THIRTEEN
“I WISH WE NEVER PLAYED….LOOK AT THE MESS WE MADE. LOVE IS A LOSING GAME….” AMY WINEHOUSE
The next morning, it was nothing but the grace of God that pulled her out of bed.
It wasn’t even jet lag that had her feeling drowsy, she’d overdosed on Jiorgio Gotti himself.
Nina knew that without a doubt he would take good care of her if she did decide to quit her job, but that wasn’t happening, so off to work she had to go.
She hoped that the shower would put a pep in her step, but it barely helped.
By the time she returned to the bedroom, she was fully dressed and planned on kissing a sleeping Jio goodbye, but to her surprise, he was no longer slumbering and the bed was made.
Nina’s things from the last two nights were carefully folded atop the ottoman, and for her, it would forever be the tiny gestures that reminded her of how good it was to be loved by a man like Jio.
It wasn’t always the diamond earrings, paid tabs, or surprise trips or sending cars to make her commute easier that put a smile on her face.
Although she super appreciated any and everything that he did for her.
But when he thought about what she would need or have to do, he handled it to take an extra task off her never-ending to-do list. Jio knew how to keep her intoxicated off his love.
Nina stood there for far too long. She was annoyed that she was affected by something so small but could it be love?
To appreciate someone so deeply that you couldn’t even move was wild.
“Get it together,” she whispered.
When she made it into the kitchen, she paused to lean against the wall and take all of him in.
Jio stood at the stove shirtless, gray sweatpants hanging low on his hips, tattoos on full display, moving around like he actually knew what he was doing.
Nina didn’t know if it was the morning light that slipped through the floor-to-ceiling windows or the fact that he stood at the stove shirtless with a pair of gray sweatpants hanging low on his hips.
Red welts covered his shoulders and they came from her scratching his back up as he stroked her deeply on the plane ride home.
Her feelings almost felt criminal and it wasn’t because of the flashbacks of their lovemaking either.
Yes, sex with him could’ve been considered dangerous due to the fact that the man had a gift and a calling that no woman of her stature ever experienced.
The way he handled her… was sinful yet poetic in the most beautiful of ways.
He looked so comfortable making her breakfast in the wee hours of the morning. Nina was grateful. She knew his time was just as valuable as hers, so to see him scrambling eggs and flipping bacon in a hot skillet made her smile.
“I don’t want your coffee to get cold, babe,” he said over his shoulder without turning around. He’d felt her arrival. Nina was too busy lusting after him to notice the mug sitting on the island. Judging from the perfect shade of brown, he’d made it exactly how she liked it.
Jio knew her well enough to also place a bottle of room temperature water right next to the mug.
“This man here,” she thought.
She was happy to be home. “Good morning to you!” she finally found her voice again.
“Morning, my love. It smells good in here, don’t it?” Jio popped his shit.
Nina walked over to the stove to take a look inside the pots and pans. “I’m trying to figure out if this is edible.”
“Oh, you got jokes this morning?”
“I’m serious.” She feigned innocence.
He turned to her with the spatula in his hand. “You want to cook?”
“No.”
“Then sit down.”
She sat, mostly because she was hungry and because she liked it when he used that voice. Instead of taking over as Head Chef, she picked up the coffee and took a sip, and yeah… it was perfect. Today was going to be an amazing day because her morning was off to an incredible start.
Jio plated scrambled eggs, beef bacon, fruit, and toast before sliding it in front of her. He made his plate after hers, which was another thing she noticed and wished she didn’t. He always served her first. Even when he was mad or if she was tripping. Feeding her was a non-negotiable act of love.
Nina picked up her fork. “Thank you.”
“You welcome, baby.” She looked down at her plate and tried to pretend the word didn’t touch every nerve in her body. Although any pet name coming from his lips made her warm on the inside.
Nina grabbed his hand and said a quick grace before he eagerly dove in. According to his low and red eyes, she knew he’d indulged in a little weed before he turned the burner on the stove.
They ate in comfortable silence for a while. Jio answered a few texts but didn’t take any calls. In the past, he would’ve stepped away or lowered his voice, giving short answers that told her nothing and everything at the same time. Today, he placed the phone face down and kept eating.
