Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 97371 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97371 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
I cup her face and crush my lips to hers. Before I can get fully carried away, I break the kiss and kiss the tip of her nose.
“I’m sorry, baby. I need to go take a call. Start on the wine and get comfortable. I’ll be right back.”
I frown as a look of disappointment covers her face. It burns me up that I’m being stolen away from her yet again. My phone goes off again and I growl at it as I see Papa Esposito is calling.
I don’t have time for him and when I do talk to him it will be to check him for that shit he said to Carleen all those years ago. For now, he can fuck off.
I move to my home office where I keep my burner phone and slip inside, shutting the door behind me. The phone starts to ring as I get to the desk and put my hand on the drawer it’s in.
“Yeah, what’s going on?”
“You wanted to know if there was a change in that guy’s pattern. He decided to stop just watching the place. He came into the restaurant before dinner service started and asked if we were hiring.”
“You’re shitting me.”
“No, I’m not, he seemed antsy and get this. The guy has on fifteen-hundred-dollar loafers. What does he need with a busboy or dishwasher job?”
“Marone. What did you tell him?”
“I took his info and told him we’d be in touch. I figured you might want the number. What do you want me to do with this?”
“Sit on it for now. I’ll talk to my brother in the morning. I don’t want to make a move that will screw up whatever he has planned. Anything else?”
“Vito is asking for a sit-down.”
Vito is a stunad. He never wants anything worth my time. All he does is fuck up. He’s only still breathing because of his relations.
“Fuck him. Find out what he wants and tell him no. I don’t give a fuck what it is. My answer is no.”
“Got it.”
“That it?”
“Yeah, boss. That’s it for now.”
I grunt and end the call. Throwing the phone back in the drawer, I note to toss it tomorrow. I shut the drawer firmly and head back out to my woman waiting for me. My personal phone rings and I’m almost a hundred-percent sure it’s my grandfather again.
I check to make sure and snarl at my phone when I confirm it is. “The balls on this guy,” I mutter as I ignore the call.
When I get back to the living area, I find Carleen sitting on the couch, nodding off. She jerks her head up and pushes a hand through her hair. She laughs and gives me a smile when she focuses her eyes on me.
“You want to rain check our date?”
“No, no, I just needed to rest my eyes for a second. You went through all this trouble.”
“We need to eat, I planned to cook either way and it’s just a few candles. I can blow them out and put the food away.”
“It’s fine. What did you make?”
“Pot stickers filled with Italian sausage and balsamic dipping sauce.”
“Oh, that’s going to be so amazing,” she says as she stands up and rounds the couch to me.
I wrap my arms around her waist when she reaches me and dip my head to kiss her lips. This time I do linger and draw the kiss out.
“I’ll plate. You can pour us some more wine. We’ll eat at the coffee table and watch the movie.”
“Sounds good to me.”
She tilts her face up for another kiss, I don’t deny her. I capture her lips in a deep kiss, gliding my hands up her sides. She smells outstanding.
This is something new, not her usual vanilla-and-coconut scent. Working in a kitchen, Carleen doesn’t often wear strong fragrances. However, tonight I’m catching notes of strawberry and mango. She smells delicious. My mouth waters as I think about tasting her later.
I shake my head clear and move to the kitchen. The sound of her heels clicking behind me causes me to look over my shoulder. I allow my gaze to run over her.
I don’t miss that something has changed. This is a side of Car I haven’t seen in a while. She looks more confident and sure of herself. I can’t help wondering what’s brought on the change.
I get this ball in my stomach as I think the cause could be me. Something did change right before Carleen left her residency. At the time, I was more focused on the cage I felt I was in. While the head chef of a Di Lorenzo restaurant at the time, it still wasn’t my own thing. I wanted control of at least one aspect of my life.
I was handed the title of underboss right around that time. Everything was changing in my life. I now see it was for her too. Something beyond her career.