It’s bittersweet being back at La Riviera. I miss this place and the people I used to work with. It was obvious they felt the same by the greeting I received upon our arrival.
“Massimo made all your favourites,” Sonia says, giving me a cheeky wink as she places the dishes in the centre of the table.
“Tell him I said thank you,” I say with a gentle smile.
“I think he’s trying to bribe you to come back.”
“I’d come back in a heartbeat if I could,” I admit, but I’m not about to go against the Don’s orders.
“You should go back to work,” Lucia chimes in. “I think it would be good for you.”
“I’ve been told I’m not allowed to.”
“By Dominic?” Lucia growls.
“No … umm.” My gaze shifts to Arabella as the rest of my words die off.
Lucia waves her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about my brother-in-law. I’ll talk to him for you.”
“It’s okay,” I say, shifting in my seat. The last thing I want is to cause trouble for Dominic—or myself—with the Cosa Nostra. I might not be planning on sticking around much longer, but he’s bound to theFamigliafor life.
“It’s as good as sorted,” Lucia replies. “I’ll tell Massimo to put you back on the roster before we leave.”
Arabella raises an eyebrow but doesn’t say a word. She probably already knows her sister is a force to be reckoned with, and that’s one of the things I love most about her.
I wish I were as straightforward and feisty as she is.Brave enough to speak my mind instead of being a timid little mouse living in constant fear of my own shadow.
Once the three of us are left alone, we start dishing food onto our plates. I’m not even hungry, but if Lucia is going to continue to top up my wine glass every time I take a sip, I’m going to need to eat.
“I’ve seen the way Dominic inhales his food,” Lucia says as I lift my glass to my mouth, taking a sip of wine. “I can only presume he ravished your pussy when he ate you out.”
Arabella gasps, and I take a breath so sharp the liquid in my mouth goes down the wrong pipe. I start coughing, and my eyes water as I try to recover.
“I can’t believe you said that,” Arabella scolds. Her little sister shrugs, all coy smiles like she’s proud of herself.
I’ve come to learn that Lucia has no filter. I wish I had her confidence to say what she thinks and feels, no matter how inappropriate.
“Don’t tell me you’ve never looked at that big hunk of man beef and wondered the same thing, Bell-Bell.”
Arabella clutches her nonexistent pearls. “Never. No offence, Emily,” she adds, flicking a quick glance at me.
“Oh, I forgot you’re a prude.”
“I am not,” Arabella snaps, sitting up straighter.
Lucia rolls her eyes, then looks straight at me. “Have you ever looked at a man and thought, I wonder what he’s like between the sheets?”
I grimace because I’m with Arabella on this one. “No,” I admit, maybe a little too quickly. “Not like that.”
Lucia’s smile sharpens. “Not even with Dominic?”
Heat creeps up my neck. “That’s not what I said.”
“Ha, I knew it,” she gloats, pointing the fork she’s holding in my direction. “I don’t need details, but he’s a filthy animal, right? In the best way, obviously.”
“He left marks on my inner thighs,” I find myself admitting.
“Oh, Dirty Dom, I like it.”
