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He laughs, "You don't mince words do you?"
"Please," I hold up my hand, "enough with the false praise; I can do without it."
I walk over to the chair at the head of the table and drop into it.
His features go solid. A pulse flares to life at his temple, then he throws back his head and laughs. It‘s a full-bodied laugh that comes from the pit of his belly and makes him seem younger than his years. He stalks over to the chair on my left and slides into it. "You have balls,signora."
I sniff, "Lady balls, don’t you mean?"
"Precisely," he glances at me closely as if noticing me for the first time, "so this is why Michael is so taken with you."
"Aren’t you his arch rival or something?"
"Rival?" He frowns, "I wouldn’t use such a common word. More like we are two players who are competing for the same thing."
"And what is that?"
"Power."
"Of course, it is." I roll my eyes and notice a man walking through the door. He’s followed by a second man holding a tray on which there are two steaming bowls of soup. Both men are dressed in uniforms, clearly indicating that they are staff.
They retreat and JJ gestures to the food, "Please, eat."
"Don’t mind if I do." I reach for the soup spoon then hesitate. "This doesn't have any seafood in it does it?"
He shakes his head and I scoop up some of the broth.
The scent of coriander and ginger fills my senses. And the taste? Whoa, creamy and light at once, spicy and nourishing, and yet, there are traces of some ingredient that I can’t identify but which adds such depth that the taste lingers in my mouth long after I’ve swallowed it. "Wow," I stare at the food, then back at him, "that is good."
"Indeed, it is." He chuckles, "Gordon is the best chef right now on the entire continent."
"And he’s cooking this meal for you?"
"A favor." He inclines his head, "It’s not every day that I have such a distinguished guest."
I stare at him. Should I believe him? Why would I? The way he had me brought here shows that he has something up his sleeve. But what?
I turn my attention back to the soup and don’t stop until I’ve swallowed down most of it. I lean back with a sigh and find JJ watching me with a pleased expression.
"And she also doesn’t stint when it comes to eating well. You are, indeed, a catch, signora."
"Grazie," I murmur as I pat my mouth with my napkin.
The next course is a fragrant rice dish with vegetables and pieces of chicken that have been marinated so well, they melt in my mouth. And the dessert… Chocolate mousse, with a vanilla ice-cream that is so fresh I can taste the vanilla pods.
"I’m stuffed," I admit when the last dish has been cleared.
JJ pushes back his chair and stands up. He comes around and holds out his arm, "May I escort you into the library for an aperitif?"
"Why not?" I rise to my feet and allow him to guide me out of the room, down the corridor, and to a room whose door is now open. I walk in and take in the floor-to-ceiling books that fill the wall opposite the fireplace. In between is a bank of windows that looks out over the grounds, and above the fireplace, is a portrait of a family.
He catches me staring at it. "My family," he says simply as I take in the likeness of a younger JJ, a woman who is seated, and next to her, a teenaged boy who resembles both JJ and his wife.
"That’s your son."
He nods.
"I saw him at Xander’s funeral."
