Page 29 of Mafia Obsession

“Thank you. I have enormous gratitude and respect for you, Mr. Zervas. For this.” She holds up the job offer letter.

I grin with a tiny bite to my lower lip.

You won’t respect me when you’re on your knees, and I’m throat fucking you.

Instead ofthatproposal, I make another. “Are you free this evening? Or do you have plans with your husband?”

“He’s in Boston,” she answers, her voice carefully neutral. “He’ll be there a few days.”

“Interesting.” I nod like I didn’t know this already.

“What do you need me for tonight?” She looks me dead in the eye. Something I don’t permit many people to do.

But with her, I want her to see every inch of me. The good and bad. Especially the bad.

Because I’m a bad man, and I do bad things. I won’t change, not for anyone.

“My young cousin is a sous-chef at French Craft. The head chef isn’t treating her right. I need to remind him who she is. Her last name isn’t Zervas, but the chef is either lazy or stupid for not remembering who her family is.”

Lourdes swallows. “You’re going to intimidate him?”

“If that’s how he takes it.” I smile. “Lucia and her sister are graduates from La Varenne in Burgundy. They are not entitled. I don’t tolerate anything less than excellence from my blood.” I get closer. “I will dine there as a warning. And I need a guest. A date.”

“I can do that.”

I stare at Lourdes and estimate how long until I get her husband out of the way. How long until she is mine?

In my bed.

Chapter 11

Lourdes

Head spinning from the craziest morning of my life, I let myself into the apartment, still not entirely sure how I ended up agreeing to a fake date with Ares Zervas. As delighted as I am for David not to be here, looking at this dump is a slap in the face compared to how I’ll be spending my day.

How will I be able to work at an upscale, elegant place like Zervas & Company, then come home to this hellhole and not want to throw up?

Still not believing my great luck, I spend the rest of the afternoon going through the new laptop and securing it like the previous one, so David can’t break into it and find my shell account. I won’t be adding any more embezzled money into it. But with the stipend account Ares talked about, I will hopefully get to where I need to be sooner.

Hours later, a text comes in from my new boss telling me to be ready at seven p.m.

That leads to a manic hour going through my closet. I spot the boxes in the back filled with my father’s belongings. I’d been meaning to go through them since he passed five years ago, but it’s too painful.

My fingers itch to look, but I don’t have time now for a trip down memory lane. I push the thoughts of Dad and Sandrine out of my head to finish getting ready.

With my one little black dress barely zipped, a knock on the door has me rushing into the living room. I come to a halt, seeing Ares standing there. He looks painfully out of place. I feel bad for him.

But wait… What is he doinginsidemy apartment?

“How did you get in here?” I stuff down my anger at the personal intrusion.

He produces a key. “This is how.”

I narrow my eyes. “Where did you find that?”

He steps back through the doorway and points to the door frame. “It was taped to the upper molding.”

“I never saw that before.” I reach for it, and after a moment, he drops it into my hand.