Page 34 of Mafia Obsession

The mention of something in my mouth raises his gray eyes at me. “Cliché, but effective.”

“Excuse me. I need to use the restroom.” I fold my napkin and scooch out of the booth.

In a narrow hallway, I’m about to turn the doorknob to a single washroom when I catch a whiff of cigarette smoke. It’s very rare to smell that indoors these days.

“He’s just going to use you and toss you aside,” Eden says from a gray shadow at the end of the hall near a propped-open door.

At first, I’m not sure who she’s talking to. Without anyone else around, I figure it’s me she’s addressing.

“Did he use you and toss you aside?” I ask, folding my arms.

“No one uses me. No one tosses me aside,” she says bitterly.

She’s not actually admitting that she and Ares were together in some way. So I leave it alone. This woman knows nothing about me. Only assumes I’m his date. And her comment is supposed to offend me. It’s only another reminder that this isn’t my world. I have to get out of this city and be with my sister. The sooner the better.

Knowing what will put Eden in her place, I say, “I’m going to tell Ares you were rude to me.”

She tosses the cigarette and storms up to me. Her eyes are red, and she smells like whiskey. “Wait. No.”

“I need to pee out that awful wine. Get a hold of yourself.” I push inside the ladies’ room and close the door.

I have no idea who she is or if I insulted someone connected. But that felt good. Still, her warning that Ares will use me and then get rid of me stays with me.

When I finish up in the restroom, Lucia is waiting for me, leaning against the wall.

“Oh, hi,” I say, surprised to see her staring at me.

“Forgive me for being forward and direct. Who are you, really? Ares doesn’t bring women to my restaurant,” she says softly.

Taking a clarifying breath, I say, “I work for him. I’m his personal assistant. He asked me to join him to look like he’s on a date.”

Lucia drops her head back and laughs. “Ares doesn’t date. Who did he think he was fooling?”

“I don’t know. I just met him,” I say, rocking on my heels.

“I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you. You’re special to him.” Her expression softens, but her tone stays firm. “Be careful. When Ares wants something, hetakes it. Nothing stands in his way.” Her gaze falls to the wedding ring on my left hand. “Nothing.”

Then she does something I didn’t expect. She hugs me. A moment later, she’s gone. But her words and warning follow me back to the table.

A delectable, perfect slice of chocolate cake sits there with one spoon.

“I took the liberty of ordering dessert.” Ares smiles at me, and it sends tingles up my arms.

But I think of Lucia’s words just moments ago.

With the one spoon, I take a bite and pass it to him. He carves into the whipped cream and mixes it with the cake for a hearty bite. I watch his tongue on the spoon and think about where I want it. Can I have a torrid affair before I leave?

Even if I were single, Ares Zervas, a Greek mafia king, wouldn’t openly date or marry someone working-class. His assistant, no less.

“Have you had enough?” he asks, fiddling with the spoon. His deep voice rubs across my skin like velvet.

“Yes. I feel ready to burst.” I don’t tell him this is the most I’ve eaten in weeks.

Blake, the waiter we never saw, tells Ares his meal is on the house, but he drops five crisp hundred-dollar bills on the table anyway. He helps me out of the booth, and walking to the exit, his hand rests at the small of my back.

The drive to my apartment is quiet, and I remind myself that this was a business dinner disguised as a date. I hear Lucia’s warning:Ares doesn’t date.

At my building, he gets out and offers to walk me to my apartment’s lobby door.