Page 59 of Working for the Mob

Lucy’s eyes brimmed with tears, and I thought she was about to cry. “Are you okay?” I asked.

“This is just …” Lucy couldn’t finish her sentence. She gave a hug to both Jamie, Art, and then Henry, who looked both surprised and pleased. “This is going to mess up my mascara.”

I handed her a napkin from a nearby table and she dabbed her eyes.

“Art,” I said. “We need a word.”

I dragged him into an office, not bothering to turn on the light.

“You’ll need to up Lucy’s wage and pay her like a professional,” I said, with a finger in his face. I cornered him next to the door.

He grabbed my hand and I froze. He stepped in close, until we were almost touching, and backed me into the room’s other corner.

“I see you found the dresses,” he said, and his eyes traveled from my shoulders down. Hishungryeyes. That surveyed me like the dress wasn’t there at all.

“What? I––” He caught me off guard. “You had no right to buy me those dresses. And Madame Levie’s doesn’t even take returns.”

“So, they don’t fit?”

“Of course, they fit,” I hissed. I kept my voice low so the people in the other room didn’t hear me. “That’s not the point. I don’t want to be in Art Necci’s pocket until I die. I don’t want to stay in East Lannington until I die.”

“You’re not in my pocket,” he snarled and thrust my hand back to me. “You’re welcome to leave at any time.”

“Good.”

“Good,” he said. We stood face to face, each of us breathing hard as though we had just run a mile. I felt naked under the strong gaze of his eyes. The ones that made me think of fall.

I felt exposed. If this man knew how to push every one of my buttons, what else did he know about me?

“I like this dress,” he said at last, and grabbed the material at my shoulder. Goosebumps erupted on my arms. “You look good in this dress. I have a good eye.”

“Madame Levie picked out this dress,” I said.

“Did she?” he asked, with skepticism.

“Yes?” I said, less confidently.

Art shrugged and stepped in even closer until his head was over my shoulder. He whispered into my ear. “You turn too many heads in this dress.”

“What?” I asked him. The nodes of his aftershave sent a shiver down my spine.

“I want to be the only one who sees you in this.” His breath tickled my ear and I turned my head until my eyes found his lips.

“We’re not doing this,” I whispered. He placed his hand on the small of my back and pulled me in. “I can’t do this.”

“We’re not doing anything,” he growled, barely loud enough to hear over the party.

The lights flickered on and we both jumped.

“Look who showed up,” Jamie asked, with his arm around Lance Necci.

Chapter 17 – Art

Lance’s cocky smile infiltrated the room and the moment was ruined. I felt like I had been knocked in the head with one of Lucy’s baking pans.

“I hope I didn’t catch you two at a bad time?” Lance asked, and I fumed. Genevieve tried to melt into the wall.

“I don’t believe you’ve ever caught me at agoodtime,” I said.

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