Page 38 of Empire of Seduction (New York State of Mafia #2)

“I think I need a glass of wine in my hand when I tell you. Because it is a lot .”

The wind picked up, fiercely blowing across the frozen ground, and my teeth began to chatter. Sam and I picked up our pace, nearly jogging to the cottage. Was there a storm coming? I hadn’t checked the weather earlier, thanks to the Red Blotch drama.

When we got inside, she put the bottle on the island. “Holy shit, it’s cold out.” She unzipped her jacket and tossed it onto the new couch. “Wow, this place looks great. Very minimalist. Elegant. Good job, Mags.”

It wasn’t so much my design as it was Vito’s.

But I didn’t say that. Instead, I opened the wine bottles to let them breathe.

Then I found glasses in the cabinet. Vito’s cappuccino cup was still in the sink.

I stared at it for a beat, thinking about his strong hands cradling the ceramic, his mouth hugging the edge of the rim . . . his gorgeous, capable mouth . . .

Sam made a noise. “Uhhh, Mags. I think one of your renters left behind a pair of shoes.”

I looked over and found her examining Vito’s running shoes that I had returned. “No, those belong to the current tenant.”

She blinked at me, her lips parting. “There’s a renter here?” Her eyes swung to the staircase. “Like, right now?”

“No, no. Let’s sit in the jacuzzi and I’ll explain.”

While she went to change, I darted outside and turned on the jacuzzi.

Then I came back in and used the upstairs bathroom to change into my suit.

Little touches of Vito were everywhere, like his hair gel.

Contacts case and solution. A razor. The room even smelled like his fancy Italian body wash.

I bit my lip, my ears growing warm. Was I blushing?

I stared in the mirror and tried to cool my overheated skin. Sam would definitely notice.

By the time I returned she was drinking her wine and staring at the espresso machine. “This looks new. It wouldn’t have anything to do with that Italian man who came into the café and asked where to buy one, would it?”

“When was that?”

“Oh, a few days ago. He was very handsome. Mid-thirties. Gram gave him John’s information when he asked about a contractor.” She pinned me with a knowing stare. “You wouldn’t happen to know him, would you?”

“He’s staying here.”

Realization dawned and she nodded. “He’s the renter.”

“More like a guest. Owner. Boss.”

“ What? ”

“No more questions until we’re in the jacuzzi.”

We took our wine and hurried into the warm water. When our teeth stopped chattering from the short dash in the freezing cold, she flicked water in my direction. “Let’s hear it. What is going on out here?”

So I told her.

I started with my one-night stand, then Vito’s arrival after he won the winery from my brother. His move to the cottage. Bringing Carlo here. His brother. The alley. Last night. Finally, I ended with the Red Blotch.

“I think you broke my brain,” Sam said, blinking rapidly. “An Italian mob boss who lives in Toronto owns the majority of your winery.”

“Yes.”

“And you slept with him. Both before and after he took over.”

“Yes.” I wasn’t proud of it, but it was the truth.

“But you . . . you never repeat. It’s one of your rules.”

I shifted in the warm water and took a long swallow of rosé. “It’s not a rule . I don’t have rules.”

“Uh, yeah you do. No more locals, no repeats. You declared it last year at Book Club. Even wrote it on a napkin.”

I was also pretty drunk at the time. “You’re focusing on the wrong thing. I’m telling you that I’ve lost almost everything and you’re worried about my drunken declarations.”

“Is he kicking you off the property? Is he hiring new staff?”

“No.” I cupped some bubbles in my hand and watched them bounce in the water. “He says he wants to be an absentee investor. But he wants to rename the winery after his family.”

“Oh, Mags.” Sam’s voice was kind. “That has to sting.”

“Yep, it sure does.”

“Do you like him?”

I opened my mouth to say of course not , but I couldn’t get the words out. I remembered how calm he’d been this morning when I was freaking out over the diseased vines. How he’d found me in the cave and carried me out here to take care of me. How much I liked being with him, in bed and out of it.

What was it he’d said, sono fottuto? I’m fucked. Yes, sono fottuto indeed.

“I think I might.” I whispered the confession into the bowl of my wine glass, then I took a long drink, like I could wash the words away. My gaze remained locked on Sam.

She shook her head slightly, her eyes big and wide. “I-I don’t know what to say.”

“You can say it. I’m an idiot.”

“Stop. You’re not an idiot. You’re attracted to him, obviously.

You hit on him at the casino, after all.

And listen, it’s no secret you’ve been busting your ass the past few years, trying to keep this place going.

So maybe a rich investor is just what you need.

I’m worried you’re going to get hurt, though. ”

Me too. “I can’t have feelings for him. He has to go back to Toronto in a few weeks.” And it wasn’t like Vito wanted to date me. He kept reminding me this was nothing serious.

“And he’s in the mafia ,” Sam reminded me. “Let’s not forget that part.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“I wonder . . . ”

She stared off into the distance. “You wonder, what?”

“It’s making me think back to something that happened in the cafe this morning.

You remember Jimmy Tate from school?” When I nodded, she continued.

“His mother comes in every morning to get a large iced chai latte, two shots, with oat milk. Today, she was nearly in tears. Apparently, he didn’t come home yesterday or last night. ”

Thanks to the café, Sam always knew every piece of gossip in town. “Yeah, but didn’t Jimmy join a motorcycle gang? That shit is dangerous.”

