Chapter 20 – Penelope
S houting filled the foyer, ascending to perfume the vaulted ceiling. I faltered in the middle of kicking off my flipflops by the front door.
Giulio chuckled, tossing a quiet observation to Nico, who was also carrying armfuls of bags, in Italian. While it was funny, it was also concerning that he called the boss’s sister a holy terror.
Curious, I padded barefoot to the door of the sitting room. Serena was in a rage. She screamed at her brother, who stood by the window with a whiskey.
The mighty don looked…tired.
I frowned and rubbed my chest. I did not feel bad for him. If he was exhausted, it was his own damn fault. He hadn’t come to bed at a reasonable hour, only to wake at the crack of dawn and interrupt my breakfast.
“She comes from nowhere and you let her have free reign of your wealth!” Serena spewed.
Mancini set his glass down. He loomed over his sister. “Stop it. This isn’t you, sorellina!”
“Maybe it is!” she seethed.
“You’ve been a damn shrew since you came back from Europe. I’m about to lock you in this house.” He swiped a hand over his face. “I need you to leave Penelope alone. You don’t insult her.”
“She didn’t.” The outburst came out before I could stop it. I closed my eyes and took a breath.
“See! She’s eavesdropping!” Serena shouted.
Walking into the room with my chin held high, I said slowly, “Hard to eavesdrop when you’ve got the volume loud enough the neighbors can hear.”
I braced my hands on the back of the fancy, uncomfortable couch. The carved wood was smooth under my fingers.
“How was shopping, Penelope?” the don asked pleasantly.
Sharing a look with my sister-in-law, I said simply, “Lots of fun. I did exactly as you asked and spent your money. What the hell I’m going to do with all those fancy clothes, I don’t know. Seems to me there’s more there than I can wear in a lifetime. Bbuuttt…. ” I paused to pin him with a look. “No one will question your status based on my clothing, Your Highness.”
The don smirked and went to refill his drink. “How many bags?”
“Too many,” I countered.
Serena scoffed. “Hardly. Nico said you barely bought anything.”
“Spying on me?” I demanded.
She smiled. “Didn’t want to run into you again. You still managed to ruin my morning.”
What the hell was this woman’s problem? She was determined to hate me. We didn’t even know each other!
“How much did you spend, wife?” Mancini approached from the bar cart with a filled glass, stopping in front of me.
I gulped. Here was the moment of truth. What would he do when he found out the outrageous sum I burned? It was ridiculous. Hundreds of dollars for underwear. A thousand for a purse and one pair of pants. And the fancy dress? More than a yearling at auction.
“The total was just over five grand,” I murmured, suddenly feeling very guilty about the shopping trip.
As he passed, the don reached out and tugged gently on my braid. The gesture was hidden by his body, and the action so unexpected, I froze. His words came out soft, for my ears only. “So, you do know how to listen. Good girl.”
I felt those words warm through me. Tightness, delicious and sensual, formed deep in my core.
And I hated the traitorous reaction.
Something flashed in those inky black depths. It was as if the monster knew what his words did to me.
“Now do it again,” he murmured.
“You’re freaking joking!” I exploded and took a step back. “I don’t need all these things, Alessandro. Expensive shit that I have no plans to use. Five grand— five thousand dollars! It’s insanity.”
“Little wife, I have more where it comes from. And I need you not only to be comfortable, looked after, and have everything else you require, but I need every other man who sees you to know I can take care of you.” He brushed a knuckle across my jaw, setting off the butterflies in my belly.
I loathed my reaction to his proximity.
As he left the room, he turned and looked at his sister. “You could learn something from each other.”
Serena let out a mocking laugh. “Yeah right.”
“If you thought about money like she did, I wouldn’t put a cap on your cards.” To me, he added, “Learn to shop like she does.”
“Well, that makes no sense,” I stated, but the door was already closed behind the don.
“On that, I can agree with you,” Serena scoffed.
For a moment, only the briefest of seconds, there was a comradery with my sister-in-law.
But her sour expression returned, and she sailed through the far doors muttering about pigs and lipstick.
I sighed. My plan to piss off my husband failed spectacularly. Granted, there were a few pretty things I found, and I was going to enjoy the Mr. Coffee Maker. Knowing that there was coffee just waiting for me to brew, I hurried to find the pot, filters, and grounds.
From an expensive boutique, I had an assortment of beauty products. These were brands I’d never heard of but instantly loved. There were no cheap filler ingredients, which made all the difference. I poured the salts and oils into the steaming tub, eager to experience what had to be the most costly bath I’d ever taken.
