Page 20 of Surprise Baby for the Mafia Boss

After a while, the party seems to be dying down. The children are all put into their beds or sent home, and many of the adults start to leave as well.

Luca and the men he’s speaking with make plans to move into the den for a cigar and nightcap. This is the perfect time to slip away.

I need to sit in a bath and soak away the façade that I’ve carried with me all night. It might be exactly what I want from life, but it’s still hard work keeping it up.

“You gentlemen go ahead. I’m going to head back to the room,” I say as I stroke Luca’s arm to give him just a bit of courage in this final conversation of the night.

“Will you be alright to find your room, Señorita?” Raul asks me.

I nod and smile, planting a kiss on Luca’s cheek. We are, after all, meant to be a couple here. He squeezes my arm and I take it as a thank you for tonight.

I say good night to the ladies who are left, and walk back through the house to the room I’m sharing with Luca. For so many of my teenage years, this sort of situation was my fantasy. Now, it seems like adult me is finally getting everything I always wished for.

I drop my bag onto the bed and start undressing in the room, happily slipping off the stilettos from my feet. Walking into the bathroom, I turn on the hot water for a bath.

This claw-foot tub has been calling my name since we stepped into the room, and my body is tired from traveling and now the intense socializing.

I pour in the vanilla-scented bubbles that are next to the tub and stand watching as the bath fills up and the bubbles create a cover over the water.

As soon as it’s high enough, I slip off my underwear and step into the steaming hot water, sighing as I shift my body until I’m lying down, only my neck and head sticking out of the water.

Chapter Eleven

Luca

I watch as Emelia walks away, the men with me staring at her as well.

She’s done well tonight, gliding across the room and charming everyone she came into contact with. I’m glad I brought her with me. She knows how to work in this world.

With every person telling me how stunning she looked, what a cute couple we were, and how lucky I was, I took even more notice of her. She’s more than just my little sister’s friend now, that’s for sure.

“Okay, Luca, you have our full attention. Speak to us now,” Carlos, the big guy says, lighting his cigar.

I look around the room. “We have been through most of this before. You have a good product. We’ve tested it out and I know we have the market for it. I just need you to trust me and know that we are the best family to take this product into the States.” I keep my cigar in my hand, not wanting to get too comfortable in case the conversation turns ugly.

“That’s all great, Luca. Of course we want our product in your area. But we also want to know you're serious about this partnership before we move forward. This is our livelihood, and no doubt yours too, so it must be done right,” Raul pipes up. I have a feeling he’s trying to help me get my point across.

“I’m serious as a heart attack. I have my guys ready to get this off the ground and my family on board to keep things running smoothly. We have the space, the network, and–more importantly–the muscle to get the product distributed without any pesky issues.”

We discussed all of this at our first meeting, but I need them to know that this is a big deal for us and that I’m not playing around.

Carlos takes a puff of his cigar and replies slowly, “We've got connections, too, Luca. Big players who want a slice of the pie. We are happy with your proposal, and your family’s reputation. But we need to know you won't disappear when the heat gets turned up. Like you did just a little while ago. I come back to the hotel and–poof–no more Luca. We don’t know where you were or when you were coming back. If you are coming back, even.”

“I know, Carlos, and that was an oversight on my part, but it was an unexpected issue that came up and I had to go home for my family. But I can assure you, heat doesn't scare me, my friend. I've weathered storms you can't even imagine. And I have strong and loyal people around me. But if we're going to dance, I need to know I won't be dancing alone.”

I cough from the heavy smell of cigars in the room. “Risk, reward—two sides of the same coin. But let's be crystal clear. If we're in this together, there's no room for mistakes.” That’s a standard I hold my own guys to, and it’s no different with partners. Even the big guys.

“We get it, Luca. Trust goes both ways,” Carlos says, I look around the room at each of the men and they’re all agreeing with their boss.

“We're not amateurs, Luca. We know the stakes.” Raul almost sounds offended.

“Good. Then we understand each other. The road ahead is gonna be rough, but if we play our cards right, we all come out on top. Agreed?” I hold my hand out to Carlos first.

“Agreed.” Carlos takes my hand and shakes it. I hold it out to Raul next.

“Agreed.” He says, shaking my hand, nodding in agreement. I know I don’t need to go around and shake all of the other guys’ hands because they’re all nodding in agreement too.

I light up my own cigar, happy with this pretty easy fix for what I thought was going to be a much bigger problem. I say a silent thanks to Emelia for coming with me and melting these men slightly with her stunning body and striking charm.

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