As soon as I was in the car, I reached around to the back seat and dragged my coat over my lap. Heart racing like I’d just sprinted the Olympic hundred-meter dash, I dropped the porcelain crucifix I’d swiped off the old-fashioned desk into one of the pockets just as Enzo joined me. He glanced over, saw the coat on my lap and the way I was shivering, and cranked the ignition and turned the heat on.
I was glad it was chilly enough to have the coat. And I would return the cross the first chance I could. Taking it had been an automatic reaction to the rise of panic I’d experienced when I saw the others who were attending the wedding dinner. Something I’d had no control over. A self-defense mechanism, if you will, that comes on whenever I get too nervous in a situation. Or too emotional in any form, really. At least that’s what my therapists told me. I’d been doing it ever since I was a kid, and after years of doctor’s visits and behavioral therapy, I still had no idea why or how to stop myself from stealing.
Enzo turned the heat up more as the engine warmed up. But I wasn’t shivering because of the cold. Although the temperature had dropped a bit with the rain, it was still pretty mild for Austin this time of year. No, I was shaking was for an entirely different reason.
I was in shock.
I think.
I’d literally just escaped the lion’s mouth.
Why, why, didn’t I ask Jade more about this guy before I offered to take her place tonight as his date? All she’d told me was that he was a big spender, he’d never hit her in anger, didn’t ask a lot of questions, always made sure she made it home safe, and that he took care of her in bed. But I should’ve asked more questions. Or hell, maybe she didn’t know who he really was. Was that possible? No. It couldn’t be. If he took her to functions like this, there was no fucking way she couldn’t know he was in the mob.
I’d never been so grateful I didn’t tell him my full name.
My thoughts were interrupted when Enzo took off his sunglasses, grabbed a soft cloth from the console, and started to dry them. I stared at his profile, suddenly wishing he would look at me so I could see his eyes. I wondered what color they were. Brown, if I had to guess by his coloring. Maybe hazel.
No. It was better if he didn’t look directly at me. Judging by the firm set of his jaw, he wasn’t very happy with me. Not that he’d done so much as crack a smile all night, so it was kind of hard to tell. But in any case, I didn’t need him to look too closely at me right now. And not just because I’d stolen a knickknack. But because I was never very good at hiding my emotions. And right now, I was scared shitless. He’d see it on my face, and he would start asking questions. Questions I wasn’t ready to answer.
I looked away quickly and stared straight out of the front windshield at the front of the restaurant as he put his glasses back on and shifted into reverse. It had smelled wonderful inside, and my stomach growled in protest. I’d like to come back here sometime and eat when it wasn’t being overrun by mafia men who knew my father.
My eyes widened as the front door swung open and a man I’d met only once before stepped outside. He threw his arms up in the air in the universal sign for ‘where are you going?’ and then scowled up at the sky as the rain went from a drizzle to a downpour. I ducked my head and hid my face before his attention came back to us. My throat thickened until I couldn’t even swallow and my heart tried to gallop right out of my chest as I waited for Enzo to notice him.
Oh, my god. I was completely and utterly fucked. And not in the way I was hoping for when I’d set out tonight.
But, by some grace of that same god, Enzo either ignored the man or didn’t see him and continued to back away, cutting the wheel so my side of the car was closest to the restaurant before pulling forward and making his way down the drive to the main road. I silently said a Hail Mary that the windows were tinted as dark as they were.
‘You’re quiet.’
I’d been staring out the window ever since we’d left the restaurant, lost in my thoughts as I listened to the sound of the rain hitting the windows and the squeak of the windshield wipers swinging back and forth, and it startled me when he spoke. I’d almost forgotten he was there, and that caught me by surprise considering how close I was to being caught just from sitting next to this man. Plus, I wasn’t one to daydream. I was always aware of my surroundings and who was in my near vicinity. I’d had to be. ‘Um, yeah. I’m sorry.’ I didn’t know why I was apologizing. I was allowed to not be forced into idle conversation if I didn’t want to speak, and he was only making an observation.
I felt more than saw his eyes run over the entire length of my body, and suddenly it was entirely too hot underneath my coat, and the space between our seats was way too close. I couldn’t seem to take a full breath.
‘How are you feeling?’
It was on the tip of my tongue to say ‘strangely flustered’ before I remembered I was supposed to be ill. ‘Better now that I’m away from all the food smells. And since there’s no way in hell I could be pregnant, I think it’s likely I’m coming down with Jade’s stomach bug.’ The lie burned the back of my throat. In reality, Jade wasn’t sick at all. She was out on a date with another client. And I wasn’t sick, either. But he didn’t need to know that.
Enzo kept his eyes straight ahead as he navigated the winding road in the rain. ‘I’d like to take you back to the hotel. And I’d like you to spend the night with me.’
Such simple words, spoken in a straightforward manner and without any hint of emotion. Yet my pulse sped up and my stomach tightened like I’d just gone over the peak of a roller coaster track, and I was now speeding back down the other side and doing loop-ty loops. I looked down at my lap before glancing over at him. He still wasn’t looking at me, but watching the slick road in front of him. This was what I’d expected when I’d begged Jade to let me take her place. But now that the moment was here, I found I wasn’t as prepared as I thought I’d been. I cleared my throat. Get it together, Sera. ‘Aren’t you worried I’ll vomit all over your hotel room? Or get you sick?’
‘No. I don’t get sick.’
When I was silent for too long, he said, ‘I’ll double your rate.’
