Page 145 of Joey

And that poor deluded asshole grins right back. “Yeah.”

Max has him by the neck before Romeo can even blink. Pressing his face close to the younger man’s, he snarls. “She is Joey fucking DiMarco, Cosa Nostra royalty, and your fucking boss, you smug little prick. You only get to work, walk, breathe, live, and die at her say so, do you understand me?”

Romeo’s eyes bug out. He tries to nod, but Max has him pinned to the wall by his throat, his feet dangling an inch off the floor.

“Don’t youevermistake my wife’s submission to me as anything but a reflection of my utter fucking devotion to her. I would crawl through fire and broken glass on my hands and fucking knees if she told me to. If you ever disrespect her like that again, I will rip out your fucking tongue and use it to choke you to death. You got that?”

Romeo nods as best he can, and Max releases him. He slides down the wall, gripping his throat as he gasps for breath and glancing at Ash as if seeking back up. Ash knows Max all too well, and he didn’t once glance up from his cell phone throughout the entire exchange.

Max turns to me. “What do you want me to do with this stupid fuck, baby?”

I consider the guy panting for breath on the floor. Despite what just happened, he’s usually respectful. He’s worked here for three weeks now, and he knows how to blend into the background when I need him to. I don’t have the energy to break in another newbie.

“I think he’s learned his lesson.”

“You sure?” Max scowls.

“I’m sure.”

“You’re so fucking lucky she’s such a good influence on me,” he barks at Romeo, teeth bared like a wolf guarding his mate. Then he turns back to me. “I’ll see you tonight, baby.”

“Can we have those fancy cheeseburgers you make for dinner?”

“Of course. Anything you want.” He winks at me and walks out of my office.

I lean back in my chair and watch his fine ass disappear down the hallway. I am the luckiest girl in the whole damn world.

* * *

MAX

“How was she after I left?”

“She was fine. She didn’t say much, but that was because she was working. Had her head bent over her computer all afternoon,” Ash replies. He’s worked for the Morettis a long time, and out of all the men assigned to Joey’s personal security team, he’s the one I trust most with her safety. I know that she trusts him too. The guy has literally taken a bullet for her, and he’d do it again without a second’s hesitation.

“Did she eat?” I ask with a frown.

“She did.”

“And that fuckwit, Romeo. Did he behave himself?”

Ash laughs softly. “He did.”

“What’s your read on him? Can I trust him to protect my wife? Because the way he fucking looked at her, Ash…” I clench my jaw. He’s lucky I didn’t tear his fucking head off earlier.

“He’s good at what he does, Boss. He’s usually very respectful, but he’s also young and I think he was probably trying to impress you.”

“Impress me? Then he should learn that theonlyfucking way to do that is to impress my wife.”

“Yeah, I think he gets it now.” He laughs again.

“For his sake, I hope you’re right.”

“Pretty sure you conveyed your message loud and clear, Boss. She’s getting in the elevator now. She’ll be with you in less than a minute.”

“Thanks. Talk soon.”

I end the call and quickly change out of my suit and into a pair of gray sweats, the kind that make my girl drool.