Page 16 of Empire of Seduction (New York State of Mafia #2)

eight

. . .

Vito

Immediately, I went upstairs to change into a fresh t-shirt.

My brothers ridiculed me for it, but I hated to be dirty. I hated for my clothing to be stained—which could be challenging in my line of work. Bloodstains were a bitch to get out of suits. But I preferred to be clean at all times.

I considered putting in my contacts, too, but dismissed the idea. Maggie wouldn’t care about my glasses and I’d rather return downstairs as quickly as possible.

Where did the question about kids come from? Did Massimo say something to her this morning?

The fake wedding band on the dresser caught my eye. Had she noticed that I wasn’t wearing it? For some reason, I didn’t like lying to her, but the lie was too well established to stop now. Best to keep wearing the ring until I left for Toronto. It would ensure I didn’t do anything stupid.

After slipping the ring onto my finger, I also pulled on a pair of jeans. Then I thumped down the wooden stairs to find her looking at her phone, cheeks flushed, a lock of her dark hair falling in her face. “Sorry about that,” she said, not looking up and not sounding particularly sorry, either.

I gathered the empty breakfast containers and threw them out. “Would you like another cappuccino?”

“No. I should really get going.”

She started to get up, so I held up my hand. “Stop. Tell me why you asked me about kids.”

“Because I’ve been so focused on what’s going on with the winery that I forgot you might also have kids.”

“I don’t. We don’t,” I amended.

Maggie visibly relaxed. “That’s a relief. A cheating husband is bad enough. A cheating father is a total dirtbag.”

I agreed, actually. My own father had flaunted his mistresses in front of our mother. He even brought one to a family dinner once, which was the most uncomfortable meal of my life. Our mother cried the whole time and Enzo nearly punched the old man in the mouth halfway through.

“You can rest assured. I have no children—legitimate or otherwise,” I said.

She winced. “I hadn’t considered illegitimate kids, so thanks for clearing that up, too, I guess.”

“I also always wear condoms.”

“I would hope so, for fuck’s sake. You risk giving your poor wife an STD with every affair.”

“I don’t have any diseases.”

The look she gave me would’ve caused the balls of a lesser man to crawl back up inside his body. “That you know of.”

“I get tested regularly,” I told her, which was not a lie. “And I’m clean.”

“Well, I am, too. Glad we cleared that up.” She pushed her empty cup toward me and stood up. “Thanks for coffee. I should get to work.”

“Before you go, where is your list?”

“What list?”

“Of the things you need for the winery.”

She drummed her fingers on the marble, irritation in every line of her tall frame. “Vito, you mentioned it only yesterday afternoon. I haven’t had time to write it yet.”

Now I was curious. What did Maggie do after she finished in the vineyards? Did she go out at night? Meet up with friends? Go on dates? “Why not? Were you doing something else last night?”

She let out a brittle laugh. “As if that’s any of your business, Don D’Agostino.”

I froze. She hadn’t called me by my honorific before and those words on her lips . . . .

Desire slashed through me like a blade, swift and sharp and I struggled to stay focused. Stop. She’s off-limits. This was no time to get caught up in what I would never have again.

Like her smart mouth wrapped around my dick.

“Answer the question,” I ordered, my accent thicker. When I was turned on, my tongue struggled to form the English syllables and words. I wondered if she noticed.

“I was sleeping, actually. I know it’s hard for you to remember, but I work outside all day and it’s physically exhausting. So usually I go home and relax, eat, maybe drink a glass of wine, and fall asleep.”

Oh, that prickly, fiery attitude. Why did I find it so arousing?

Needing something to do, I carried the empty cups to the sink. “I’ll put ‘hire more help’ on the list for you.”

“I don’t need more help at the moment. The extra hands come in handy over the summer and into the fall. Didn’t your research into wineries cover that?”

Turning, I leaned against the sink and crossed my arms. “I know you like to be at odds with me, but I can be very helpful.”

“I’m sure you like to think so.”

I decided to drop the issue of the winery. She wasn’t ready to partner with me on ways to make it stronger, which was fine. Michael had already come around and provided me with a list of things to either repair or replace. “Thank you for letting my brother stay with you.”

Standing, she adjusted her winter hat and tucked her hair more firmly underneath. “You’re welcome. Though I really don’t know why he can’t crash on your couch for a few nights.”

