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"Yes, Pops," Matteo replied, looking elsewhere except into his father's eyes.
Enrico then pulled his nephew, Salvo, in for a hug and a kiss on both his cheeks. "Handsome Salvo. Still chasing the young women at your nightclub?"
"Not so much these days, Uncle Nico," Salvo answered, hoping Roman would approve his New Year's Eve date with his daughter.
"Good. Then you should settle down with a fine young woman soon, just like Matteo." Enrico said as the men sat in the leather wingback chairs across from his desk.
Henry poured glasses of Cognac for all the men in the room as they discussed Matteo's upcoming marriage to Tessa Demonte, whose family owned a restaurant business passed down from a few generations since they came over on a ship from Sicily in the early 1900s.
While Enrico discussed plans to announce the engagement after the new year and to perform the wedding in May, the expression on Matteo's face wasn't that of a proud groom but instead of a prison life sentence.
CHAPTER 3
Salvo owned a sizable two-bedroom condo on the 17th floor of The Kingston in Manhattan, only a few blocks from Time Square. He looked at his gold-plated Rolex for the third time in five minutes, awaiting Bianca's arrival, casually dressed all in black, without a tie, and a 24-karat gold chain around his neck.
Last week in Uncle Nico's office, Salvo respectfully asked Roman for his approval to spend New Year's Eve with his daughter, Bianca, that he would be a gentleman and treat his only daughter with the utmost respect. Luckily, Roman approved with a nod as he looked directly at Salvo over the rim of his reading glasses.
By 7:55 pm, Salvo placed one of many of his Frank Sinatra albums on the turntable that sat in the huge entertainment center and positioned the needle on the record when Tony buzzed his intercom and told him he arrived with Bianca. After Salvo unlocked the front entrance door to the building, Bianca followed Tony into the elevator and up to the 17th floor, where Salvo greeted them. Tony entered first and wished Salvo a Happy New Year before pivoting around and leaving.
Bianca's ruby-red lips and captivating smile were the first thing Salvo took in after noticing her black mink coat as her sultry voice said, "I hope I'm not late."
Salvo didn't bother looking at his Rolex again as he watched Bianca walk through the door. "Not at all," he said, stepping aside so she could come in.
He smelled her perfume as she walked past him. When he pulled the mink coat off her shoulders, she thanked him as he and hung it on the rack beside the door.
Bianca inhaled the scent of something cooking. "Whatever is being served for dinner smells good, Salvo."
Salvo's eyes took in her figure in an electric blue body suit, a black belt cinched at her waist black patent heels. "Is that how you greet a childhood friend?" He asked.
When Bianca turned around, he engulfed her in his strong arms. They kissed each other on the cheek but then froze, standing close together. Salvo looked down into her eyes and felt the heat between them. Bianca suddenly felt nervous as she stared at Salvo. She leaned into him slightly, mesmerized by his sensual lips and a scruff of 5 o'clock shadow. He smelled so good of Drakkar Noir cologne, but it wasn't slathered on as some men wore it.
Salvo moved first and pulled away but took her hand and gave her a tour of his condo, which had been his home for the past five years. The living room furniture and décor were modern for the 1980s, with bold colors, black lacquer, glass tables, and a palm tree in the corner next to the patio door. There was an authentic rug made of zebra hide on the tiled floor of white marble. Giant framed illustrations of gorgeous women dressed in bold colors designed by the famous artist Patrick Nagel hung in the living room and bedrooms.
Salvo led Bianca to his kitchen and introduced her to Peter Demonte, a cousin of Matteo's fiancée, Tessa. The dinner table made of glass was set as Salvo pulled out the chair for Bianca to sit. He pulled out a pack of matches, lit the two red candles, and then sat at the opposite end. Peter opened a bottle of Perricone wine made in Sicily and poured each a glass. Dinner was served: grilled ribeye steaks topped with tapers over a bed of tasty tomatoes broiled in wine. Finally, Peter excused himself to leave Salvo and Bianca alone to enjoy their evening together.
They talked over dinner to catch up on each other's lives since childhood. Bianca told Salvo what it was like going to Saint Michael's Catholic School in New Jersey and how most of the teachers were old women who showed no kindness or personality. Salvo laughed and talked about how he grew up in a public school with Matteo and the small crew of boys he ran around with, getting into trouble or getting into fights.
"Do you remember when Ricky Gallo put gum in my hair at Matteo's tenth birthday party?" Bianca asked and laughed, "You pounced on him, and you two started fighting!"
"My Uncle Nico had to come outside to the backyard and pull us apart," Salvo said, remembering how angry he felt when the gum was stuck in Bianca's pretty long hair and how she cried. He punched Ricky in the mouth and cut his lip.
After graduating from Saint Michael's Catholic School in New Jersey, Bianca worked as a top-notch concierge at The Plaza Hotel on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, where many celebrities in the movie, TV, and music business, along with politicians and influential people from other countries stayed when they visited New York City. Bianca didn't say much about her older brother, Lucian, and Salvo didn't pry only because he knew there was bad blood within the Capello family.
Bianca asked Salvo about the Gold Lion and if he enjoyed being a nightclub owner.
"It was great when I bought it a few years ago. I thought owning a legitimate business would help keep me out of trouble, but it doesn't," Salvo said.
Bianca just smiled as she ate her dinner. She knew to refrain from asking Salvo anything about business between him, her father, or Enrico Andolini.
After dinner, as another record of Frank Sinatra singing, Salvo rolled up his sleeves to wash the dishes while Bianca helped to dry them. Then Salvo poured some more into their glasses, took her hand, and led her into the living room, and they sat on the couch together.
Salvo placed his glass on the coffee table, reached for Bianca's feet, pulled her heels off, and then placed them on his lap. Her toenails were painted red, and he couldn't resist as he began to rub them with his warm hands. As Bianca lay back on the couch pillows and closed her eyes, she imagined his hands touching other places on her body.
"Is this the way you seduce the women, Salvo?" She teased.
"You can tell much about a woman by looking at her feet."
"What do mine say to you?"