My eyes widened as I stared at him. That was a hell of a lot of money. But I couldn’t. Not with him. I needed to end this date and stay far, far off his radar. ‘No. No, that’s not why I—’
‘I want you in my bed tonight, Sera.’ Slowing down, he stopped at a light and turned his head to look at me. Even though I couldn’t see his eyes, I could feel the way they burned and see the tension in his jaw. Unintentionally—or maybe not—my eyes dropped to his lap, and I quickly averted them when I saw the thick proof of what he was saying. ‘I’ll get you whatever you need for your stomach, but I want you to stay with me.’
It sounded more like an order than a request, and I felt my hackles go up in response. However, I strove to keep my tone as unemotional as his when I told him in a firm tone, ‘I’m sorry, Enzo. But I’m really not feeling well. I just need to go home.’
The car behind us laid on his horn, and Enzo glanced into the rearview mirror, then stepped on the gas and returned his attention to the road.
I took a deep breath and turned my head to stare out the window. He seemed to accept my answer this time because he said nothing else. However, he also didn’t ask for directions to where I was staying, and I knew he didn’t know where that was since he’d just met me tonight, so he must be taking me back to his hotel. That was fine. Once we arrived, I could catch an Uber. I don’t think Jade wanted her clients to know where she lived, anyway, and I was staying with her until I could save up enough money to start over somewhere else.
Despite the fact that I was playing with fire, I had to admit I was both relieved and disappointed that he’d given in so easily. An awkward silence stretched between us, at least on my end, and I searched for something to say. ‘How can you see to drive in those things?’ I was genuinely curious.
‘I can see fine. I’m used to them.’
‘I guess I’ll have to take your word for it.’ He didn’t respond, but I continued to try to distract him from his mission of getting me in his bed. ‘Do you wear them to hide something? Do you have a nasty birthmark or scar or something?’ Jade hadn’t said anything about him being disfigured. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t. To her, these guys she spent her time with were nothing but dollar signs. ‘It wouldn’t matter to me at all. I’m just curious.’
‘Or something,’ was all he said.
Pulling up in front of the hotel, he turned off the SUV and came around the front to open my door, giving me his hand to help me out. ‘Thank you,’ I murmured. ‘I’ll just call an Uber from the lobby and be out of your hair.’ He gave his keys to the valet, and I put on my coat as we walked up to the doors. ‘Again, I’m sorry I ruined your night.’
‘It’s alright,’ he replied. ‘I actually hate weddings.’
I smiled. ‘Most guys do.’ Then I held out my hand. ‘It was nice meeting you,’ I lied. ‘I’ll pay you back for the dress.’ How I was going to do this, I had no idea. But since I hadn’t earned it, it was really the right thing to do.
‘That’s not necessary. Consider it a gift. And my offer to stay still stands.’
‘Perhaps another time,’ I told him in a firm voice.
He stared down at me for so long I began to feel awkward standing there, holding my hand out. I was about to pull it back when he reached out and wrapped his long fingers around mine. Turning it until my palm faced up, he brought my hand up to his mouth and pressed a soft kiss to the inside of my wrist, his lips lingering over my pulse point as though he could feel how fast it fluttered.
My lips parted on a soft gasp as my nipples hardened and the muscles deep in my womb tightened sharply. I barely stopped myself from rubbing my thighs together to ease the sudden ache between them.
Pulling my hand from his, I gave him a small, apologetic smile for my impending rudeness and without another word, I turned and walked into the lobby to call my ride.
While I waited at the front desk to ask the girl behind the counter to make the call for me, I didn’t turn around to see where Enzo was, not even when I heard the sound of his dress shoes on the marble floors. His steps never faltered as he headed to the elevator on the other side of the lobby. But then again, why should they? I was just some strange woman with pink hair he’d had the misfortune of getting blue balls from tonight. I was very lucky he was such a gentleman about it all. And there was no reason he shouldn’t forget about me just as soon as I was out of his sight.
So why did I feel such a deep stab of rejection?
As I waited for my Uber, I silently scolded myself. I was being foolish. This guy wasn’t someone I’d met on a night off at the club and had some kind of immediate connection with. He was a client. And a disappointed one at that. There was no reason in hell he’d spare me one more thought. And no reason why I should want him to.
The phone rang, and the little blonde girl who was working the desk walked over and answered. I didn’t pay much attention to what she was saying until she hung up and I realized she was trying to get my attention. ‘Yes?’ I asked her.
‘That was Mr. Delligatti. He would like you to know that your ride is on its way and the cost of your Uber has been taken care of. Also, that he will see you here Tuesday night at eight o’clock sharp.’
Enzo Delligatti. I knew that name. From…somewhere…
My breath caught in my lungs. I couldn’t believe I’d been so stupid as to not have recognized him the moment he opened the door to his room. A large, hard-looking man with spiky dark hair and sunglasses who obviously had money to burn. And his name. How many Enzos were there in the city of Austin that fit that description?
Even though I’d never actually met him, he was infamous in our world. The right-hand man of Luca Morelli, the underboss of the Italian mafia in this area. It was said Luca was growing more powerful than his father, and was putting himself in a position to take over as boss. Fuck.
Fuck!
I gripped the crucifix in my pocket tightly. It’s okay. He doesn’t know who you are. Just keep it together. ‘After I leave, please give him my apologies. I’m not available Tuesday night.’
Luckily, my Uber chose that moment to pull up to the curb. ‘But please thank him for the ride home.’ Leaving her staring after me with her mouth hanging open in shock, I rushed out of the hotel and got into the car.
Yeah, even the hotel staff knew no one ever said no to Enzo Delligatti.
At least, not until tonight.
