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Land of Dragon 49
“THAT WAS COLD, MAN,” Henry says, taking a sip of his beer. We’re at some dive bar Marco owns. The barstools are falling apart, and the bar is always stained with something sticky, but out of all of Marco’s properties, this one is my favorite. It even beats out the nicer ones he owns. Henry is one of Marco’s employees, just like me, but as Marco’s second in command, I outrank every one of Marco’s other employees. I have the job they all want and know they’ll never get. “Cold.” He laughs softly.“What can I say? I love doing it. It’s fun to mess with women like that.”“I get it.” Henry smiles widely, showing off his insanely white teeth. Like, dude goes to the fucking dentist every week and uses whitening strips every day type of white. His tan skin and dark hair just make his teeth look even brighter. “If I had your charm, I’d fuck my way through every woman in this city.”“It’s not my charm. Henry. It’s my looks.” I take a swig of my beer and dodge Henry’s hand as it comes for the ba
Land of Dragon 50
FrancescaMy father, Riccardo Moretti, knew how to light up a room. When he was home, that is. Most days, he’d be busy with work, but on the odd day he’d have off,he’d make sure to spend it with my siblings and me.I was never forgotten when it came to him. The last memory I have of him still sticks with me to this day. I was fourteen at the time.He was in the kitchen, trying to pour himself a glass of orange juice, but his hands were shaking too much. Riccardo looked years younger than he really was, but at that moment, he seemed to age twenty years.No one else was in the there at the time, so I approached him, offering to help pour his juice. He gave me a kind smile. “No, Fran. I need to do this. I can’t have you and the rest of the family doing everything for me. I’m still the man of the house. I need to act like it.”I rested my hand on his, and his hand instantly stopped shaking. “Dad, let me help you.”After looking at me for a moment, he relented. “All right. Thank you, hone
Land of Dragon 51
I FORCE myself to join Emilia and Marco for dinner when the time comes. They’ve let me stay in their house. I need to show them my gratitude.I freeze when I reach the foyer and see Leo coming into the house. I try to walk past him without him noticing, but he calls out to me. Why is it that I’m normally ignored, but the one time I actually want to be, the person I don’t want to talk to notices me?With a deep breath for courage, I turn to face Leo. “Hello.” “Trying to sneak away from me?” He saunters up to mewith a charming smile. “I have to say, I’m offended. I thoughtyou Moretti girls had more manners than that.” “Sorry,” I apologize instinctually.He leans in closer, and I resist the urge to step back. “You don’t actually have to apologize for that. In fact, I should be the one apologizing. My comments to you yesterday were rude. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that. You’re a guest here. Shit, you’re Marco’s family now. So, I’m sorry.”I don’t know what to say. He sounds sin
Land of Dragon 52
Leo“Who doesn’t love being told their beautiful?” I ask, gripping my beer.Henry snickers beside me. “I guess your usualcharms won’t work on her. You’ll have to think outside the box with this one.” He motions for the bartender to send another beer his way.“Francesca is a mystery, man.” I shake my head as I take a sip of my drink. “I don’t understand her.”“Well, you haven’t really tried yet. You’ve had what? One conversation? And you expected the girl to just fall into your arms?” Henry snorts, grabbing the beer the bartender hands him. “Maybe you’re not as smart as I thought you were.” A woman across the bar throws a smile in Henry’s direction. “Listen, man. I have a beautiful woman eyeing me up, so I’m gonna talk to her instead of listening to you whine about Francesca.”“I’ll have to think of a way to seduce her that doesn’t make her run from me.”Henry pats my back. “You do that.” He saunters over to the woman, leaving me alone.Fine. I’m determined to win this bet, but France
Land of Dragon 53
FrancescaI set the box that Leo gave me on my bed and stare at it, too afraid to open it. Anything could be inside. A pretty dress, a personal item from Leo, or even a decapitated head. Itake a deep breath. Ok, I doubt it’s a decapitated head. So, then, why am I nervous?With a burst of bravery, I lift off the top of the box to see… fabric. It’s clothing. That’s a relief.Then I get a better look at it. It’s lingerie.A babydoll dress with a built-in bra. I pick it up gingerly and inspect it, noticing the lace and the sheer see-through-ness of it. I drop it back into the box and back away.Why did Leo gift me lingerie? He showed such consideration when gifting me the lilies that I found myself opening up to him. Why would he ruin that by giving me this? It’s brazen. Does he expect me to wear it? Why? It’s not as if he’s going to see me in it.Then I pause. Unless … he wants to see me in it. But I barely know Leo, and I’m so inexperienced; it’s almost painful. Maybe he gifted this
Land of Dragon 54
EMILIA and I go to the Museum of Contemporary Art, which is filled with paintings I’ve never seen before and painters I’ve never heard of before. It’s filled with everything from impressionist paintings to abstract to surrealism.I’m in heaven.Every time I see a painting I like, I gasp and hurry over to it. Emilia follows, breathing heavily but not complaining.“Do you need to sit down?” I ask her, nodding at a bench. “I’m fine. Don’t worry. I want be here. And besides, it’sgood for me to walk around. Helps get circulation to my ankles.”“Are you sure you’re ok with this?”“Fran.” Emilia gives me a pointed look. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to be. Besides, I want to see you happy. So, look at however many paintings you want. If I need to sit down, I will.”Ten minutes later, she sits down, motioning me to go on ahead and enjoy all the art. I spend some time looking at a cubist painting when a man comes to stand beside me. With a quick look at him, I can tell he’s handsome. T
Land of Dragon 55
FrancescaThe lingerie set taunts me on my bed. I pace around the room, my fingers twitching and my eyes burning a hole into the fabric. Leo wants me to wear it and touchmyself. I don’t know how he’s able to be so confident and bold with his words. I practically stumble over everything I say. I could never suggest to someone I barely knew to touch themselves and think about me while doing it.Only Leo, I guess.He’s still a stranger to me in so many ways, and yet, he’s bringing out a side of me I’ve never explored before. Do I want to explore it? Deep down, I think yes.With a huff, I grab the lingerie and slip into it. The bra cups make my breast look bigger, and the lacey fabric helps me feel even more feminine. I’ve always been an awkward person, but wearing this … I feel like a grown woman for the first time.I lay down on the bed, my heart beating so fast it hurts.Can I do this? Only one way to know.I place my hands on my stomach and rest them, unsure how to proceed. I know th
Land of Dragon 56
LeoI find Henry on his usual barstool at the dive bar we frequent, looking like a smug asshole. “What are you doing?” I ask.He takes his time with a huge swig of his beer, making metap my foot and resist the urge to punch him, before he finally turns to me and smiles. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”“You having dinner with Francesca. Why?”“Because Emilia invited me.” He shrugs. “I don’t know what to tell you, man. It just happened. I got the phone call and went over. Free dinner, so sue me.”I slam my hand on the table, making the bartender glance over. “Bullshit. Francesca is my bet, Henry. You’re trying to ruin my chances of winning.”“I would never do such a thing.”I stare at him until he starts to squirm. He sighs. “Fine. Maybe I thought it would be fun to sweeten the stakes by giving Francesca another man to look at. I have to make it hard for you.”“You’re getting in my way. The bet was for me to seduce Francesca within two months. You’re changing the rules.”He s