Page 101 of Sweetest Sin
“Look who it is,” Matteo says, nodding over to where Mayor Vanderbilt is walking in and sitting down with his wife, who looks more plastic than flesh.
“We’ve been tracking his phone and movements for weeks now, and we have nothing,” Matteo says. “My guess is, he has a burner.”
Eric must feel us looking at him because he glances over and flinches, quickly turning back to his wife.
“Guy reeks of guilt,” I murmur, finishing off my drink.
“I was at the county clerk’s office, picking up the permits,” Lorenzo notes, “and Lorna, the receptionist who’s always flirting with me, let it spill that he was in a few days prior, trying to find anything he could to prevent our permits from going through. Of course, he couldn’t because our plans are airtight.”
“He’s up to something,” I say, “and as soon as we find out what he’s hiding, I’m done playing his bullshit games.”
“Oh shit, I gotta go.” Lorenzo stands. “Hillary’s meeting me at my place.”
“You looked into her background, right?” I ask.
Lorenzo’s worth damn near as much as we are, and it wouldn’t be off base to assume a woman wants to use him for his money. I’d never come out and say it, like Matteo did, but I still want to make sure Lorenzo is careful. With his parents gone and his sister away and in college, we’re the only family he has.
“Of course I did,” he says. “She’s twenty-five. She has a degree in communications …”
Matteo snorts. “You mean a degree in gold-digging? Everyone knows women who get a bullshit degree like that are only in school to look for a husband.”
Lorenzo glares at his best friend. “You’re starting to piss me off. She’s a good person, and you’d know that if you just gave her a chance. You hung out with her once.”
“And I saw all I needed to see.” Matteo shrugs. “She’s a gold digger, and you’d better make her sign an ironclad prenup before you put a ring on her finger.”
Lorenzo huffs in frustration, then turns his attention to me. “I’ll send the rest of the bids your way tomorrow morning so you can look at everything. But the project is heading in the right direction and on schedule.”
Once he leaves, I turn to Matteo, wanting to talk to him about something serious. “I’m going to ask Peyton to marry me.”
It’s something I’ve been thinking about since the moment she stepped into my life, and with her making no effort to get on birth control, I’d like to do it before I knock her up again. I’ll never regret our time together, but I’d like to make an honest woman out of her now. Give her and Damien my last name.
“I kind of figured,” Matteo says with a shake of his head. “When?”
“I was thinking about taking them away this weekend. She starts working at Hotel Blu on Tuesday, after the holiday weekend, and I imagine once she’s all in, I’ll have to pry her away to take a vacation.”
He nods in understanding.
“I plan to put her in my will, God forbid something happen to me, but I …” I look at him, and even though he’s hell-bent on not wanting a family of his own, I know he meant it when he said he would do everything in his power to protect mine. “I need to make sure if something happens, they’re taken care of. Thatyou’ll take care of them. You’re the only person I’d want to fill my shoes.”
“Are you asking me to fuck your wife and take over as Damien’s daddy if you die?” Matteo deadpans, and the image of Matteo and Peyton having sex has my blood boiling.
“What? No!” I bark, and then he grins.
The motherfucker grins.
“I’m just fucking with you.” He laughs. “Though, if something happens to you, she’ll want to eventually fuck someone else. Why not me?”
His mouth curves into a shit-eating grin, and I reach over and slap him on the back of the head, making him laugh harder.
“I just want you to make sure they’re taken care of,” I say with a sigh, this conversation exhausting me. “And Brielle too. I don’t know where her head is at since she came home, but I was thinking maybe, eventually, she might want to work at Antonov Enterprises. She mentioned she hates everything about the name, but I’m hoping she’ll change her mind one day.”
“Yeah, I was shocked when she said she wanted to fall in love. After everything she’s been through …”
“Peyton’s the same way.” I chuckle. “She reads these romance books and thinks it’s all real. But I’m determined to give her the fairy tale, starting with a weekend away and a proposal that would have those guys in the books jealous.”
Matteo snorts out a laugh. “Never thought I’d see the day when my ruthless boss of a brother would be comparing himself to romance books.”
I pat him on his shoulder and stand, ready to go home to my family. “That’s what the right woman will do to you.”
