Page 14 of Empire of Seduction (New York State of Mafia #2)

seven

. . .

Vito

I heard him before I saw him.

“Cazzo madre di dio!” a deep voice snapped before something heavy slammed against metal. I grinned and picked up the pace, eager to see my brother.

Earlier, Cesare drove to JFK Airport to pick Massimo up and bring him here. I expected my brother to come see me first, but he’d insisted on going straight to the kitchens, even though it was after midnight.

When I entered the winery’s kitchen, my brother was there, searching through drawers, a deep scowl on his face. We hadn’t seen each other in eight months, so I wasn’t used to the short beard he wore, but he looked good.

I let the door swing shut behind me. “Diavoletto!” Little devil.

He glanced up, his brow wrinkled in annoyance. “This place is a fucking mess. I can’t find a goddamn thing.”

Walking over, I grabbed his shoulders and kissed his cheeks. “Thank you for coming. It’s good to see you.”

He grabbed my face and turned my head side-to-side. “You look tired, fratello. Not getting enough pussy?”

“Fuck off.” I shoved him away. “Nice beard.”

Maz rubbed his jaw. “This is as long as I can grow it without having to wear a net on my face in the kitchen. Women like it, though.”

“What do you think?” I gestured to the kitchen. “Will you be able to pull this off on Saturday?”

“Yes, don’t worry. But I need to reorganize this place first. It’s a disaster.”

“Should you do that now? Better to get a good night’s sleep, no?”

“I took a pill and slept on the plane. I’m rested, V.”

I held up my palms. My brother was thirty-one years old. I didn’t need to mother him. “What do you need from me?”

“Pull everything out of the drawers and then put those bins up on the counter. I’ll deal with the pans.”

We began working, with the sound of metal clanging drowning out any hopes for conversation. When I started stacking plastic bins, my brother said, “So tell me about the girl.”

Shit. Cesare had been gossiping on the drive. “It’s nothing.”

“You’re here, so it can’t be nothing.”

“I’m not here for her, I’m here because it’s a good investment. Nothing more.” He made a face like he didn’t believe me, so I said, “I didn’t know she was affiliated with the winery.”

“But you did fuck her.”

“Before.”

Maz began sorting the pans by size. “It’s fate, V.”

“ Stai zitto! There’s no such thing, coglione .”

“Yes, there is. It’s like Enzo seeing Gia in that fashion show. Fate, fratello.”

My older brother saw his now wife at a random private fashion show in Milan. He ended up kidnapping her and bringing her on the yacht with us, which I’d hardly call fate. “Well, this is not the same, so put it out of your head.”

“Is she hot?”

I thought of Maggie, spread out on my hotel bed, her eyes hooded and heavy with lust. I couldn’t remember the last time I went three rounds with a woman in one night, but I hadn’t been able to get enough of her.

She had long legs and a tight ass, her body lithe and muscular like a dancer, probably from working outside every day.

And the way she’d sucked my dick? A revelation.

Not many women handled my size easily, but Maggie hadn’t blinked.

So yes, every single thing about that woman was hot.

But admitting it to my brother was a mistake.

“She’s cute.”

“Please. I know that look. It’s the same look Enzo had when he watched Gia on the yacht’s security camera.”

Setting a bin on the counter, I leaned a hip against the stainless steel. “I’m not obsessed with her. And she thinks I’m married.” I held up my left hand to show him the ring.

My brother shook his head. “Wearing that fake band is big fucking mistake. Enzo and I both tried to tell you, but you wouldn’t listen.”

“It keeps women away until I need one.”

“Big fucking mistake,” Maz repeated.

“Well, I wasn’t wearing it during our night together. You’ll be happy to know that when she saw me wearing it here, she punched me in the stomach.”

Maz threw his head back and laughed, putting a hand on the counter to steady himself. “Oh, how I wish I’d seen it. I like this woman already.”

“That’s good because you’ll be staying with her.”

That got a frown out of him. “Wait, I’m not staying with you?”

“There’s no room. My cottage only has one bedroom. She has three.”

“And you don’t mind?”

My head snapped up and I leveled a glare at him. “Do not hit on her, Massimo.”

“Why not?” He held up his left hand, free of wedding rings. “She’s single. You said she’s cute and I’m hot. There’s nothing to stop us from fucking.”

This was true, yet I couldn’t explain the ball of fire gathering behind my sternum right now. It lodged there, like heartburn. “Except I’m telling you not to, stronzo.”

“Because you want to fuck her.”

“Because I don’t want you making things messier than they already are.”

“Ah, yes. Vito and his need to keep things tidy and sensible. Stick to the plan.”