“We are a bit beyond the ‘crash on a couch’ stage in our lives. And I don’t think you’ll see much of him, considering you have opposite schedules.”

“He said he’s the fun brother.”

I nearly rolled my eyes. Maz had a high opinion of himself. Always had. “That may be true if you like to party and screw all night long.”

“Maz is a partier?”

Coke, booze, and French models had been our usual routine during those lonely nights on the yacht. I didn’t think Maggie wanted to hear about those days, so I shrugged and adjusted my glasses higher on my nose. “Don’t worry. He has a girlfriend back in Roma. So he won’t get too out of hand here.”

“How long is he staying?”

“Not long. A few weeks. A month, maybe. Enough to stabilize your kitchen and get you through the winter events. You’ll need to hire someone to replace him.”

“I’ll put it on the list for my new boss.” She gave me a smile that was all teeth. Like a shark. Madonna, this woman. I itched to put her over my knee and spank her.

Clearing my throat, I decided to circle back to the winery. And she truly would not like this news. “I have a meeting with Bruce this afternoon. I thought you should know.”

She paused in the middle of slipping on her coat. Now she was on alert, regarding me with suspicion. “About what?”

“I’m bringing in a renowned oenologist. His name is Carlo Leoni. He has a meeting with Bruce tomorrow to start learning what you’re doing here. I wanted to give Bruce a heads up today.”

She didn’t move, didn’t react, merely stared at me with those big, soulful eyes. I waited for the explosion, the anger and vitriol. Yet none came. The seconds stretched and I wasn’t even sure she was breathing.

This worried me.

“He’s not a viticulturist,” I quickly added. “Carlo isn’t going to step on your toes.”

Turning toward the windows, she swallowed hard. “A lot of big words you’ve learned there. Good for you, Vito.”

“You are welcome to join us, of course.”

“Wow, thanks.” Her voice sounded small.

The back of my neck tightened and I didn’t care for the sudden pressure in my chest. I fought the urge to wrap my arms around her and hold her close, tell her everything was going to be okay.

Reassure her I wasn’t the villain she painted me to be, at least not when it came to the winery.

I was successful for a reason, and I could make her life so much easier if she would only trust me.

No matter the cost I would ensure the best for this place, for her.

Most of all, I didn’t want her defeated.

I wanted her to fight me, to drive me crazy with the things that came out of her mouth.

I wanted her fire and her spirit, the confident vixen who bought me a drink and let me take her to my room.

The woman who nearly broke my dick with her stellar pussy and greedy mouth.

“Maggie.” I started toward her.

“I need to go.” She spoke quickly, like she was eager to get away from me. “What time is the meeting with Carlo tomorrow?”

“One o’clock.”

“Great. See you then.” She practically lunged for the door handle.

“Maggie, wait.”

“Things to do, boss man.” And she was out the door.

I let her leave.

She’d come around once she met Carlo. A certified genius, he was credited with saving many of the wineries in my country and his services were highly sought after.

I paid a goddamn fortune to get him here on such short notice, and he was coming to offer advice on how to improve things here, not take anyone’s job away.

He’d visit now and again for a few months, studying and learning before he offered recommendations. This was a good thing.

I returned to the cappuccino machine and busied myself by making another drink. I needed to get to work. I had a long list of things to do today, and I couldn’t worry about Maggie’s feelings regarding my decisions.

“He’s so cold. Like a robot.”

My one and only girlfriend, Simona, said this about me when I was seventeen.

She was talking to her friends about me, assuming no one was listening, but my father had her mobile tapped.

He hadn’t liked Simona or her family, and knew she was just using me for my last name.

I argued that we were in love, but he’d gleefully proven me wrong.

But I couldn’t change the way I was, even if I wanted to. I’ve been like this—remote and cautious—almost since birth. Growing up, Enzo had taken much of our father’s abuse to spare me, leaving me to watch and live in fear. Terrified that one day it might be me instead.

Enzo was prone to outbursts and fighting back, so I quickly learned to act in the opposite manner—to keep my emotions locked up and hidden. This meant my father ignored me, which was what I preferred. Until Simona.

“Never show a woman you care,” my father had said. “They will only use it against you. They’re like poison, Vito.”

Deep down, I knew this wasn’t true. My mother wasn’t a poison. She’d been sweet and kind, too kind for a world with my father in it. He’d forced her to suffer for that sweetness until she couldn’t withstand the pain any longer.