Page 12 of The Prices We Pay (Vittori Enterprises #1)

Enzo

D ante and Seb went to the port this morning to get a feel for how things have been running there. Considering that Sebastian left with his own laptop in hand, I think it’s safe to assume he’s going to be doing some behind-the-scenes digging.

If we ever have to bring Seb anywhere, it’s for that reason and that reason alone.

Sometimes, there are things that he simply can’t do from the safety of our home.

So, one of us will run interference while he plants whatever high-tech gadget he has up his sleeve or hacks into whatever main frame he needs to.

I know literally zero about any of that stuff, and he’s tried to explain it to me a million times, but it basically goes in one ear and out the other.

I’m what you would call technology-deficient.

It’s a miracle sometimes that I can use both my phone and work computer without causing a major malfunction.

The reason we don’t take Seb isn’t because he can’t handle himself—quite the opposite, actually. Sebastian could more than hold his own in any hand-to-hand fight and could shoot the wings of a fly if he needed to. Hell, all of us could. But none of us can do what he can do.

He would never admit it, but he’s arguably the most valuable member of our little group.

If something were to happen while we were out on a mission, we almost always rely on Sebastian to get us out of it.

Not to mention that if one of us were taken, it would be Sebastian who would find us.

Don’t get me wrong, Dante’s tracking skills are incredibly precise thanks to his SEAL training, but there’s only so much one can do without the advances of technology.

Harper Donovan-McDermott is the perfect example. Yes, it was a team effort by everyone involved, but I truly believe we never would have found her without Seb.

He’s invaluable, and we simply can’t risk losing him.

That said, none of us were overly worried about him going down there today. We’ve all been down to the port countless times and have never had an issue with safety.

So, until they get back, I plan on taking full advantage of a rare Friday without a single meeting on the books.

That is, until I hear the slightly raspy yet extremely sultry voice of the woman across the hall as she answers her phone.

If I lean to the left of my computer, I can see her gorgeous face as she works at her desk.

She’s caught me staring at her several times this week, and I’m not even ashamed of it. I am a man in love, after all.

Actually, one meeting might not hurt.

With a devious grin, I open my email.

Good morning, Josephine,

If you get a moment, would you be able to come to my office?

Enzo Santoro

COO at Vittori Enterprises

Spinning my desk chair slightly, I lean back so I can watch her. I spot the exact moment she reads my email, her face lighting up as she listens to whoever is on the other end of the line.

Only a couple of minutes later, my inbox flashes with a new email.

Morning, Enzo,

In the week I’ve been here, I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say something so professional. Well, you didn’t say it, but you know what I mean.

And yes, I will be over as soon as I’m done with this phone call .

P.S. What have I said about calling me Josephine?

Josephine Jenkins

Customs Broker at Vittori Enterprises

Peeking around my computer, I find her smiling at me, and fuck if it isn’t a beautiful smile.

Sweetheart,

I’m offended. I am the COO of a multibillion-dollar company. I am nothing if not professional.

And hurry up. I’m getting impatient.

Enzo Santoro

COO at Vittori Enterprises

Lorenzo,

How could I forget? It’s right there in your email signature .

And I will come when I’m good and ready. Don’t you know that a lady should never be rushed?

Josephine Jenkins

Customs Broker at Vittori Enterprises

Fuck. I’d love to see her come when she’s good and ready, all right.

Sweetheart,

I have a sneaking suspicion that you are anything but a lady. And I mean that in the absolute best way possible.

Tick, tock. I’m lonely.

Enzo Santoro

Obviously, the COO at Vittori Enterprises

A few moments later, a pen comes flying across the hall and into my office, nearly missing the back of my computer. Looking around my screen, I see her flipping me off. “Such a lady,” I mouth, and she tips her head back in laughter before apologizing to whoever she’s talking to.

Chuckling, I pick up my phone as it dings with a text message. It’s a message in our group chat.

Ronan

You guys want to meet me, Mac, and Finn at Kings for some drinks tomorrow night?

Knowing Dante and Seb are still busy, I respond first.

Me

Will Harper be there?

Ronan

Probably. Do we ever go anywhere without her?

Me

Good. I like her the most anyway. I’m in.

D

We’ re on our way back.

I snort out a laugh. Leave it to Dante to completely ignore the topic of conversation.

Seb

I’m in.

Simply because I can’t pass up the opportunity to fuck with him, I reply,

Me

Actually, I’m only going if Dante goes.

Luca

I’ll only go if Enzo goes.

Seb

If Luca doesn’t go, I’m out.

If there’s one thing the three of us can agree on, it’s that Dante deserves to have some fun every once in a while, whether he wants to or not.

A couple of minutes pass without a response, and I eye Joe across the hall to find her still on the phone.

D

Sometimes I wonder how I’m friends with the three of you.

D

Fine.

“What are you smiling at?” Joe asks as she saunters into my office. I close my messages and set my phone on my desk, wanting to give her my undivided attention.

“Just giving Dante shit. You know the usual.”

Joe raises her brows and says, “That’s brave of you.”

“Nah.” I wave her off. “He loves us. Dante would die before he hurts the people he loves.”

She smiles, and her eyes soften. Over the last week, I’ve seen how she interacts with Dante. She’s got a soft spot for the big guy already.

