Page 36 of Christmas with the Mafia
“Here we are. Luckily we have it in three sizes, and I selected the one I thought best.”
I’m in a daze as she proceeds to dress me as if I’m a doll, and I don’t even complain as I transform into Coco Chanelbefore my eyes. I blink in wonder at how clothes alter everything because as soon as the fabric touched my skin, it’s as if I became somebody else entirely.
By the time she pushes me out of the dressing room, I notice Nico leaning on the wall flicking through his phone. His eyes raise to mine, and the shock in them makes me giggle as he raises an eyebrow. “Regina?”
It reminds me of the last transformation I enjoyed at his hands, and I pirouette before him.
“Will I do, darling?”
I make light of the endearment, and yet his eyes flash, and the hunger in them causes my heart to race as if I’ve just run the New York marathon.
He shifts off the wall and as he reaches for my hand, he pulls me close and without warning revisits the kiss, this time deep, hungry and promising something way naughtier. It’s as if nobody isn’t watching and as his hands slide around my waist and he pulls me in flush against his body, I am lost in wicked abandonment and completely out of my comfort zone.
I am loving the new me, and so why not reinvent the person inside the clothes, and so I muster every inch of sex appeal I possess and kiss him back as if the world isn’t watching.
Eighteen
NICO
I never lose control,especially in public, and this is no exception. I am here to do a job. To make my engagement to Regina believable. She must look the part, act the part and be the part if this is going to work. My family must see images of us all over the internet to accept this is genuine.
Then there is the lady herself. The easiest way to get her on side is to make her fall in love with me. It’s a lot to expect in the timeframe, but I’ve come up against worse challenges.
She trembles against me, and I’m not immune to her charms. If anything, I’m congratulating myself on a job well done because when we pull apart her expression is soft and slightly flustered. There is a sparkle in her eyes that wasn’t there before, and once she has experienced the full force of my attention, I’m guessing she will be putty in my hands.
“Come, we need to eat, before we return and finish up.”
“Finish up?”
She scurries along beside me, and I nod. “We must select gifts for my parents and siblings, cousins and staff.”
I turn and address Mrs. Francis. “While we are gone, please amass an entire wardrobe for my fiancée. Everything a woman in her position will need. I don’t need to give you a detailed list; just make certain she has the best of everything and have it delivered to my apartment by the close of business today.”
Mrs. Francis is looking at me as if I’m fucking Santa Claus, so I spin on my heels and drag a shocked Regina behind me.
We spill out onto the sidewalk where the cars are waiting, and as we pile inside, she gasps, “What just happened?”
“I went shopping.”
I return my attention to my phone and add, “It doesn’t happen much, so I go a little overboard when I get the chance.”
“But the money, it’s obscene.”
“If you say so. I say it’s adequate.”
I turn and fix her with a direct stare.
“Obscene spending includes an estate in Paris, several homes on tropical islands and enough valuable art in them to cause a worldwide shortage. Fast cars, yachts, private jets, that is what I class as obscene, not a trip to the store to pick up a few supplies. You will soon get used to the endless limit on your credit card, and this is the last time I will discuss the matter.”
She slumps back in her seat and smooths down the fabric of her skirt. “Well, it’s a lot to me.”
I detect the pride in her voice, and it halts my scrolling, causing me to turn to her, and she whispers, “I am not ofyour world, Nico. I watch every penny, so what happened back there blew my mind. It felt obscene to me because I hadn’t earned it, and even if I had, I doubt I would have been so frivolous.”
She leans forward and touches my arm and says softly, “It’s not that I’m ungrateful, it’s just that I don’t need an entire closet of clothes for a two-day visit. Think of the good you could have done with that money. It’s Christmas, and there are many people who go without. You could have made their decades with a fraction of what you just spent; surely that’s worth more than the latest shoe design?”
I shrug, her noble words having all the effect of snowflakes on a sunny day.
“Newsflash, Regina. I raised three million dollars for the children’s hospital last night. They will receive half along with the homeless shelter in Brooklyn, so don’t lecture me about charity. I do my bit, and I do a lot. Viper Holdings funds water in Africa, research into cancer drugs and scholarships for deprived neighborhoods, so forgive me if from time to time I decide to treat those I love.”
