Page 12 of The Mafia Princess

“For not taking better care of you. I hadn’t realized you hadn’t eaten since you came to stay with me.”

“But that’s not your job. It’s mine to take care of you.”

“How about we take care of each other?” he said.

She somehow felt there was a deeper meaning but was too afraid to ask.

“Come and sit.”

She walked over to the chair he was holding and sat. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

They sat opposite each other and snacked. She was aware of his scrutiny and decided to ignore it.

“Don’t eat too much. We have dinner in a few hours.”

“I can’t sit at the table. I’m an employee. It’s just not done.”

“I think it will be okay.”

She thought of how she looked, cringed in embarrassment, and tears burned her eyes. “Please don’t make me go. I’ll be extremely uncomfortable.”

He didn’t say anything for a long moment and then nodded.

“You can have tonight. But expect to have meals with the family.”

She exhaled. She’d figure out how to get out of those. She was just glad she didn’t have to go tonight.

“I’m going to take a shower and dress. Can you bring me one pair of black pants and a white dress shirt?”

“Oh, well, yes. Of course.”

He stood and walked into the bathroom, and left the door open a few inches.

Aryanna went into his closet and pulled out the clothes he wanted. She’d been surprised that the maids had everything unpacked by the time they got to the room. She also grabbed a pair of his silky boxers, black socks, and shoes.

She heard the shower turn on and then splashing, telling her he was in. She knocked on the door.

“Come in, Lass, and put it on the counter.”

“Yes, sir.” She tried to keep her eyes away from the shower, but it was impossible. The glass had a frosted look so she couldn’t see anything but the outline of his body.

When the water turned off, she hurried out of the room and quietly shut the door behind her.

A few minutes later, he came out, trying to button his sleeves.

“Can you help me with this, Lass?”

She stood to face him and saw that the front of his shirt was open, letting her see the muscular contours of his chest. She concentrated on getting the button through the hole. It was difficult because her hands were shaking so much. He stood silently and patiently.

When she finished, she breathed a sigh of relief and stepped back. “There you go, sir.”

“Thank you, Lass.”

She nodded, sat back down, and concentrated on her food again.

He went to his briefcase and grabbed a file, came back to the table, sat, and started reading it.

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