Chapter 38

• The black satin lingerie hangs before me like a silent challenge, moonlight from the window catching its delicate sheen. My stomach churns with a mixture of anticipation and frustration as I stand in this unfamiliar room of the Sicilian club. The bass from the dance floor below thrums through the floorboards, a steady pulse that matches my racing heart. We'd just landed an hour ago, and instead of heading to the house like any normal person would, Rafael dragged us straight here—without so much as a word to me the entire way.
• Through the walls, I can hear the carefree laughter of clubgoers, the clink of glasses, the distant melody of Italian pop music. They're all lost in their own world of pleasure and escape. Nobody out there has to decode why the man they have been fucking for weeks spent a six-hour flight in stony silence, only to present them with see-through lingerie in a nightclub. My fingers trace the gauzy material as I try to puzzle out Rafael's game. Even after weeks of being together, he still manages to keep me guessing.
• With a deep breath, I slip into the outfit, the cool fabric kissing my skin. My reflection in the ornate mirror shows every curve through the translucent black material, barely concealed by the matching underwear beneath. I tap lightly on the heavy wooden door, signaling to the waiting server.