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I blush. “I was usually on my own for desserts, so I taught myself how to bake. I love it.”
She nods approvingly. “Good. Then I’ll show you how to make my famous tiramisu. It’s Nico’s favorite, and you will impress him with your skills.”
“Maybe I don’t want to impress him with my skills,” I mutter.
“Of course not. Women do not need to impress men, it’s the other way around. We have a wider selection, but still, it never hurts to show you are skilled at something. With a subtle reminder that you are the one making the food, and you can easily use it to show him that he’s not all powerful.”
I blink at her in shock. Wait, did she just tell me to show Nico I could cook so that I had a way to poison him? She cackles at my expression, turning to grab all the ingredients and appliances we’ll need. God, I don’t know whether to be afraid of this woman or impressed. Still, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to get to know her a little. “How long have you worked for Nico?” I ask her curiously after she shows me how to start the recipe.
“A few years,” she answers. She glances over at me with a smirk. “The last guy left this place in a state. I’d never seen such a mess. Nico had no interest in getting it sorted and left it up to me. I fired almost everyone and started fresh. Pissed off quite a few people, but Nico never questioned me, told me to handle it, and that’s what I did. Probably helps that I’ve never been afraid of him like some of the others here. Hell, I saw one girl almost throw herself off one of the balconies when he walked by just to avoid him.” She shakes her head ruefully. “Got rid of her as soon as I could. Plus, she couldn’t clean worth shit. She was more into gossiping and playing on her phone.”
“Why aren’t you afraid of Nico?” I ask curiously. “Most people would have a healthy fear of a mafia boss.” My father’s staff certainly did. Though that probably has to do with the fact that he kills anyone on the spot he feels like, and my brothers do the same. When Carmen came along, she too followed suit, and it was hard keeping staff. It hadn’t been that way when my mother was alive, though, now that I think about it.
Sofia gives me a wicked grin. “I’m from Sicily, and I grew up in a house of made men. My mother died when I was a little girl, and my father never remarried. I learned how to handle them since they raised me. Lord, my brothers loved to fight every chance they got. And they were some of the wildest men you’d ever seen. Probably why they’re some of the favorites of the bosses over there. So when I applied for the position here, and Nico hired me, I told myself he couldn’t be any scarier than my brothers or the men back home, and I was right. But the key,cara, is to know what battles to fight. So as hard as it is, it’s best to bide your time until you know it’s the right one. At least, that’s what I’ve been told, and with Nico, I don’t tell him about things he doesn’t need to know. The ones you hear me make a fuss about are the ones I want him to know.”
It doesn’t take a genius to realize what she’s trying to convey to me. She knows I want to get out of here, but until I can figure it out, I need to bide my time, be careful. I give her a small smile. “I got that feeling when you were arguing with Nico this morning. Does he always threaten to fire you?”
“At least once a week,” she replies carelessly as she mixes the ingredients together and grabs a pan. “It’s become routine now. If he was actually going to fire me, he’d do it and be done. Or he’d kill me.”
I shiver at that. God, it sometimes shocks me that Nico can be so cold-hearted and violent. Especially considering how he was with me in the library earlier. Wait, no, I’m not going to think about that. That is the last thing I need. Still, I can feel my face heat, and I try to ignore it, blaming it on the heat of the kitchen. “I bet Dante would be upset if he killed you,” I remark instead.
Sofia shrugs. “I learned a long time ago to never rely on a man. Dante is a good man, and right now, things are great. But men in his position change over time. They either become too hard due to this life and their role in it, or they die protecting their boss. I take it day by day.”
I don’t know why, but her response saddens me. “So you don’t think that it’ll be permanent?”
Again, she shrugs. “There are no guarantees in life, darling, so I try to enjoy life as it comes and not try to predict the future.” Then her lips pull up in a wicked grin, and she adds, “But the sex is damn good, and I’m enjoying it.”
I laugh. “How long have you guys been spending time together?”
“You mean how long we’ve been fucking?” she asks bluntly, making me stare at her and blush. She cackles. “There’s no point in beating around the bush, darling. Dante and I have been bumping uglies, as you Americans say, for the past six months. Neither of us is tired of the other yet, and as long as he keeps me satisfied in bed, I’m happy to put up with most anything I find annoying about him. You’ll find you’re the same with Nico soon enough.”
I flush but don’t answer that. Something tells me that if I do, it’s only going to encourage her more. “Well, I’m glad you two are enjoying each other. Do you go on dates when you’re both off?”
She scoffs. “Men like Dante don’t date, and I’m not the kind of woman that wants a fancy dinner. We’ve had a few nights where I’ve cooked him something because he gets back after Chef has left for the day, but that’s about the extent of of it.”
I frown. “Wait, so you don’t want him to take you out or anything? I thought that was par for the course when a man was interested in a woman.”
She shakes her head. “Darling, if there is one piece of advice that I can give you, never expect men to do the things you think they should be doing. Especially not in this life. In this world, women are for very few things, and most of them won’t waste time trying to woo you. As for me, I don’t mind it. I don’t have any interest in sitting in a crowded restaurant with fancy food that I’ll barely eat and talking about mundane things. It’s not like I can talk about things that we both deal with out in public anyway. So I say skip all that shit and get to the fun stuff.”
“But what if you decide you want to get married or something? Don’t you think it’s important to know things about each other so you’re not fighting all the time?”
“You’re a romantic, darling, and that’s fine for you, but for a woman like me, I know I probably won’t be settling down with a husband and babies. And I’m okay with that. Dante and I are having fun, and I’m happy with that. We’ll sort everything out if it changes.” She arches a brow at me. “Why all the questions? Are you thinking along the same lines with Nico?”
“Nico?” I scoff. “Of course not. I’m just his little prisoner. Nothing more.”
She snorts this time. “Darling, you’re fooling yourself if you think that man doesn’t want you in his bed and his life.”
I give her a bitter look. “I’m nothing to Nico, and he’s going to get tired of me soon enough.”
She rolls her eyes. “You may have started out as a prisoner, but that man isn’t going to let you go, Gia. Nico has always been a possessive man, and he also goes after what he wants with a singular focus. And trust me, you could do a whole lot worse than him. I’ve heard he’s a machine in bed.”
I try not to fidget at her words. “I don’t care what he’s like in bed,” I say as we put the pans we made in the fridge.
“Darling, every woman cares what a man is like in bed. If he doesn’t know how to use his fingers, mouth, and cock to please you, then don’t be wasting your time.” My face flames as the images of Nico and I in the library, and this morning in his bed flash through my mind.
Sofia cackles. “Oh, now, I knew something was up. Care to share?” She nudges me in the side with her elbow.
“Nothing to share,” I lie.
