Page 90 of Taming Nikki

I spun in the computer chair, raising an eyebrow at him. “Show me.”

He handed them to me, bouncing on his toes as I looked through them. They all looked promising, but one of them had a time and location on the back. I frowned, showing it to him.

“What’s this?”

“Ah! That one. Yeah, that’s a big one. He wants to meet in person first, though. He’s a little skittish, wants to make sure he’s working with you and not me.” He shot me a sheepish look, and I chuckled.

“Yeah, alright. I’ll just have to call him. This is one of Vitale’s clubs. I don’t want to go anywhere near it if I don’t have to.”

Marco grimaced. “Yeah, no. It’s the only place he agreed to meet. You gotta take it, he’s loaded and I think he’s looking for a big commitment.”

“Big commitment?” Maybe he was like Haggerty. He was upfront from the beginning that he would have multiple jobs for me throughout his career.

Marco bobbed his head, leaning against the arm of the couch. “I can come with you if you want?”

I shook my head. “No, if he’s looking to work with me directly, I don’t want to look weak toting around an eighteen-year-old bodyguard.”

Marco looked offended, but I ignored him. Whoever this guy was, he was prompt. Marco said he got his card last night, and the meeting was set for late tonight. I frowned at the screen. Along with his guys dropping off all my shit, Vitale also had them drop off my computer. He apparently doesn’t take no for an answer and got it back from my papa after I told him not to. It could run my program without my needing to monitor it, but I generally preferred to watch over it if I could help it.

“Alright, I’ll be there. The rest of these need research. Have you and Piero gotten back to work or is the dumb-dumb duo still causing you trouble?”

I no longer lived with my brothers, but Marco and Piero still did, and I was constantly worried they’d show up black and blue again. Marco shook his head.

“They’ve backed off for now. They may have cared more about you doing it than us.”

I snorted. Sounded about right. Misogynistic assholes.

After sending Marco home to do research on the new cards, I got ready for the meeting with the skittish client. The card said Romero, but a quick google search didn’t come up with much. I don’t trust someone without an internet presence, so I was going in fully armed and Tony would be on standby in case there was trouble. I was right, his girlfriend cheated on him again and he came crawling back like he always does.

The club the client invited me to was the one with the gambling den in the basement. The last time I was there, I was in a full-blown black-tie outfit. I wanted to dress to impress, but not go that crazy. I went with a simple red off the shoulder cocktail dress. The bottom was asymmetrical, giving me easy access to my weapons if necessary. I no longer felt the need to limit myself to just black. I wasn’t trying to piss off Viola with my outfit choices. I was just being me. With high heels and my hair down, I figured I was plenty professional and upscale enough for the club.

I made my way downstairs, rolling my eyes at the kitchen staff's whistles and catcalls. It was almost impossible to slip out of Nino’s place without catching their attention. I wiggled my fingers at them, heading out the backdoor. Nino was on the phone, pacing the alleyway. He put the phone to his chest when he noticed me.

“You look good. Where you headed?”

“Got a potential client who wants to meet in person. I’ve got Tony on standby, so don’t wait up for me again. You’re a real bear in the morning when you don’t get enough sleep.”

He snorted, shaking his head. “See, this is why I didn’t have daughters. I have the audacity to worry, and you bite my head off for it.” He was teasing me, smiling as he kissed my cheek lightly.

“Have a good night, Nino.” I waved, meeting Enzo at the end of the alley. He still showed up whenever I needed him, probably because I gave him a raise so he could afford a better car. I needed to show up to nicer places now and his beater wasn’t doing me any favors.

I expected some pushback at the door. I’d only ever been here once with Leo and I wasn’t well known on this side of town, but apparently my client put my name on the list. A cocktail waitress waited for me just inside and led me downstairs. I was wary, I didn’t want to run into Leo, but he wasn’t anywhere that I could see. The waitress led me to a back room where there were more private tables. The rooms were dark, the only light beaming on the table. It put me on edge. You could only see the other players. If there was someone in the corner of the room, I wouldn’t be able to see them until it was too late.

The game started without introductions. I didn’t recognize any of the men I was sitting with, but the game passed easily without incident and I was doing pretty well for myself.

“I guess I was wrong when I said you had no poker face.”

I froze, my eyes slipping shut as I tried not to let my face betray me. The door closed behind him and Leo moved to the one empty seat at the table directly across from me. A week wasn’t long enough to get over him, apparently. Even though I knew he wanted to force me into marriage, my heart still pounded, my stomach fluttered, and warmth flooded my system.

The urge to run was overwhelming. But I didn’t want to let him know he had an effect on me. I tried to keep my focus on my hand, but time and time again, my gaze rose to lock eyes with Leo. He looked unaffected, whereas I was trying not to let my hands trembling affect my game, not only from fear but from how much I missed him.

“Never thought I’d see you out of black.”

“Kind of hoped I wouldn’t see you at all, so I guess we’re all disappointed.”

Someone snorted and mumbled ‘ouch’. Leo’s gaze never left mine, but his eyes narrowed and darkened a little.

“Still keeping up with the bitch routine, I see.”

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