Valentina slipped her hand into his, squeezing lightly. "As I'll ever be," she replied, glancing once at her bag that was with Ricardo. She probably wouldn't need the gun in there, but she had promised Marco she would have it handy.
Ricardo gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as they approached the entrance. The door opened.
Bianca stood poised at the threshold, every inch the picture of a perfect hostess. She had clearly invested significant effort into her appearance. Her gown, a striking one-shoulder silhouette with a sequin-covered bodice on one side and a draped, pleated body on the other had a midi-length hemline with a high thigh slit, while her makeup was flawlessly applied. A dazzling smile spread across her face.
"Welcome, welcome…" she beamed. Her gaze settled on Valentina with keen interest. "You must be Valentina."
Valentina returned the smile, equally composed. "And you must be Bianca."
