Adamo shook his head. “That’s ridiculous.” He tugged me along toward the men’s restroom.
“What are you doing?”
“Saving time.” He shoved the door open and we stepped inside. “Better close your eyes until I tell you to open them again.”
I squeezed my eyes closed, only briefly catching a glance of men’s backs in front of urinals. I let Adamo lead me along, trying to ignore the biting stench, until he stopped me with a soft touch on my shoulders. “All clear.”
Opening my eyes, I found myself in front of an open toilet stall. I went inside and closed the door, then considered my options. Touching any part of the toilet was out of the question so I started ripping off toilet paper to build my personal bird nest. It was strange taking a pee surrounded by male voices who were guffawing and bragging, and even their bodily noises were louder than any girl’s I’d ever heard. When I was done, I hesitated. “Adamo?”
No reply. Sighing, I opened the door, trying not to see anything I really didn’t want to see. Adamo was nowhere to be seen. Stepping out of the stall, several guys glanced my way. If the same happened in a girl’s restroom, everyone would start screaming, but these guys seemed not to care that I was there while they peed into urinals. Keeping my eyes straight ahead, I quickly went over to the sink and washed my hands, wondering where the hell Adamo had gone.
I headed for the exit and stepped out into the dimly lit hallway. The girl’s queue had barely moved. I caught sight of familiar brown hair further down the corridor. Adamo talked to two guys and one of them handed him a small, clear bag and Adamo handed something back to them. My heart sank, realizing what it had to be.
Adamo glanced my way and he quickly excused himself and hurried over to me, shoving something into his pocket.
“Kiara, I thought girls need longer in the bathroom.”
“The men’s restroom doesn’t really make you want to linger.”
Adamo nodded, looking caught. He ran a hand through his unruly locks. “Listen, please don’t tell anyone. I’m not addicted or anything, it just helps me forget what happened. Without the weed, I wouldn’t be able to sleep at all at night.”
“Only weed?” I asked. It was bad enough but there were many worse options he could consume.
“Only weed,” he said. “I didn’t want you to see, to put you in a position where you have to keep a secret from Nino. You won’t tell my brothers, right?”
His eyes begged me, and remembering the haunted looks he so often displayed, I nodded. “I won’t, but promise to try to stop completely. Talk about what happened instead, maybe that’ll help.”
Adamo nodded but I could tell he wouldn’t. “Let’s get back before Savio gets suspicious.”
We headed back to the dancefloor and Adamo started to dance at once giving me a challenging smile. Pushing my worries aside, I returned the smile and danced with him. Leona laughed at something Diego said and Serafina was holding a bottle of champagne in her hand. She took a huge gulp then held it out to me. I grabbed it and tipped it back, letting the prickling liquid carry away my concern.
I definitely wasn’t lucid when we returned to the mansion. Leona was the only one who could still walk on her own, being more restrained when it came to alcohol—
except for her birthday bash. Adamo lifted me out of the car with a grunt and carried me into the building while Savio held Serafina.
“A little help?” he called, when we stepped into the gaming room.
“Weren’t you supposed to keep an eye on them and not let them get completely shit-faced?” Remo said.
I giggled when Nino came into view and with a small frown took me from Adamo.
“Your wife is like a fucking fury when you try to take her bottle of champagne away from her. I didn’t want her to scratch out my eyes or kick my balls,” Savio said.
“Where are Greta and Nevio?” Serafina slurred.
I peered up at Nino with a grin.
“Upstairs, asleep, just like you will be soon,” Remo said.
“I don’t want to sleep,” Serafina said.
Savio groaned, and Adamo left, shaking his head.
I giggled again.
“I’m not into being puked on during sex, Angel,” Remo said.
Nino rolled his eyes and began to walk away. The last thing I heard was Serafina mumbling something about doggy style.
Nino carried me into our room and I tried to give him a seductive smile. His brows drew together. “I told you to stay lucid. You didn’t. You’ll have to live with the consequences.”
“Nino,” I mumbled indignantly.
He shook his head and undressed me, then himself. I tried to wrap my legs around his hips when he joined me in bed but he gently turned me around so my back was pressed to his chest. “