Page 9 of Doll Face

“I’m not talking to you.”

“Sounds like you are.”

Matteo shook his head. “Nope.”

Rocco rolled his eyes.

Chapter Four

The sex club Matteo headed to was located on the edge of the city, and ordinary citizens would never suspect what went on behind the walls. It looked like any other ordinary business, with opaque windows and security out front.

He pulled up to the curb and a valet rushed forward. Matteo exited the car and handed over the fob.

“You put one scratch on this car and I’ll take it out of your hide,” he warned.

The valet quickly nodded, and Matteo liked the fear in the young man’s eyes. Then he headed up the stairs, Rocco following him. The security guard opened the front door, allowing them to enter. Once inside, a large concierge desk with a well-dressed gentleman waited. Awareness entered his gaze as he greeted them.

“Welcome, Signor Romanelli.”

“Ciao, Elio. Let Allegra know I’ll be in her office, please.”

Elio nodded, and the doors to the elevator opened. Matteo stepped inside, followed by Rocco who punched in the code to go upstairs to the offices.

“Wanna stop downstairs after we finish talking with Allegra? I could certainly use a good blowjob.”

“It’s 8:00 in the morning,” Matteo reminded him.

“So? It’s fuck o’clock somewhere.”

Matteo rolled his eyes. “We don’t have time to get your dick wet. After this I want to check in with our other businesses. Having one person not paying can be overlooked, but two starts setting a trend we can’t allow to continue.”

“Got ’cha,” he said.

“Station Jaime to our southern border. Have him send daily reports.”

“Will do.”

The elevator doors opened and they exited, heading to Allegra’s office. Matteo punched in the code and entered. A moment later, Allegra hurried after them.

“Mr. Romanelli!” she said with fake enthusiasm. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

“Really? You had no inkling since you didn’t make your payment this month, that I wouldn’t show up? Are you that stupid or just naïve?”

She flashed a toothy smile and popped out her hip as she ran her fingers down her torso. It was a move to distract him, but he couldn’t care less. He wasn’t interested in her assets.

“I’m sure we can make a deal,” she murmured seductively.

“Stop,” he snarled, and she immediately straightened as her hand fell away from her body. “I came here for one thing and it’s not fucking.”

She sighed and dropped the pretense as she stuck her nose up. “You’re taking my profits.”

“Funny, I thought they were Romanelli profits. You’re owned by us, remember?”

“How could I possibly forget?” she asked snidely.

Matteo took a step closer, using his size to intimidate her. “You agreed to the terms we laid out for you. You don’t get to change the rules of the game.”

She marched over to the wall, moving a painting to reveal a safe. With a few deft turns, it opened and she pulled out a stack of money before closing it back up. When she turned, she held out the stack of hundred-dollar bills.

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