Page 12 of Empire of Seduction (New York State of Mafia #2)

Dots appeared as he typed his reply. Then they disappeared. My mobile buzzed a second later. “Pronto.”

I could hear waves in the background, wind in the phone speaker. Was he at the beach? Massimo’s voice filled my ear. “I don’t need some bullshit pity job, Vito. If I wanted that, I’d go work for Enzo again.”

“It’s not bullshit and it’s not pity. I own a winery. They need a chef.”

“You own a winery? Why did no one tell me?”

“Maybe if you didn’t hang up on me, I would have told you earlier.”

The silence stretched. “Where is this winery?”

“New York.” When he didn’t immediately reply, I said, “Maz, you wanted a restaurant. I’m giving you a restaurant.”

“In a winery.”

“I know it isn’t ideal. But it would be yours for however long you like.”

“What happened to the old chef?”

“I fired him ten minutes ago. Found him trying to score pills off a biker behind the kitchen.”

“Fuck me. I hope you beat the shit out of that biker.”

I stared down at my torn and bruised knuckles. “Of course I did.”

He chuckled softly. “I fucking miss you, fratello.”

“Then come here. I need you, and it would be nice to spend time together again.” When he hesitated, I added, “Maz, please do me this favor.”

“Okay. Will you send your jet?”

“That will take too long. Fly commercial, stronzo.”

“Only if you buy my ticket— first class .”

I’d expected as much. I checked my watch. “How quickly can you leave Roma?”

“I’m at the beach, so I’m not far from the airport.”

“Good. I’ll have one of the boys call you with flight details. See you in a bit.” I disconnected, texted Gaetano to handle the flight, and put my mobile down. “My brother will be here tonight.”

Michael’s eyebrows dipped low. “Okay . . . is he a chef?”

“Yes, mostly.”

He dropped his head onto the bar. “Oh, my God.”

Madonna, such dramatics. “Michael, I’ve eaten my brother’s food for years. He knows how to cook—and he knows how to lead. What he doesn’t like is the dicing and chopping as an entry chef. It will all work out, te lo prometto.”

“I don’t have a choice, do I?”

“No, you don’t. So if it goes badly, you can blame me.”

“Sure, sure. And you’ll be cool with that, I bet.”

Fair. I gave him a grim smile. “If the guests complain, we’ll buy their silence. You might not have the money, but I sure as fuck do. I won’t let anyone leave disappointed. Okay?”

Have a plan. Then have a backup plan. It was how I lived my life.

I finished my cappuccino and set the cup on the bar. “This is a team, Michael, and I am the head of the team. I deal with the problems, capisce? For you and for Maggie, even when you don’t like it.”

He held up his palms in surrender, like he’d decided not to fight me anymore. At least one Fiorentino sibling was reasonable.

Michael said, “Speaking of my sister, let me break the news to her about the guest cottage. I’ll go out later and tell her.”

“No need. The news has been broken.”

“Oh, shit. When was this?”

“About two hours ago.”

“Bro, she hates me,” he grumbled, staring down at the bar. “Wouldn’t even look at me last night and left early.”

I thought of my own sister and our fights over the years.

She could hold a grudge, but she always forgave.

Sometimes it took a little longer, but Paloma loved us as much as we loved her.

“Family is a bond that cannot be broken,” I said.

“And she will forgive you when we turn this into the most prestigious winery on the east coast.”

Michael peered up at me. “Doubtful. She’s pretty stubborn.”

“We will see. What time is the employee meeting today? I’m anxious to introduce myself.”

“Two o’clock. I sent an email late last night, though I’m not sure Maggie saw it.”

“She didn’t,” I confirmed.

“Goddamn it.” He gave a dry, mirthless laugh. “I just can’t stop fucking up, can I?”

Reaching over, I clasped his shoulder and shook him gently. “Don’t worry, Michael. This fuck up will be the best thing that has ever happened to your family.”

Maggie

I hid in the back.

Look, I wasn’t proud of it, but I didn’t want anyone to see me.

I couldn’t stand up front with Vito and Michael and announce the change in ownership like it was a wonderful opportunity.

It wasn’t, and everyone would be able to read the truth on my face.

Some of us weren’t cruel robots without any feelings. Like Vito.

So I let them handle the meeting and, judging by the general reaction, our employees believed the lies coming out of Vito’s mouth.

How he respected what we did here, but improvements could always be made.

How he would invest a large sum in the operations to produce the best wines on the East Coast. Blah, blah, blah . . .

I pretty much tuned out after that.

When it was done, Adam, a friend and one of our bartenders, wandered over to me. “You okay? You look like you’re about to do bodily harm to someone.”

