Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 82332 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82332 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
“Take a shower. I’ll lay one of my shirts out for you to sleep in tonight. Tomorrow morning your brother will have your clothes and personal items delivered here.”
“He will? Why?”
“You live here now, il mio tesoro. It’s a foregone conclusion. Everyone knows it. It’s time you stop fighting the inevitable. I would hope in our limited time together that you would know me well enough to know that I’m the kind of man who doesn’t stop until he gets what he wants.”
“You want to marry me?”
“I want you period. I also need it in writing,” I respond as I lay her on the bed. I go to the shower and adjust the water temp and turn it on. When I come back, she’s staring at me—completely bewildered.
“I’ve missed you, Antonio,” she says, sounding lost.
“As I have you. Now, I’ll go to my meeting. You shower. Your water is running.”
“Thank you for saving me today,” she responds, surprising me again.
I lean down to capture her lips. I’m grateful she doesn’t fall asleep again. A man’s ego can only take so much. “Shower,” I tell her heading for the door. I find a little extra spring in my step. Maybe having a woman permanently won’t be so bad after all. Hell, at least I know that no matter what happens, life with Melina won’t be boring.
That’s for damn sure.
I give my woman one last glance and then go outside. “No one in or out. Got it, Victorio?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Also, call Gordon to come up and take your place. I want you downstairs.”
“Gordon?” Victorio questions and doesn’t bother to hide the disbelief in his voice.
“Gordon. I didn’t stutter.”
“You want me to call Gordon in to replace me?”
“You will be with me. Gordon will be stationed outside my bedroom and make sure no one gets to Melina.”
“I see.”
“Is there a problem?” I snap.
“I’m just wondering why you’ve made this sudden decision,” Victorio answers. “Do you find my work unsatisfactory?”
“Stop the bullshit. You know you’re the best man I have for these things. I just feel more comfortable with more defensive measures than we currently have.”
“What the boss isn’t saying is you’re too damn pretty to be watching over our women, Victorio.”
“Son of a bitch I thought I asked you to wait for me downstairs, Niko,” I growl when he interrupts my conversation.
Hell, he’s not wrong. Victorio is entirely too pretty to be around Melina. She’s too fragile right now. I need to have her completely tied to me. Then, Victorio can be around her… maybe. Damn it, I was moving him up in the organization. It might be best I do that sooner instead of later.
“You did, but it’s not every day I see you bring a woman inside these walls—especially one in a wedding dress. I was curious. Besides, Emilia would kill me if I didn’t get the complete story to share with her.”
“I liked it better when you weren’t a regular fixture in my home, Petrova.”
“You once told me to call you Anton. I think perhaps I’ll start doing that again.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose, growling under my breath. “Keep it up Niko and I’ll put Victorio on permanent duty watching over Emilia.”
He shoots me a dirty look, but it’s Victorio who is annoyed. “Are you two telling me that I need to find new employment because you’re afraid I’ll steal your women? Do you seriously think they would be so easily swayed? Okay, so I’m much better looking than either of you—”
“In your dreams,” I snap.
“And I dress better—”
“You do dress nice. That suit you have on tonight will be a good one to bury you in,” Niko grumbles.
Victorio does laugh, but he shakes his head. “Do I need to find different employment?”
“About that, I’ve been thinking of giving you a promotion. I have several offices to fill. We discussed moving you into Dante’s place before. I think it would be better to do that sooner rather than later.”
“You don’t think you’ll face bitching from the others because you didn’t promote from within the family?” he asks, showing that he understands the inner workings of the family better than I gave him credit for.
“I didn’t get where I am by giving a fuck about what others thought of my decisions. I make the best decision for the family and for me. That’s it. You’re a natural and we both know your skills are wasted in your current position.”
“That would keep me closer to home most nights and better hours,” he says, scratching his jaw as he thinks it over.
“That’s important to you?” I’m more than a little surprised because it never has been before. That’s the real reason I’ve continued to keep him where he’s at. He is always ready to travel at the drop of a hat and never complains.