Page 22 of Mafia Captor

There’s a little yap from behind the desk.

“Who’s that?” I ask.

An angry little terrier comes trotting into view, a puzzled look on his cross face.

“That’s Grumps. My assistant.”

The dog gives me a hard stare, fitting of his name.

Now, I’m annoyed at both of them.

“Let me see if I’ve got this right. You had them bring in a desk, you brought your dog as your sidekick to play assistant, all to tease me? To get a rise out of me by pretending you’re my new boss? Look, I don’t know what game you and Grumps are trying to play, but yes, I am late and you, sir, are only making me later.” I turn on my heel to leave.

A wall of black-covered muscle blocks my exit. “Not so fast.”

“Excuse me. Please step aside.” I stare up at him.

“I’m not playing games. You work for me now,” he says. “I traded Tess for you.”

What. The. Fudge.

Okay, now I’m angry. I don’t care how handsome he is, how much he makes my panties melt, or how dangerous he seems. “Let me get this straight. First, you trade me for a car. Now you’ve traded me again? For what, exactly?”

“Something she needed. Something she couldn’t say no to.”

“Stop speaking in riddles. What did you trade? And why? What the heck do you want with me?” I want to push him out of my way, get out of the office, far away from him, and go stick my head in a freezer. And maybe my pussy as well. “Why are you doing this?”

That devilish look crosses his face. The one that makes me long for his cock inside me. He runs his tongue over his bottom lip. “Because I can.”

“Well, you can’t. Please move because I’m going to find my real boss. Tess.”

I go to step past him. Surprisingly, he lets me. He calls out, stopping me with his words.

“She’s not here.”

I flip back around. “Where is she?”

He smirks. “The one thing she wanted badly enough to let you, her very favorite employee, go? I had tickets to the Westminster Dog Show. They’re completely sold out. She’s been bribing everyone she knows but couldn’t get a hold of tickets. I gave her mine. For you.”

I’m too surprised by him saying he had tickets to the Westminster Dog Show to be bothered about the fact that Tess was willing to trade me. “You go to the dog show?”

“Yeah. I fucking love dogs. They’re so much better than people.” He scoops up the terrier in his arms. The dog gives a bored yawn.

Hmm… I’ve had the same thought about Giorgio. I take a good, long look at him. Maybe I wrote him off too quickly.

I look down at his feet. Even his fashion choices puzzle me. “Are you wearing… Doc Martens?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Nothing. Just—you don’t make any sense.”

His dark brow folds inward. “What do you mean?”

What do I say? You love your family but you’re ruthless at work, I’ve heard. You’re hard and cold but go to dog shows. You have good and terrible taste in fashion but look amazing in everything you put together.

I shrug. “I don’t know. But I do know one thing. I need you to stop trading me around like I’m a worthless object.”

“Worthless?” he says. “I trade for you because you’re the best. And I want the best.”

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