“You care enough about her to have her working for me.”
His eyes narrow slightly. “Yeah. That was probably a mistake.”
“I agree.”
“What?”
“I told her I don’t need her services anymore.”
“Why did you do that?”
“Because I don’t. If you want to give her money, find another way.”
I expect Marco to push back against that, but he doesn’t. He just nods and walks over to the fridge, opening it.
“Father wasn’t impressed,” he says.
I don’t say anything.
“He called me this morning to talk about her,” he goes on, pulling out two more beers. There goes my Saturday. “Said that it looked bad that she was there with you, but it made more sense than if she was there with me.”
“He had some unflattering things to say.”
That was putting it mildly.
“I’m sure he did,” he says.
The strange thing about Marco is that he knows his father is a complete asshole, even to him, and yet it has no effect on their relationship at all. He still holds him in the highest regard. Sometimes I wonder what that says about him.
He hands me the beer, even though I have yet to finish the first one. “It got me thinking. It’s funny, because I was thinking of breaking up with her when I got back, but this changes everything.”
“You were?”
Damn if this small light inside my chest isn’t snuffed out.
“Yes.” He drinks. Seems to weigh something in his mind. His expression is sheepish when he looks at me. “I cheated on her.”
That light inside my chest flares with anger. My jaw clenches shut.
“I regret it now,” Marco says, even though he doesn’t sound remorseful. “But you know how it is. You’re out with your boys, you want to have some fun. So I had my fun. I was planning on heading straight to her little backpackers joint and telling her the truth, calling it off, but now…after talking to my father, I don’t think so.”
My mouth feels full of chalk. I can barely swallow.
How he can so casually, so callously, do that to her?
“What changed?”
“Guess I just want to prove him wrong, that’s all. Believe it or not Luciano, but you’re not the only one who enjoys pissing him off.”
“I don’t enjoy pissing him off.” Everything I’ve ever done has pissed him off, so the whole thing gets pretty boring after a while.
“Anyway, I thought maybe it would be fun to show her off. You know at the end of the month there’s the ceremony for the Footballer of the Year Award. I know you’re not nominated, but you’re going. If you weren’t planning on going, as your agent, I’m making you go.”
“I always go.”
“No,” he says, shaking his head. “You’re a different man since your injury, I can feel you pulling away from the game. You were once the party animal, now look at you. I can barely convince you to drink two beers with your brother.” He nods at the half-finished one in my hand.
“What does this have to do with Ruby?”
“I’m going to take her with me. As my date.”
“Out of spite?”
He shrugs. “We’ll see.”
“Maybe you should let her know that.”
His head jerks back and he lets out a sharp laugh. “Let her know that the only reason I’m taking her is to annoy my father? Brother, you’ve got a cruel streak I didn’t know existed.”
I’m starting to get a headache. The beer was a bad idea.
I walk over to the sink and pour the rest of it down the drain.
“So, you’re not going to tell her you cheated on her, and you’re not going to tell her that you’re stringing her along until the gala.”
“I’m not stringing her along, Luciano. My god, you make me sound like such an ass.”
I’m glad my back is to him and he can’t see my expression.
“Anyway,” he goes on, “I can see you’re no fun, so I’m going to let you be and I’m going to go find Ruby. Make up for the lost time, if you know what I mean.”
“I always know what you mean,” I tell him, my voice stiff.
“Oh, and Luciano,” he says, pausing by the door. “You dropped Ruby off at the hostel last night, right?”
Is this a trick question?
“Yes,” I nod.
I don’t know why I’m lying, I know if I tell him she slept on the couch here he probably wouldn’t care, and he’d believe me that nothing happened.
And still, I lie.
“Thanks for taking care of her,” he says. “I mean it.”
And then he’s gone.
The moment the door closes I lean back against the fridge and put my head in my hands, taking in a deep breath. If he asks Ruby where she slept last night and she tells him the truth, this is going to look really bad.
This shouldn’t be so fucking complicated.
I shouldn’t feel like I’ve done something wrong when I haven’t.
But I do.
Eight
Ruby
“Ruby?” Marco knocks on the door. “You ready?”
I stare at myself in the mirror, turning around in the dress so I can see it again from all angles. It’s a strapless red dress, floor-length and extremely flattering to my curves. My breasts are getting quite the lift from it, like, almost up to my chin, but hey, if you’ve got it, flaunt it, and I’m going to need all the flaunting I can get tonight.
We’re going to this Primeira Liga awards ceremony tonight, and I’m stoked to say the least. First, I was shocked that Marco invited me, even though it was rather last minute. Then I was even more taken aback when he said he’d take me dress shopping. From looking at the pictures online of last year’s gala, I knew I didn’t have anything that would suffice, so Marco insisted he buy me a dress.
It was just as well. My bank account is creeping down
