A Game

Adelaide

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His unwavering gaze didn't leave any of my body untouched as I slowly made my way down the winding staircase. The clacking of my heels on the stairs echoed throughout the room, neither of daring to break the tension that had arisen. At that moment, I was appreciative of the fact that Romano had very few people employed in his mansion.

"I am a very lucky man, fagiolo verde." His gravelly voice stated, locking our eyes together.

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I couldn't hold back my giggle when I heard his sweet words.

"You don't look too bad yourself, Mr Acerbi." I retorted, revelling in his cheeky expression.

His arm snaked around my waist as he moved beside me and ushered me to a room I had not had the pleasure to explore yet. When we reached the door, he stopped walking and moved behind me, placing his hands delicately over my eyes, trying not to smudge my makeup.

It was a cute move on his part.

"I want it to be a surprise, now try to open the door, carota. I promise you won't be disappointed."

In any other situation, I would've castrated the person who had dared to put their hands over my eyes but with Romano, I felt at ease. I felt safe.

I fumbled for a few seconds trying to grasp the door handle before my hand finally clasped around the cool metal. I pushed it down and opened the door.

"Romano, I don't want to trip."

"I've got you, don't worry." He whispered in my ear, sending a shiver slide down my spine.

I internally sighed. No matter how safe I felt in his arms, I was not prepared to go into a shady room without knowing what the hell was in there.

"Mano, if I swear to keep my eyes closed, will you lead me in?" I pleaded with him. I would feel safer if Romano was beside me, considering that if a gunman was hiding in the room, the bullets would hit him first and buy me time to react.

He contemplated my suggestion for a minute.

"Promise?" He asked me.

"Promise."

He tentatively took his hands away from my now shut eyes and I felt his hand wrap around my forearm, leading me into the unknown.

"I should've brought a blindfold." He muttered to himself.

"Kinky."

He snorted, "all the best people are"

He let his grip on my arm slacken as he pulled something out that sounded like a chair. He took ahold of my waist and gently made sure that I was sitting comfortably sat, telling me to open my eyes.

And I did.

What I saw took my breath away.

I was sat at a small circular table that was situated in the middle of the room and had lavish decorations peppered along the surface. The room was dimly lit which accentuated the rich red that the walls were coloured.

Small lights, which resembled that of fairy lights, were hung from the walls making it seem as if we were in a different world.

The best part was the view.

Large glass doors had been opened, letting a breeze float through the room and tickle my skin. The table was situated just in front of the door, with another place set for Romano next to me instead of opposite, so that we could both view the starry night sky that the opened doors allowed us to gawk at.

I had always been infatuated with the night sky and the sheer vastness of it. Whilst others liked the sky because of its beauty, I admired it because it made me feel small, insignificant even. And however strange it was, that thought comforted me.

"How do you like it?" Romano's voice rang through the room, jolting me from my stupor.

I looked at him wide-eyed as he slid into the seat next to me, unable to answer his question, my mouth opened and closed like a fish.

He gazed at me for a few seconds before letting out a deep chuckle.

"I'm glad you like it. Would you like to start eating or shall we wait for a few minutes?"

Why couldn't I bring myself to talk?

Thankfully, Romano didn't take it as an intentional way to piss him off as he let out another laugh, a little louder this time.

"Carota, as much as I would like to sit and admire your beauty in silence, I much prefer the beauty of your voice."

A now-familiar heat rushed into my cheeks as I sheepishly looked away. I turned my gaze towards the starry night sky before speaking.

"I've never been on a date this lavish before." My voice was soft and sounded like it belonged more to the wind than to me.

I looked back over to Romano to see that he had a mildly surprised look on his face.

"Jamie never did anything like this for you?"

I didn't miss the slight venom laced in his curious tone at the mention of Jamie's name. I smiled slightly at his jealousy.

I still had it.

"He took me on dates, sure, but never anything as grand as this. I don't think MI6 would've allowed it."

Romano's mouth opened to respond but the opening of the door and a shuffling of a waiter silenced his response for a few seconds.

The server didn't speak when he opened the bottle of red wine that was bathing in cool water, filling up Romano's glass slightly so that he could taste it, before filling up both of our glasses to the appropriate amount.

The server carefully placed the bottle back in its cool bath before speaking.

"Entrees will be out soon."

With that, he turned to leave, softly shutting the door behind him.

Romano cleared his throat as I reached for the glass of wine, letting the rich taste settle in my mouth before swallowing.

"What I was about to ask before we were interrupted was, what do you mean MI6 wouldn't allow it? Did they control your life so much?"

He was splayed in the plush chairs that we both sat on. His body language displayed that he was comfortable and relaxed with his legs separated and his hands cradling his wine glass, though his face said something different. Was he worried?

"Is he new?" I blatantly questioned him about the server, hoping to change the subject from MI6. I was no longer frightened or as nervous as I was when I spotted Romano at the bottom of the staircase, most probably a side effect of the wine.

The right side of his lips quirked up, closely resembling a smirk.

"You are not very subtle are you, cavolo?" He leaned forward and placed his glass down on the table.

"I don't care for subtlety, Mano."

His smirk grew larger.

"Duly noted, stella. How about we play a game then? Maybe it will ease your nervousness." He asked me.

I was hesitant to accept. The last time Romano had asked me to play a game, it had led to a steamy kiss and a few days of me ignoring him. I must've shown my hesitance on my face as Romano let out another small chuckle before speaking again.

"Don't worry carota, I will not lay a hand on you. This game is completely oral." He strained the word oral and I couldn't hold back my laughter from his pun.

"What is the game, Romano?" I asked through my giggles.

He grinned and swirled the red wine in his glass before taking a sip.

"Let's play a game of questions. You ask me a question, I answer and vice versa. There is only one rule and that is that you have to answer the question fully and truthfully."

His eyes locked with mine.

This was a dangerous game to play. It had been drilled into me from a young age that I should trust no one, yet Romano felt so easy to trust. His easygoing smiles often put me at ease and it was hard not to comply with his demands.

Besides, I would be getting something out of it too.

"Okay."

His grin grew and his eyes crinkled a little with it.

"You answer my question first, why didn't MI6 allow you to go on a beautiful date like this one?"

I thought for a second on how I should answer this. I could tell him the truth or I could completely lie but neither option sounded appealing to me. Maybe a half-truth would do.

"They didn't like that Jamie and I were together. They thought it was a nuisance and would distract from our jobs."

The door opened and in came the previous server with a heavenly scent alongside him. Must be the entrees. He placed a plate in front of me and another in front of Romano and without uttering a word, waltzed out of the room leaving Romano and me alone yet again.

The food seemed to be a small portion of soup that I had never seen before.

"Keep going then." He told me, expecting more to my description.

"I answered your question." I shot back, not willing to say any more on the topic of a Jamie or MI6 for that matter.

His dark eyes bored into mine in a deadly serious expression.

"Stella, I think you gave me half of the answer, you broke the rules. I am giving you a second chance to correct your mistake so take it before I have to give you a punishment."

My eyebrows quirked up at his insinuation and I chuckled a little at his words.

"I thought you wouldn't be laying a hand on me?"

He took a sip of his wine before his lips curled up into a malicious smile.

"I don't need to use my hands to punish you, carota. Now finish your answer to my question."

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