Page 13 of The Councilor

Raphaella rolled her eyes from his ridiculous comments. “I assure you I can handle my own with any man, yourself included. I have my way of exploiting a man’s greatest weakness and using it against them like a black widow would do.”

It would seem the woman had a backbone and I was more than just pleased.

My cock was twitching all over again.

“Another warning,” Jacob offered. “Careful. I might steal her.”

“Over my dead body.”

He laughed and waved us off, winking at Raphaella before doing so.

“What a smarmy dude,” she said.

I could swear she mumbled so was I.

“Smarmy. Someone needs to explain the terminology to me.”

She all but exhaled as if disgusted as I continued walking her toward my favorite bar top table, the location with a perfect view of one of the busiest streets in Manhattan. “It means a jerk tothe fullest extent, so much so you feel the need to take a shower afterwards.”

“Ah, then you’ve pegged him correctly.” As we sat down, I noticed my share of people staring at us. That didn’t mean anything necessarily, especially since there’d been no reports on the incident from the night before. That didn’t mean there wasn’t buzz in the street, Bernardi putting his men on watch. “What would you like?”

“Cabernet.” The blush on her face was quite endearing, but I did my best to ignore what she was doing as well as her appearance. Although she was entirely too buttoned up, the suit was lovely on her but way too conservative. I was also surprised when she didn’t take off her jacket.

“Cabernet it is.” I didn’t need to bother flagging down a waiter; one appeared seconds later.

“Mr. Semenov. Good to see you again. What would you like?”

“Whiskey, neat and a glass of the finest cabernet you serve.” I scanned the room before leveling my eyes on her once again. I couldn’t tell if she was annoyed, amused, or surprised. Of all the assistants I’d gone through, none had intrigued me this much. She had a backstory. I could feel it.

“Yes, sir.”

“Do you do that everywhere you go?” she asked.

“Do what?”

“Compel people to do your biddings?”

A little more of a brazen attitude. Yes, she definitely had potential. “I’ve been blessed in my work and life, Raphaella.That’s allowed me to command attention and the ability to snap my fingers if necessary.”

She lifted a single eyebrow, the arch highlighting her face even more. “I’ll keep that in mind. Although you should know, I’m rarely impressed.”

How could she have me laughing so many times when she said very little? “Touché. Now, I am curious. Is this nothing more than a steppingstone to becoming an attorney?”

She took a few seconds before answering. “Well, I’d prefer to be a famous sculptor, known all over the world but I don’t see that happening. So, yes.”

“Wow. Two entirely different worlds.”

“Not necessarily. They both need absolute creativity.”

“True enough. A sculptor. Impressive.”

“I always loved the idea, the finesse needed, the quiet peace I was able to achieve. I don’t have enough time now, but it will always be my first love.”

The drinks arrived and I could tell she was very much aware we were being watched. People unused to the limelight were usually put off by the instant notoriety. “And the law?”

While her eyes had lit up from talking about her form of art, the look in them now was entirely different. “I believe in justice. Right and wrong. I also don’t like bullies, predators, or when innocent victims are abused in any way.”

“I can’t tell if your dream is as a defense attorney or a prosecutor.”

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