Page 54 of Sweet Prison
“Why don’t you check?” He tilts his head to the side. “I can’t go around smelling like cat piss.”
With my heart rate jumping to double speed, I lean forward and touch the tip of my nose to his neck. As I inhale, his scent fills my nostrils.
“Lime,” I rasp. He’s still bent down, his cheek lightly brushing mine, so I draw in another deep sniff. “Definitely not cat piss.”
“Jasmine.” His voice is rough next to my ear.
“What?”
“The way you smell.” His lips feather over my earlobe, and a small shiver runs down my spine. “Like jasmine. And peace.”
I swallow. A man walks by us down the aisle and catches Massimo’s leg with his basket. Still, Massimo does not move. He remains hovering over me, and I feel as if I’m seconds from being snared completely by the magnetic pull of his body. What would happen if I let myself surrender? Would he retreat? I don’t want him to move away, so I reach out and grab a fistful of his shirt. Under my touch, Massimo’s chest rises and falls in quick succession. Faster than normal. His breath is fanning over my neck, and the faint touch of his stubble tingles against my chin.
Closing my eyes, I lean my cheek on his. “I didn’t know anyone could smell like peace.”
“Me neither.” The faintest of touches lands just below my ear, there one moment and gone the next. “But now I do.”
Lips. My heartbeat skyrockets. It was his lips.
“Good afternoon!” A high-pitched voice chirps somewhere behind me. “Can I help you with something?”
Massimo immediately takes a step back, breaking our contact. “Yes. We need cosmetics for sensitive skin.”
“Of course. We have products with organic ingredients there, on the left. Or, if you prefer vegan….”
I blindly follow after the clerk while trying to process what just happened, and Massimo trails a few steps behind. Was it a kiss? Or just an accidental touch?
“… and we have amazing foundations with one hundred percent coverage.” The lady stops at the makeup counter. “Would you like to try any?”
My stomach feels like it just landed on the floor. I tried every brand of foundation a few years ago, but my skin wouldn’t tolerate a single one. I ended up with an awful rash on my face, and Nera threatened to march me to the doctor unless I stopped using them.
“What’sfoundation?” Massimo asks while the woman pulls out various sample bottles and lines them up on the counter next to a magnifying makeup mirror.
“It’s a liquid concealer, for the face,” I whisper.
“Yes,” the lady chirps, lifting one of the containers. “I think this shade would be the best match for you. It’s one of the most popular brands, dear. Complete coverage of imperfections is guaranteed, and it lasts the whole day. It’s even waterproof. Try it and see how pretty you’ll look.”
I grit my teeth, trying to ignore the tingling in my nose. My vision begins to blur, and I quickly blink away the tears.The sales lady seems nice and has that motherly air about her. I’m sure she means well, however, her thoughtless words sting nevertheless. Without realizing it, she’s making me feel like I’ll be ugly if I don’t wear the foundation. It’s not the first time someone’s acted like they have the right to give me their unsolicited advice. It happens far too often.
As I open my mouth to let her know I don’t want any of the products, Massimo grabs the bottle from the woman’s hand.
“So… this is used to fix problems?” he asks as he looks at the label. “And it works well?”
My gaze drops to the floor. He wants me to buy it?
“One hundred percent,” the woman responds.
“Good.” He unscrews the lid and thrusts the bottle back at the woman. “Drink it.”
My head snaps up. The clerk stares at Massimo, then laughs nervously. “Excuse me?”
“You’re going to drink it. Every single drop. Or, I’ll force it down your fucking throat.”
“Massimo.” I grab at his forearm. “No.”
The saleswoman isn’t smiling anymore. Her frantic eyes are flitting around the store while she clutches the container with shaking fingers.
“Don’t even think about calling security,” Massimo continues, his voice low and heavy with threat. “I’ll kick their asses and then make you drink this shit anyway.”