Page 13 of Hired By the Consigliere

Something about the way that he said that offended me, but I forced a smile, nodded, and shut the door.

I had no reason to be offended. It was a job after all, not an actual date. An actress wouldn't be offended because she was given a costume to wear. That's all the clothes were costumes.

I walked to my bedroom and dumped the bags on my bed.

To my surprise, the clothes were tasteful. The outfits were what I would have picked out for myself—if I had hundreds of dollars to drop on clothes, which is.

I hung up the classic, black cocktail dress, along with the more casual sundress, black slacks and a variety of blouses in different, all classy styles and colors. There were also a couple of pairs of shoes, and a small jewelry box that contained an elegant, understated yet beautiful white gold necklace.

Enzo had gone all out for the week. I wondered if he was offering these things on loan and made a mental note to take extra care with them just in case.

I put all the clothes and shoes away, staring at the beautiful quality fabrics and stitching. If I was going to succeed in the job, I needed to make sure that I was convincing as someone in Enzo's world. I look down at my unmanicured hands, rough from hard work.

I needed a manicure. And since I did have a little extra money in my account after getting paid the night before, I decided to invest in my new job.

I took a shower and threw my hair up into a messy bun. I would take time for hair and makeup after I got back.

I had no idea when I walked into the salon to have my nails done, that I would walk out with a manicure, pedicure, hair trim, and style.

I stared at myself in the mirror wearing the black cocktail dress, fresh from the salon, I could barely recognize myself. I looked the way that I wished that I could afford to look all the time. I felt like my inner me was finally reflected in my outer self. I knew that fancy clothes, makeup and hair don’t change a person, but it really could help boost confidence.

At seven o'clock, I left my apartment and headed to the elevator but when the doors opened, I was surprised to see Enzo standing there, looking shocked to see me.

"Hey, I was just—"

"I was just heading—"

We spoke at the same time, both cutting our explanations short with an awkward chuckle.

"Shall we?" He motioned back into the elevator, holding the door from shutting while we stepped back on board.

"Thank you." The doors closed and I wondered if we would ride down in awkward silence when he spoke.

"I usually pick up my dates at their door."

"I just figured since I'm not really a date…" I shrugged awkwardly. The whole situation was so new to me.

"But we need to act like it any time we are together outside of one of our apartments. This deal is too important to screw up by being careless."

"What kind of deal is it anyway?" He looked at me like he wanted to tell me it was none of my business, but I continued. " It seems like something a girlfriend should know."

Enzo nodded thoughtfully. "I'm looking to have the regional president’s endorsement for council member."

"Wow. That's ambitious."

"I've been in politics locally for several years now but to have regional power would be a game changer.

"So why do you need me?"

"We are meeting with the regional president and while it's technically decided by a popular vote, having his support would help secure my position. A rival of mine, a very bad man, is also up for the position and it would mean a lot more power for him which is dangerous. My sources tell me the regional president finds it important that a man be a real family man."

"I see." The elevator slowed to a stop, the doors opening with a ding.

Enzo motioned for me to go first, holding the door again like the perfect gentleman. His hand resting on the small of my back, guided me toward the lobby door and out to a waiting car.

Chapter 6

Aurora

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