CHAPTER ELEVEN
Paolo
I followed Nico and Enzo to Carmen’s office. I’d been in the back hallways of the clubs, but I’d never actually been in her office. Leo was already in there talking to Carmen about something else.
“Come in,” she said, seemingly relieved. “Leo,” she turned to her youngest brother, “go ask Ardley about that. She’s in charge of the hostess’ uniforms.”
“God, Carmen. Not Ardley! That girl has no taste at all. If she buys the new holiday uniforms, the hostesses are going to look like… I don’t know, pilgrims or something. And not in a sexy way.”
I blinked. Was there a way for Pilgrims to look sexy?
“Mr. Salazar,” a quiet female voice said behind us. I turned around to see a small young woman in a fairly shapeless cardigan and skirt combo, glasses, and her hair put up in a messy bun with a pencil somehow holding it.
Leo closed his eyes briefly, obviously upset at having been caught talking about the woman.
“Ardley,” he said, standing up and hurrying over to her.
“I’m sorry you had to hear that, but I think it was for your own good.
The uniforms you showed me last week looked like they were meant for a family of librarians, not hostesses at a strip club. ”
I saw tears forming in the woman’s eyes. “I understand.” She started to turn to leave.
Carmen shot daggers at her brother with her eyes. “Go help her,” she mouthed to him.
“Hold up. I’ll help you pick them out,” Leo followed her out, closing the door to the office behind him.
Carmen slumped back in her seat. “My God. Those two are at it every day. Leo hurts her feelings constantly, and I live in fear of her quitting. She’s the best personal assistant I’ve ever had, but he seems to only care that she’s not hot.” She rubbed her temples. “Lord, I’m getting a headache.”
I frowned. “Do you get headaches often?”
She gave me a look and snorted. “Don’t try to doctor me, okay, Paolo? It’s just a goddamn headache.”
I held up my hands. “Sorry.”
“Okay,” she said, rifling through a file drawer in her desk, “I’ve done a good bit of work on the Vanilla Auction. I still don’t love it, but I get why you think it’s necessary.” Her dark eyes met mine. “I mean, I’ve met your parents.”
I nodded, trying not to notice how gorgeous Carmen was. I’d been around her since I was a middle school kid. She was a few years older than us. Byron and I used to have the worst crush on her. Though I’d moved on, Byron had never outgrown how he felt about her.
I might no longer have a crush on her, but I could definitely appreciate her beauty… and her hotness. With her long, thick black mane of hair, big brown eyes, and curvy but petite figure, she was a stunner. She also had no desire to settle down.
Tonight, she was wearing a sexy purple skirt suit, and it looked fantastic on her.
I blinked when she pushed a file folder in front of me.
She handed one to Nico and another to Enzo.
“Okay. I’ve gone through and picked out twenty society girls, debutantes, whatever you want to call them, who fit your criteria.
They’re all at least pretty if not beautiful, they were raised to be in the upper echelons of society, they’re classy, and they’re dead broke.
They need a huge influx of cash, and y’all,” she nodded towards me and Enzo, “need women like them on your arms at social functions.”
I looked through the women quickly. Upon first glance, there were several that would do. “This looks great.” I made to stand up. “Now, I’d like to get back out to Sugar…”
“Hold on there, Romeo.”
“Romeo?”
She rolled her eyes. “I’ve seen how you look at Ray Ann. I wish you weren’t a horrible snob. Then you could just use the Cinnamon Auction…”
“We’ve established that won’t work for him, sis,” Enzo said. “And to be honest, I really think this Vanilla Auction will work better for me, too.”
“Let me see if you still feel that way when I’m done talking.” She got a look on her face that made me nervous. “These girls are more demanding and less willing to give out unlimited… sexual favors.”
Enzo’s eyebrows went up. “What the hell does that mean?”
“They want more money, jewelry, presents, and whatnot, they want to be your fake girlfriend for at least a year, and they’re only willing to fuck twice a week.
And most of them won’t fuck actually. They’ll make love and that’s it.
Some of them won’t do blowjobs and none agreed to anal.
” She looked like she was holding back a laugh.
“Oh, but they’ll attend as many society functions as you want. ”
I was feeling less excited about this. I glanced at Enzo and saw he was feeling the same way. Nico looked like he was trying not to laugh.
