I drop the item back in the laundry basket and pick up the whole thing before heading to the laundry room just behind the kitchen. I make quick work in getting everything on and as soon as the swish of water spins around the metal tub, I smile. Hopefully the stains will come out, and I hope that when Enzo returns, he'll be thankful for this, rather than admonish me.
In this moment, I feel confident I can do this.
I can be his wife.
I'm sure I can.
Chapter 15
Enzo
Her taste is on me as I make my way into the office. The door clicks shut behind me, and I lock it. This needs to be private. Mario is already seated, waiting for me when I step inside. He glances over at me, arching a brow when I settle behind my desk. I'm five minutes late because of Luna. Because I let go of the control and restraint I'd been holding onto.
"I want to keep an eye on Valentino," I tell him without greeting. "Something is amiss at how he's against me taking over. I don't like it. The men should be behind me, not against me."
My best friend stares at me for a long while before he nods. "I can get that done. Care to tell me why you look so frazzled?" He leans back in his chair, his ankle resting on the opposite knee as he regards me with a smirk.
I shake my head. "No."
"Did something happen?" he continues to push, knowing he'll get something out of me if he keeps it up. Ignoring him, I open my laptop lid and turn it on. Mario sighs. "We've been best friends for years. I've known you since you were a kid. You cannot lie to me, even if you try," he informs me.
I open my email. I respond to two before I stop and look at him. Amusement dances in his eyes, he knows exactly what the reason is for me being distracted. "What we should be focusing on is getting information on the rest of the Cavallone clan that haven't been killed yet." I push to my feet and head to the safe which is hidden behind a painting my mother gave me on my twenty-first birthday. The waves crashing on the shore depicts a storm coming in the distance. Whoever painted it spent time at Black Hollow.
A small island of solace and calm.
The school is enormous, taking up half the island. The rest of it is owned by us and the Venier family. Since we no longer live in Italy, they run the school, along with the rest of the island.
“I’m just checking on you,” Mario informs me. “You seem to be distracted. And the only person you saw and had intimate contact with before you walked into this office would have been Luna.” His smile is infectious, and for a moment, I allow myself to recall the kiss, how she tasted. The sounds she made had me hard as fucking rock, but then I realized what I was doing, letting her in. If I do that with her, she’ll learn more about me, which means she’ll be able to hurt me. I don’t allow anyone to see the human side of me because it shows weakness.
As much as I want to sit down and figure out why I’m so enamored with her, beside the fact that she’s not afraid of me, I can’t. We need to be focused on the family, on how my father’s legacy could come crashing down around me if I don’t do something about it. We need to find the mole. And when we do, I’ll end him. But I look at Mario before informing him of one simple truth, “she and I are a business transaction.”
“Do all business transactions make you forget that today is my birthday?” Mario challenges, and I curse under my breath. I remembered when I woke up, and then Luna happened. It seems to be something I’m going to have to put up with for a long time to come — Luna happened.
“Fuck,” I bite out. “Happy birthday, amico,” I tell him. “My mind is on everything other than happy shit right now. We will party tonight.” I go to him, my hand gripping his shoulder and giving it a squeeze of solidarity. “I’m sorry.” I don’t apologize to anyone, but he is like my brother, and I fucked up.
“Don’t worry about it. I like to see you all over the place because of a pretty girl. Most women you’ve had don’t even make you flinch. She, however, ...” He allows his words to taper off into the silence between us. “There’s something about her that gets to you.”
“We don’t have time for this,” I grit out in frustration when he hits the nail on the head. I take out the paperwork my father left behind for me in his safe and set it in front of Mario. "Read through this letter," I tell him, before settling back in my chair.