“Not much. Just making sure you aren’t going to be a no-show tomorrow night.”
“What? No way. I can’t wait to hang out with you ladies.”
“Good because I hear there are going to be a lot of hot guys at Club X, especially after the match.”
She couldn’t resist telling Fina about Emanuel.
“Speaking of hot guys, remember Crown Royal from Celia’s?”
“The gorgeous Latin guy with the accent? Older, sexy as sin, and drooling over you, who blew him off? Yup. I remember him.”
“Well, he was here this morning—a potential new client.”
“No way. Oh my God, Giada, you’re getting a second chance,” Fina said to her.
“I don’t know about that.”
“Oh brother. If you’re going to blow off a guy like that, plus the two hotties you were doing the dirty with on the dance floor last week, I think you need to see a shrink. You’ve lost your freaking mind,” Fina stated very seriously.
Giada laughed. “You seriously aren’t attracted to any of these hot, wealthy men?”
“I wouldn’t say that. It’s just not like I’m super-attracted to them.”
“Honey, why aren’t you going after who you really want? You’re practically in love with Dominick, Andreas, and Giuseppe. Just go for it and let the rest of us have a chance at these other hotties. You can’t have them all,” Fina teased.
“I am not in love with them.”
“Sure you aren’t. So you must be gay then and like women.”
“What?”
“There’s no other excuse. I mean, seriously, these men you meet who show interest are so fucking hot it would make a lesbian stray, and you’re all blah about them.”
“You’re absolutely nuts, do you know that, Fina?”
“I’m nuts? You belong in the nut house pushing away all these sexy men. I think you do need Friday night to let go—hell, the whole weekend. Maybe we need a trip to Vegas.”
Giada laughed louder. “On that note, I’m going back to work. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
Giada ended the call and exhaled. Was she really losing her mind here? Was she being too cautious, too scared to date, to let another man touch her? She shook her head. Things were getting complicated quickly. She needed to focus on work. Work never brought her trouble. It took her away from complications and thoughts she wasn’t ready to process. Back to work. Now.
* * * *
“Where is she?” Andreas asked Bella.
Bella exhaled. “Giada isn’t sitting with us. She’s meeting clients’ here, but I do believe she’s going to be at your club afterward, Andreas.”
Andreas looked at Giuseppe and Dominick. They appeared disappointed, too.
“Those guys you checked out she was doing business with have a definite connection to Calvarro. Royce was right in what he found out this morning,” Brew told them as he came up behind Giuseppe.
“What?” Andreas asked.
Brew nodded toward the entryway, and Andreas couldn’t believe his eyes. Giada was walking in with not only the two dicks she’d dirty danced with the other night but also Calvarro Torres and his entourage.
“I’m going to say hello,” Giuseppe stated calmly.
Andreas stood where he was, along with Dominick, Brew, Train, Major, and Morano.
Morano whispered to him. “It has to be business, and she more than likely doesn’t have a clue as to who Calvarro is or what he’s connected to.”
“I would hope not,” Dominick said, clenching his teeth.
Andreas looked over as Giuseppe said hello. They greeted him with smiles, but Giada looked uncomfortable. Giuseppe pulled her into an embrace and kissed her cheek but also ran his palm along her ass. She gripped his shoulders, and they locked gazes.
“What the hell did Giuseppe say to her?” Andreas asked.
Dominick grunted his words. “Stay the fuck away from these men. You belong to Coglonie, I hope.”
Andreas felt his heart pounding. What the hell was she thinking?
* * * *
Giada was shocked when Giuseppe pulled her into his arms, kissed her neck, and whispered into her ear, “These are bad men you’re with. You’re safest with us. Be careful.”
She was shocked, but then she felt his palm slide along her ass, and he purposely let Calvarro and the guys see. Was this some sort of a macho claim to her or what? She was a bit embarrassed. Now these men would think she’d slept with Giuseppe.
He remained holding her at his side. “Do you mind if I snag Giada a few minutes to say hello to her friend Caprice? She’s a little nervous about her boyfriend fighting tonight?”
“It’s up to Giada,” Alajandro said, and she could tell that Calvarro didn’t like his response but forced a fake smile and a nod.
“I’ll be quick. That way we can talk before the fight starts,” she said to Calvarro.
He gave her a wink. “Yes, make it quick, Giada. We have things to discuss.” He eyed Giuseppe.
Giuseppe pulled her along with him, his grip tight on her waist.
“I’m going to trip if you keep walking this fast, Giuseppe.”
He slowed down. “Do you have any idea who that guy is?”
His reprimand made her feel like a child. “He’s a relative to the two men I’m working with.”
“A relative?” he asked as he pulled her into a crowd with his brother, cousins, and Caprice.
She hugged Caprice hello and wished her luck. “Is Angelo nervous?”
“I don’t think so. I’m the one freaking out.”
“He’ll do great. He’s an excellent fighter, and you’ve watched him before.” Giada felt the hands on her shoulders and then the warm breath against her neck.
“You should be sitting with us tonight, not Cuban fucking gangsters,” Dominick stated firmly.
