“Maybe you should get that,” I said as I kept one hand on the wheel.
“It’s my dad.”
“Then you should definitely get that.”
“I’ve still got a headache.”
My phone started to ring next, so I retrieved it from my pocket, saw the don’s name, and answered it.
“Have you heard from my son?” he immediately barked.
Leo gave a quiet sigh in annoyance.
“Yeah, he’s with me in the vehicle. We’ll be there in an hour.”
He didn’t ask any questions. Didn’t verbalize his annoyance. “We’ve got a lot of shit to do today.” Then he hung up.
“What do we have to do today?”
Leo gave a loud groan. “I forgot about the shipment from customs.”
“That’s today? Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
“Because we were all balls deep in pussy.”
Not me. I had to sit there and play cards with a sex worker, when I could have been home with the woman of my fucking dreams. What a goddamn waste of a night. I’d taken a shower at the hotel, but I still reeked of sex.
An hour later, we pulled past the gate and onto the vineyard. I left the car outside the house instead of pulling around to the parking lot because I wasn’t sure if Leo could walk that far with his killer migraine.
I didn’t realize pussy could cause migraines.
We headed inside to the don’s office, and I was in the same clothes I’d worn the night before. So if Francesca were there, she would know I never went home last night. Not a good look for me.
We stepped inside, Don Mancini leaning against the desk with Elio in the armchair. Andre was there too, like he’d headed back sometime last night. And on the couch sat Francesca, beautiful like a cold morning in her black top and skintight jeans.
I tried not to stare, but I caught her looking at me, and there was a flash of reaction.
Like she recognized my clothes from yesterday.
Leo slowly lowered himself into the armchair and groaned like an old man.
I sat at the edge of the other couch.
Don Mancini stared at Leo with a fierce disappointment. “Have fun last night?”
Leo rubbed his temple before he released a sigh.
“You have your fun between working hours. You don’t show up hungover.” Don Mancini continued to grill his son. “We have shit to do every single fucking day. We can’t afford to have a man on the crew barely able to stand.”
Leo continued to keep his eyes averted and let his father eviscerate him.
“You couldn’t find fifteen minutes to shower before you walked in here?” he barked. “You smell like dirty pussy.” He pushed off the desk with his hips. “Get your shit together. We leave in fifteen minutes.” He walked out, and Elio left the room with him.
Francesca stared at her brother for a while before she shifted her gaze to me.
All I could do was stare at her. Couldn’t explain myself at all, not in front of Andre and Leo.
“You were with her all night?” Andre asked. “Man, you must be broke.”
