4. Salvatore
four
Salvatore
The moment she entered the room, I saw her on Ethan Caine’s arm. Hell, every man in the room looked at her. I knew she was trouble right away. Beautiful trouble, and a distraction for me and what I had planned tonight. She destroyed all those plans by snooping around.
Now, all I can think of is how to make her pay.
At first, I thought she had a wire or wanted to bug the office, but she was clean. I checked her myself.
I touched her.
I shouldn’t have. I went too far by pulling her dress down and exposing her lace-covered sex, cupping it.
Because now all that my brain can entertain is the way her skin felt. How it would be to put my fingers in that sweetness. How her sweet citrus and vanilla scent has robbed me of my sanity.
There was something about touching her while looking into her eyes.
It was a challenge to hide how hard I was from the moment I caught her.
I can’t take my eyes off her.
Isabel Roberts.
There is just something about her. Her beauty is exotic, different from the women I’m used to. There was so much passion in those eyes. Hurt, disappointment, fear too. But I was lost in her beauty and scent. Something about the way she smelled reminded me of my time in Italy as a kid. The times before my father started grooming me for this life. Before all the truth came to light.
Her story seemed plausible because I do sleep with the senator’s wife on occasion. Since the rumors are out, I need to end it once and for all. The senator has been on my payroll for years now. Even before I took over, he needed funds, and I needed someone to make things easier for me. Sleeping with his wife was just insurance for me. A tactical move made simpler when she came running to me. I guess she thought I’d be like one of the pool boys she uses. She provides me with the information I need, and keeping her close to me provides me with insights into who Senator Wilson really is.
I take a stroll around the ballroom, greeting and making small talk with people. But my eyes keep searching for a woman in an emerald-green dress, with brown hair, and a body I would do sinful things to if I let my desire control me. But I need her away from me, away from snooping around my business. If I met her a couple of years ago, I would have jumped at the opportunity to take her to my bed, but I’m not that man anymore.
I catch a glimpse of her standing with Ethan and a few more people, his hand around her waist. Ethan Caine is a playboy who takes long-legged women, no matter their IQ, to bed. Isabel being with him makes me question her choices.
I pull my eyes from them. I need to concentrate on my goal. Dante is still on the lookout for any other intruders. Events the last few weeks have been alarming, and the boy we found snooping around is still being kept with us. Dante asked around, and he did have a sister who suddenly disappeared, making his story valid. We couldn’t find much about him or his family. They are just ordinary people, though perhaps poorer than most. He's just a normal kid. The bug he had couldn’t be tracked, and we searched for his sister but found no clues as to where she is. If he had done what he'd been asked to, he would be dead. And if his sister is not already dead, she is long gone. Because the only people who would go against me are those who see me as a threat, and those are the worst kind of people.
Just as I spot a person walking down toward the offices, I see one of my men has noticed as well and is carefully following him. As I turn, leaving it to him, a figure approaches me.
Ethan.
“Salvatore, what a delightful party! I thought you preferred less attention.”
I narrow my eyes at him and shake his offered hand. “This is a fundraiser, not a party. It’s for the impoverished youth, for those who have potential but no funds. And besides, it will be good for my hotel. A little attention never hurt anyone.” Before I can add anything else, someone approaches us from the side. That someone is Isabel, and the way Ethan wraps his hand around her waist makes me want to punch him in his smug face.
When I sent the invite to Caine Enterprise, I didn’t expect Ethan to show up. The man I usually deal with there is Weston, his brother.
“Salvatore, may I introduce you to a friend of mine, Isabel Roberts. Isabel, Salvatore is the owner of this beautiful hotel and many other businesses.”
She smiles coyly like I didn’t have my hands on her hours before.
“Really? And what are your other businesses, if I may ask?” She raises her eyebrows and takes a sip of her drink.
Fisting my hands by my sides, I glare at her. Before I can answer, Ethan does it for me.
“Construction, and he owns the nightclub Twenty-Seven too. I should take you there sometime.” He winks at her, to which she rolls her eyes.
Something inside me snaps. I want to beat the smug look off Ethan’s face. The fact that he can take her out makes me want to break his perfectly straight nose.
“Maybe,” she says, looking at me.
I turn my attention back to Ethan. “I was expecting your brother.”
“Believe me, I don’t want to be here either. It’s not how I like to spend my nights. But Weston had a private matter to attend to, so I had to sacrifice myself.” Smirking, he turns to Isabel. “But the one good thing about tonight is Isabel.”
She pats his chest and smiles. “Oh, you are so sweet.”
“Well, I’ll leave you. Have a lovely rest of the night.” I walk away before I do something I’ll regret. I need to clear my head, and being near that woman won’t help.
Later that night, somewhere after two a.m., I’m sitting in my office at the same desk where I caught Isabel Roberts snooping around. The smell of citrus and vanilla still lingers, and it takes a huge amount of willpower for me to concentrate on the screen in front of me.
