Page 28 of Christmas with the Mafia
“It is waiting on your desk.”
“Good.” I nod toward the elevator. “We won’t be long; give me five minutes, ten at the most. Make sure they are ready.”
“Of course.” He turns and heads to the elevator, and I already know that Alyssia was despatched in the early hours. Trent uses her like he does a well-worn favorite jacket and never allows her the luxury of waking in his arms. It’s what we do. Cool and guarded with our emotions. It’s necessary because emotion is a weakness that defeats empires. Trent is no different from me and takes his role in my organization seriously. We’ve given up a lot to remain at the top of our game and are aware of the repercussions if we lower our guard even a tiny bit.
“Hi Nico.”
Regina makes her way inside the room with a worried expression, wearing the robe from last night.
“You’re not ready.”
I stifle my irritated sigh because this will hold us back for a few minutes.
“I can’t find my dress and, well, I um, didn’t have any underwear and I can’t wear the dress from last night because it’s yours.”
Fuck. Of course, she has nothing to wear and I shake my head. “In case it has escaped your attention, this room doesn’t come with a closet stuffed with clothing. We didn’t pack for the occasion, and you will notice that I am wearingthe same clothes as last night too. The dress will suffice until we reach your apartment, where you can change.”
“Of course, well, um, wait here. I won’t be long.”
She speeds off back down the hallway and returns after exactly five minutes in the silver creation that she wore extremely well last night. Her hair is long rather than styled, and her face is scrubbed of makeup, but she has never looked as beautiful as she does now. Her soft skin is touched with nature’s hand of blush, and her eyes are sparkling as she pretends not to openly stare at me. I can tell she is fascinated by me. I kind of return the favor, but I am more adept at disguising emotion than she is.
“Before we go, you must sign the contract.”
I jerk my thumb in the direction of the den that comes with penthouses as standard. The hotel accommodates business and pleasure, and despite the fact I wasn’t expecting to use this space last night, it is always on standby when I attend a function here. My place is not far away, but it was convenient to remain here last night.
Regina shivers in the doorway, and I nod to the chrome and black leather seat that is set across from the black leather chair that commands an impressive view of New York from the floor to ceiling window.
“Can I get my lawyer to check it over first?”
Her soft voice causes the pen I’m holding to hover in midair.
“Your lawyer?” I raise an eyebrow, and she giggles.
“Actually, I don’t have one, but my neighbor, Mr. Pettigrew, goes to night classes to learn law, and he would love this as a case study.”
“Mr. Petti what?” I shake my head. “Regina, you takematters seriously or not at all, and engaging the help of a hobby lawyer is worse than engaging none at all. He will only hinder rather than help, and if you insist on dragging this out, I must remind you that we simply don’t have time for this. We leave this evening for the Hamptons.”
“Excuse me.” Her shocked expression reveals that she really didn’t understand the assignment, and I control my irritation and smile.
“The points are summarized at the end if it sets your mind at rest. You will find it extremely straightforward and merely a document to protect your interests as well as my own.”
I thrust the last page at her, and she peers closely at the printed words, her bottom lip tugged into her teeth as she concentrates on the bullet points at the end of the legal jargon.
“It says I must not reveal any details of your life or conversations I hear.”
“It does.”
“I suppose that’s okay. I mean, who would I tell?”
“Your friends perhaps?”
“No.” She shrugs. “Quincy would be more interested in the color of your walls and how many paintings you own. She’s not interested in people unless it goes by the name Aston and drives a yellow cab.”
“Your family?”
“They are in Switzerland for Christmas and prefer not to talk to me about anything.”
“Why not?”