“I guess, but I saw Brittany Campbell the day before last—remember how she started dancing at Sparkles when her dad skipped out on her mom?—anyway, she said there was a hot Italian guy at the club the other day asking about the motorcycle guys that had been hanging around there. Jimmy Tate was one of them.”

Sparkles . . . Italian guy . . . “Shit, Vito went to a strip club the other afternoon.”

“Brittany didn’t give me his name, but he told her he was married to a woman named Maggie.”

I nearly slipped off the spa bench. “What the fuck?” Sam looked entirely too pleased with herself at my reaction. “You’re making that up,” I said.

“Nope. Feel free to text her and ask her yourself.”

I would do no such thing. If it was true, I didn’t want to know. That would only mess with my head even more. Steadying myself, I got back to the point of the story. “Why would Vito go after Jimmy Tate? It doesn’t make any sense.”

Sam sipped her wine and stared up at the sky. “Stranger things have happened. Like a woman breaking her no-repeats rule for a guy who won her winery in a poker game.”

“I told you, it isn’t a rule.”

“Sure. Listen, are you safe around this guy? Because if he is responsible for something happening to Jimmy, you could be at risk.”

“Vito would never hurt me.”

“Are you sure about that?”

I didn’t even need to think about it. “Yes, I am. Besides, you’ve seen Luca with Val. These guys might be violent around other men, but they don’t hurt women.”

“Luca and Val are married.” Her lips twisted playfully. “Though it sounds like Vito already considers the two of you married.”

I splashed her face with water.

Before either of us could say anything else, a deep, Italian-accented voice cut through the sound of the bubbling jets. “Cazzo, this weather!”

A miserable-looking Massimo appeared out of the darkness. He wore only his white chef coat, which was rolled up on his tattooed forearms, and carried a rectangular chafing dish. “Hey, Maz!” I called. “You can put that inside. We’ll get out now.”

He hurried across the deck and darted into the cottage. I glanced over at Sam. “Ready? Grab a towel quickly. It’s going to be really cold.”

She put a hand on my arm. “Wait, is that the brother ? ”

“Yep. That’s Vito’s brother Massimo. Currently our chef.”

Sam bit her lip and looked longingly at the door where Maz had just disappeared. “Wowza.”

“Slow down, girl. He has a girlfriend back in Italy. Okay, let’s go. I’m starving.”

We braced for the bitter freeze and grabbed our wine. I didn’t even stop to wrap the towel around me, just darted into the cottage. Sam did the same.

We dried off and Sam put her hoodie on over her suit. As Maz set out plates filled with food, I asked, “Why didn’t you wear a coat?”

He rubbed his arms and his lips were light blue. “I had no idea it was this fucking cold or else I would have.”

“Borrow Vito’s jacket.” I pointed to a puffy down coat hanging by the door. “He never wears that one.”

“Hi, I’m Sam.” Sam got very close to Massimo and held out her hand.

Maz angled toward her and gave her a devastating smile dripping with charm as they shook hands. “Ciao, signorina. I am Massimo D’Agostino.”

Sam’s skin turned red as she stared up at him. “Thank you for dinner. It looks delicious.”

She hadn’t even glanced at the food, the little liar. I clapped my hands once. “Okay, thanks Maz. You’re amazing. But we wouldn’t want to keep you. I’m sure you have dinner service to oversee.”

“I do need to get back.” He bent to kiss Sam’s cheeks. “Ciao, bella.” Then he walked over to me, probably to do the same, but I held up my hand. “Save it, Romeo. Get out of here.”

He chuckled, not offended in the least. “Your loss. Buona sera, signorine. Enjoy!”

Sam sighed when Massimo left. I rolled my eyes and lowered myself onto one of the bar stools. “You are so transparent. Are you going to drool over his food like you drooled over him?”

“Maybe.” She sat next to me and put the cloth napkin on her lap. “Oh, my god. Chocolate cake and cannoli. And that pasta dish smells amazing.” There was also broiled fish and vegetables. “I think I need to move out here if this is how you’re eating every night.”

“Sure, it’s because of the food.” I picked up the cannoli. “Let’s start with dessert.”

Sam’s cell buzzed and she answered it. “Hey, Gram. What’s up?

” Her eyes grew bigger as her grandmother spoke.

“Oh, boy. Okay. I’ll head back in ten or fifteen.

” A pause. “No, I only had one glass.” Gram said something back.

“Don’t worry, I’ll switch to water. You and Roberto don’t need to worry about me. ”

“What is it?” I asked when Sam disconnected.

“She said a big storm is on the way. We’re supposed to get eight inches of snow tonight. Did you hear anything about it?”

“I didn’t check, to be honest. Today has been nuts.”

“Same. We were so busy that I had to skip lunch.”

“Well, let’s eat. Then we’ll get you on the road so you make it home safely.”

We both glanced outside. Two flakes appeared in the wind, then three more. I frowned. Storms could blow in quickly out here and the roads were narrow back to town. “Maybe you should take your food to go.”

Sam got off her stool and grabbed her clothes. “That’s probably a good idea.”