She turned to look at him as Morano pulled Caprice away from them. Their guards, Brew, Royce, and Logic, blocked the view from any prying eyes. Dominick moved her to the side hallway, and Andreas and Giuseppe came with him.
“Those are dangerous men you’re hanging around with, baby. Dangerous. Why?” Dominick asked her.
She didn’t know that they were part of the Cuban mafia or whatever. “I just met him the other day when I was working with Alajandro and Toro.” She turned to look that way, but Dominick cupped her cheek and made her look way up into his eyes.
“Don’t let them touch you and act like you belong to them. It’s fucking bullshit.” Dominick turned that way, but the guys’ backs blocked the view.
“Don’t, Dominick. We’ve been over this before. I don’t belong to anyone.” She saw the change in his eyes, a darkness she wasn’t used to seeing. It unnerved her and, for some stupid reason, made her feminine parts go on alert. “I need to go.” She went to move, but Andreas pulled her back.
“Just stay here with us. I’ll tell them for you,” Andreas stated.
He started to turn, but she grabbed his hand. “No. Don’t do that. It’s business and nothing more. I’m working with his cousins. Their mom is Calvarro’s first cousin. Please, just let me get through the match, and then I’m done. I already told them I was meeting up with friends at Club X.”
“No. I don’t like it.”
Andreas pulled her closer. She pressed her palm against his chest. He was so angry. All three of them were, and they wanted to protect her. She knew they were sincere, and she didn’t know anything about Calvarro.
“Just trust me to handle this. It is business. I swear, Andreas, don’t make a scene. It’s work related, and after tonight, there really isn’t a need to socialize with them.”
“They want you,” Giuseppe stated through clenched teeth.
She swallowed hard and glanced at him. He looked just as angry as Dominick. All three of these men were older, super-intense men. She was sort of afraid of their capabilities. She knew they would never hurt her, but they were capable of doing bad things when pushed. She understood that, could respe
ct it to an extent, but not right now when she could lose her job over this.
“Don’t push me or tell me what I’m doing or not doing.” She slid out of Andreas’s arms and stepped past Brew. She held on to his arm as she slid past then locked gazes with Alajandro and Toro, who were approaching, obviously looking for her.
She turned around, smiled, and waved at the guys. “I’ll talk to Caprice later, after the match.” She felt the arm go around her waist and hold her snuggly. Alajandro was now showing possession of her, and she didn’t know how to react, especially as she saw Dominick narrow his eyes then turn away.
“Everything okay?” Alajandro asked her, turning her away from the men and making her feel less protected and more in danger.
She exhaled. She needed to be smart here. “My friends are upset that I’m not joining them for the match, but I’ll see them later.”
“The Coglonie men too?” Toro asked her.
She looked at him. “We’re friends. That’s all.”
Alajandro stopped her, and Toro pressed up behind her. She was caught between them. Alajandro cupped her cheek and jaw and stared down into her eyes and then at her lips.
“You’re important to them?” he asked and stroked her jaw.
He towered over her by a foot, and he was thick, solid, and fit. She stared up into his dark brown eyes. “All of them are important to me, too, especially Caprice’s men and their cousins. They all have kind of taken the responsibility of looking out for the girls. You know, the single ones.”
Toro caressed her hip then under her hair. She tightened up.
“Seems more like they want you in their bed,” Toro stated.
“I don’t date. You know that. So now that this is becoming uncomfortable, I think you should release me so we can sit down and talk business, like what Calvarro is interested in.”
Alajandro glanced over his shoulder, and she could see where he was looking—right at Andreas, who stood by Brew watching her.
Alajandro stroked her jaw and let his thumb caress her lower lip as he stared down into her eyes. “I should kiss you right now and let them know that you’re not interested.”
She pulled back. “I thought we discussed this the other night. How I don’t date and why.”
He reached out to stroke her jaw. “Maybe you just need a little persuading.”
She turned away from him. “No, I’m not interested, and if this is going to be a continuous problem, then perhaps we need to renegotiate who you have monitoring your accounts with Saks and Cain so we don’t have further issues.”
He pulled back and glared at her. “I’d hate for it to come to that over these men you call friends. I would also hate having to call your boss and say there may be a change in plans as to who we use for our banking needs.”
Her heart hammered. If she lost this account, then she would surely lose her job.
“Why don’t we let her think about that a little? Calvarro is waiting, and the first match already started,” Toro stated, and then they escorted her to their seats.
Sure enough, they were down in front in great seats and diagonal to where her friends sat. She wouldn’t look that way, especially not as Calvarro asked her to take a seat next to him so they could talk. When he placed his arm over the back of her seat and started whispering questions into her ear, she tightened up and wished she wasn’t in this situation. Here she was trying to push away men who she thought were dangerous and too powerful and intimidating to be with and had wound up next to Cuban gangsters who were already trying to manipulate her and strong-arm her into compliance for whatever it was they were after. Knowing that they obviously knew the Coglonie men and the other families, and they didn’t seem too happy to learn she was good friends with them, this was a dangerous situation, and she had to be smart and play it cool. Any other way could mean trouble.
* * * *
“So I understand that you’re very good at your job, Giada, and will be taking on a new role in the company very soon,” Calvarro said to her.
