Asshole. No one has ever called Luca an asshole before...well at least to his face. Luca angrily paced back and forth in bathroom. This woman had no respect for him, what was he going to do? He didn't want to be like his father, but on the other hand, if the guys outside heard that they would never respect him again.
"Why did you call me that," Luca stomped up to Alessandra who was reading on the couch.
"Because you were being an asshole, so I called you an asshole, pretty simple." Alessandra didn't even look up from her book as she talked to him. Luca seethed at how she could disrespect him like that.
Luca grabbed Alessandra's arm and pulled her to him. He was ready to yell at her but before the words could even leave his mouth he felt a stinging across his cheek. She slapped him! How dare she!
"How dare you slap me, you bitch!" he shoved her away.
"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to put your hands on a woman?" Alessandra calmly said holding the arm he had grabbed.
"You're my woman, I can do with you as I please." Luca stated like it was a fact.
"Same can be said for you." Alessandra shot back. The rage continued to grow within Luca, before he could say anything else she cut him off.
"Listen, I am not about to fight with you. We are both jetlagged and irritated it would not be a smart move on either of our parts. However, it seems you forgotten some of the ground rules we talked about on the plane, like trust and respect. I let you go the first time you grabbed me because frankly you responded better to me having a gun than I thought you would, but that will not become a regular thing. No abuse of any kind or I will hit you back with my own, and believe me I can do more than a slap. As for calling you an asshole, I will not apologize for it because you deserved it for grabbing me."
"You don't tell me what to do." Luca pointed at her and chuckled at the idea.
"You can do, say, act, or whatever you gotta do in front of your father and goons, but here in front of me, I expect a certain equality. If you tell me you have to because of your father I won't hold it against you, but anything else I will not tolerate. Understood?"
"I understand that you and I are going to have a tough time learning to live together."
Alessandra nodded in agreement and turned to the bed.
"If you don't mind, I'm going to take a nap, I don't think I'll make it to dinner without one. We can discuss more boundaries at dinner."
....
Alessandra woke to the sound of yelling. She checked her phone and realized that it had only been two hours but she was already feeling better. The yells came from outside the door and if it had been anyone other than Luca she would have been concerned but for him she couldn't care less. She tried to go back to sleep but every time she came close the yells would pick up, like he was doing it on purpose.
Alessandra stood from the bed and stretched. The plush carpet beneath her feet shocked her. She had fallen asleep with her shoes on, why were they off now? She looked over at the wardrobe and they were lined up with other pairs. The yelling increased again and she remembered why she got up in the first place.
She looked out the peep hole to see Luca playing cards with the two guys outside. Every time one of them played a better card they would erupt in laughter and yelling. If Alessandra wasn't upset by the rude disturbance she would have thought it was endearing to watch him have fun with his guys, but the noise was unacceptable in a place like this.
She opened the door and cleared her throat. The two escorts looked up at her but didn't say anything. Luca looked at her and rolled his eyes.
"Aren't you supposed to be asleep."
"Yes, yes I am, but there is something making it kinda hard to do that."
"Oh yeah, what's that." Luca asked dealing out a new hand.
"The yelling!" Alessandra shouted at him, annoyed by his carelessness.
"Well now, honey, you're the only one yelling." he chuckled.
Alessandra fumed, she had reached her limit with him and couldn't take anymore of his arrogance. She walked up to the little folding table they were using to play and slammed her hand down on before lowering her face to his.
"I have just about enough of that attitude. I told you you will treat me with respect and I meant it. However, it appears you don't know what the word is. So let me teach it to you. You treat me kindly I do the same, you make my life hell, I do the same, got me? Besides there are other people in this world beside you. Strangers, which of whom, I care much more about their happiness than yours. We are no longer in your territory, this is my family's and I will not let you destroy everything my uncles have built because you can't keep your voice down." Alessandra grabbed the deck of cards from his hands, and the dealt cards from his guys, before continuing, "you will get these back when you learn how to be respectful. If I have to treat you like a child I will." She turned back to the room. Before she turned closed the door on the men she left them with one last piece of advise.
"Oh and I am not your honey, or baby, sweetheart, whatever. So I wouldn't make that mistake again." she smiled and went back into the room.