Not that I blame her .

“What is it that you needed to meet with me about, Lorenzo?” I love that she uses my full name. Despite it only ever being used when people are upset or annoyed with me, the way she says it is… endearing.

Not to mention that my name has never sounded as beautiful as it does coming from her lips.

I wonder how it would sound while she screamed it.

Focus, Enzo.

“I wanted to…” Oh shit, what’s my excuse for bringing her in here? “Oh yeah. Did you get a chance to look into the paperwork for the missing Angelo’s shipment?”

She leans back in the chair and slides her glasses to the top of her head, pulling some of the hair from her face.

She pinches her brows, and I can’t help but stare at her gunmetal-blue eyes.

I’ve never seen anything quite like them.

Sometimes, they look gray, but in the right lighting, they look like the purest shade of soft blue. They’re absolutely stunning.

She’s absolutely stunning .

“I did this morning, actually. All of the paperwork seems to be in order. The delivery got signed off at the port last Thursday, showing it was delivered and it cleared customs inspection, so it must have gone missing after it was loaded onto the delivery truck.”

Grabbing the pen off my desk, I bite the end between my teeth, a habit I picked up a long time ago that I have never been able to quit. No matter how many times Luca has warned me that I’m going to chip a tooth.

Joe continues, “But as I was flipping through paperwork, I did notice a handful of small shipments that got delivered to the port but were never received by their designated retailer. Nothing over twenty grand, just small enough not to get flagged by insurance when it was reported missing, if it was even reported missing. Shipments get lost all of the time. But this many in such a short amount of time seems odd.”

“The only reason I noticed Angelo’s was because it was jewels, and he notified me the day it was supposed to be delivered. What were the rest of the missing items?”

“Just a few pieces of clothing in each delivery.” I can practically see the gears in her brain spinning as she speaks to me. She’s a smart woman—extremely smart, actually. And I’d bet a lot of people she meets wouldn’t assume that based on the way she looks.

I understand this all too well, and I’m eternally grateful for it. Luca has never, nor will he ever, let the way I choose to express myself reflect the opportunities that have presented themselves in front of me.

I’m an extremely smart and capable person—well, besides computers—and people have always underestimated me.

They take one look at me and assume I’m nothing more than a degenerate.

As far as our extracurriculars are concerned, that suits me just fine, but when it comes to the business world, it’s always been a bit of a hindrance.

That is, until I open my mouth and people realize I actually know what the fuck I’m talking about.

“When did they start going missing? ”

“About a month ago,” Joe answers as she crosses one leg over the other. The hem of her pant leg rides up ever so slightly, and I can see the edges of another tattoo covering the base of her calf.

“That makes sense. That’s when Luca fired the consulting company that was handling everything you’re doing now.

He tried as hard as he could to keep up with all of the necessary paperwork in the interim, but he’s only one person, and he has a million and one other things to get done during the day. ”

She smiles, clearly amused. “How close was he to going insane?”

“I would have given it two more days. Tops.”

She giggles, and I swear I can feel it in my chest. “Anything you want me to do about it?”

“No. I’ll talk to Luca and see how he wants to proceed. It might be as simple as changing delivery services.”

She uncrosses her legs and sits forward in her chair.

“Okay, sounds good. Well, I’m going to continue going over that mountain of paperwork that Luca ‘attempted’ to fill out.

” She’s sure to put air quotes around the word attempted, letting me know Luca wasn’t even close to doing any of it correctly.

Joe stands and begins to walk out of my office.

Shit, she’s leaving already.

“Wait.” She stops in her tracks and spins to face me, hands clasped in front of her, pushing her cleavage together ever so slightly, and it takes every ounce of my willpower to look up at her face.

But when I do, I find her wearing a sly smirk, like she knows good and well exactly what I was looking at. “What are your plans this weekend?”

I wonder if she’d want to meet us all at Kings for a couple of drinks. I bet she and Harper would hit it off in a heartbeat. And selfishly, I’d love to see what she wears outside of work, considering how sexy the clothes are that she wears to work.

“I have plans tomorrow night, but not much on Sunday. I’m probably going to spend the day binge-watching The Office and cleaning my apartment.”

The Office. As if she couldn’t get more perfect .

Okay, so Kings is out, but what about… “Would you like to grab coffee with me on Sunday morning? I know you don’t live far from here; we could meet at the Jean & Joan’s that is down the block.”

“I’m assuming Sebastian told you where I lived.

” I shrug innocently because she’s right, and she huffs out a laugh.

“I should be mildly concerned about the invasion of privacy, but I’m not, so we’re just going to move past it.

Yes, I would love to get coffee with you.

” She must see the absolute mischievous glint that I’m sure I have in my eye because she points her finger at me.

Much like Luca does on a regular basis. Shit, she’s probably seen him do it a half-dozen times by now. “But just coffee, Lorenzo.”

I point my finger back at her, giving her the sternest look I can manage, which isn’t saying much because I’m still wearing a shit-eating grin. “Just coffee, Josephine.”

Rolling her eyes, she saunters out of my office without another word, her jet-black hair swaying along with her hips, and I can’t help but feel like I’ve suddenly won a gold medal.