Gian (Trassato Crime Family #1)(55)

He laughed, and his golden eyes looked like twin pools of warm honey. My cheeks heated. “She got over it quickly when she saw how perfectly you folded her laundry.”

I snorted. “I guess all those summers slaving away at the local department store weren’t in vain after all.”

He leaned over and kissed me, loitering there for a few beats. “I need to take off. Call me if you need anything. Do whatever you want as long as it doesn’t include the dishes. I’ll clean up when I get home.”

I looped my arms around his neck and inhaled his intoxicating scent. Like every time I touched him, my anxieties melted away like they never existed in the first place. Gian wanted me. I felt safe with him, both physically and mentally.

I was quickly coming to the conclusion that I wanted to be part of his life as long as he’d let me. Sure, I had tried to keep my feelings for him under wraps—though, I’m pretty sure I lost that battle before I started fighting. As treacherous as it sounded, I liked his arms around me at night. I liked the way my heart doubled in size when he flashed me one of his covert smiles. I liked nearly everything about him.





CHAPTER THIRTY




Gian



I stalked the perimeter of the VIP room of my club. The only way to get in here tonight was if you had over a three-million-dollar net worth, you passed our background check, and you knew the secret password.

Tony and Sal had set up six round tables. One table was dedicated to blackjack, and the remaining five were reserved for high-stakes poker. Piles of red, blue, and white chips sat in front of every player, only because the games started less than an hour ago, and the winner and losers weren’t evident yet. Cigar smoke curled into my nose, burning my lungs. I hated the sickly sweet scent infinitely more than cigarette smoke.

I paused at one table to watch the new dealer. The cards waterfalled through his fingers, his attention remaining fixed on the players at his table. While he was damned good at his job, I still didn’t trust him. You could never be too careful. There were too many people and organizations, both criminal and legitimate, clamoring to infiltrate the Trassato family and take us down.

Angela slid into the lap of the man directly in front of me, rubbing herself against him like a cat. “You look like you need a good luck charm,” she practically purred.

Tony and Sal had staffed the event tonight, and the minute I heard her voice, I regretted my decision to delegate the details. Everything from her blonde hair and overly plump lips grated on my last f*cking nerve. I couldn’t remember why I hired her in the first place. She was a gorgeous in an overly groomed way, except nothing about her appealed to me anymore. The entire week she had followed me around like a lost puppy making suggestive comments. By mid-week, I decided to fire her, but I couldn’t pull the trigger until after tonight.

“Angela,” I snapped, “let the man play his f*cking game. You’re here to serve drinks, not give lap dances.”

Her red-stained lips hinged open.

“Aw, she’s not bothering me,” the nearly bald man muttered, running his hand up the inside of her bare, overly tanned thigh.

“You’re here to play poker,” I said. “Either do it or get the f*ck out.”

“Fine. Fine.” He held up his hands. “I’m playing.”

I pointed at Angela then to the far corner of the room. “Follow me.”

Angela scooted off his lap, her heavily made-up eyes narrowed into slits. She huffed and stomped across the floor on her sky-high heels.

“What was that about?” she hissed.

The pungent smell of alcohol wafted across my face.

Fucking hell.

I didn’t allow my employees to drink during working hours. There was too much at stake, especially tonight.

“You’re here to serve drinks to my guests, not yourself.”

She swayed on her feet, and I knew the alcohol I smelled on her breath wasn’t the result of a few sips. I had invested a lot of money into this game. She’d f*ck up the entire night if I didn’t get her out of here. She curled her pointy fingernails around the lapel of my jacket, and I wasn’t sure if she wanted my attention or if she needed help standing.

“I only want to make sure they have a good time.” She pushed out her lower lip into a practiced pout. “Isn’t that what you want?”

“Great. Serve them drinks, flirt a little, but stay the hell out of the players’ laps.”

“Wait. I know what this is about.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder, a predatory smirk on her face. “You’re jealous. You’ve been ignoring me for weeks, pretending you weren’t interested, and now you can’t stand the thought of me touching another man. You still want me.”

“You’re drunk. Do me a favor. Take a thirty-minute break, drink lots of water, and don’t touch another sip of alcohol for the rest of the damn night.”

She leaned forward, her breasts brushing against my chest. “You can have me. All you have to do is say the word. It’ll be our little secret. Nobody has to know. Not Tony, not Sal. And that fiancée you keep hidden away…” She clumsily snapped her fingers a few times. “What’s her name again? I heard the guys talking about her.”

“She’s none of your business. Don’t mention her ever again,” I growled.