Page 35 of My Mafia Captor

But before I knew it, it was Sunday night, and I was staring at Natalia’s text about coming home for dinner. I wanted to tell her yes. I really wanted to go home and spend the night with her, but right now, I had to deal with a buyer who wanted out of the deal— even though they had already paid a portion of the money for the purchase. It had gotten further complicated when more details were involved, and I had just spent three hours on the phone with the guy asking him if he knew what “legally binding” meant. Clearly, he didn’t because he thought this whole thing to be a joke.

I certainly wasn’t laughing.

Annoyed and aggravated, I texted Natalia back that I wouldn’t be able to make it home tonight either but that I would make it up to her soon.As soon as the deal went through, I silently promised her.

An hour or so later, Caroline came in wearing a figure-hugging green dress with buttons going up the front. It was a very appealing dress, but funny enough, my mind immediately imagined Natalia wearing it. Maybe I could find one like it and buy it for her. I smiled to myself, thinking about it. Caroline smiled back at me, mistaking the expression as being directed at her. I didn’t correct her because it would be a waste of an explanation, and it didn’t hurt for her to think it was directed at her.

She was carrying a plastic bag containing several Styrofoam containers. I could see the napkins and forks piled on top of them, and the smell of Italian food hit my nose. I looked down at my computer again as she set the bag on the glass table between the couches and began dividing up the containers. She always knew the best places to get takeout food, and I never had an issue with the food she brought me. She might even have known my palate better than I did.

“I got you the spaghetti and meatballs from Mamma Mia’s. You liked that place when it opened up.”

“Oh right, where everything is homemade… awesome! They make really good cannoli too.”

“I asked if they had any, but they were all out,” she pouted, and I did my best not to roll my eyes at her. “We will just have to get you some tomorrow or something.”

“Hopefully, by tomorrow we will be able to go home for dinner. By the way, you are more than welcome to work from home next week if you like. You’ve been amazing this past week. You know, just because I’m a workaholic doesn’t mean you need to be.”

“Nonsense, it’s no trouble at all,” she assured me. “Now come and eat. Besides, if I work from home, who else is going to make sure you have food in your stomach? You don’t eat when I’m not here.”

“Too true,” I admitted and closed my laptop. I got up and stretched, ignoring the way Caroline looked at me when I did so. I sat down on the couch opposite her, grabbing a Styrofoam container of spaghetti and meatballs with one hand and a plastic fork with the other. Not my smartest move ever because the Styrofoam bent from the weight in my single hand, and the meal instantly ended up on my lap.

“Shit!”

“Oh no!” Caroline exclaimed and grabbed the napkins out of the bag to try to help me clean up.

It didn’t go very well. Between the two of us, we managed to get the noodles back in the container and fished several meatballs out from under the couch, which promptly ended up in the trash bin by my desk. My pants were a mess, though, and in trying to clean up, I got sauce on my shirt. My white shirt of course.

“So much for dinner,” I grumbled. “I need a shower.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll order some more and have it delivered.”

“Thanks. Please, you eat in the meantime. No reason you should go hungry just because I’m a klutz.” I motioned to her dinner which was very much not all over the floor like mine had been. Luckily, everything but what was still on me had been cleaned up by this point.

I headed into the bathroom and shut the door behind me.

This bathroom had been one of Dad’s suggestions, and I silently thanked him for his genius every time I used it. Most private office bathrooms had just a toilet and a sink, but he had suggested there be a shower for a refresh after long nights as well as an attached walk-in closet for changes of clothes. I had a whole rack of suits here as backups as well as socks, underwear, and belts stored in a small dresser.

I turned on the water for the shower and began to strip, feeling the day’s weariness shed with the soiled clothing. I was tired and annoyed as well as hungry, and all I wanted was to go home. I could be taking a shower with Natalia. I could be lying next to her in bed after watching another movie together. Funny enough, that was really all I wanted to do right now. I loved watching her watch a movie—all her facial expressions and reactions to what was going on. I even loved how she talked through the movie, telling me what she thought about what was happening on the screen.

I got under the warm water and began soaking myself. Halfway through my shower, I thought I heard a sound very close to glass breaking. I paused, waiting to hear a distress call from Caroline, but upon hearing nothing further, I finished my shower—though a little faster than usual. I dried off enough to pull underwear and a pair of pants on before heading out to the office area to make sure everything was okay.

Caroline was on her hands and knees in the doorway between her office and mine, wiping up something off the floor and putting it into the bin that had been beside my desk. It looked like spaghetti sauce. I looked over at the glass table and saw her food sitting there in its container, untouched.

“What’s going on?” I asked, confused. Maybe the order had come already, and that had fallen on the floor too? But why would it have been in glass?

“Well… your wife happened,” she said with a huff. I just stared at her.

“Excuse me?”

“Your wife,” she said and stood up to face me, cleaning her hands with one of the napkins. Caroline’s face was twisted as if she were smelling something foul, her nose tilted up in the air. I had never seen her with that expression on her face, and the fact that it was directed at Natalia didn’t sit well with me, but I stayed silent, waiting for her to continue. “She barged in here, took one look at me, and asked where you were. I told her you were in the shower, and she dropped this dish she had been carrying and left.”

“Is she alright? Why didn’t she stay?” I demanded, taking a step forward. My heart beat a little funny at the thought that she had even come at all. She was willing to come see me at the office? I couldn’t even imagine.

“She’s fine. A bitch, but fine,” Caroline huffed. I scowled at her, but she either didn’t see the expression or just ignored it altogether. “Honestly, I don’t understand why you put up with that charade. I know your father arranged the marriage, but he could have picked someone more suited for you. Someone who knows everything about you. Someone who already takes care of you.”

She looked up at me with what I assumed she thought was an alluring eyelash flutter, but it failed to affect me. In fact, I was doing my best not to rage at her.

“I know that you like to sleep around,” she continued, “and I’m okay with that. I could be… so much better for you. As long as you came home to me, your lifestyle wouldn’t have to change.” She started walking towards me, her eyes on my bare chest. She even licked her lips as she reached out for me. “We could—”

---