Yes, my brother. “I’m fine. Just a lot on my mind.”

“I bet. This is a big deal for you and Mikey.” When I didn’t speak, he said, “Sounds like a really great opportunity. You have an investor who will take some of the pressure off you and your brother. Maybe you won’t have to work so hard and you’ll have more time for fun and hanging out.”

“Maybe,” I said vaguely. “But I’m not going anywhere. I’ll still be overseeing the vineyards.” They would pry those plants out of my cold, dead hands.

“I figured.” He smiled down at me. “You could always let me?—”

“Maggie, a word.” Vito now stood next to Adam, inserting himself into the private conversation in the most annoying manner possible.

Looking at Vito, I gestured to Adam. “Not right now, Mr. D’Agostino. I’m busy with one of my employees.”

Vito angled toward Adam and put out his hand. “ Salve . I am Signore D’Agostino.”

Adam shook Vito’s hand enthusiastically. “Hi, I’m Adam. A bartender here.”

“Adam, I wish for a moment with Signorina Fiorentino.”

“Sure, of course. See you later, Mags.”

Adam disappeared in the direction of the bar and I glared up at Vito, waiting for him to speak so then he would leave me alone.

He didn’t make me wait long, the lines around his mouth deepening in a frown. “I know you are pissed, but it looks bad that you are hiding back here. You are one of the owners, so in the future you will stand with your brother and me in front of the staff.”

“Aye, aye, captain.” I gave him a sarcastic salute.

I expected him to grow angry, but his expression didn’t change. “Your mouth, bella. It will get you into all kinds of trouble with me.” His tone wasn’t threatening. It was . . . seductive. A sexy promise reminiscent of our night together.

Which was worse. Much worse. I’d rather he intimidated me. I couldn’t handle anything else, especially with a married man. “Are we done?” I asked. “I need to get back outside.”

“You need to speak with your brother. He has some news and you should forgive him. It’s not healthy to have bad feelings between siblings.”

“That’s none of your?—”

“Family is a bond that cannot be broken. So go and fix yours.”

“Don’t you fight with your brother?”

“Brothers,” he corrected. “I have two—and yes, we fight all the time. But one of us usually shoots the other and then it’s over. We move on.”

I paused in horror before catching the humor lurking behind his blue depths. Oh . Vito made a joke. I hadn’t expected that. Shaking my head, I said, “This is not a little disagreement, Vito. This is my entire life being stripped away from me. By you . And it’s my brother’s fault.”

The amusement died from his expression and the angles of his jawline sharpened. “Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Start making plans for the winery’s future. Give me a list of everything you want, no matter how expensive. Take your anger out on my bank account.”

“You’re trying to buy my compliance.”

“Sì, certo. If only so that we can have a civil conversation once in a while.”

“Why? I will never, ever like you.”

He edged closer and dropped his voice. “Never is a long time, bella.”

A warmth betrayed my vow to hate him into perpetuity. How dare he flirt with me? It was wrong for so many reasons, and I couldn’t let him affect me like this. And this was the second time today, for god’s sake! I was really tired of letting this man have the upper hand.

I needed to put him in his place.

Making sure no one was watching, I leaned in and slowly traced the collar of his sweater with one finger, letting my touch linger on the expensive fabric.

I could feel the heat from his skin, see the rise and fall of his chest. I softened my voice to resemble the tone I’d used when he was deep inside me.

“Do you want to know what I really want, Vito?”

He swallowed hard, the strong muscles of his throat working. Seconds ticked by before a single word fell out in a raspy hush. “What?”

Pressing up on my toes, I put my lips near his ear and whispered, “The only thing I want is for you to buy a plane ticket back to Toronto.”

Without awaiting a response, I brushed by him and went to find Mikey. And not because Vito told me to, but because it was time that my brother and I talked.

Mikey was in the kitchen, chatting with our sous chef. We had a big event Saturday night, an engagement dinner, so they were probably discussing details. I didn’t see Chuck anywhere, which was weird. Our head chef was usually scowling and ordering everyone around.

I grabbed an apple from the cooler and waited for Mikey to finish up. When he was free, I said, “Got a sec?”

He winced and motioned me forward. “Yeah, let’s go outside.”

“Good idea.” Probably better not to yell at him in front of the staff. I took a bite out of the apple as I trailed him out the back door.

The air was only slightly warmer than it had been an hour ago. I could see my breath every time I exhaled. “I hear you have news.”

“Why didn’t you stand up there with me?” He shoved his bare hands into his pockets. “I know you’re mad, but it doesn’t look good to the rest of the staff.”