She wondered how he knew that. It was a conversation between herself and her bosses, Davis and Monterro.
“Ahh, was I not supposed to know that? Hmm, I guess you will learn that I’m a resourceful man, capable of many things.”
She shivered from the look in his eyes and the way he leaned into her. He was a big man, not as tall as he was thick and slightly overweight. He had a wealthy look to him, though—designer dress shirt and jacket, black pants, expensive shoes, and a gold chain around his neck that peeked out from the collar of his shirt. His hair was slicked back and showed specks of gray at his temples. His dark-blue eyes bore into hers, and he inhaled.
“You smell very good, Giada. You’re smart, beautiful, and I believe knowledgeable enough to know that I can make or break you.”
She took an unsteady breath but held her ground. “Is that a threat? Surely I must be mistaken, sir. After all, we don’t know one another at all.”
“We’re going to change that.”
He pulled his arm from over her chair and then leaned back and looked at the match going on. She didn’t know what to say, and then his hand slid over her knee and gave it a squeeze.
“Keeping it just business might be impossible.”
She covered his hand, looked at him, and lifted it off her knee. “Then this will be the last time we ever converse because I’m not for sale.”
He held her gaze, and she refused to back down, despite how scared she was.
“Watch the show, honey. We’ll see,” he said, getting in the last word and making her feel out of sorts.
Hell, he’d pissing her off by calling her honey in a degrading tone. She wasn’t used to this kind of crap, to the bullying, the intimidation, and then threats. Who the hell was this man, and what did he want from her? What?
* * * *
Bella nudged Mateus’s arm as they sat in the seat watching the pre-matches.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
She leaned closer. She swallowed hard and needed to whisper. Dominick Coglonie and his brother, cousin, and guards sat in the seats in front of them. “I got this from Giada. She needs a ride from us to Club X.”
“Let me see.”
She held her phone against her chest. He narrowed his eyes at her, and Major ran his hand along her thigh, giving it a squeeze. She glanced his way. All he did was raise both eyebrows at her and she knew not to argue, but Giada had been texting her, and they would see the text messages.
“Bella?” Mateus warned her.
“It’s nothing. She just had planned to get there by taxi or something but now asked for a ride from us. I told her we have room in the SUV. She wants to meet by the front entryway.”
He stared at her.
“Mateus, I’m not going to show you our texts back and forth.”
“Why not?”
“It was a private conversation. She said things she doesn’t want anyone to know, so it wouldn’t be fair for you to demand to see the texts.”
“Bella, is she in trouble?” Mateus asked her.
“She won’t be if we meet her by the entryway, or maybe Turbo and Harley can?” she asked.
“Fuck,” Mateus whispered. “This is not a good situation, her being with those men. You understand me?”
She nodded her head. “She knows that. It’s why she asked for a ride.”
“Tell her Harley and Turbo will escort her as she exits the room to the lobby.”
Bella nodded and texted Giada back.
* * * *
“What’s with all the texting?” Alajandro asked her.
“My friend’s making plans about where we are meeting up.”
“You said Club X. We’ll drop you off, maybe come in for a drink or two.”
Giada swallowed hard.
“You can do whatever you like, but I’m going with my friends. We planned it.”
And then Calvarro exhaled. She thought he was going to say something, but then the match between Angelo
and some big guy was getting started. Her focus went to him winning the fight, despite the obvious fact that Calvarro had bet against him. He was pretty straightforward in yelling about the Cuban guy kicking Angelo’s ass. She didn’t hide her smile when Angelo won, nor did she stick around to be escorted to the club. As they got up to exit, Calvarro took her arm and pulled her close.
“We’ll be in touch, and when we contact you, be ready to assist. I would hate for something to happen to you on your way home one night from work. I understand that the route to your home can be a dangerous one,” he threatened her then released her arm and walked away.
She turned, and Toro pulled her close. “We’ll talk this week. Definitely.”
He went to kiss her lips, but she turned her face, and he kissed her cheek, hard. When he pulled back, Alajandro was there, gripping her tight. He whispered in her ear.
“We don’t give up easily on what we want. Remember that as you remind your guy friends that you don’t date and that eventually you’ll be in our bed.”
He kissed her ear and cheek, and she went to pull back, but his pressed closer and kissed her lips. He ran his hand over her ass, and as she pushed his hand away from her backside, he stepped back, releasing her. She stared at them. When hands landed on her shoulders from behind, she nearly gasped, but then saw Turbo. He towered over these men.
“Are you ready, Giada?” Turbo asked.
Harley was with him looking more badass than Turbo with his beard, tattoos, and downright killer expression. She was shaking, hard.
“Ready. Thanks. Good night,” she said to Alajandro and Toro, who winked.
“We’ll call you and make plans,” Alajandro stated with a smirk.
Turbo had his arm around her waist. He pulled her away from them and headed out. “You’re okay now. You’ll be safe with your friends,” he said to her.
Tears filled her eyes. She sure hoped so because right now she didn’t know what she’d gotten herself into.
When they arrived at the club, she and Bella headed to the ladies’ room.
[Made Men 6] The Root of All Evil Page 7