Accardi (Genevieve and Matteo) by Allison Franklin novel Chapter 50

196, Cad. Denevieve thought as she

dress up over bei hips. Sha

eath and made the final pull an

the dress emered her hed the drei met her body. She turned and lifted her

tight emerald garment with

mp to her waist and a bar hack

nd a gran and stepped out of

one conch shed token up for the last two hours while she continually threw dresses into the room for Gen to try on. At her approach, leta sat straight and downed her glass of champagne. Her smile widened and she clapped her hands in excitement.

it excited” Gen warned. “This i

ddress is just too…“

“Slutty.” Gen finished, to which lada rolled her eyes.

lads walked up to her and motioned with her finger for Gen to do a twirl.

“Girl, you look fine as hell, I don’t know what you’re talking about, lada said, propping her hands on her waist.

“Look at all this skin,” Gen exclaimed, sweeping her hands down her body for emphasis. “It’s just too much for a first date.”

Tada groaned. “Come on, you have to get him a little excited so at the end of the night when he settles for a kiss on the cheek he’ll be dreaming of you at home later on. Then lada continued as if she were some dating garu. “You’ll be the first thing he thinks of when he wakes up. You’ll get a good morning

“Hm.” Gen said, pursing her lips. She pulled out the tag and gulped at the thousand dollar price. “Eh, it’s too much,” Gen decided, heading back to the

“Come on! I told you I’d treat you!“⠀⠀⠀

“just don’t feel right about that,” Gen argued.

his gorgeous black number near the front. I’ll go and…”

“Oh, I know I saw this.

*Not Gen swiveled around and practically tackled jada to the ground. “No more! I have one more to try on and we’re done. If I don’t like it, I’ll just go with

“But the navy tine is to… conservative,” Jada whined.

Gen closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. “The deal was I’d i askud, hoping Jada would take

you about the guy when we were done, right? Don’t you want to hear about him?” Gen

Jada’s eyes widened and the nodded as if she were a bobble head that had just been flicked. “Yes, yes, please!!”

“Okay then,” Gen said, turning back toward the dressing room. When she went to close the door, however, lada was there, waiting expectantly. “Ugh, fine,

“Dub, that’s what I was doing. I’ve seen you naked before,” Jada sculled.

After a few minutes in which both girls wrestled the dress off Gen’s reddening skin, lada sat back on the bench and waited.

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Chapter Fifty

Gen laughed as she pulled the burgundy silk dress from its langer. “Alright, what do you want to know?”

tada saul, touching her finger to bet thin she held out her hand and ticked off each request as she we “Where’d you meet, what’s his name, what’s he do fot a living, details on his looks, details on hii…” She raised her eyebrows a few times. “And where ́s he taking your

“Is that all?” Gen asked, stepping into the dies.

Jada looked up at the ceiling before she gave a decisive nod. “Tor now,”

“Alright,” Gen said, pulling this dress up her fame with ease. “Um, we met at a bar…”

“Another bar?” Jada asked, impressed.

“Yeah, and um, he works with

“Like finance?”

money.

Gen thought for a moment. She knew how her sister would react when she found out the guy was Matteo. She had to tread carefully. “Yeah, you could say that. His company was having troubles with a former accountant and he came to the firm for help with diagnosis and decided to hire us.”

“That’s great! Is this the company you had your big meeting with?”

“Yeah, that’s the one,” Gen said. Jada stood up to help with her zipper.

“What’s his name?” jada asked.

“Matteo,” Gen answered without thinking,

“Matteo? Italian?” lada asked.

“Uh, yeah.”

“Seems you’re developing a type, Gen,” Jada said with a chuckle. “And he’s taking you to…..*.

“Carmela’s”

“Carmela’s? And he’s Italian?” Jada asked, shock apparent on her face.

Both women fell silent as Gen turned to face the mirror. The silk burgundy dress fell just above her knees and featured a cool–neck line, thin spaghetti

hat went half way up her thigh. She smoothed her hands down the fabric, imagining Matteo’s rough kisackles making the same path. She shivered and prayed Jada didn’t nodice,

“Damn, Girl. This is the one,” Jada said with raised eyebrows and a proud nod.

“Yeah,” Gen agreed. She pulled the price tag from under her armpit and sighed. “I can’t. It’s too much,”

lada looked at the tag. “It’s only $2,200, Gen. I can definitely swing that.”

“No, it’s okay. It’s just one night. I’ll go with the navy one. It’s…” She looked back at the mirror and the dress she could easily envision Matteo’s gaze

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Chapter Fifty

betting on fire. “The navy is fine.”

“Ugh, you’re being ridiculous!”

Genevieve ignored her sister’s griping as she walked to the register with the navy dress shung over her arm. She stepped up to the counter only for the navy

“She’ll take this one.” Jada announced to the flustered woman behind the counter while she gently set the burgundy dress down.

“No, the won’t,” Gen said.

thev

ton much, I’ll.”

“It’s okay, the dress is already paid for,” the associate announced.

“What?” both Jada and Gen said at the same time.

The associate smiled and held a card up. “This was dropped off when n you came in. It’s already been charged. Let me just wrap this up for you.”

Gen stared at the card the woman set down on the counter. He’d bought her a dress? A pleasurable heat crawled up her neck. No one had ever spoiled her like that. How did he even know she was going shopping? Did Leo tell him? Visions of what their date together might look like filtered through her mind. Him showing up with flowers. Kissing her hand as they watched each other from across the table. Him ordering her dessert even when she says she doesn’t

need it. Kissing her goodnight…

“He bought you a dress for your first date? Who is this guy? Let me…” Before Gen could stop her, lada jumped up

p onto

the counter and snatched the card.

“Jada, stop!” Gen begged, trying and failing to grab the card back from her.

“What is your deal? It’s Jake Gyllenhaal, isn’t it? Why else would you lie to me? Let me just see who… Jada finally managed to subdue her sister long enough to look at the name on the card. Her entire body froze. “M. C. Accardi.” Jada’s head whipped around to look at Gen.

*lada, please, I was going to explain…

“You’re fucking Accardi?” Jada screeched.

All the women in

he small shop locked toward the two women.

“It’s not like that,” Gen whispered.

“What’s it like then? Cause it looks like he’s treating you like your’re his white after I askest you tepeatedly to stay the fuck away from him!” Jada threw the card on the ground and stomped toward the exit.

Gen’s face was flaming as the retrieved the card. The associate behind the counter held a wapped box out. They both looked at the door as it was slammed shut. The associate gave a wavering smile.

“It’s okay, I’ll have it dropped off at the address on the account,” she said, bobbing her head toward the door.

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Chapter Fifty

“Thanks,” Gen said, scrambling after her sister, not even thinking to give her the correct address.