Armando stepped again into her space. Catalina refused to show fear, but there was weakness. Whenever he stared at her too long she found herself smiling. That was definitely disrespectful to Dominic. So Catalina took a step back and cast her gaze to the portrait and not him.
“We’ve kept our little family ties private. But make no mistake. There are rumors, whispers, and it chips away at Giovanni’s credibility, and mine,” he said softly. His voice was too deep for whispers, but when he lowered it, the soft approach came across more sensual than she was sure he intended. She looked up into his eyes and realized her mistake. His attentions were far from innocent.
“Why do you care?” she asked and crossed her arms over her chest.
He faced her. “Because soon the truth will come out. It always does. Everyone will know your brother married the bastard daughter of one of the five Dons.”
“I’ll ask you one last time before I have you escorted out. Why did you come to see me?”
Armando tried to mask his amusement, desire, and appreciation for her beauty, but the question nearly demolished his smirk. Should he be honest? Should he share that the other day between meetings he caught a glimpse of a television in his office. On the screen was Catalina being interviewed about the fashion house Fabiana’s in Milano. She wore an all white dress with a heart shaped bodice that revealed a tasteful hint of her breasts. He had heard from his men that the young sister of Giovanni was beautiful. She often visited her family in Sicily. But he had no interest in a child. The woman on the television screen was far from it. He’d spent many sleepless nights thinking about her.
Her dark raven locks flowed like silk to her shoulders. The side part she wore caused some hair to drift over and cover her left eye. She had curves that were graceful, but voluptuous in the hips, breasts, ass, and thighs. The hot red dress was like a siren announcing her femininity with every step she took. And lastly it was her eyes. Sultry with innocence and warmth, under long dark lashes, he couldn’t stop staring into them.
When he arrived he told her they were family. It was not Mirabella and Marietta he spoke of. It was another half-truth. Armando’s mother lost her own
madre
when she was just a babe. Her father had to take a new wife to raise the infant. That woman that Armando’s grandfather married was a Baldamenti. A blood relative to Tomosino Battaglia. Though Catalina and he had familiar
famiglia
ties, they were not blood related. Just as she wasn’t blood bound to Dominic. He smirked at the irony when he considered his plans for her. What if Catalina was the one to tame him? Stranger things had happened between their families.
Catalina tossed her dark bangs from her eyes and glanced once more to the men outside. The Battaglia bodyguards itched to make this a more dramatic event. However, even in Milano, Armando had no fear that anyone would.
“I want to get to know Mirabella,” he said. “I want you to convince her to let me come to her birthday celebration. To mend the bad blood between myself and Giovanni. It’s time for us to move past the mistakes of our fathers. No?”
“I can’t do that. Besides I won’t. I know Gio hates you and has good reason to. That’s where it stands,” Catalina said.
“You have a lot of influence in this family now, Catalina. Look at you. Running a fashion business. I’m impressed,
piccoletta
.”
“Grazie,”
she smiled. “I have grown up. Nice of you to have noticed.”
“Oh, I’ve noticed.” Armando chuckled. Flattery seemed to be the key with her. She blushed for him when complimented. Her olive skin flushed with a deeper rose tint that was lovely. What did Dominic know of unlocking the passions of a woman like her? Armando had to resist saying more. She wasn’t ready. If she kept smiling and looking into his eyes, he had secret hopes that some day soon she could be ready. He took a careful step toward her. He sensed that the men were already back inside the door without looking up to confirm.
“Can I be honest with you,
cara
?” he asked in a voice so low and insistent only she could hear. She blinked those round eyes of hers at him and nodded. “I’m struggling to make sense of my life now. I lost my father. It’s wounded me deeply. You know how that feels. No? It leaves you empty inside.” He touched his chest.
She nodded. “Yes, I do. When Papa died I couldn’t get out of bed for weeks. I could barely attend his funeral. I miss him still.”
