Page 33 of The Mafia's Property

He dug his hand into his pocket and said, “I have something for you.” Nico pulled out a rectangular, velvet black box that could contain only one thing. “I saw this in a store and thought of the necklace we bought the other day.”

“What is it?” I asked, accepting the gift. I clicked open the clasp on the lock and the top popped up to reveal two gold earrings shaped like doves flying. They were cute and made me feel even more guilty than before. “Nico.” I wasn’t sure what I could say that would melt the lump growing in the pit of my stomach. Why was I feeling like I had cheated on a loyal boyfriend? He was neither my boyfriend nor was he loyal. He was in love with another woman and our relationship, if it could be called that, was transactional. I tried to reject the feelings I was having for him, but it was difficult when the lightest of kindness wrecked me with guilt.

He pointed to the chain on my neck. “The necklace was looking a little lonely.”

I slept with your brother last night. I slept with him and I enjoyed it. Even though the contract states I belong to both of you, you’ve also told me I belong to only you, so I wanted to say… what? What would be the right thing to say here? Sorry? Telling him would be a mistake. I swallowed the confession that was on the tip of my tongue and plastered a smile. “Thank you,” I said and hugged him. The sheet around my body slipped and exposed the top of my cleavage. Nico pulled back. His mouth widened into a cute smirk. “You slept naked while I was away, but cover yourself up like a nun when I’m here?”

“How do you know what I wear when I go to bed?”

He pointed to all the cameras in the room.

“Oh, right.” As if I wasn’t aware of them. This means he watched me at least every night I went to bed. That was interesting information. And potentially, bad for me. It meant I had to be even more careful with my movements. If he sees something amiss, he would start getting suspicious and if he ever reviewed the footage of last night and this morning, I was fucked. “So you’re a perv like I thought.”

He shrugged. He didn’t even have the to be embarrassed. “I enjoy looking at pretty things, and you’re one of the prettiest things I’ve ever laid my eyes on.”

“I was feeling a little hot and was too lazy to put on some night clothes when I got into bed last night.” That was the best excuse I could think on the spot and it felt silly when I said it out loud.

“I never said I need an explanation.” He got up from the bed and straightened. “You’re not being interrogated for your sleeping habits.” He looked me up and down once again. He frowned and looked like he was trying to work out something. He made a slight shake of his head and said, “I’m going to catch up with sleep of my own. I’m a little jet lagged. See you in a bit.” He disappeared through his connecting door, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I was alone.

I scrambled out of bed and went to take a shower. The warm water was a blessing to my sore muscles and as much as I wanted to savor the water, I showered quickly and got dressed. I put on the clothes Nico had said I should wear for that day. His dictation of what I put on was not limited to the days he was around. Before he went away, he left a roaster of what I would be wearing and when. Dude’s a weirdo, that’s for sure, and I dared not go against it. I had followed all of Nico’s orders so far and I did not want to know what would happen if I didn’t.

Rico was drinking his coffee on the terrace when I got to the living room. He had his back to the glass doors, but immediately turned around when I came in. He beckoned me to come over. Like a moth to a flame, I obeyed. “What did he say?” Rico asked.

“Nothing. He didn’t seem suspicious. He gave a gift, in fact.” I turned my head to the side to show him the earrings. The conspiratory nature of our conversation made me more open with him.

Rico scoffed. “Nico loves dressing up the Property.”

Well, there goes the niceties. Last night’s playful Rico was gone clearly. The old Rico was back.

“We need to talk about last night and how we’re going to handle it.”

I nodded. I wasn’t sure what was coming, but it could not be good. “Handle it?”

“Nico doesn’t have to know what went on between us. I assume you were smart enough to not tell him?”

Rico looked so good in his black suit it. There was something about the buttoned-up nature of his suit combined with the carnal knowledge of him I now had that made the conservative look arousing. He had me against the wall only a few feet from where we were standing. He moved a little closer, crowding my space. An intimidation tactic, but I was too aroused to for my brain to register it as such. Even his condescending tone, which should have riled me up, only made me think of what he did to me last night. “I’m not dumb,” I replied.

“Good. Then you know you should not act like anything happened between us. If you tell him, if he has so much as a whiff that you and I fucked, I will--”

“Kill me and bury me in the desert. I get it. What I don’t get is why you want to keep this on the down low.”

“Do you really have to ask that?”

I crossed my hands and challenged him with a stare. “You belong to both of us. I remember you saying that in my ear last night before plunging inside me.”

His nostrils flared. “My brother and I will not fight over a woman. We’ve never had and never will. Especially someone as comically unimportant as yourself.”

“Ouch. I guess I asked for it. Fine. Don’t worry, I won’t tell him. But I probably won’t have to. You guys rigged my bedroom with cameras and Nico loooves to review the footage. If he sees me creeping back into my room, coming from your bedroom well.”

Rico cursed. “Why is he such a perv? Don’t worry. I’ll sort it out. But if Nico ever finds out—”

“Find out what?”

Rico and I both turned our heads to see Nico standing in the living room, staring right at us. I jumped back like a student caught by the principal. My gaze nervously went to Rico and hoped he had a good lie saved up. Like the devil himself, he did. “Damn it,” Rico said. “Do you really want to know? You’ve always said you liked your birthday to be a surprise.” Nico had a birthday coming up?

“You two are planning my birthday party?” He gingerly stepped forward. “Rico didn’t harass you and make you run all sorts of errands, did he? You can tell me the truth if you’re scared.”

Rico glared at me, challenging me to say the right thing.

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