Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 95013 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95013 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
“Gina.” She sat across from me, a little bit timid and shy.
Fuck, this was awkward. She was twenty-five years old, so almost ten years younger than me, and that made me uncomfortable. It was way too big of an age gap for me. Aurelia was turning thirty this year, so that was close enough.
“My father said you wanted to have lunch with me?”
More like forced. “He just thought it would be nice if we met each other.” I was careful with what I said, because if I said the wrong thing, Tommaso might get angry. I didn’t want to do this once, let alone twice, so I had to get through it and move on. “So, are you in school or anything?”
“Um, I’m twenty-five.”
“Oh yeah, right. So what do you do with your time?” How long did I have to sit here for?
“Well, I’m really into fashion. My mom and I go shopping a lot. And we spend a lot of time on the boat. It’s better than the crowded beaches . . .” She went on for a while, talking about the little details of her life.
I tried not to zone out too much.
When she was done, she asked me about working with her father.
That was something I could talk about all day, so I told her how I got started with Cosa Nostra and then became the emperor of Rome . . . and then the downfall that came afterward.
“Wow, that’s a lot.”
“I was in a dark place for a while, but I’m better now.”
“That’s good.”
Tommaso really believed I’d have one lunch with his daughter and turn into a pile of mush? That was all it took for me to ditch my pregnant woman? The man was fucking delusional. Even if I weren’t committed, nothing would ever happen with this girl. Not because anything was wrong with her, but she was just too young for me. I knew most men were into that, but I never had been. I wanted a partner, someone to grow old with, and even if I wanted to fuck someone for the night, I wouldn’t pick Tommaso’s daughter.
We chatted over the three-course meal, and I grasped at straws to make conversation with her. If I wasn’t invested in a person, I naturally didn’t have much to say. So I was forcing myself to keep the conversation going, reaching for anything to talk about to make it to the end.
And then it took a turn for the worse.
“You’re really hot,” she said with a hint of shyness.
I didn’t smile, felt really sick. The self-loathing felt toxic in my bloodstream. I’d hoped that if I kept the conversation cordial and boring, it wouldn’t lead in this direction, but it happened anyway. I didn’t accept the compliment because that felt like treason, and obviously, I didn’t issue a compliment in return because that felt deceitful. But I’d been there for an hour and I fulfilled my end of the bargain, so it was time to bail. “I should get going. I have somewhere to be.”
Chapter 13
Constantine
When I came home from Palermo, I took a shower to wash off the smell of smoke and perfume—like a scumbag who’d just had an affair. I knew I had to tell Aurelia what happened, but I wasn’t in the mood to do it today. Too much bullshit had happened in eight hours, and I was dead tired.
I was downstairs with Medusa on the couch when Aurelia came home from work. She was in a much better mood than when she’d left that morning, so Isabella obviously hadn’t stopped by after I’d yelled at her.
She put her purse on the counter. “Hey.”
Medusa walked down the ramp off the couch and headed over to her, just the way she did with me. Aurelia had been a stranger to her just a few months ago, but she accepted her as part of the family unconditionally. And Medusa didn’t like just anybody. She had great instincts when it came to people.
Aurelia smothered her in affection and attention before she turned to me. “How was your day?”
I came over to her in nothing but my sweatpants, ready for bed when it wasn’t even four in the afternoon yet. “Pretty shitty.” My arm circled her lower back, and I pulled her in for a quick kiss.
“How’d it go with Isabella?”
“I screamed at her . . . a lot.”
“Con . . .”
“Probably took it too far, honestly. But I don’t feel bad about it. She had it coming.”
“I don’t know if that’s actually productive.”
“I think calling someone on their bullshit is more productive than you realize. The effects may not be immediate, but they’re like seeds that slowly grow after they’ve been planted. Told her that if the bullshit continues, then I’m not afraid to cut her out of my life. I think she got the message.”