“What’s your schedule like for the rest of the week?” he asked.
“Busy.”
“Tell me more.”
She sighed. “Today alone I have an investor meeting at ten. Marketing presentation after that. Call with my mother at one about the foundation. Stacey is probably trying to book me for something I didn’t agree to yet.
Ava has been pretending she’s not overwhelmed, but I can tell she is, so I need to check in with her too. ”
“Who is Stacey and Ava?”
For a split second, she forgot that he’d been living on the outside of her world for the past year.
“Publicist and assistant,” she informed him.
“You like having an assistant?”
Nina nodded as she nibbled on a piece of cantaloupe. “She’s been a lifesaver. I just hate knowing that I need her.” Nina was used to being independent that it was still a task to trust that she could get the job done. But she’d come a long way from when Ava first started.
“Why?”
“Because it means my life is too much for me to handle.” She hated that.
Jio chewed slowly, watching her. “Or it means you finally got help.”
“Cheers to taking baby steps,” she cheered herself on.
“You gotta stop acting like needing help is a sign of failure.”
“I don’t think it is.” she rightfully disagreed.
“You do, but I’m not arguing with you before nine in the morning.” He picked his battles wisely with shorty.
“Good idea! You’re growing.” She beamed.
“I’m trying.” He was right about that. It’d only been forty-eight hours, but she’d detected a change in his behavior and was pleased.
She loved him enough to believe that this go round wouldn’t be temporary.
Jio didn’t want to lose her and it showed this time.
It somewhat made things sort of complicated; she was so fuckin’ na?ve and she knew it too.
Jio Gotti was still Jio Gotti. She knew that there were still monsters in the back of his closet and demons riding his back.
He was a made man that had niggas that were so loyal to him that all he had to do was nod his head and a move would be made that could be detrimental.
His business was still wrapped in silence like the bricks that he packed and sent on the road.
Jio belonged to a coalition that she had no desire to understand.
But in spite of, she couldn’t see herself loving anyone else.
The only thing that had changed was that he was now putting forth effort.
Nina told herself, Chill. Yall had one good night.
She was jumping to a conclusion that hadn’t even been drawn yet.
An hour later, Jio pulled up outside Marcelle & Co.
in a vehicle that cost more than some people’s homes.
Nina sat in the passenger seat with her hair pulled into a sleek bun and sunglasses hiding the fact that she’d gotten maybe three hours of sleep.
Jio’s oversized designer jackets were draped over her shoulders and even on what should’ve been an off day, she still was killin’ em’.
Her vehicle sat exactly where he said it would be. In her reserved spot.
“You got my car washed?”
“It was dirty,” he shrugged because it wasn’t a big deal to him.
Before she could open the door, Jio locked it.
Nina slowly turned toward him. “You gotta let me free eventually, Mr. Gotti,” she teased.
“I need to say something first,” he cleared his throat.
She sat back. “Okay well, I’m listening.”
“I’m only letting that nigga live because he in the prosecutor’s office and I may need him one day.”
It took a second for her brain to catch up. “Are you talking about Carter?”
Jio looked at her like she knew better. “We’ve been doing good. Don’t insult my intelligence, ma.”
“Are you serious?”
“Very.”
“Jio, he doesn’t have any pull. We just graduated law school, remember?”
“Yeah,” Jio said, eyes forward. “But who knows where he’ll be ten years from now.”
Nina frowned. “Who even thinks that far?”
“I do, baby. I have to and I know that niggas like him would do anything for you.”
Her stomach dipped, and this time it had nothing to do with how good he looked.
“What are you talking about?”
“I could tell how he was all in your face.”
Nina’s mouth opened, but nothing came out. She was putting the facts together. So basically, he was having her watched. “You have people following me… still?”
“How long has this been going on or did it ever even stop?” she shrieked loudly.
His face remained calm. “I’m wherever you are.” He didn’t deny or confirm.
“Jio, you can’t be following me around…that’s not cool.” Nina shook her head.
“You’re mine, don’t ever forget that baby.”
“Nothing about this is normal.”
Her and this normal word was driving him bananas.
“Normal don’t keep people safe,” he shot back.
“I was with my line sisters.”
“And a nigga who wanted you was at the bar being friendly.”
“You don’t know that.”