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“Dominic just scared the crap out of me, knocking on my window while I was distracted,” I comment, setting my bag down.
“There’s actually something I want to talk to you about,” he says, pushing away from the desk to look at me.
Uh-oh.
I sit down opposite him. “You always were the most serious one of us.”
“What were you doing with Evgenii Volkov?” he asks, his eyes boring into me as though he could extract the truth from my mind.
“Just returning the favor,” I try to brush him off, taking out paperwork. Is that really what I did?
Frankie sighs. “Stay away from him, Shirls. He’s not above breaking your heart a second time.”
“I’m not above breaking his,” I say a little too harshly, then shake my head. “Trust me, I will not let him take advantage of me again. I’m not a silly girl anymore. I will use him to find out everything I need to know about his proposal, and then I will leave him behind and go back to the West Coast, where I have a life.”
Frankie shakes his head. “You shouldn’t see him again, Shirls. You have a history with him.”
“I have a history with a lot of people, Frankie,” I’m colder than I intend to be, and his eyes widen slightly as I continue. “But I’ve learned from past mistakes, and I’m ready to ensure that no matter what happens, our family will get Staten Island.”
Frankie nods, sighing softly. “Okay. I trust you know what you’re doing. How can I help?”
“I need to know what figures I can offer Ettore because, apparently, he’s already favoring a Russian family.”
I hand him my paperwork, and we start going over everything together. I find it hard to concentrate because, despite my big talk, I only have one thing on my mind: Evgenii Volkov.
Chapter 8 - Evgenii
I straighten my bow tie and ensure my tuxedo jacket is straight. I’m both nervous and excited, and that frustrates me a lot. I feel like I should just shoot someone to calm down because killing idiots has always made me feel better.
I’m waiting for the driver to arrive. It’s a rented-out limousine from one of our distant cousin's company. Ivan’s having them pick me up first, and then we’ll get Ivan and Tori and make our way to the event.
I hadn’t realized Ivan was invited until I mentioned to him that I was going. He seems weary of me spending time with Shirley. He doesn’t want my relationship with her to affect our families.
I had to assure him I wouldn’t hurt her in any way, or he’d have to intervene. I also had to assure him that it was just harmless fun.
My guards let me know the limousine is outside, and I pocket my wallet and cell phone and walk out. It doesn’t take long to reach Ivan, and our cousin has included some drinks for the drive. Once we are on our way to Miguel’s event, Tori glances at me. “Evgenii. I have to ask. How do you know Shirley so well?”
I glance at Ivan because, clearly, Tori doesn’t know what happened.
“Don’t forget to bid on something useful this time,” Ivan says to Tori, trying to redirect the conversation.
Tori nods and looks back at me. “Did you know each other before?”
Ivan gives me a warning glance, and I smile. “Suffice to say, we were a couple once, and I broke her heart. Now we’re just friends.”
Tori nods, and Ivan squeezes her leg. “Something to talk about another time. Let’s enjoy the evening while my wife bids on everything to support charity.”
“It’s a good charity, and it makes us look good,” Tori says. “We could use some good press right now.”
When we arrive, there’s a red carpet rolled out from where we step out to the entrance of the art gallery where the event is being held. I see a few celebrities ahead of us as we climb out. There are also some politicians, and the people of the press are shouting questions at them.
Ivan takes Tori’s arm and leads her down the red carpet. Tori looks beautiful in a powder blue gown that trails after her. The press instantly starts snapping pictures of them together and hurling questions, which Tori answers diplomatically.
I follow at a distance because the press doesn’t like people being in their shots. As we pass some of the more high-ranking people we know, we greet them, shaking hands and kissing cheeks.
As we walk into the main area, I take note of everything around me. There’s a large area in the center for dancing, and to the far side are tables set out for dining—a bar to the left and a band on a platform to the right. I see an open door, and I know it leads to a room where the auction pieces are kept for viewing.
I spot Shirley standing with Alessandro, Katya, Frankie, and Amelia. Shirley holds my complete attention, though. She’s wearing a deep emerald figure-hugging gown that ends just above her feet. It’s sleeveless and has a tight bust section that makes her breasts look like they’re ready to spill out.
