Still tired after last night’s events, I felt like a robot as I moved around the kitchen, making coffee and burning my third slice of bread.
“Morning.” Mariano came in and settled himself at the bar top in front of me.
“Hey.” I couldn’t look at him, feeling strange about being in his house after having such an intimate night with Elio.
“How was last night?”
“Good,” slipped off the tip of my tongue as I forced my eyes to look at him. “You?”
“Eventful.” He grinned, and I assumed he didn’t know when I actually got home. “I have something for you.”
“Oh?” I went to pour my coffee, only to have him slide his cup under the flow, then when my toast popped, he pulled the cream from my hand.
He handed me a piece of paper that had a time written on it. Ten a.m.
“Okay…”
“Wear something nice and maybe show a little.” He pointed at my breasts as he hopped off the stool. “Thighs, too,” he called over his shoulder as he left for his office.
“Why? Where are we going?”
“To get your story,” I heard as the door shut.
“Oh.” I toyed with the small piece of paper and felt an excited surge rush through me as I grabbed my coffee and headed to get ready.
When I came down an hour later, Mariano flicked his keys around his finger as his eyes raked down my front. “Wow. You look really good.” He brushed down the edge of my dress to my cleavage just the way Elio did. I stepped out of his touch as he lifted my chain to expose the pendants. “Do you ever wear anything else?”
“No.”
“Well.” He pulled out a thin box and opened it to reveal a gold chain with a large heart at the end. I cringed, hating any heart-shaped jewelry.
“Mariano.” I hesitated, unsure if I could go even a few hours without my necklace. “Do you remember our conversation at the restaurant?”
“Yes, but I’m not asking you to wear it every day, but it would be nice if you would wear it at least for today.”
“It just feels strange…” I tried to quickly come up with an excuse, but before I could, his hands were on the clasp, removing a piece of me and replacing it with a cold, heavy steel heart.
“Perfect.” He smiled wide, and I suddenly felt as if I had been claimed by him. “Come on, we can’t be late.” He took my arm and pulled me out the door, but not before I took one last look at my necklace on the table.
A marble waiting room was not exactly where I imagined such a meeting would take place. A juvenile part of me expected theFinderto only want to meet in a dark garage or maybe a rundown motel. A two-story building that sat in the middle of the city with frosted glass doors, cucumber water, and expensive artwork simply didn’t fit. I was glad about my outfit and used the reflection of the glass to make sure everything looked just right. The white dress with purple buttons hugged my body, and my matching purple heels and handbag paired nicely. The only thing that looked off was the heavy, inch-long heart that sat above the crease between my breasts.
“Sienna.” Mariano patted the spot next to where he was sitting, but I shook my head and stayed where I was, not wanting to be so close. “Are you ready?”
“I am.”
“Good, because here he comes.”
A short, bald man dressed in an expensive suit moved toward us. He glanced over at me with a warm smile that widened further when he spotted Mariano.
“You must be Sienna.” He came froward and offered a handshake. I slipped into work mode and introduced myself and complemented him on the artwork I had seen as we entered the building, being sure to mention the Teresa Cox original. It showed my attention to detail and that I wasn’t afraid to show off my knowledge.
“You know your artists. I do love her paintings.” He seemed impressed. “Are you a fan?” He motioned for me to follow him.
“Of some, but I enjoy Lee Herring more.”
“I see.” He pulled out a chair for me, and I took it as Mariano took one in the corner, his phone glued to his face. “I have to be honest with you, Sienna, I have never done an interview like this before, so I will tread very carefully.”
“And like Mariano promised, I will keep my word and will not use your name, or anything that will connect you to this article. You are simply ‘The Finder’ to me, and that’s it. I’m looking more for how you got wrapped up with the Santoro brothers and what it was like working for them.”