Chapter 175


    Emerging twenty minutester, the stains reced with a sheer gloss instead, I make my way to the


    huge, opulent dining room and slide in beside him at the table amid the arrival of some of the others.


    He’s using his phone andpletely ignores me. I bristle, knowing this isn’t a normal Jake move but


    I’m not going to let it get to me, I’m going to act like I don’t care at all and just sit down. I stop myself


    from looking at him, even though it’s almost impulsive to eye up how gorgeous he always looks.


    As soon as everyone is seated, he puts his phone away, leans back on his chair and ces an arm


    across the back of mine while throwing me a triumphant look. I note that his father watches us from a


    distance at the head of the huge dark wood table and physically still. I have managed to avoid him until


    now, but dinner will be interesting. I get the distinct impression Giovanni is not all that enamored with


    his son hooking up with an employee from his own office. Especially a nobody with no fortune and a


    troubled past.


    “You can still back out now, bambino, and we can just enjoy dinner and a lot of fun after.” Jake nudges


    me quietly,manding my attention, his eyes steady on my face. He drops his gaze to my mouth and


    smirks some more at theck of red lipstick. It only ignites that inner stubbornness.


    “Why would I? You’re obviously struggling, Jake, I’m sure if it’s too hard you can just admit defeat.” I


    smile sciously and turn my attention to my champagne ss, running my finger around the rim


    teasingly. He watches me with interest for a moment then gets up with a smile.


    “I told Cara I would sit beside her tonight.” He smirks cruelly at me then saunters off to the seat beside


    the girl, receiving an award-winning smile from her. I almost inwardly curl up and tremble. Nausea and


    anxiety equally consuming my stomach and a tight gut-wrenching throb. Jealousy punching its way into


    my gut.


    What is he doing? Surely Jake would not do this to me for the sake of a stupid challenge?


    Arrick appears in the doorway and immediately sits next to me, greeting me with a warm hello and no


    sense of surprise at all. I try to smile but it doesn’te naturally.


    “Don’t worry about Cara.” He leans into me conspiringly. “She wouldn’t know what to do with someone


    like Jake and he only has eyes for you, mia cara.” He nudges me with his shoulder and this time I smile


    genuinely, at his niceness and at the family trait of mixing English and Italian. Something they all seem


    to do.


    “You’re not worried if your girlfriend tries to run off with your brother?” I pout keeping my eyes away


    from Jake who’s engrossed in his deep conversation with a devoted fan. Cara is almost salivating over


    him.


    Slut!


    “Nah, Jake would never do that to me or you, besides Cara isn’t my girlfriend, she’s just a passing


    interest.” He studies my shocked face. “I’m more like my brother than you realize and, yes, he told me


    you two have some sort of bet going … Abstaining from sex until one of you breaks.” He winks and


    picks up his ss. “I suggest you y him at his own game, Jake hates to lose but he does love the


    thrill of the challenge.”


    “What do you mean?” I nce over, seeing Jake effortlessly sprawled in his seatmanding not only


    Cara’s attention but the quiet brte that came with his other cousin too, both flutteringshes and


    smiling at him coquettishly. He’s in full flirt mode, demanding adoration effortlessly.


    For god’s sakes!


    “You’ve a table of virile young men to charm, and a face pretty enough to do it.” He pats my hand and


    sits back as his starter isid before him. I lean back as my te of asparagus spears, boiled egg, and


    hondaise sauce piled delicately on top is ced before me by one of the uniformed maids. I smile


    warmly at her and get one in return, catching Jake from the corner of my eye and seeing him thanking


    the girl who gave him his food. Stupidly, I smile internally and push it back down.


    “I’m not, Jake. Commanding the attention of men isn’t my style.” I turn back to my dinner mate. Arrick is


    unaware that despite how I am with Jake, most men still make me feel ufortable. Arrick seems to


    be an exception and sitting with him now, I couldn’t feel more at ease. I guess it’s because he is


    enough like Jake to feel rxed around, something about him, much like his brother, makes you feel


    safe.


