Page 17 of Vows of a Mobster

I had been avoiding Angelica for the past week. I had not gone to see her since I got back from Italy. She had become too clingy, too needy even before I left for my trip. But her messages during my trip sealed my decision. I told her from the beginning, it was just a fuck. A way to blow off steam, and as long as that worked for both of us, it was all good. But it only took her two weeks to start her demands. So here we were, three weeks later. Or four if we counted this past week. Either way, I had to send her on her way. God, I was really not in the mood to see her or talk to her. I had never been so tempted to send a text telling her this was no longer beneficial and turn off the phone.

It made me a bastard, but I wasn’t in the mood for women's tears or demands today. The warm brown eyes of the young woman that ran into me this morning flashed in my mind. Somehow I didn’t take her for the crying type. There was vulnerability in that woman, who appeared better suited to be a school teacher than in the corporate world or my world, but also strength. Like she endured some hard shit and came out of it to find she was stronger and better for it.

Turning off my laptop, I left it behind. Nobody would ever be able to log into it anyhow. Giovanni made our security top notch. It was the reason I used him to wire out my new property. It was further away from Boston than was practical for every day commute but it was a perfect home for the weekends.

Antonio and I made our way down the hallway and took the elevator down to the lobby. My driver was waiting for me.

As soon as we exited the building, I spotted her. The school teacher that spilled coffee on me. My driver was here already, holding the door open for Antonio and me. She was a mere ten feet away from me, and if I got into the car now, she wouldn’t have ever known we crossed paths again.

All her attention was on her iPhone. She was typing fast, a small smile on her face and made me wonder who she was talking to. Her smile was almost dreamy and jealousy hit that she would smile like that at a mere text message from someone. I watched her, waiting to see if she’d glance up. I wanted her to see me. Something about her had captured me. I caught myself thinking about her several times today.

She wore the same dress but her cardigan was gone, her slim shoulders on full display. She had a beautiful figure, and an admirable posture. Like a dancer. Even now, her neck gracefully bent over her phone screen, she stood straight.

I didn’t move, waiting for her to run straight into me. And sure as hell, that was exactly what she did. For the briefest of seconds, her soft body was flushed against mine and I caught her in my arms. She felt warm and soft.

“Oh, shit,” she muttered, never looking up.

Her phone flew out of her hands and I caught it. As my eyes glanced over the screen, I was surprised it wasn’t on a message screen but was open to a Google Doc page.

I handed her the phone, “Thank you!” she said, a relief in her voice. “It would have sucked big time if it broke.”

That phone must mean a lot to her. But then this younger generation put a lot of value into technology. As she took it, her eyes raised to meet mine. God, those bedroom eyes were something. They were warm, soft, and shone like there were stars in them.

Her eyes immediately flashed in recognition.

“Hey you,” she greeted me with surprise in her voice. Her lush lips curved into a soft smile. I almost felt relieved. It would have been a blow to my ego if she had already forgotten me.

“Hello again.” I loved the sound of her voice.

“We have to stop meeting like this,” she teased.

“I agree.” It was on the tip of my tongue to ask her if she’d like to have drinks with me. I could take her to my penthouse and have a proper meet and greet with her.

Her eyes darted behind me, and I followed her gaze to Antonio. He took a step closer to ensure it wasn’t a threat. In our world, women could be just as deadly.

“It’s okay, Antonio,” I told him. I had good instincts and they told me this woman wasn’t a threat. She was a mystery.

She watched him curiously and then her eyes returned to me. “At least I didn’t spill coffee on you this time,” she cackled. “Your friend wouldn’t have liked that.”

I chuckled. What was it with this woman that she was able to make me smile? Both this morning and now. She certainly had a way with words.

“Anyhow,” she continued, smiling. “I’m late.” She rolled her eyes, smiling mischievously. “Yes, again. But it was nice seeing you. Have a good evening.”

I had the strangest urge to ask for her name. I wanted to know who she was and ask her to have dinner with me so I could listen to her soft voice. I wanted her to tell me all about herself. But I had Angelica to deal with tonight. That made my mood even worse. It would be a much better time spent with this young woman. There was such calmness about her, it was intoxicating.

“Good evening,” I told her instead.

She glanced towards Antonio and tilted her head slightly. She passed both of us and continued on without a backward glance, while I stared after her.

I tore my gaze away from her and noted Antonio watching me. I got into the car without another word. He followed right behind.

“You know that woman?” he asked.

“I ran into her this morning,” I told him.

“She is quite beautiful,” he commented. “I ran into her a few weeks back too.”

My head snapped to him in surprise. “Where?”