The hitch in my breathing let him know I was incredibly turned on again, and he gave me a knowing, sexy smile.
“Just accept it.”
“Maybe that’s true, but you’re going to have to earn it when you pull crap like you have in the past.”
He smirked, clearly intrigued with my newfound sass. “That’s only fair. Now, we’ve some things to discuss.” He pulled away and sat in the chair across from me.
The crackling fire and the low hum of people outside settled my lust enough to think straight. “Cooper Industries never offered the Coppolas a contract.” I started right in, wanting to show him I could do both sex and business. “I did steer them clear with the possible money issue, but you should make your move fast in case Pippo changes his mind and starts knocking on Cooper Industries’ door for answers. I got the impression there was some bad blood there.”
“How so?”
“I don’t know, exactly. Pippo just shut the conversation down pretty quickly. He basically said they refuse to work with us.”
“The Coppolas, you mean,” he corrected me, and I smiled.
“Of course.” I squeezed his arm, reassuring him I hadn’t forgotten who I really was.
“I’ll look into it, and I’ll let the pilot know we are heading to Las Vegas this week.” He pulled out his phone.
“Elio,” I lowered my voice, “there’s something else.” He looked over and put his phone on the arm of the chair, giving me his full attention. “You should know that your aunt Noemi used to date my father.” He did a double take, then his expression went blank, and he sat very still as he listened. “Mama told me about it once before, about how Noemi used to date her brother, and how she dumped him and had a relationship with my father after that. Once my father was killed, she must have jumped families because she ended up with your Uncle Bosco.” The only way I could tell Elio was even hearing all I said was because he blinked a few times.
“Elenora told you this?” His voice was haunting as I nodded. “When?”
“A little while ago?”
“When?” He repeated.
“Remember our fight, and you wanted to know what the spike was in the polygraph test? That’s what I didn’t tell you.”
“Why?” He looked pissed.
“Because it wasn’t my story to tell.”
“And now it is?” He stood. “What changed?”
“Elio, you were looking at me as someone you couldn’t trust. Would you’ve really have heard me if I shared it then?”
He tried to keep his cool. One hand went to his hip while the other covered his mouth. I watched him as he tried hard to fight his urge to let loose, and I really needed him not to lose it right now. “What changed for you to suddenly tell me this?”
I stood and faced him as I tried to decide if I was making the right choice to explain further.
“You have to promise you won’t get mad, because if you do and she finds out, they’ll both know I overheard them talking.”
“Who,” he stepped closer, closing the gap between us, “and what did you overhear?” He sent a chill up my spine.
“Noemi and Nonna Rosa were in the kitchen of the Coppola house, and—”
“Noemi was at the Coppola’s house?”
I stopped him with my hand. “Yes, and Noemi was saying how she wanted to talk to me, to see how much I knew about her past.” He opened his mouth to speak again, but I held my finger to my lips and shook my head to let him know there was more. “She was upset and said it would ruin her entire family if they ever found out, and that…” I stumbled to find the right words.
“What? Tell me,” he demanded as I hesitated.
“That she had something on me, and when I found out, it would destroy me.”
He turned away from me, grabbed a ceramic figurine, and threw it into the wall. I jumped but stood tall, not wanting to back down from him.
“Elio, say something.”