9. Dante
9
DANTE
Dante
N ina and I had to keep our plans secret. That was a given. However, hearing her tell this friend of hers that we were pretending to date didn’t fill me with alarm.
Even though I lacked much familiarity with the woman, I felt confident that she was a loyal person, someone who wouldn’t betray confidentiality with an enemy.
If she wanted to tell her close friend about what we were doing, I could allow it. She had to have some kind of a story to tell her coworker and friend to explain her sudden absence and hiding.
As soon as I strode off from Nina’s room, I fought hard to dismiss the sultry look in her eyes when she spoke about how attractive she found me. I’d watched—and heard—it all. Her badmouthing Eva, which sounded about right. My niece could be icy. About the plans to pretend we were dating. And then sheepish opinions about lusting after me, a man her father’s age. Her father’s former friend. All the while, she’d relaxed on the bed, stomach down, slender legs kicking in the air and taunting me to stare at her ass. The mirror across the room provided me a glimpse of her reflection as she had her girl talk, and I relished the excited happiness when she talked about wanting me.
She wasn’t lying.
Nina desired me.
I felt it, and I felt smug to hear her admit it to someone else.
But I had to resist. We’d only just begun this farce, and I couldn’t dive all the way in and confuse it all with fucking her like I wanted to. Sleeping with her would make it all too real. Sliding into her pussy or mouth would make this less of an act and more of a reality.
“Not now,” I growled to myself as I headed toward my quarters. I couldn’t tell myself to give up on the idea of ever having Nina like I wanted to, but it was far too soon. We had to cement the fact that we were together, first.
In the privacy of my room, I pulled my phone out and looked into the woman Nina called. The call was picked up with the house’s tech surveillance, and I easily followed the path to a young coworker named Tessa West. She didn’t seem like anyone who’d stir up trouble, and I filed away the information for later.
I wouldn’t begrudge Nina for talking to her friend. So long as she did her part here, I couldn’t complain. And for the next few days, she did.
Busy with calls, meetings, and discussions with Romeo and Franco, I had little time to even see Nina. I knew she was at the house. She’d taken my order to move in and stay here without any pushback. But I didn’t see her at all. That didn’t mean she wasn’t on my mind. She was. Rooted deeply with a sneaking dose of intrigue, Nina claimed my thoughts in my free time, but I didn’t have many opportunities to daydream about her.
It felt ridiculous to miss her when she was within reach, right here in my house. It was another example of how I lacked the time or focus to develop a real relationship. My priorities were in keeping the Constella businesses running smoothly and ensuring our enemies weren’t taking advantage or trying to attack. Those two general objectives had required my attention for so long, I struggled to break out of that habit.
I had to now, though. After stepping out of my office, I headed in the direction of Nina’s guest room, more excited about the prospect of seeing her and having a reason to talk to her than I likely should have.
I knocked, and after her reply to enter, I stepped into her room. She leaned back on a chair, legs draped over the armrest.
“Busy?” I asked, sarcastic yet not.
“No?” She closed the book and raised her brows.
I couldn’t help but get suspicious that she was being slightly sassy about my approaching her and asking if she was preoccupied after I’d so clearly warned her that I wouldn’t be available often.
“I would like your company at dinner tonight.”
Placing the book on a side table, she swiveled to face me fully, her bare feet on the carpet. “Oh?”
I nodded. “We’ll leave in a couple of hours to meet with some of my business acquaintances at Escott’s.”
Her mouth parted as she set her vulnerable blue gaze on me. “Escott’s. Wow.”
Mentioning one of the city’s finest restaurants impressed her. Or maybe that was intimidation she was trying to mask.
“You haven’t wanted my company at dinner all week.”
Has it really been that long already? It felt like just yesterday that she’d come here. Telling myself to ignore all thoughts of her was skewing my sense of time.
“I would like you present so they can see I have a woman in my life.”
The slight smirk on her lips shouldn’t have been so sexy. “What?” God, she pushed my buttons.
