Chapter 39
Alere was blushing when Torg called everyone back to his office by text but refused to let her off his lap.
“Stay here.”
“On your la
- lap.”
“It’s inappropriate. I work here.”
do 1 and
“Yes and so do I and I want you here.”
A single knock from Tito and then Tito, Bastiano, Kylen and the twins were walking into the room.
Amal’s raised eyebrow made Alcee look at Torg as if to say “see” but the man ignored it. He lifted his desk phone and called out to “bring me the stock transfer agreements I sent you.” He looked at Kylen, “how long before our other guests arrive?”
“They arrived two minutes ago. On their way up, escorted by Tank and a small crew. There was some blustering 1 believe.”
“What other guests!” Amal questioned. “I hope you’re not putting any of us in danger.”
Genevra,
Tito turned his head and gave her a sharp glare, “you would do well, Principessa, to remember where you are and who you are addressing.”
“My friend looks uncomfortable. You kept us down in the boardroom as if we were being held back from being in this room. I am concerned for her safety. I don’t care about stock options, but I do care about whether or not she is being held against her will.”
“Why would I hold her against her will?” Torq questioned Amal who was getting nudged warnings from Susana.
“Because she threatened the sister of our capo?”
“He liked it.” Alcee blurted out.
Five sets of eyes were fixed on her and she realized what she’d said, and her cheeks flamed as Torq leaned back with a smug grin.
Told you she wasn’t getting her ass handed to her,” Susana whispered at Amal.
“He was angry,” Amal hissed back.
“At Genevra,” Bastiano shrugged and moved to take a seat off to the side of the room. He kicked his feet up on the table and then frowned and looked at the chair, “did I’sit in a chair which may need to be wiped down?”
“No.” Torq shot him an annoyed glance. “Though keep talking stupid and there will be blood which needs to be cleaned.”
“You can’t kill me, boss.” Bastiano grinned at him. “I’m the only motherfucker in this room who knows the code to the safety deposit box back home because you two keep forgetting it.” He waved his hand to Tito and Torq. “Alcee, he’s shit with memorizing anything which doesn’t hold a personal connection. You can give him a series of numbers but unless it can he related to something he can’t remember it. He can remember faces, names, dates, times, and even the most obscure memory he probably wasn’t even part of Put a series of numbers in front of him which don’t correlate to any of it, and he’s fucked. We changed out a security box a few years back and we used a randomly generated number. He can’t get past the first six digits and it’s eighteen digits long.”
She grinned and looked at Torg. “Really?”
“I remember the important things.”
“And he keeps people around to remember the rest,” Bastiano was smug, “which means he can’t kill
Susana looked between Bastiano and Torq “I have a great memory. I can remember all kinds of shit. I’ve always dreamed of being a capo. If you ever do shoot him, let me know, I’m happy to jump in.”
“You’d leave your father’s family?” Torq asked her seriously, a hint of judgement in his tone.
“My uncle’s family,” she corrected, “treats women as if they are commodities, much as the Mariani family do. If it weren’t for the fact that my
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Chapter 39
mother put her foot down, Amal and I would both be in arranged marriages. The best thing to ever happen to us was Alcee getting disowned because it set a precedent. Don Mariani made a statement with his act and my uncle was not wanting to be held in the same regard as he was. He backed off however a few weeks prior to your return to New York the conversation came up again. There is a family in Florida who made an offer for my hand. My uncle was considering it, especially once the Don in Florida stated his son didn’t care if I were a virgin or not, only whether or not my hips could bear him children. I’d need to undergo a fertility assessment by a gynecologist of their choosing. I respectfully disagreed. My uncle was annoyed as the offer was a cool five million. Unlike your family which plays with billions, five million dollars is not chump change to our family”
“Which family in Florida?”
“Darrone”
“Jesus Barrone?”
“The one and only.”
“He’s not a horrible man. I’ve done business with him in the past.”
“She doesn’t love him,” Amal growled out. “You would send her to be bred like cattle by a man she doesn’t know for nothing more than cash?”
“Love can grow.” Tito shrugged. “My parents were arranged. They love each other deeply. I bet if Alcre and they’d be on baby pamber four or five and deeply in love. Look at her. She’s besotted with him.”
met when they were supposed to,
“The dick is good,” Alcee said bluntly earning her gasps from her two friends and stunned expressions from the four men in the room. “We have great sexual compatibility and so yeah, I’m into it but don’t mistake hot steamy sex for anything more than what it is, Tito. It’s an advantage and allows me to consider more. You’re suggesting Susana should give up her own dreams of finding the right man, the one who makes her feel special, more than a brood mare, simply to put money in her uncle’s coffers?”
Kylen leaned against the wall. “Susana, what is your dream man?” As she turned to face him he shrugged, “humor me. We all fantasize of those types we want for ourselves. What do you rub one out to when you’re all alone in your lonely bed?”
Susana opened and closed her mouth in disgust, “are you kidding me?”
“Alcee is saying she’s ahead of the game because of sexual compatibility. I think she’s onto something. I’m simply curious whether Jesus Barrone, a man you’ve never met might fit the bill.”
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