“I’ll be honest,” Carmen said, leaning back in her chair, “if we don’t have at least ten men sign up for this auction, I’m going to cancel it.
I’m only looking at matching up ten of these women with men.
If the auction goes well, then I’ll consider doing it once yearly.
If not,” she shrugged, “this will be the first and last time we have it.”
I flipped through the pictures and descriptions of the women. I started picking out my ten and motioned for Enzo to do the same.
“I don’t know about the year thing,” he admitted. “That’s… too long. I was only interested in four months—the length of the main social season.”
Carmen pursed her lips. “If you paid them more, they might be down with that. They just don’t want to look like they got dumped.
You know, they’re hoping to get something of permanence out of this.
If Paolo Lanetti or Enzo Salazar started dating them, then suddenly they’re back on the social scene in a big way.
It would open the doors for them to date other rich society men. ”
I nodded. That made sense. I finished flipping through the pictures.
“Here are the ten I think are the most interesting.” I pushed the pictures to Carmen.
Enzo did the same. “I’d probably be willing to sign up for a year.
I mean, hell, my father wanted me to marry a girl he brought over from Italy.
I’d rather do a year with one of these women than a lifetime with someone else. ”
Nico grinned. “Joaquin saw the woman with your dad a while back and said she was hot.”
“She was. She is. But that’s my dad’s mistress, not the woman he wants me to marry. I haven’t seen her in years. I told Dad I might be up for fucking her for a couple of weeks, but he seemed less enthused about that idea.”
“Y’all are pigs,” Carmen said with no heat to her tone.
Enzo laughed. “You’re one to talk. You’re worse than we are.”
Carmen waved him off with a smile. We all knew he was probably right.
“Okay, it’s settled then. I’ll take the women y’all chose and start moving forward with the auction.
If I can get it together in time, I’d like to do it in a month or so from now.
” She pointed at me. “But I make no promises. If this doesn’t come together easily and make the club look good, I’m pulling it. ”
“Understood.” We were all standing up to head back out to a table at Sugar when Leo and Ardley burst back into Carmen’s office.
“Ms. Salazar, I told him they had to be classy, but he apparently thought I said trashy.”
“Whatever. I picked out some beautiful uniforms. She,” he put his finger in Ardley’s face, “wanted them to wear Victorian-era gear like what she has on today.”
Ardley held her head high. “I’m going home, Ms. Salazar, if that’s all right with you. Also, I’d prefer not to have to work with Leo anymore.”
Leo opened his mouth to protest at the same time Carmen said, “That’s fine. I don’t blame you a bit.”
She closed the door as she left.
Carmen stood up and poked Leo in the chest with her finger. “If you make her quit, I will hurt you!”
He held up his hands to defend himself. “Come on, Carmen. You have to know how she is. I don’t know why you don’t just put me in charge of uniforms for the hostesses.”
Carmen cocked an eyebrow. “I guess because I’d like them to not be naked and to look at least somewhat classy. You would have them wear tassled pasties and a thong.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
Leo looked both pissed and slightly hurt. “How dare you. I have nothing but the purest intentions in picking out their uniforms. Good day to you.” He smacked his hand on Carmen’s desk, put his nose in the air, and sauntered out of her office.
Nico shook his head, an amused look on his face. “Hey, Leo.”
“Yes?” He poked his head back in the office.
“Where are you going?”
“Um… to Cayenne.”
“Meeting Joaquin there?”
“Yes.”
“To do what?”
He made a face at his brother. “To hook up with a couple of women we’ve been sharing lately. Should be a good time. Why? Do you want to join?”
“Maybe. But my whole point was that I’m not so sure your intentions are pure.”
“Ah. Well, fuck off, Nico. Maybe you can’t come share the blonde sisters with natural double Ds after all. There are three of them. And they give head so good they almost made me pass out a couple of days ago.”
Nico, Enzo, and I all turned to stare at him with interest.
“I’ll come with you,” Enzo said, then gestured at us. “These two are interested in hanging out at Sugar.”
“Now, hold on,” Nico said, “I was just joining Paolo so he didn’t have to sit by himself. I’m interested in these sisters, too.”
“Wait a minute,” I said, hurrying after them. “I might be interested in joining in.” I put my head back in Carmen’s office. “Thanks, by the way.”
“Sure,” she said, waving me off.