Page 34 of Bulletproof Baby

Laughter erupts out of me. "No. They're literally focused on work most of the time. They did ogle me a bit in my jeans the other day, but that's typical. It's never going anywhere."

"Why? Oh wait, that's right. Hunky billionaire mob boss is in love with you."

"Valentino is not in love with me. At the most, he's infatuated. At the worst, I'm just a pawn in his game to destroy Saul Caputo."

Frankie nods, a hint of seriousness taking over as he speaks. "And this Caputo guy, he's the other don fucking with you?"

"Yeah." I struggle, still wondering how much I should tell Frankie. I decide to tell him just about last night. "I, uh, Val was at my house last night when these guys broke in. I don't know what they wanted, but Valentino took care of them. He protected me and I think Caputo is behind it. He's been intimidating my parents."

Frankie side-eyes me. "Dons don't intimidate people, Lia. Especially people like Zio and Zia. Is he forcing them to work for him or something? Make people wear cement shoes so he can toss them in the Hudson?"

I can tell he wants me to laugh, to shrug it off as not being that big of a deal. But guilt has a stranglehold on me. I don't want Frankie to become a victim by being so close to me. It was too easy for Valentino to find his apartment. I don't think it's going to be that difficult for Saul to find me here. Hopefully, Valentino's holding him off for now.

My mind wanders back to Valentino, and I glance at my phone. Still nothing. The absence of his concern has me spiraling with doubt.

"Nothing like that," I tell Frankie. "I don't want to talk about their arrangement. Let me ask you something, completely off-subject. But, if I gave my virginity to Val and then all of this shit happens after…the average person would walk away from this, right?"

"Girl, I'm the wrong guy to ask. I've walked away from potential boyfriends because they didn't put the shopping carts back in the cart return."

That gets a chuckle out of me. "Seriously, Valentino's crazy to want to hang around."

"That's where I'm going to stop you. That man showed up at my doorstep. He had no idea who I was or what I was capable of. He could have caught a bullet charging at my door like that. Crazy to want to hang around you, you being the keyword here."

Frankie pauses, giving it some more thought and says, "You know what? He just might be a little crazy because showing up here is definitely giving off an obsessed vibe. Cut him some slack and maybe see if he reaches out in a few days or something. Take it from there. Give each other time to process whatever is happening."

I take Frankie's advice with a grain of salt because I don't want time. A few months shy of my twenty-third birthday, my virginity is gone, and the man it belongs to? I have no idea where I stand with him. I know what Frankie's saying has a ring of truth to it.

Valentino isn't going to extend himself as much as he has without a good reason. I'm just hoping the reason is more than getting even with Saul. I have to remind myself that this is what I asked for. I want my virginity gone, but I can't help the tinge of regret of opening myself up to this doubt.

Sex is not supposed to mean so much. It's just something adults do. It doesn't make promises. It doesn't break hearts. It doesn't make rules. It doesn't make people fall in love. Shit. Is that what I truly want?

Love?

In all the chaos, the confusion amid my typhoon of emotions, I want love and concern. I want someone to care for me, about me, because at the moment, it doesn't feel like anyone does. My parents offered this stupid option of auctioning my time. Saul wants me as a notch in his belt of sexual conquests.

Valentino doesn't want anything from me. Even if I do help him throw a few figurative jabs at a rival don, the only thing Valentino wants for me is to be safe.

This attachment to him is problematic. He didn't sign up to be my savior, but here I am wanting to put him on a pedestal, wanting him to yearn for me the way I desire his attention. I have to do the right thing. I need to thank Valentino for everything he's done, and we need to part ways. When I think about it more, the more I feel it's the best decision possible for me.

After figuring out what I'm going to say, I know the best way to have this conversation is face-to-face. But I don't want to be brave right now. A text message will have to be enough. I pull out my phone to text Valentino.

"What are you doing?" Frankie asks.

"I'm going to text him that he's done more than enough for me and that it's time for us to be people who used to know each other."

"Ew, don't send that." Frankie shakes his head with disgust, reaching for my phone. "I literally just said give it time, as in give it a few days. Not time as in a few minutes from what I just fucking told you to do."

"Don't get sassy with me. I've literally seen you delete and block a guy's number because he said he enjoys eating vegan lasagna. You didn't give him time."

"That's not the same. First of all, la Nonna si rotolerebbe nella tomba."

"She would not roll in her grave," I reply, rolling my eyes. "She loved making veggie lasagna."

"Loving to make a dish because someone you care for enjoys it, is not the same as ruining one of my favorite childhood meals," Frankie reiterates. "It's fucking sacrilege. Do that to eggplant parm or something that's literally not my favorite thing in the world to eat."

"Oh, and I thought that eating?—"

Frankie throws his hand over my mouth. "Don't you dare say that out loud. Unless you want to swap sexcapade stories. We can go tit for tat."