“
Sí
, now I have sisters I never knew. The bad blood between your brother and me goes back to our primary years. It’s
non importa
. I want peace not war.” He took another step closer and she didn’t back away or turn her gaze. “I need an ally, a friend. You are allowed to make your own friends? Aren’t you?”
Catalina chuckled. “I don’t want to make friends with a Mancini… ah, I mean with you.”
“
Famiglia, bella.
Remember it’s all for family. Mirabella has my blood in her veins. She belongs to me too. The both of them do. The party would be a good step in the right direction.” He winked. He gave a curt nod and started for the door.
“I’ll talk to Mira,” she said after him. Armando paused. He turned his gaze back over his shoulder. Catalina blushed for him again.
Damn.
It was hard not to touch her. “I can talk to her. It’s all I can promise you.”
“It’s all I can ask,” he smiled.
**
“You wanted to see me?” Carlo asked.
“Close the fucking door!” Lorenzo said.
Carlo did as he asked. Lorenzo reclined in Giovanni’s chair. They were in Villa Rosso awaiting Giovanni’s arrival. It surprised Lorenzo when he woke to discover Dominic had already left for Milano. Typically Dominic would stay for such an important meeting, nipping at his ankles, making Giovanni question Lorenzo’s every move. He was happy he was gone. Still it didn’t settle his anger over Carlo’s betrayal.
“I told you we would hold off on the fighter. Not tell Gio until I decided if the business was needed.”
Carlo wiped his hand down his face. He sucked in a deep breath before he spoke. “I brought the idea to Dominic. I’ve done that before. He’s
consigliere
. He said it was a good investment and Gio should hear it.”
Lorenzo slammed his fist down on the desk. “I had already given you an order!”
“No disrespect, Lo, but you aren’t the only man in this family to give me orders. Dominic is my boss too.”
“Don’t bullshit me! It is disrespect. Every time you find a stray brother you drag them into this family as if we’re a fucking orphanage! Did you not learn anything from Carmine! Do you want his blood on your hands too?”
“
Vai a farti fottere!
Don’t ever throw Carmine in my face! Ever!” Carlo slammed his fist into his hand. Lorenzo held his glare with equal malice. Carlo paced away. He threw his hands up in the air and cursed under his breath. Once calm he turned and addressed Lorenzo again. “I am not going to make the mistake of bringing a brother of mine into this family again. Ciro is a good kid. A fighter. What I propose is a legitimate business. And last I checked, the Battaglias wanted to legitimize their affairs!”
Lorenzo stood. He leaned in on the desk with his fists. “You don’t know shit about what the Battaglia business is built on. You don’t know shit about anything other than the orders given to you! Fuck this nonsense about legitimizing my family. There is honor in who we are. Who Gio is now thanks to me! You step back, Carlo. Stay behind me. And don’t you ever get in front of me again!
Capisci
?”
The stare off between them lasted longer than Lorenzo could tolerate before Carlo nodded his head.
“Get the fuck out of my sight,” Lorenzo told him.
Carlo turned and walked out. Lorenzo dropped back in Giovanni’s chair. At some point he would have to make Giovanni understand that no one, not even Dominic needed to be his advisor. They are best and stronger with him as the trusted council.
**
“Morning!” Mirabella said.
Marietta looked up from her plate. She smiled as her sister walked in and joined her. They gathered in a smaller kitchen. It had a four-chair breakfast table, a brick oven that was older than them both, pots and pans hanging over the gas stove, sink, and a kitchen island. Typically the women retreated here, the bigger kitchen was left to Ana and her team.
“What time does your friend arrive?” Mirabella asked.
“I’m leaving to go get her in an hour,” Marietta swallowed.
Her sister poured herself a cup of coffee. She pulled out a chair and sat at the table. Marietta loved how beautiful and vibrant Mirabella looked in the morning with no makeup. Each morning they met in the kitchen to share a cup of coffee and discuss any and everything. Mirabella mostly confided her feelings and frustrations. Marietta mostly listened. Even now she found it hard to really open up and tell her sister her deepest secrets, such as, her wish to never have children. And she could never tell her that Lorenzo was inadvertently responsible for the death of Giovanni’s father. Some things were better left unsaid.
