Page 67 of Empire of Temptation

Heat crawled across the back of my neck. “Still, it’s true. He brought me today to pose as his girlfriend so you wouldn’t think this was business. He said I was his manten-something.”

“Mantenuta?”

“Yes, that.”

She blew out a breath and leaned in like we were having a heart-to-heart. “Valentina. Honey.Mantenutadoes not mean girlfriend. It means mistress. Kept woman, specifically.” She shook her head. “Girl, you’ve been mafiosoed.”

I blinked a few times, my brain scrambling to catch up. This was the second time the word mistress had popped out of Luca’s mouth. “Mafiosoed? What does that mean?”

Lipstick in hand, Gianna angled to the mirror, our eyes meeting in the reflection. “These men, these mafiosos. They are crafty sons of bitches. They’ll lie to get what they want from you. You have to keep on your toes with them—or next thing you know you’ll find yourself kidnapped and trapped on a yacht with one. Don’t believe a goddamn word he says.”

All of this hit way too close to home. Luca’s lies and evasions, the fact that he’d dragged me out of the restaurant this morning with no notice whatsoever. Gianna was right—I did need to be careful. No matter how many orgasms Luca gave me, he was a dangerous man.

Exactly like my father.

“Oh, shit.” Gianna capped her lipstick and whirled to grab my shoulders. “I can tell you’re spiraling. I’m sorry if I’ve scared you. My sisters always say I’m too blunt.”

“No, I’m glad you told me. I needed to hear this.”

She let me go but didn’t move away. “Look, you seem like a sweet girl. And I get it. Men like this? They fuck like gods. Charisma off the fucking charts. Believe me, I tried to resist, but that crazy,sexy man out there pulled me in and didn’t let go. So if you want Luca, then sleep with him. Be a mantenuta or not. But do it with your eyes wide open. Have it be on your terms instead of his, you know?”

“Thank you. I will.”

“Good. Now, you are slaying in that dress, girl. Where did you buy it from?”

No way was I telling this fashion designer where I found this dress. “Oh, it’s nowhere fancy.” Undeterred, Gianna wiggled her fingers at me, ordering me to give up my source, so I said, “You’re going to think it’s stupid.”

“Doubtful. I’ve shopped everywhere. Thrift stores, department stores, warehouse clubs. I once pulled a jacket out of a trash bin in Barcelona. Tell me.”

“A social media app,” I whispered the words like they were dirty. “You know, they show those ads and?—”

She was already unlocking her phone. “Oh my god, yes. Which one was it?”

Chapter Sixteen

Luca

When the women left the table, I swirled the wine in my glass and regarded the man across from me. “I apologize if I caused trouble between you and your woman.”

D’Agostino lifted one shoulder. “Don’t worry. I like when she’s pissed at me. You told Vito you needed help with your cousin?”

“Niccolò has disappeared and I need him found. I’m hoping your computer experts can look at CCTV footage for me.”

“What reason could he have for disappearing?”

“I don’t know, but I’m being told he’s in custody. I don’t believe it.”

“If it’s true, this would be very bad for you,” D’Agostino said.

“It would, which is why I need to find him. Your people can use facial recognition software on video of the trains, parking lots, whatever. He can’t be that hard to find.”

“This takes time.” He met my gaze pointedly. “And money.”

“I have plenty of the second, but not much of the first.”

D’Agostino stared off into space and I wondered whathe was thinking about. We didn’t know one another well, but I’d heard of his troubles with Ravazzani, the torture he’d endured. Many men wouldn’t emerge sane from such an ordeal, so I respected D’Agostino.

“I don’t want your money,” he finally said. “I want a marina. The big one.”

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