“Well, I would argue that you don’t have a woman in your life.”
I stared at her, marveling in her tenacity not to back down. “Because we’re only pretending?” It didn’t seem like I was. I envisioned pushing her back on that chair as I knelt in front of her, her sweet cunt as my goal. That image felt so very real, tangible to the point that my dick woke up.
“All you seem to want is your work in your life.” She shrugged and stood. “I’m just saying it might be hard to convince anyone otherwise.”
“Please be ready to accompany me to Escott’s in a couple of hours,” I repeated, ignoring her push for a reply.
She couldn’t hide her discomfort this time. It seemed that I’d forced her out of her comfort zone with how she winced and blushed.
“Wait. I, uh, I won’t be ready.” She bit her lower lip. “I don’t… I don’t have anything to wear. I mean, generally, yeah, but for Escott’s?”
“Then we’ll stop on the way and get you something.” I turned before she could taunt me with that innocent look any further. When she got timid and quiet—shy, even—it turned me on. She was so damn young, youthful and na?ve, and it riled me up to want to both dirty her up and protect her, to shelter her.
When I held the door open for her an hour later, I was stuck on a call with a soldier reporting in. Then again, when we arrived at the boutique for her to find a dress suitable for the posh restaurant we’d be going to, I was on the phone with Franco.
Even though Nina and I were together in the car, then at the dress store, I was pulled away with my priorities. I paused in my conversations long enough to direct the store attendant to help Nina find something suitable for Escott's, and then stepped outside to continue speaking.
Romeo chimed in with a three-way call this time, and I wasn’t happy with what they had to share.
“All I’ll say is that the Giovannis need cash,” Franco said. “They’ve lost a lot, and some of the men under my supervision have been reporting that Stefan is saying he’s good for his money because his ‘friends’ will come through.”
Romeo huffed. “And he referenced us? Directly?”
In the corner where his video showed, Franco nodded. “He did. Stefan’s been trying to set up new deals, particularly with the movement of guns, but no one wants to work with him after how he’d sided with the Dominos. He’s been telling others that the Constellas would vouch for him.”
I growled and rubbed a hand over my face. “The fuck he can.”
“I lost all faith in Stefan when he sided with the Dominos and backed them up,” Romeo said.
He stole the words right out of my mouth. “And I don’t trust him one bit now,” I added.
“They’ve lost a lot,” Franco said. “It’s not surprising that Stefan’s desperate for something solid as a backup.”
I shook my head. “He needs to look elsewhere.”
“He’s not even looking,” Romeo said. “He’s going around and just assuming that he can count on us to stand with him.”
“He can’t.” Annoyance burned hotter within me. “He can’t presume that I give a shit about him now. Just because we were good friends long ago doesn’t mean that holds true now.”
Franco sighed. “This puts Vanessa in a new perspective too. She’s been so forward and making it known that she wants you…”
I clenched my jaw. “Which started when it looked like the Dominos would be finished, and Stefan would lose alongside them.”
“This is bullshit,” Romeo seethed.
I hated the idea of anyone else seeing me as Stefan’s ally. It was a false notion, and I had to stop the spread of that nonsense sooner than later. Starting with this dinner. I bet some of the men at Escott’s would’ve heard about Stefan’s lies by now, and it would be an excellent place to correct them and set them straight.
“I will not align with the Giovannis.” I looked at both of their images on the video call, making sure they heard this as directly and firmly as possible. “Not with Stefan. Not with Vanessa.”
They agreed and disconnected after confirming that they’d make sure to convey that to everyone else.
Charged with impatience to get to this dinner and do damage control for Stefan talking about something that wouldn’t happen, this fantasy of my friendship and vouching for him, I entered the shop and strode toward the fitting rooms.
“Nina?”
She squeaked, then some shuffles sounded from behind the fitting room’s stall door. “Yeah?”
“Hurry it up. Let’s go.”
I turned to get back to the car, seething and rehearsing how I’d dissuade anyone from thinking I’d back my former friend in any future deals.