Page 10 of Labria

“Lolita LaGrassa.” Her name came out of my mouth so I could commit it to memory.

“Yes.” She subtly glanced down at the chair across the table from me. That was my cue.

“Please sit.” I waved my hand at the chair, but I didn’t pull it out for her.

Lolita gracefully lowered herself into the chair, placing her oversized designer bag beside her in the empty chair to her right. I lowered myself down in my chair and leaned forward.

Lolita tossed her hair, that fell forward when she bent to sit back over her shoulders and smiled at me.

I didn’t introduce myself. “I’m Lord Bregoli.”

She pursed her lips and tilted her head. “Everyone knows who you are.”

“Is that so?” I said, wondering who was everyone.

“I wanted to meet you first, before my father and my sister arrived.”

“Is that so?” I hated I repeated the same statement. I had more words in my vocabulary.

Lolita pressed her full lips together. “Everyone is raving about how handsome you are. I wanted to see you in person with my own eyes.”

“So, what do you think?”

Lolita licked her lips. “I’m impressed.”

“Your father asked me to dinner, and I thought it would just be him.”

“He did. He should arrive shortly with my younger sister. I just wanted to have you all to myself.”

“Really?”

“I wanted to give you the heads up. My father will try to sell you on the idea of marrying my younger sister. I’m here as a backup.”

“A backup?” I wasn’t sure what she meant.

“I’m the running up in this arranged introduction. If you don’t like one of father’s daughters, maybe you’ll like the other.”

“I don’t understand.” I wasn’t playing stupid. I really didn’t get it. It almost seemed like Primo was offering his daughters to me.

“These old wise guys still believe in arranged marriages, keeping the Sicilian bloodline pure. You are second in command. Acquiring you as a husband is a big deal for any of the families in BMF.”

I chuckled. I wouldn’t have believed her, but her brown eyes looked so honest and earnest.

“You are aware that I’m half Irish.”

“I’m aware, but Sicilian blood directly from the old country is all that matters to my father. The name Bregoli is sacred to the Italians in America and Italy.”

“I didn’t know that. I learned something today.”

“Hang around with me and I can teach you a lot of things. You’re going to have a lot of women throwing themselves at you. Some of them, the majority of them, are looking for a husband. Some are doing what their fathers tell them to because they can’t make their own decisions. You have your pick of any single women in the organization.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, my family has daughters, me and my sister Danika. The Ruffino family has daughters. The Capello’s have daughters. An underboss needs a wife. You can’t stay single forever. You’ll have to choose, and there are so many of us to choose from.”

“I’m not looking for a wife.”

“Why not? These streets are saying you’re over thirty.”

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