“What are you talking about?” Vinni came to stand next to me.
“Wait,” Sienna held up her hand, “how did you know about that?”
“After Mariano told me, I called your boss to confirm. If only I’d known these guys had you up here at the Hill House.” She glared at us. “I can’t believe you never told me, Elio. I had to learn about it from Mariano?”
“You called my boss?” Sienna’s cheeks grew pink with anger and confusion.
“Everyone stop talking.” I grew annoyed. “What story?”
“Just that the hottest lingerie company in the United States has requested Sienna to do a full- page spread. We’re talking cover, billboards, the lot. The list goes on and on. She’s about to be the biggest male fantasy going, and I just got her autograph and a photo.” Aurora practically swooned.
Sienna glared at her with a look to kill. My temperature was about to hit max, and I tugged my tie loose.
Aurora looked around the room at all our faces. “Wait. Was that a secret? Because your boss said you didn’t say no when he asked you the other day.” She looked at Sienna sweetly. “So, I just assumed you were following through with it.”
“Oh, look, everyone is here.” Mariano rubbed his messy hair as he walked into the kitchen. He instantly perked up when he saw Aurora. Then he leaned over and kissed Sienna. That quickly made her snap out of her daze, and her face flushed even more. “What are we all up to this morning?”
“Got my autograph.” Aurora held up the magazine. “This will make me wildly popular later on.”
“Yes, darling,” he addressed Sienna, “let’s talk about your outfits for this next shoot.” He grinned at me, and I imagined his neck under my hands.
“When did I lose control of my own life?” Sienna muttered then turned on her heel and hurried out, leaving us to digest everything.
Where does she think she’s going?
I waited for Mariano to hone in on Aurora, then I slipped out of the room.I raced off in the direction I’d seen her go, with Niccola on my heels, begging me to slow down and think about what I was doing.
I found her sitting in the library, flipping through the pages of a book.
“What the hell was that?” I barked. She jumped, and the book went flying. “What the hell are they talking about?”
“It’s nothing—”
“I very much beg to differ, Sienna.” I wanted to kill someone I was so angry. “I forbid you to do any kind of photoshoot.”
Her demeanor instantly changed. Her eyebrow rose, and her head tilted to the side as she looked at me. An annoying smirk broke out across her lips.
“Oh, boy.” Niccola dropped down next to her and stared up at me like he was enjoying the show. I dismissed him and went back to Sienna.
“First, you will not forbid me to do anything. Second,” she lifted a hand and held it up when I tried to cut her off, “you do not come in here demanding to get an answer out of me. Cool it down, or we’re finished with this conversation.”
“Oh, my God, she’s a female version of you.” Niccola chuckled, just asking for a fat lip.
I tried to digest her words, but my temper was getting the best of me.
“You see that right there,” Niccola turned to her and ran a finger across his forehead, “that’s Elio’s beast vein. It pops out when he’s about to utterly lose his shit.”
“Oh, yeah? Beast Vein?” She played along.
“Yeah. We named it.” He laughed like I was a comedy act for their personal enjoyment. “You’re pushing the boss to new limits.”
“Well, if thebossspoke to people rather than yell and demand things, maybe the beast wouldn’t show itself so often.”
Niccola shrugged. “He is the underboss and should expect to have respect at all times. However, with you, it’s different. Hence why I’m here.”
“Really?” I snapped. “Whenever you’re both done.”
“Are we done?” She looked at Niccola, who nodded at her, then at me. “Okay, now we’re done.”