    “You know Jake better than most, Emma … You know how to push his buttons and throw him off his


    game. Use what you know. It’s obvious that you have an influence over him that no one can evene


    close to.” He smiles and tucks into his food while I sit and look at the te, pondering his words. Arrick


    is a wise one, he has that quick Carrero mind and that wless confidence. He is one to watch in


    coming years as hees into his own and manhood. Jake may have apetitor within the family


    business with this one.


    It''s true though; I knew Jake well enough to know a few things about him. One, that he can get insanely


    jealous and it’s never a good route to take. I have already proven that more than once. Two, he’s better


    than most people at games, seems to get a kick out of winning and can read people and situations with


    deathly speed. Three, when ites to me, he always takes care of me obsessively, that even when


    he’s mad, he still can’t help but be protective. I nce at him for a second, catching his eye as he eats


    and look away. A small n formting in my head.


    This has gone beyond a battle of sex, this has be a game of the upper hand, and if I have to y


    a low card like he’s done with his ‘sexpertize’ already, then I will. My strong point isn’t sex, it’s Jake’s


    inability to see me hurt or cry. His never-ending need to fix things for me. It’s Jake’s love for me that is


    his ultimate weakness. I soar with internal smugness at figuring this out, purring to myself confidently. I


    can’t beat him at sex with my inexperience, but I can bend him with emotions. My emotions. Tucking


    into my food slowly I remain impassive and stare at my te as I mull it over.


    I know how to y this. PA Emma’s cool emotionless outer shell always drove him crazy.


    I stay quiet through dinner, never looking at him, even though I can hear him flirting and trying his


    hardest to affect me, but I don’t react. I don’t want him to see that it’s bothering me a lot because it


    brings him amusement to see my fiery green-eyed reaction, but I want him to feel it, feeling my


    emotions hits him differently. It brings out that need to fix it. So, my n to appear somber and un-


    chatty is put into ce. Jake will agonize over what I’m thinking, I know him well enough to know that


    my obvious closed mood will worry him.


    Ites easily the longer it carries on and I start to feel tearful at his over-interest in the women around


    him, it’s not hard to picture him as Casanova Carrero when I can hear it. Jealousy growing inside of


    me. With upsetes the ability to remain cool and devoid of any outward emotion at all. At first, he


    tries to up his game when I seem quiet but as the dinner wades on, I can feel his change in mood. The


    listless way he fidgets with his ss and cutlery, the small nces at me. He’s tapping his fingers on


    the table and I listen to the almost uninterested tone in his voice as his dinner mates lose all interest to


    him. He’s pre-upied. So in tune with me that my mood is seriously affecting him. I wonder if he’s


    thinking of calling it quits and have to quell the surge of smugness from affecting my expression.


    I asionally converse with Arrick on my right and avoid all looks to my left, luckily the seat next to me


    is filled with a rather drunk elderly man who sits the entire night ying with his phone, a hand of ck


    jack on some online gambling site. He’s some uncle or rtive that never seems to converse with


    anyone but is making a great barrier from Giovanni. I have a feeling he may be Jake’s uncle, there is a


    slight resemnce to Giovanni. His body is blocking me from his view and letting me get through


    dinner without his interest swaying my way. Jake has spoken to him only in Italian and there seems to


    be a constant coolness between them. There are enough family between my seat and his, further up


    the table, that there is no need to converse with him at all. The whole table has been noisy throughout


    the meal, people throwing conversation at all angles and I only have to sit and listen.


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    I sense Jake’s eyes on me several times, but I resist all urges to even catch it. Twirling my hair,


    chewing my lip. I can’t tell if it’s getting to him or not in the way I want it to, unable to read anything from


    the corner of my eye. As dessert is handed out, I bepletely silent, gazing at his mother as


    she tells a story or listening quietly to those around me and never really engaging. I hope no one else is


    as attuned to me as him or else they all might think I’m the most ignorant dinner guest of all time. I


    hope they just assume I am reserved and listening.