After seeing pictures of their mother, and learning more about the family she never knew in Virginia, she felt on most days that Mirabella looked like their mother. It was ironic that she had found her mother and sister all rolled up into one.
“So did it work? Your plans to seduce Gio?” Marietta asked.
Mirabella laughed. “Of course it worked. He was mine all night.”
Marietta chuckled. “I decided to do the same when Lorenzo called himself working last night.”
“Working?”
“Yes,” Marietta cut her eyes. “I found him in his office. It didn’t take long to convince him to come to bed.”
“I bet,” Mirabella smiled.
“Where’s King B and those little blue-eyed devils of his?” Marietta asked.
Mirabella chuckled. “He’s taking a break to spend some needed daddy time with his
bambini
. I hope.”
“You hope? What’s that comment about?” Marietta asked.
Mirabella shrugged. She stared down at her coffee, silent. Marietta reached over and touched her arm. “Hey? What is it?”
After a brief pause Mirabella looked over with tears in her eyes. “I’m a little scared.”
“Scared? Of who?”
“Not who. What. I don’t know if I can do it,” she confessed. “I’m about to launch two different fashion houses, and step up as the head designer for both? Even Gio doesn’t know the level of work ahead of me. And then there’s my return back to that world. All of it. You know everyone is going to be waiting to see me, I… It’s going to be hard to walk back into a life I left behind four years ago without… Fabiana, Teddy.” Her voice trailed off. Mirabella glanced back at her sister. “I wish you would have known her.”
“I don’t!” Marietta said. She was sick to death of the ghost of Fabiana. And she was jealous of her sister’s inability to let Fabiana’s memory go. She hated that fucking portrait in Mirabella’s office. It should be her and Mirabella standing back to back, not that red haired bitch. When she saw the hurt in Mirabella’s eyes she decided to fix her tone. “What I mean to say is, I am glad it’s us, doing it together. I want to be with you, at your side.”
“What if I’m not that good? I’ve changed.”
“Bullshit. You haven’t changed that much. You don’t lose your talent or forget it. You’ve evolved. Mira, you’ve been designing in Sorrento, and running the business in Paris and Milano through me and Catalina for over a year. We may be the face of the company, but you have always been the heart.”
Mirabella nodded. She blinked away her tears. “My husband has needs, expectations. I know you don’t believe this, but I love being his wife. Taking care of him and my babies. I like that they need me. I don’t want to have servants and Zia step in and care for them while I’m split down the middle with the company.”
“This doesn’t sound like you? Is Giovanni trying to get in your head?”
“No. He’s a sweetheart about it all.”
“Yeah right!” Marietta said. The man barely smiles, always barks when he talks, and scares the shit out of most of the people that work for him.”
Mirabella laughed. “You really see him that way?”
“Girl, I can never get the two of you. He’s so stiff.” Marietta shivered.
“He’s complicated. Trust me, he’s everything I ever wanted in a husband. Treats me better than any man ever has in my life, other than my grandfather. I won’t make the mistakes I’ve made in the past.”
“Mistakes? Stop it! This isn’t a mistake. This is your dream. Giovanni needs to be supportive,” Marietta said.
“He is,” Mira quickly replied. “I keep telling you that!”
“You were fine until he came home. You were excited. Now listen to you.”
“It’s not him. I missed him when he was gone. Last night I had him all to myself and it felt good. I love that feeling. I can’t explain it.”
Marietta arched a brow as if she didn’t believe her. Mirabella only smiled. She sipped her coffee before she spoke again. She tried to explain herself a different way. “I have three small children. We are moving fast. If I fail I won’t get another shot at this. I know it. And what scares me is that I won’t even try again. I’m different now. My priorities are different. Lord listen to me. I think I’d rather be a housewife than a fashion designer. When did that happen? ”