“Mock me if you want, but at least I’ve kept—” Instantly, I clamped my mouth shut. He was here doing me a favor, and I couldn’t argue with him.

He slammed a sauté pan down and lifted a brow at me. “At least you’ve kept a job. Is that it?”

“Perdonami,” I said earnestly. “I shouldn’t have said it.”

“No, you shouldn’t have. I flew in from Roma to save your ass, V. The least you could do is show some fucking gratitude.”

“You’re right. Forgive me.”

“Get the fuck out. I have work to do and you’re pissing me off.”

I exhaled, braced my palms on the counter, and leaned over. “I’m sorry, Maz. Truly. But I don’t want you hitting on her.”

“I won’t hit on her. I never would, knowing how you feel about her.”

“I don’t feel anything for her. I’m her employer.”

“That wouldn’t stop you, if you decided to pursue her. My guess is that you want her, but she hates you.”

My brothers were perceptive assholes sometimes.

I put some emphasis behind my words. “Stay away from her—and don’t tell her I’m single.”

“It’s a mistake, V.”

“I live in Toronto, Maz. And things are still too unstable for me to consider taking a wife or mistress. It’s for the best.”

He stacked two pots and moved them aside. “Unstable, how?”

“I’m branching out into real estate. They don’t enforce their disclosure laws and it’s easy to hide behind anonymous ownership. And owning more rental properties and office buildings will help me clean the ’ndrina’s money.”

“Smart. Really smart. Like Enzo’s fraud empire. But why unstable?”

“A few others are pissed off that I’ve come to town.” I waved my hand dismissively. “No one I can’t handle, though.”

“So back to this woman.”

“Maggie,” I corrected.

“I’m supposed to stay away from her, but I’m living with her. How does that make sense?”

I’d already come up with a solution. “She’s out during the day, overseeing the vineyards. You’ll be sleeping then, working nights. Your schedules will never line up.”

He chuckled softly and dumped a drawer out onto the prep station counter. When the noise died down, he smirked at me. “You’ve already thought it through. That means you’re worried. As you should be, I suppose, considering I am the most handsome and charismatic of the D’Agostino brothers.”

“Fuck off. I’m not worried about you. This transition has been hard on her. I don’t want her overwhelmed.”

“Hmm.” He dumped another drawer, utensils crashing atop the other pile. “How considerate of you.”

I rolled my shoulders to ease the sudden tightening between my shoulder blades. “What are you implying?”

“Nothing, nothing. How many times did you fuck her?”

“It was one night, Maz. Don’t make it into something more than it is.”

“Madonna, this girl has really gotten under your skin, no?”

I sighed and pushed off from the counter, straightening. “I’m going to bed.”

My brother laughed, deep and loud. “I’m busting your balls, V. You don’t need to worry about me. I’m seeing someone.”

That got my attention. I hadn’t known this, and I wondered if Enzo knew. “Who?”

“Another chef. And she doesn’t know of my background or what my brothers do for a living.”

I folded my arms across my chest and stared at my feet. I didn’t like this. Maybe it was to be expected now that Maz was on his own. But I still didn’t like it. “Has Enzo?—”

“He doesn’t know and I don’t want you to tell him. He’ll want to investigate her and tap her fucking phone. She’s not of our world and I like her. That should be enough for both of you.”

“Maz, this is different. You’re not just anyone.”

“To her I am just anyone. I’m not in the life anymore, V.”

“She could be using you. Her family?—”

He dropped the ladle in his hand and whirled toward me, his lips flat and angry. “Her family are regular people. I’ve met them. They’re not involved with the mafia. No one is using me. This isn’t your ex-girlfriend, V.”

I put out my palms. “Okay, if you say so.”

“Promise me you won’t tell Enzo.”

“He will find out. He always does. And it’s better to get ahead of his anger. Trust me.” I should know. I served as his consigliere for years.

“There’s no reason for him to be angry. Just like there’s no reason for either of you to be involved or think twice about her. Don’t make me sorry I trusted you, fratello.”

Massimo was neither the responsible brother (me), nor the smart brother (Enzo).

Instead, he was reckless and impulsive, charming and creative.

He liked to party and smoke weed, and he also had a big heart.

The two of us had always been closest, the second and third sons who would never take over the kingdom.

I couldn’t disregard his wishes.

“I won’t tell him. If he finds out, it won’t be from me.”

Massimo relaxed and went back to his utensils. “Go, get some sleep. You look tired. The next few days will be long ones.”

“For you, maybe.”

“And you.” He slid me a disapproving glance. “I will find something for you to do.”

“I’m the owner, not a sous chef, and you are working for me , stronzo.”

He snorted. “Would you like to test me? Because I can hop on the next flight home.”