Page 5 of Ruthless Rival

“I have Michael too, you know?” Alessia beamed. “He has been by my side every day.

I smiled. He had been yes, this I knew. The man turned out to be a friend to the Mancini family as he had chosen Alessia over his career as a cop. They had both done well together on the podcasts they had invented. He shook his head. He never would have thought that would make a great living, but they were a complete success.

Guilia was correct too. Everyone had grown a lot over the years, being put through peril and love. Fear and affection forced us to grow and change, leaving behind a stronger person. I couldn’t be more proud of all of them.

Golden light caressed the dining area as the sound of forks clinking and chatter filled the room. We feasted on a delicious carbonara with red wine, a nurturing meal. I couldn’t help but pause for a moment to watch my family laugh and eat together like we did two times every single week. It never failed to warm my heart to see everyone still together after so many years. When they became adults, I feared they would flee the nest and keep flying forever and forever, never returning. But they came back. They stayed.

I supposed the only thing that stung me while I sat here at the table with my family was realizing that everyone had a partner to love and hold but me. I dearly missed my sweet Sienna and how she melted in my hands when I held her close. She had been the other part of my soul and I couldn’t help but ache for someone to hold now as well. At the end of the day, I had needs and desires that clouded my head. I was a businessman, so I knew how to get what I wanted in a more straightforward way, rather than having to woo a woman.

However, family came before pleasure. So, I sipped on my wine and smiled to myself, slipping back into the enthusiastic fray that was family dinnertime. I joined in on the light chuckles filling the dining area as Marco told an old story about coming to Adriano’s rescue against a bully when they were teenagers.

“You got beat up too!” Adriano defended himself.

“And I had to swoop in and protect both of you,” Lorenzo said as he gave his brothers a pointed look.

I shook my head at my sons. They were good boys, but they were also troublemakers. They were Mancinis through and through. We fought together, ate together, and stood together no matter what.

After a few more stories, my family steadily filed out of the house while exchanging cheek kisses and embraces. I stood in the foyer, listening to the silence in the plantation house that always followed family nights. Instead of lingering and overthinking, I retreated to my bedroom and pulled my phone out of my pocket. I tapped a familiar number on the screen and pressed it against my ear.

“Delta Escort Services. How can I assist you?” Bri Delta answered, the head mistress of the popular house of pleasure in the heart of New Orleans.

“Hello, Bri,” I said.

“Oh! Mr. Mancini, it’s lovely to hear from you,” Bri said, her tone immediately perking up at the sound of my familiar voice. I was somewhat of a regular. “Looking to block out some time this evening?”

“Yes, I’d like your best,” I replied, needing a release tonight. Granted, I had probably been with every one of the very best of Delta’s girls at one point or another, but they were all fine to be with. None of them matched up to Sienna, but they were good company for a night.

“I’d never give you anything less,” Bri promised me. “What time will you be coming by?”

I checked the time on my gold watch. “7:30,” I told her.

“We look forward to seeing you,” Bri purred before the line went dead.

I pocketed my cell and rolled my neck in a circle, trying to loosen the tension. I looked forward to this much-needed release.

At 7:58, I walked into Delta with my bodyguard, Iso, behind me. He lingered by the front door as I continued to walk, my black dress shoes thumping against the royal red carpet. I headed down the short hallway to the lobby, adjusting the collar of my black dress shirt to correctly fold it.

Even if they were escorts, they provided a valuable service to me, so I put on a recently pressed grey suit jacket and pants over a black dress shirt, adding a few sprays of my cedarwood-fragrance cologne before walking out the door earlier. Just because the men who frequented Delta had money, didn’t mean that they were always men of class, but I wasn’t the owner. Bri ran the business however she wanted to and I wouldn’t question the choices she made about her clients.

Red lighting glowed overhead, illuminating the lobby in a sultry, dim light. There were a few patrons lingering on the outskirts of the lobby, letting their hands roam over the perfect bodies of their company for the night. When they spotted me, annoyance flashed across their faces. They knew what it meant when I stepped foot in here.

After paying their escorts, the men walked out of Delta, leaving me in the lobby as the girls flashed smiles at me. None of them minded being with me for the night. I was a great tipper, and I still knew how to be a gentleman in a pleasure house. I was a man of honor, even if my actions wavered from that at times.

“Mr. Mancini! You look lovely this evening.”

I looked away from the flirty escorts to see Bri Delta striding her way toward me. Her hair was blonde and bouncy while her curvy body swelled through the tight material of her sleeveless, white top and black, leather skirt.

“You as well,” I greeted her politely as she stopped in front of me.

Bri snapped her fingers, having a line of four women in similar skimpy outfits stand in front of me. “Here are my best girls working tonight. Any of them can fulfill your needs,” she assured me.

My eyes roamed over them. I gazed at a long-legged redhead, a curvy brunette, and a petite blonde, but the one who caught my eye tonight was a bold, dark-haired woman. She wore red lipstick and dark eyeshadow, bringing out her captivating features. She had curves in the right places under her sequined, green tube dress. “Her,” I replied as I nodded to the dark-haired woman.

“Alexis? Wonderful!” Bri said as she clasped her hands together happily. “Treat him well, Alexis.”

Alexis nodded and flashed me a bright smile as she took my arm. “This way, Mr. Mancini,” she told me as she led me up the stairs to the VIP room.

I walked a step behind her, letting her guide me into Delta’s most luxurious entertainment room. I ignored the fully stocked bar and mini-fridge to the left and sat on the edge of the bed like I usually did.

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