Page 63 of Darkest Desire
“I don’t need to be a married man to be a good business partner.”
“True.”
The door opens and in walks Giovanni with his dark suit despite the heat outside and his slicked back hair that justscreamsItalian. He’s around my age but nowhere near as good looking as me. He’s like the off brand version – good enough in a pinch but if you want the real thing, you’re not going to get it with him.
Of course, I would never tell Giovanni this. I want him to be an ally.
He slides into the seat across from me and Adrien. “So, you wanted to talk.”
“I did. I’ll just come out with it. I want us to be business partners. We could grow our empire like never before if we joined forces.”
He steeples his fingers together, looking me down in a way I don’t like. It’s too critical. “I heard one of your guards tried to kill you.”
Fuck. My guards like to gossip even though they know they shouldn’t. “Yes. One of them did. They were sent undercover by Mikhail Novikoff. But I killed the attacker. Mikhail is just going to have to wait to kill me. I’m not going anywhere yet.”
“Why would I want to make an alliance with a man who his own guards are willing to turn on him?”
“Because Nico,” Adrien says, leaning forward, “has the most money out of all of you Italians. You would be smart to consider his offer.”
“I am interested,” Giovanni admits. “You’ve always been a hard nut to crack, Nico. Now you’re giving me a way in.”
“I am. I want you to come over to my home for dinner. We can discuss business even more. I want you to know that I want you on my side.”
“Is this just for protection? Because you want to take down the Bratva?”
I nod. “I do want to take down Mikhail specifically. But I also want us to become untouchable. This is the way to do it. So what do you say? Willing to come over to my home for dinner and discuss things in more detail?”
He rubs his chin before he extends his hand and I shake it. “Yes. I’ve also heard you’re recently married.”
“I am. You’ll get to meet my wife, Sasha, when you come over.”
“A Russian?” He sneers.
“Yes. She’s the sister-in-law to Mikhail Novikoff. It pains him every day that he couldn’t save his wife’s sister. I laugh about it to myself all the time.”
“Well, if you like her, then I guess there’s something worthy about her.”
“Sasha isn’t like all Bratva members. She’s a mafia wife now. She’s my wife now. Do you have a girlfriend? I know you’re not married.”
He shifts around in his seat. “Not at the moment.”
“Then you can join Adrien in the single’s club.”
Adrien extends his hand too. “Pleasure doing business with you.”
Giovanni shakes his hand and smiles. “You too.”
Sasha
I ignore Nico when we returns home. After what we shared yesterday, I can’t even look him in the eye. He went down on me and I did the same to him. For most couples, that would have brought them closer but for me and Nico, it’s made us grow more apart.
Well, Nico wants to be closer but I’ve put the distance there. I feel too embarrassed and ashamed for what we did. He made me kill a man and I let him touch me in a way no one ever has before. I’m so messed up in the head.
He slides onto the couch beside me. “I’m having a dinner party tomorrow night. A new business associate. I need you on your best behavior.”
I flip a page in my book. I’m starting to understand some Italian and I’ve been practicing reading it, even though I still don’t understand most of the words.
“Sasha?” He grabs my chin, making me look at him. “Don’t ignore me. We should talk about what we did.”
