Page 33 of Empire of Temptation

“Pronto,” I heard him say, answering his phone.

I took the mortadella and cheese from the fridge. I missed my housekeeper in Catanzaro. She made the best sandwiches. Living with a bunch of guards and fending for our own meals was starting to wear on me.

“No shit?” Aldo said, snickering. “How many? Yeah, I’ll tell him. A presto.”

“What is it?” I asked, slicing open ciabatta for a sandwich.

“She say anything to you about her book club?”

I was too tired and irritated to play guessing games. “Spit it out, stronzo.”

“Tonight is book club night at the restaurant. A bunch of hot girls get together and drink wine.”

“And?”

“And all the single guys in town know to hang out in the bar on book club nights.”

I froze, a piece of mortadella dangling in my fingers. “I thought the restaurant was closed.”

“Restaurant, yes. Bar, no. Valentina insisted on opening it tonight, so they could recoup some of the lost revenue. It’s one of her biggest money-making nights of the month, she told Roberto.”

I fucking bet.Hot girls. Wine. Single guys.

No doubt the men were hoping to take one of the drunk women home. I pictured Valentina, helpless, trapped in a car with some man who didn’t care if she were willing or not. My gut cramped and a red mist coated my brain like a thick layer of paint.

“Cazzo!” I dropped the meat on the counter. “I need to get over there.”

“Do you want to change first?” Aldo asked, getting off his stool.

I wore a t-shirt and jeans, not my usual public attire. This was what I wore around the house. “There’s no time.Andiamo.”

Aldo grabbed the keys from a bowl near the garage door. Soon we were speeding toward town in one of the two cars I’d rented. During the ride, I called Roberto and told him under no circumstances was Valentina allowed to leave before I arrived. There was a lot of noise in the background, but he said he understood.

The drive seemed to take forever. The restaurant’s parking lot was full of pickup trucks and SUVs, but we didn’t bother looking for a space. Aldo parked in the fire lane right in front of the restaurant.

I got out and strode toward the door. Voices carried out onto the sidewalk, mostly feminine laughter. A siren’s song for every horny college-aged boy in town.

What in the hell was she thinking? Throwing open the door, I went in. My gaze surveyed the place in one sweep. At a large round table sat ten beautiful young women, all dressed up, laughing and drinking. The bar was crammed with over a dozen men of all ages, beer bottles in hand, lurking and talking quietly. A sporting event was on the screens, but the men were more interested in the table of women.

I found her and my heart stopped.Che figa che lei mamma mia. So fucking hot.

Her dark hair was slicked back and pulled back into a high ponytail, accenting her face. The dramatic makeup she wore made her look older, more sophisticated, and her lips were painted a bright red. My dick twitched as I thought about those red lips nibbling on the head of my cock.

Why such effort? Was she hoping to take a man home?

It didn’t matter. I wasn’t letting anyone take advantage of her, not while I could prevent it.

I walked over to the bar. There was no use making a scene and disrupting the girls’ fun, which would piss Valentina off. I would handle this quietly.

I went to the cluster of young men at the end of the bar. Three of the four wore baseball caps turned backwards. Several curious gazes met mine. I spoke softly, so they had to lean in to hear. “Get the fuck out. The bar is now closed.”

They didn’t speak for a long second, each sizing me up. Then one grew brave enough to say, “We’re not leaving, bro. It’s book club night.”

I put my hand on his shoulder and squeezed. Hard. When he winced and tried to pull away, I only gripped harder, forcing my thumb behind his collar bone. “You are leaving now and you are taking your friends with you. Because if you don’t, I’m going to knock out every single one of your teeth.Bro.”

“Jesus, okay. Let me fucking go!”

I released him and gestured to the door. “Leave. Now.”

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