Page 12 of His Passerotta

“Anthony.” Lorenzo frowns. “Your secretary has your agenda. Please don’t insult my intelligence and embarrass yourself in the process.”

Goddamn it, Tiffany.

A sigh rushes past my lips as I rake my hand through my hair. “Does Settimo know?”

Lorenzo shakes his head.

The coiled tension in my chest releases, my shoulders finally relaxing. “Thanks.”

“Don’t thank me. I have no intention of backing you up when the fireworks go off… But it should be a nice show.” His lips tilt upward, and more tension releases. The smile is intentional, for my benefit. Lorenzo gives nothing away involuntarily.

“So?” he asks.

My brows pinch. “So what?”

“Did you fill the position?”

Oh, the interview.

I shrug, and Lorenzo gives another tiny smile. “Don’t be too picky, little brother. It opens in a month.”

“It’s my restaurant with my name and reputation attached.” I wave whatever’s left of my justification away. “I don’t expect you to understand.”

“I understand,” he says, surprising me. He must sense my confusion because he continues. “I have things that are important to me, as well.”

Right. His … animals. Lorenzo has a weird obsession with animals, especially the lion he keeps as a pet. It isn’t something the rest of our family understands, so in a way I guess we relate. I never considered myself on the same wavelength as Tiger King over here, but I’m not the only one with interests that don’t involve our family.

He takes a step forward, spreading a palm toward the exit. “Come on. We keep the big guy waiting much longer and he’ll balloon up like Violet Beauregarde.”

I pause for a second. “Was that a Willie Wonka reference?”

It seems impossible for Lorenzo to have watched that movie. Or really any movie.

“Love requires sacrifice, little brother. Don’t ever forget it.”

Oh, right… I somehow always forget my brother isn’t single. How the hell he managed to find a wife before me is beyond my comprehension.

He smirks before heading for the exit while I follow behind. The girl from today pops into my mind, despite my efforts to push her to the side while there are still pressing matters to attend to.

I shouldn’t have given her a ride. It took maybe one extra minute of my time, but even that was too much. She was a mess. An even bigger one than me, and there were several other people at that gas station who could’ve helped her out.

But she was … cute. And pitiful. Kind of like a kitten in a box on the side of the road. You shouldn’t take one. They piss and shit and shed all over the place, and you’ll constantly spend your time rewashing clothes clinging with hair. But in the moment you’re staring at them in that box, you can’t help yourself.

Seeing Bailey was kind of like that, but she also had a nice set of tits and a tank top that hung a little low.

My cock comes to life, and I glance down while chastising myself. Now is not the time for a hard-on. For obvious reasons, but also because I don’t know who she is. She might just be some girl, but with her connection to Freddy’s… It’s best to be cautious, even if that means just checking her out.

And there is absolutely no one better for that job than the human lie detector walking next to me.

“Could you look into someone for me?” I ask Lorenzo.

He slows, and I adjust my pace to match his.

“Who?”

“Bailey Fisher. She’s the girl I gave a ride to. She claimed to bartend at Freddy’s, but I’ve never seen her. It’s likely she worked different shifts than the times I’ve been, but I think it’s best to look into her anyway, see if she’s lying.”

“Do you think she could be law enforcement?” he asks.

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