“Do you know who he is?” I ask Dante as we look at the images our hidden camera caught. One of several we installed just moments before the party started because we couldn’t take the risk of them being discovered by anyone. And as expected, our main security cameras were disconnected.
Only three people other than me knew about the new cameras. Dante, my consigliere, Gabriel, and Marco, my fixer who does all kinds of jobs from hacking to making people disappear like they never existed without spilling any blood, which is different to how Dante makes people disappear.
Those three are the ones I trust with my life.
Those men have been by my side since our teens.
Gabriel was born into the family. Even though his father was just a soldier, he earned his place by my side and even that isn’t enough for all the times he and his family were there for me.
Dante was a kid living on the streets. No one knows why he left his parents and ran away from home. He never told us, and we never asked, assuming he would tell us when he was ready. He earned our trust the first time we met, when he saved our lives one day in a dark alley after we were attacked by one of my father’s enemies at the time.
Marco basically forced himself on us, and we had no other choice but to let him into the family. His skills were just too good to pass up.
“I’ve never seen him before. This job is too clean for my liking.” Dante, playing with his knife, says from his seat in the office.
“I agree. Don’t you have a facial recognition program, Marco?” Gabriel passes the tablet back to Marco.
“I do, and I’m running it. It takes time.” Marco types something on his tablet, adding, “Do you know how many cameras and how much data this program has to go through? I have it running back at my place. If the program finds a match, I’ll get a notification.”
I take a deep breath and wish I didn’t when, instead of air, I breathe in her scent. “We need to know who he is. He’s not working alone. That I’m sure of.” I look at Marco and concentrate on the men in front of me, ignoring the feeling that scent is causing. “Marco, I’ll wait for your call if you find something.” Before I can change my mind, I add, “Look into Isabel Roberts. She might be who she is saying, but I want you to take a closer look.”
I turn my attention to Dante. “Dante, ask around. We need to know who our loyal men are and those who are not. And I mean those who are loyal to me, not the family,” I say and stand. I need to get out of this room, somewhere I will not smell citrus and vanilla and crave her.
Before I leave, I say to all of the men, “We need to know what we are dealing with, and fast.”
Two weeks have passed since the event I held, and we couldn’t find any information on the man in that video or who is behind the whole situation.
However, Dante found that some men have expressed how they feel about what they are calling the ‘modern mafia’ and everything that is changing these days. They don’t understand the new foundation I’m building. One where men and women have a choice; one we never had.
One where you take the oath if that is your wish, where women are not forced into marriage with men they despise, and where young boys are not forced into dealing, stealing, and killing.
Before he breathed his last breath, I promised my father that I would do everything the opposite way to him just to spite him. I promised him I would ruin everything he built.
The door of my office opens, distracting me from thinking any further about my hatred toward my father.
My sales director, Ashley Porter, enters. She has been working for me since I bought and rebranded the hotel. The plan was to turn this business into a hotel chain, and Ashley worked magic.
We also have a personal agreement, one that makes things simple for both of us. She doesn’t want a relationship or children to keep her from doing what she loves. Her career and excelling in her field are the most important things to her. I don’t want to worry about a clingy woman every time I need a release. She knows exactly who I am, and if she opens her mouth and crosses me, she will end up six feet under.
The clicking of her cream heels on my marble floor makes me smirk. This is what I need. A distraction from everything that has happened lately. And Ashley is the girl for that. I watch her walk to me in what she calls her power suit. Black knee-length skirt, which I know has a split in the back, showcasing her perfectly shaped ass and long legs. Her blond hair falls in waves that reach her shoulders. Her blue eyes glint with mischief. She is here to please me and knows I will do the same for her. I lean into the back of my chair, leaving a small space between me and my desk, enough for her to slip in and stand between my legs.
“We have a meeting tonight. Adkinson wants us and the representatives of two other companies to meet. He wants to meet in person with everyone to see how passionate they are about going after what they want. Afterward, he will decide which business to invest in.” She puts her iPad down, inspecting my face before adding, “You know, you could just make him give you the deal by sending Dante.”
I shake my head. “No. This is a legitimate business, one I worked hard to build, and it needs to stay that way.” She only nods; she knows better than to disagree with me.
She picks up her iPad. “The meeting is at the Luxor Lounge, and a plus one is required.” I narrow my eyes. The Luxor Lounge is a gentleman’s club.
“When did that start?” I ask.
“When he became the new owner. He wants to practice toxic masculinity and misogyny.”
“Did he say that?”
She rolls her eyes, shrugging. “Not exactly. He said women need to go back to staying at home and serving men, and he wants to make that the norm in the club. If you don’t bring someone to serve you, the club will provide you with someone.”
I narrow my eyes, not sure I understood right. “What do you mean?”
“The Luxor Lounge has added this as a new service. They offer you a woman who will stand there and feed you and generally be there for anything you request. Or you bring your own woman who will serve you.”
“Well, I’d better bring you with me. You know exactly how I like to be served.”
Smirking, she sinks to her knees between my legs. “That I do.” And she does wonders, making me forget, if only for the time being, about all the things occupying my mind.