She jerks her chin. “Yeah, now, when is the first auction to take place and how many rooms do I need to have ready?”
“Five to start out. I don’t want to overwhelm anyone,” I offer.
“Is it going to be a full night? I was thinking of getting a couple dealers and opening some tables.”
I dip my chin, my eyes finding hers. “I love that idea. Hors d’oeuvres, full bar, open tables, and women. I want the waitresses to be a few of the girls. Dress them up as appetizers as well.” I grin.
“You’re a pig, you know that?”
“The men that will pay to fuck a virgin are worse, which is why they’ll love it.”
She grumbles as she makes notes. “Okay, I think I have it all. Text me a date and time. I’ll have everything ready and go over final arrangements the week prior.”
“Thanks, Mia. I’d be lost without you,” I say, reaching out and touching her nose.
Mia is a sweet woman, a ball-buster, but sweet nonetheless. She and Gavino had a physical thing off and on in the past, but we’ve never been anything more than friends.
Typically, I don’t like to mix business with pleasure. Unfortunately, my wife is the only time I’ve ever done it, and to be honest, it’s not very fucking pleasurable. In fact, it’s a goddamn nightmare.
Thinking of my wife puts a nasty taste in my mouth, it’s bitter and an idea flashes in my head. What if she was the cause of Lenora’s shop being broken into? It couldn’t be, could it? Then I remember on our wedding day that she mentioned she had gone to her store.
Leaving Mia, I head to the home that I share with Wynter. I need to try to figure out if she’s involved, if she is, that ramps up my timeline, rapidly. As if it wasn’t fast enough.
I want her out of my life as soon as humanly possible, but if she has some kind of target on Lenora’s back, that will change the entire dynamic of how it’s handled.
Merda. I need this puttana gone.
Chapter Nineteen
ARLO
My wife. Just the thought of calling her that makes me feel ill, but that’s who she is. She sits in the middle of the bed wearing nothing but some see-through lingerie and an evil fucking smile.
“Have a good day, darling?” she purrs.
Tilting my head to the side, I watch her for a moment. She seriously thinks that she can best me. She can’t, I won’t allow it. Not when Lenora’s safety is at stake. Lenora whose love is pure, who I don’t deserve, who stays at my side anyway—for now at least.
“Spectacular,” I lie.
She narrows her gaze on me for a moment, then with an over-exaggerated flourish she exits the bed. Staying right where I am, my feet unwilling to move, she walks directly toward me. She’s so close that I can smell her floral perfume and feel her tits as they press against my chest.
“You’ve been a bad boy, haven’t you, Arlo,” she whispers.
I flinch when her hand presses against the center of my chest. She slides her palm up and wraps her ice-cold fingers around the side of my throat.
I don’t respond to her words.
I’ve been the worst kind of man, not just bad, but fucking terrible. I’ll never admit it aloud to her though—never.
“What did you do?” I ask, knowing damn well that she’s behind Lenora’s shop being broken into and her inventory destroyed.
Her lips curl up into a grin. “I don’t know what you’re referring to, darling.”
Grunting, I sidestep her and brush past her body toward the bathroom, then I decide to turn back and head to my office. Maybe I can be alone in there, get some work done and avoid my wife all at the same time.
“Don’t think you’ll be getting away with a damn thing, husband,” she calls out.
I stop, turning my head to look over my shoulder at her. “Like what, wife?”
“Like controlling anything without my knowledge. The contracts are set into place with my father, but I expect to be in on everything. I heard you had a meeting with him and I want to know what exactly that was about,” she attempts to demand.
I let out a bark of laughter, turning around to face her fully, again. “You are not in this business with me, with us, with the famiglia, Wynter. You’re a vessel for my cock and one day the mother to my children,” I spit, hating the necessary words.
“But, the marriage, with me. It’s so that our families are combined. That means you need me,” she insists, her voice trembling.