Luca's mouth gaped open like a fish. He was at a complete loss for words. how could she disrespect him in front of his men. He gave them a quick glance to gage their reaction before going after Alessandra.
"I told you, you can't do that in front of the men." Luca yelled.
"And you can't act like you own the place."
"But I will, once your uncles are gone, or did you not read the contract that clearly." Luca's smirk returned to his face. Alessandra hated that smirk, right now she hated everything about him.
"Over my dead body."
"That can be arranged." Alessandra let out a frustrated scream before putting her shoes back on. She grabbed her bag from the couch and headed for the door.
"Where do you think you are going?" Luca went to grab her but she had already shut the door behind her.
"Ma'am you can't leave." one of the escorts stopped her. Alessandra turned around to see another escort behind her and Luca leaning up against the doorframe with that stupid grin.
"Its Alessandra, please, and yes I can this is my uncles' hotel, I will come and go as I please." She tried to push past him but he grabbed her arm.
"Please remove your hand." Alessandra asked nicely but the guy ignored her.
"What do you want us to do boss?" the escort looked at Luca. But before he could respond Alessandra raised her voice.
"Release me right now, this is the last time I am asking." When his grip didn't loosen, Alessandra reached inside her bag to grab her metal collapsible baton. With a flick of her wrist she extended it and swung it into the back of the security guys legs, right at the knees. They buckled and the escort let her go. Before he could get back up or the other one could grab her, she took off running down the corridor.
She could hear their footsteps behind her, but she had the advantage. She was here when they renovated this hotel she knew all the places to hide.
If she continued down this corridor, there is a little room where you can get ice. Right next to the ice machine there is a little door that used to be a service door. Her uncles never got rid of it because it was part of the old world style that came with a building that old.
Sure enough when she reached the little room, the little door was still there. There was enough room for her to squeeze in there but anyone else would have to move the ice machine to see the door.
She waited until she heard their footsteps run in the opposite direction. Then she made her way back to the room where she ditched her cell phone and her credit cards. She very calmly made her way to the elevator where she hid behind a family that was getting ready to check out.
Alessandra had spent years evading her uncles bodyguards, she knew better than to take the elevator all the way down to reception. When the elevator stopped on the next floor Alessandra exited the elevator and walked towards the service stairs. From there she walked down 17 flights of stairs. By the time she would get down to the lobby they would have already moved to the streets to look for her and she can slip out through the service doors and out the back.
Her idea went exactly as planned. She didn't appear out of place as she walked through the back halls because she has done it many times before. In fact, she was on a first name basis with the chef and some of the servers. As she was walking back she ran into one of the maitre d' who recognized her.
"Ciao signorina Alessandra. Che ci fai in questa parte dell'hotel? Vieni a fare spuntini come fai sempre? Non sapevamo che stavi con noi. Per quanto tempo sarai qui?" (Hello Miss Alessandra. What are you doing in this part of the hotel? Come to sneak some snacks like you always do? We were unaware that you were staying with us. How long will you be here? ) he smiled at her. He has been with the company since this hotel opened almost ten years ago. Her uncles trusted him and so did Alessandra, however she didn't have time to talk right now.
"Ciao Louis, sarò qui per una settimana o giù di lì, è stata una cosa dell'ultimo minuto o te lo avrei fatto sapere. In realtà, sto cercando di sfuggire a qualcuno. Se non potessi dire a nessuno che mi hai visto, lo apprezzerei." (Hi Louis, I'll be here for a week or so, it was a last minute thing or I would have let you know. Actually, I am trying to sneak away from someone. If you could not tell anyone you saw me I'd appreciate it). Louis made the motion that he was zipping his lips shut before opening the back door for her.
"Signorina, chiama la reception quando torni e ci vediamo qui per farti entrare." (Miss, just call the desk when you return and I'll meet you here to let you in.)
"Grazie Louis" (Thanks Louis). Alessandra put on her sun glasses before walking into the back alley. She'd have to be careful not to get caught, so instead of going towards the front of the hotel, Alessandra continued down the alley that would take her south and then when she thought she was far enough she would head back to the busy street.