Page 52 of Say I Do

“Don’t do me like that, man,” Giancarlo begged.

“Next time, keep your mouth shut.” My phone rang. I stared at the screen and swallowed an annoyed groan. “You two can go for now. We’ll meet up later.”

“Is that the witch?” Gin muttered under his breath.

“Gin,” Enzo called.

“No, it’s not my mother,” I said tightly. “Get out.”

Gin smacked his lips but wrapped an arm around Enzo’s shoulders. “Let’s go get a sandwich. I’m starving.”

“Take your hand off me before I stab you.”

“Always with the stabbing.”

The sound of their voices disappeared as soon as the soundproof door to my office closed. I hit the answer button and sucked in a quick breath before I said hello.

“What the hell are you doing?”

I stiffened. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me, Benito,” my father snapped. “I told you to announce your marriage and go on your honeymoon. What are you doing instead? You’re planning a wedding, you’re at work, and you’re all over the news. Everything that Hayashi does is being followed, and they keep catching stupid shit.”

I knew exactly what he was talking about. Harlow and I had a small argument outside of a local restaurant, and more than once, he’d exchanged words with someone in a way that bordered on death threats. I’d tried to confine him to my penthouse, but Harlow was smart. And unrelenting. The more I kept him tucked away, the crazier he became. Better to let him out to stretch his legs a little.

“I’m handling it,” I said, keeping the confidence in my voice. “Harlow is a little wild, but he knows how important this agreement is.”

“He’d better,” my father snapped before he exhaled. “It’s your job to keep him in line.”

I could imagine one of those thick cigars in his mouth that he loved to smoke so much, the ones that smelled like cherries. It brought back a slew of pleasant memories, quickly followed by bad ones. I wiped a hand down my face.

Keep it together.

“There’s someone spreading shit around,” I said to change the subject. “I don’t know who it is yet, but I will.”

“Then make that your priority instead of toying around with your fake fiancé,” he said evenly. “Do you want this?” he asked me. “To take over when I’m gone?”

I refused to point out that, technically, I was already running shit. He had given me the title of head of New York, but he still pulled the strings from the shadows. I knew better than to cross my father, however. He was the type of man who could make your life miserable or straight up make you disappear. I didn’t want to be another missing poster slapped up on a light pole somewhere like the ones I’d seen when I was young.

Yeah, right. Who’s slapping up missing posters for me? Not my brothers. They would already know what happened to me, and there would be nothing they could do. They’re all I have.

I briefly thought about Harlow. Lately, we’d been getting closer, if you could call our cat and mouse game close in any capacity. I wondered if he’d go out searching for me if I went missing. Would he seek me out or cut his losses?

I conjured up a clear image of him slaughtering his way through the city, looking for me. Not because he cared, I wasn’t naive enough to believe that, but because he probably thought I was out with some woman. I could already see that psychotic look on his face as his blade sliced through anyone who stood in his way.

My dick got hard like I was still in high school. I grabbed it, adjusting as I willed the damn thing to calm down. Lately, whenever I thought about that panty-clad monster, I got turned on. It was like Harlow had a leash wrapped around my cock. My cock that now acted as if it was well-trained for all things Harlow.

“Are you listening to me?” my father asked.

I hadn’t heard a word. “Yes, of course,” I said as I took out a cigarette. “Like I said, I’ll handle this, all right? Why don’t you focus on what’s going on in Italy?”

“Don’t think you can tell me what to do,” he said darkly.

My chest squeezed. “I wasn’t—”

“Don’t fucking lie,” he growled. “If you could handle your job, then I wouldn’t have to hover over you day and night. Man up and get the shit done! If someone’s fucking with you, take care of it. Keep your goddamn fiancé out of the public eye if he can’t behave. And for God’s sake, grow a fucking backbone, son.”

I swallowed thickly. Words rested on the tip of my tongue that I knew I shouldn’t say. Things long ago left to fester waited right beneath the surface. However, I sank back against my chair and focused on my breathing before I told him what a son of a bitch he was.

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