almost nine o’clock when Dimitri and I left the apartment. He still wouldn’t tell me where we were going, but he did insist on picking out my outfit.