Gio releases me and goes to take a seat at the table. I shrug it off and head to tell Nyla plans have changed. I find her at her desk, smiling at two vases full of roses.
“Hey, Dante wants me to have lunch with him. Can we do a rain check?”
She gives me a knowing smile. “Sure, we can. Don’t forget anything I taught you. You know how to bring them to their knees. Make me proud, baby sis. Make me proud.”
I suck my teeth at her and roll my eyes. I’m not going to throw myself at my boss. Besides, he’s having a bad day. I can ask him about that kiss another time. I’m sure it meant nothing. I’ve been reading too many romance novels.
Making my way to my desk, I pull out the menus and decide what we should have for lunch and dinner while I’m at it.
Dante
My phone buzzes right as I get ready to call this meeting into session. With all that’s going on, I check it before I get started. I frown when I see it’s Gio. He’s been a pain in my ass all morning.
It’s not like I haven’t tried to seal the deal with Lizzy. I waited up for her. She never came. I didn’t want to turn into a creep and hover around her bedroom or something.
I’m not about to chase anyone either. I have too much shit going on for that. I told her what I wanted. The ball is now in her court.
Gio: You’re fucking this up.
Me: Whatever.
I look across the table at him and frown. He purses his lips and shakes his head. Ignoring him, I sit back in my seat and get this meeting started.
We’re moving into producing our own wine. It will be a huge move for the restaurants and hopefully in the mass market. I already have a firm handle on a distributor and both Dario and I think we can snag a few ribbons before the first pitch for sales.
That’s where it’s at. Having the awards to back the brand. We’re ready.
Justin, my lead spirits manager, begins the pitch as I sit with my fingers steepled in front of me. I can’t wait for this meeting to be over. I’m starving. That breakfast Lizzy made me this morning was burned through as I beat the shit out of Angelo for fucking over my West Coast dairy deliveries.
Another asshole who thought he was more important to me than he was. We own the trucks. The farms belong to me. He only supplied the truckers. Truckers I’ve been treating like kings for years. They’re loyal to the Di Lorenzo name. Just like Nonno wanted.
I’ve done my part. Therefore, Angelo was expendable. However, I’m going to need to get my dick wet soon. All this rage and violence with no balance is the shit that causes me to snap.
My phone goes off as Justin goes over projected profit margins. I know all this already. I pick my phone up and see it’s from Gio again. Some video link. I roll my eyes and put my phone back down, face down.
I look at Gio and he’s staring down at his phone with a smug ass grin on his lips. My phone goes off a few more times. I flip it over.
Gio: You might want to look at this.
Then there’s another video link. I lift a brow and swipe to unlock my phone. I pick it up as the still frames of the videos come into view.
I mute the sound on my phone and hit play on the first video. My eyes hood as I watch and nearly salivate on my phone. I clear my throat and shift in my seat.
I roll my tongue in my mouth, remembering her sweet mouth. Lizzy looks fucking fantastic. My head nearly explodes as I realize Gio has seen this.
I look to him and narrow my eyes. He has a brow lifted at me as he smiles. I shove my phone into my suit jacket and stand.
“Gentlemen, my apologies. Something has come up. I need to excuse myself, but my brother and the rest of my team are more than capable of handling things.”
I rush from the conference room, heading for my office to watch this video in private. I don’t even bother to look at Lizzy at her desk. I close my office door and pull my phone back out.
Sitting at my desk, I turn the volume back up and press play. A woman sings of pressure as Lizzy does this sexy slow walk and looks into the camera. I remember this song playing while she and Nyla were in her room. Her red robe slips from her shoulder and she stops walking. The camera pans out as she rolls her body, looking like she has the confidence of a goddess.