Shaking my head, I take a step forward, dipping my chin slightly. “Wynter. I don’t need you. In fact, if you disappeared tomorrow, the contract would stay intact. It was only to appease your father, to make everything easier. With or without you, he was going to agree to what we wanted.”
“Why?” she asks.
I chuckle, taking another step toward her. Reaching out, I wrap my hand around her throat and squeeze firmly. “Because we would have made him an offer he couldn’t refuse,” I grin.
She tilts her head to the side, unbothered by my grip on her neck. “You would have killed him?” she asks.
I don’t answer her. Instead, my eyes widen and I dip my chin toward her. “You would have killed me,” she breathes.
Smirking, I take a step back. The first thing I learned as a kid, never actually fucking say what you would have done or what you’re going to do. Anything and everything can and will always be used against you.
My wife would be the first person to go running to the cops and squeal. Especially, if it meant she got any kind of power or hold over me. She’s discovered that sex isn’t the key, and now she’s searching for something else.
“Go to bed, Wynter. I have shit to do,” I state, dropping my hand and turning away from her.
I’m crossing the threshold when she speaks again, her voice is loud and shrill when she screams after me.
“Did your whore enjoy her evening?”
My spine stiffens, but I don’t react to her. Instead, I continue on toward my office, slamming and locking my door behind me. Without a second thought, I wrench my phone from my pocket and dial Massimo, one of the Street Bosses. I know him well enough, growing up at his side and joining the famiglia at the same time, I know that I can trust him almost as much as I can trust Gavino.
“Zanetti,” he grunts sounding as if I’ve woken him up.
Then, I hear a female voice in the background and I can’t help but smirk. “Sorry, but not really, for interrupting. You at Carmella’s house sampling?” I ask.
“You know it,” he chuckles. “I find that I enjoy the taste of Ireland,” he murmurs.
“Cazzo, Massimo,” I say, shaking my head. “I have a job for you.”
He clears his throat, then I hear fabric rustling around. “What’s up?”
“It’s my woman, I need protection. You or one of your guys, but I would prefer you. She works in Manhattan, lives in the East Village,” I explain.
“Quite a ways away from Brooklyn, Zanetti.”
I nod as if he can see me. “I know. I understand it’s difficult, but I think my wife has hired some men to harass her.”
“Wait, this isn’t for your wife?” he asks.
“If it were, I’d just get a couple soldiers to stay with her. I can’t do that, not with Lenora.”
He hums. “Because it would draw more attention to her. I get that, but Zanetti, is this worth it? Is she worth it? She’s not your wife, she can never truly be your woman.”
Lifting my palm to my face, I scrub my hand down and shake my head as if he can see me. Letting out a groan, I lean back in my office chair, then shift my gaze toward the ceiling.
“Let’s just say I’m looking for ways to not have the ball and chain much longer, yeah?”
He whistles, it’s low and long. “That’s some kind of statement, Arlo.”
“I never wanted it, not with her. I was willing to do it for duty…” My words trail off.
“Then you met someone. I get it, but this new girl, she doesn’t know who and what you are. She doesn�
��t know what kind of life she’s going to have with you. She doesn’t know shit, right? That isn’t good,” he explains. “To break an innocent that way, that’s just asking for trouble.”
“Just do what I fucking ask, Massimo.”
He chuckles, it’s dry and I can tell he doesn’t think that any of this is remotely funny. I find it kind of hilarious that he’s worried about my woman so goddamn much. That he’s so concerned with her innocence, with the life that I would give her.
“Trust me, Arlo. Come clean, yeah? Because when she finds out the truth, she’ll feel nothing but anger, contempt, and betrayal.”
I grind my teeth together so hard that I’m afraid I may actually crack them. Inhaling a deep breath through my nose, I exhale out of my mouth then speak again.
“Thank you for your misplaced concern, I appreciate it. Can you protect Lenora, or not?”