One foot in, and I sighed.
This was luxury—and I was in danger.
Serena could have the pretty clothes and funky, impractical purses. I was going to spend the don’s money on this stuff.
Leaning back in the tub, I let my mind clear. The sweet floral scents melded with the bright citrus notes. The heat made my skin tingle. Bliss and contentment filled my soul.
A heavy knuckle rapped on the door.
Ripped from the haze, I groaned. “Go away.”
The door jiggled.
“It’s locked…stronzo.” I added the insult under my breath.
Silence pulsed.
The sound of nothing buzzed in my ears. Relaxation effectively ruined, I debated leaving the tub. Most of the bubbles were popped and the water was tepid. This was the point where I would have refilled the water, added more soap, but right now, I wanted to rinse off and find my book to read.
The soft clicking at the door sent my heart jumping to my throat.
He wouldn’t dare.
He did.
“Shit on a shingle!” I yelped. “You can pick a lock!”
The door swung open. “That I can.”
I fumed silently, pulling my arms over my chest as the don filled the doorway.
Amusement glinted in his eyes. “I was raised in the mob and educated in the streets, vespina. Opening locked doors was a lesson I mastered as a child.”
I rolled my eyes. “Your mother must be so proud.”
Something passed through his face, but it was gone before I was able to read it.
The don stepped forward, owning the large bathroom with his presence and making it feel suddenly small. “I came to tell you I’ll be gone for the night.” Any amusement at having bested me was gone from his face.
I sighed. “Thanks for the news update, but you could have just said so.”
Mancini kept walking. I fought the urge to squirm in the water. At the side of the tub, he bent and braced his hands on the side.
“But then I couldn’t kiss you,” he growled.
My protest was cut off by the hard press of his mouth.
His lips were demanding, insistent, stealing my breath and scattering my thoughts. I shouldn't have responded, shouldn't have arched up from the water to press closer, but my body betrayed me like it always did with him. For a dangerous moment, I melted into the kiss, my wet hand rising to clutch at his expensive shirt collar before I caught myself and pushed against his chest.
“You’re getting your suit wet,” I managed, pulling back just enough to see his eyes darken.
“I don’t care,” Mancini murmured, his voice a low rumble that sent an involuntary shiver down my spine despite the warm water. His thumb traced my jawline, leaving droplets of bathwater on my skin.
The man of iron control didn’t care that he lost it. Again. I would have smiled if I wasn’t furious.
“That wasn’t fair,” I whispered. “You trapped me.”
The corner of his mouth lifted in a half-smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Nothing in this life is fair, vespina.”
Touché. I shifted in the water.
This man was dangerous—not just because of who he was or what he did, but because of how he made me feel. Confused. Reckless. Alive.
“Where are you going tonight?” I asked instead, deflated by how easily his touch manipulated me.
I watched him straighten, adjusting his cuffs with meticulous precision. Something was off. The tension in his shoulders, the tightness around his eyes—this wasn’t just business as usual.
“Work.”
“One word answer. Fine, don’t tell me.” I glowered at him.
His lack of trust made sense, but it was still frustrating. I was an outsider. We had no common ground on which to form any kind of real relationship. But at least I was trying.
“There are thugs pushing drugs in my streets,” the don explained, surprising me with his openness. “This is the kind of problem I like to deal with personally.”
“Oh,” I breathed. “Oh, well, good luck.”
He let out a short laugh through his nose. “Thanks. I’ll need it.”
As he retreated, I pulled myself to the edge of the tub. “Is it…dangerous?”
The suddenness of the feelings inside confused and bothered me. But I didn’t want him hurt. Not only because it left me in a tricky situation, but because…I didn’t want him hurt.
“Concerned for me?” He shot a look over his shoulder.
I shrugged. “I just don’t care for widow’s black.”
“Well, for your sake I’ll be extra careful,” he said and left.
I rested my chin on the edge of the tub, closed my eyes, and whispered a prayer. No, I didn’t want him hurt. The reality of his work was too real. He might have learned obnoxious tricks on the streets, and my sacred bath time was clearly no longer my own if he wished to invade it. But the other facet of the job was that he was in constant danger.
“Please be safe,” I whispered into the stillness of the room. “Or I’ll kill you myself, lupo.”
Shaking the eerie feeling away, I roused myself and left the uninviting water. It was going to be a long night.