Page 51 of Vows of a Mobster

I poured more wine into Daphne’s glass, then Marissa’s, and finally my own.

“It will be okay, right?” I whispered to Daphne.

She nodded. “I’ll go get extra clothes tomorrow morning.”

I shook my head thinking back to Mateo. “I don’t get it,” I muttered. “He seemed so nice.”

I cringed thinking back to our conversations today and a few days ago. I should have been shaking in my spot; instead, I acted like he was nobody. Well not nobody. But certainly not the head mobster.

Maybe it was precisely that which made him notice me. That I spoke to him like we were old friends.

Marissa was back and reclaiming her spot.

“Should I try to make him be sick of me sooner or try to hold his attention longer so I can stay on his payroll?” I mumbled. “I can’t decide what is better.”

“I have to agree with Marissa,” Daphne started speaking as if brainstorming. “You are unlike any woman that I’ve seen Mateo with. Now that I think about it, doesn’t he usually go for blondes?”

She looked at me questioningly.

“How the hell should I know?” I answered her, wondering why we would even care what he went for in terms of women. “I didn’t even know it was him.”

“It was stupid to even allow him close to her,” Marissa commented. “It is all my mistake.”

“Mar, stop it,” I reprimanded her. “It started even before today. I ran into him a few days ago and spilled coffee onto his suit. I kept chatting like an idiot.”

“You weren’t intimidated by him?” Daphne asked in amazement.

“No, that’s why it’s so hard to process all this,” I replied. “Then I ran into him later that day and again two days later in the garage and chatted again. I found him attractive. Like very attractive.”

“Really?” Marissa asked in surprise.

“He’s a good-looking guy,” I muttered, now feeling stupid. “A man. Good-looking older man. Shit, now you are making me nervous.”

“Maybe that’s why he wants you?” Marissa marveled.

“What do you mean?” Daphne asked.

“It crossed my mind too,” I told Marissa, knowing where she was going.

“Can you explain it to me?” Daphne complained. “I don’t get it.”

“Brie didn’t know who he was,” Marissa started explaining. “And we all know she can be fun. That’s why she has us as friends.” I rolled my eyes at both of them but couldn’t help but smile. “So she was her charming self. And boom, Mateo was under her spell.”

“Okay, I wouldn’t go that far,” I interrupted.

“Either way,” Marissa ignored me. “You saw how she responded to Mateo when he first came to the party. She kept speaking her mind, teasing, and Mateo probably liked that very much.”

I was so confused. “So what do I do with that? I am still not sure if I should get fired sooner or later. I want to be with Emma through all this.”

“Mateo is really busy and works a lot,” Marissa started speaking eagerly. “Give him what he wants but each moment he is busy working, you spend with Emma. I think the secretary's work was just his excuse to get you away from Marcus and closer to himself. I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t have you working at all. He will probably demand your nights more than anything. Daphne and I will bring our stuff here tomorrow morning while you are at work. Is Emma good to go to daycare?”

“Only till her treatments start,” I told her. All the information overflowed my mind and there were too many variables to consider.

“Good, that way we can settle in tomorrow morning,” Marissa’s voice was all business. “We’ll take care of her together. It is not like we have jobs. We’ll need the car seats for each one of our vehicles. Whenever you are not around, we’ll send you updates. You’ll have to add our names to the list at the treatment center.”

“Your names are already on there,” I stated.

“We can do this,” Daphne exclaimed. “We will do this. Brie, can you do him?”