There’s a moment of silence. I hear the woman with him moving around in the background, otherwise, I would have thought that he hung up on me.
“I will protect her, Arlo. But, trust me when I say that it is not for your benefit. This should not be easy for you. You need to tell her the truth and to give her the respect that she deserves. I will protect her for her, to attempt to keep some of her innocence intact.”
“I have a feeling none of this really has to do with me or Lenora, but thank you, Massimo.”
“You’re right. It doesn’t. It’s for mia madre.”
Without another word, he ends the call. I stare at my now blank cellphone screen and frown. I don’t know what happened to Massimo’s mother other than the fact that she passed away when we were kids.
I don’t even remember what she looked like, but if he’s doing this because of her, then I can’t deny that I don’t need to know the rest, just that Lenora will be protected.
Glancing at the locked door, I decide that I’ll stay in here the rest of the evening. Turning toward my wet bar, I make myself a glass of whiskey and power on my computer. I have some paperwork that I’ve been slacking on anyway, this is the perfect time to catch up.
ELENORA
Sitting up on the sofa, I look around. I can feel that I’m alone, again. Frowning, I pull the blanket up toward my neck and stare out at the water. I don’t know where Carlo could be, but I can’t deny that it hurts that he’s left me alone, especially after what happened to me.
Reaching for my phone, I glance at the time and cringe. It’s three in the morning. Going back to sleep now would be futile. I know myself, I know that without a doubt it would take me at least an hour to fall asleep, if I even did, then I would wake up every hour on the hour afraid that I’ve missed my alarm.
With a huff, I swing my legs over the side of the cushion and let the blanket drop. Standing, I sway slightly, feeling a bit woozy. Lifting my hand to my head, I blink, wincing at the size of the knot that was left behind by the mysterious giant of a man’s gun.
Falling back against the sofa, I let out a frustrated sound. I don’t know what to do today. I can’t go in to work. I don’t want to go back. But I have a lease that I have to pay.
I love my shop, I love my customers, I love being surrounded by luxurious fabrics all day long and helping women feel and look sexy at every size. I just love what I do.
Whoever this person was, I’m not going to let them intimidate me. I’m not going to let them win. Whatever their end goal is, I don’t care, because I am going to keep going—against all odds and at all costs.
I spend the rest of the early morning hours writing a list of all the people that I need to contact when their businesses open. My first phone call is going to be my insurance agent. Hopefully, I can recoup some of the loss of inventory as quickly as possible.
My second call is my bank. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to get a small loan to help with reordering new inventory quickly, instead of having to wait for the insurance claim to process.
After them, I need to call Chloe. Maybe I’ll call her first, I don’t know. I just know that I need my best friend at my side.
There’s a sharp pang in my heart.
I wish that Arlo wanted to be at my side throughout this whole thing, but he’s gone with zero explanation. I know that he works a lot of nights, but after what happened yesterday, I assumed that he would stay with me.
Biting my bottom lip, I don’t realize I’ve bitten so hard until I taste the tang of blood on my tongue. Sitting in my spot on the sofa, my legs pulled up onto the cushion, I watch as the sun rises. The sky looks clean and clear in the early morning sunshine, somehow it isn’t dulled by the city quite yet.
My phone buzzes in my hand and I glance down to see that it’s Arlo. I curse my heart for skipping a beat at the sight of his name. Sliding my thumb across the screen, I stupidly accept the call, unable to stop myself even if I wanted to.
“Carlo,” I whisper.
“I’m sorry I’m not there, tesoro,” he murmurs. “I had some work shit come up, and I had to go. You’re okay though?”
There’s a moment of silence where I debate on asking him what kind of work stuff could come up at three in the morning, but I decide to let it go. Mainly because I really don’t think that I want to know the truth or the details, and that is frightening enough.
“I’m okay. I was just putting together a list of things that I needed to do today,” I whisper.
He hums. “I have a man that will be watching you today. Don’t be frightened. His name is, Massimo and he’s a friend of mine. I just want to make sure that you’re okay.”
I frown, my eyes finding the shimmery water and I stare at the small waves. “I’m going to have to file a police report,” I announce.
There’s silence on the other end of the line. It lasts for so long that I’m not sure if he’s still there. Then he speaks.
“Yes, okay, tesoro. Whatever you need to do, you do it. Whatever you need from me, you have it,” he offers.
“I love you, Arlo,” I whisper.
He hums, not saying the words back. My heart breaks a little bit each time that I vow my love for him and he only kisses me, thanks me, hums, or changes the subject. It’s heart-wrenching, every fucking second.
“I’m just a phone call away, Lenora.”
“Okay, sweetheart.”
The call ends and I stare at the blank screen of my phone. I don’t know why, but being with him feels lonely. I’ve never felt this way before, even when I was single. It’s a new sensation, to be with someone that I love, and yet, feel so alone in the world.
I find that I don’t care for it, not in the slightest. It needs to change. I didn’t feel this way before he left for a week, before we moved in together. Something has shifted, something he’s not telling me.
It’s just, I’m not sure that I truly want to know. I’m afraid of what it means, what would become of us if I found out. Yet, I know that I need to know.
Chapter Twenty
ELENORA
After visiting the police department, then calling my insurance for a second time and filing the claim, then giving them the police report number. I went to the bank next to visit the loan officer, who proceeded to take all of my information, but judging by the look of pity in his eyes, I’m assuming the outcome doesn’t look good for a loan, considering I don’t have any equity to put up.
Nothing.
All of my cash, minus a few thousand dollars that I’ve managed to save, is tied up in the inventory that lays useless in the middle of my store. Feeling defeated, I finally decide to make my way toward my shop.
On the way, I call Chloe from the cab. She’s called me at least five times while I was doing all of my running around and I silenced each one.
“Oh my God, where have you been?” she screeches.
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. You have to see it for yourself, meet me at the store?” I ask as the cab driver turns down the street where my poor battered shop lies.
She agrees as the cabbie pulls up and stops at the c
urb. I hand him my card, then sign his slip before exiting the car. Standing on the sidewalk, I decide that I can’t walk into the store by myself, not alone, I can’t see the mess that he left behind.
Luckily, I don’t have to wait long for Chloe to appear. She’s dressed for work, but since it’s still late-afternoon, I know she’s either taken off for the day, or she’s taken an extended break, just for me.
“Lenora, you sounded funny, is everything okay?” she asks as soon as she’s at my side.
Without looking at her, I begin to speak. “A man came into the store last night after closing, through the back. I thought it was Arlo coming to see me, but it wasn’t. I was stupid and opened the door. He hit me on the head, then he ruined all of my inventory. Everything is literally in shreds in the middle of the floor. I’ve spent the entire morning filing police reports and insurance claims.”
My voice sounds monotone, stoic and just plain void. Chloe’s arm slides across my shoulders. I hold it together, but just barely. I don’t know if I can actually walk inside and do the same though. Seeing all of my pretty things in shreds on the floor, I don’t think I can do it again.
“Maybe I shouldn’t tell you what I was going to tell you,” she whispers.
Turning my head, I look over at her. She’s staring straight ahead, her eyes focused on the store and she looks just as stoic as I do.
“Chloe?”
“We need to be alone for this, not on the street. I don’t want to ruin your day any more than it is, but I can’t sit on this, Lenora. I wouldn’t want you to if I were in your situation, so I won’t allow myself either.”
“This sounds really fucking bad,” I hiss.
Only then does she turn her head. What I see in her eyes, it causes my heart to stop beating inside my chest.
My feet move and I unlock the door, then unseeing, as if I’m on automatic, I disarm the alarm system. What I don’t do is look at the middle of the store. Instead, I spin around and place my palms on the counter behind me, leaning my ass against it as I look at my best friend.
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