14 Days With The Mafia Lord

~ Diamonds & Deceits ~

ELAINE

It was now dark—the day had long since turned to evening.

As Giovanni had said, a lady did come to the mansion—she introduced herself as Ava, my personal stylist—and we went on a shopping spree with Giovanni's black Amex. And it wasn't the cheap stuff we got.

With Ava doing the actual shopping and me acting as her footman, she piled on dozens of designer dresses, skirts, and blouses for me to try.

By the time I was done trying on the clothes and she'd selected the ones she thought flattered me, I was exhausted. When they rang up our bill, I had to stop my jaw from dropping at the exorbitant price. Never in all my years had I spent six figures on clothes, which led me to wonder what Giovanni's endgame was.

Why was he spending so much on me when I owed him? This whole arrangement was to pay off a large sum of money, not accumulate it. Why did he care that I looked nice at this ball?

The contradicting thoughts created such dissonance I began to feel weird. And then I realized he probably saw it as clothing his toy with the best money could buy to show her off as his property.

I didn't have time to be angry because Ava handed me our purchases.

Bogged down by three bags of clothes, I'd thought we were done, but Ava swerved into another store, and soon I found myself trying on pair after pair of expensive shoes. Some of these heels cost more than I made in two years. There were stylish loafers with rich, buttery soft leather that caressed my feet and sandals so fancy I was too scared to try them on for fear of staining the immaculate exterior.

As with the first store, Ava picked the shoes she thought I needed and paid for them. The amount was still shocking, but I was getting used to it.

She took us to lunch, where she excitedly talked about fashion with shining black eyes. It didn't take long for me to surmise that she knew nothing about the event I had to attend with Giovanni.

Right now, I was in my room with Ava and a stern-faced makeup artist who called herself Donna. She had bright red hair I was convinced was not natural.

Donna was primping my face while Ava organized all the clothes and shoes we bought.

"Lift your chin up, Miss Elaine," Donna instructed in her thick French accent, and I did as she said.

While she brushed powder on my face, I wondered why Giovanni was going through all this trouble for someone he claimed to hate. Why take me on public dates and to balls as his plus one, like we were in a normal relationship?

I cringe, trying to imagine what being in a relationship with Giovanni would be like.

He's the father of your son. You should consider marrying him and creating a safe, stable home so Adrian can finally have a whole family.

I was shocked by this line of thinking. It wasn't the first time I'd had such thoughts. I didn't know what to make of it all. All I knew was it had to stop. It was dangerous to imagine.

Hissing to myself, I unknowingly startled Donna, who jumped back in fear.

"I'm sorry."

Donna gave an indignant huff and continued her work on my face.

She finished with me, and as soon as she dropped her brush, there was a loud knock on the door. My heart started racing.

It was probably Giovanni here to collect me.

I groaned internally, then remembered that he rarely knocked. He just strutted in whenever he wanted without regard for my privacy. He wasn't going to magically change tonight.

The knock came again, and this time I invited the person in.

Fully expecting Caroline to appear, I was surprised when Butch entered my room. He was dressed in all black leather and held a black jewelry box in his meaty hand.

"You clean up nice, Miss Martinez," he said, nodding toward my dress. He handed the box to Ava. Donna had slithered out of sight.

Ava opened the box and, without a word, took out the diamond necklace and proceeded to drape it over my neck, much to my shock.

"Who gave you this jewelry, Butch?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer.

"Mr. Enrico wanted you to have it. Said it would really compliment your look tonight," Butch explained as he drew up a wooden chair and straddled it.

"Are these real diamonds?" I asked, fingering the delicate flowers on the necklace. Ava secured it to my neck and left me alone at the vanity.

"Sure are," Butch said. "Mr. Enrico doesn't spare any expense."

It was then that I realized who I was talking to. Giovanni's lackey and the biggest, meanest man I'd ever seen. But strangely, I didn't feel as intimidated as I used to be. I felt emboldened to continue talking.

"Tell me something, is he always a giant pain in the ass?"

"Not always."

"Oh, so you're acknowledging that he is a giant pain in the ass?"

"I can neither confirm nor deny that."

I laughed. "So which is it? Is he a pain in the ass or not?"

"That's a bit above my pay grade, Miss Martinez." A small smile played on his lips, showing that he was enjoying our little back and forth as much as I was.

"Fair enough."

I decided I liked Butch. Under all that macho exterior, he was a good person.

Ava and Donna were done with me, so I got up and walked to the floor-length mirror in the corner of the room. I almost didn't recognize myself.

The dress Ava picked for tonight was black, floor length, and shimmered with every move I made. It had a deep V in front, showing off my cleavage in a way that wasn't too lewd, and it had a slit that allowed my freshly waxed legs to show. I'd paired the ensemble with blood-red heels that looked straight off the runway. Donna had teased my dark curls into large, sexy waves and confined them into a half-up, half-down style that complimented my soft pink lipgloss and the natural look she was going for. The sparkly diamond choker brought the whole look together.

All in all, I looked like the cross between a world-class supermodel and a princess and I loved it.

"Are you ready to go?" Butch asked, getting up from his chair.

"Yep," I answered, turning away from the mirror.

"Good, we'd better be leaving. Mr. Enrico is waiting outside."

Butch led the way out of the room, and I followed behind him.

Caroline was in the living room as we got downstairs, and as soon as she saw me, she gasped and brought her hands to her face.

"Wow, you look absolutely gorgeous, Elaine," she said with shiny blue eyes. "Master Enrico is one lucky man. You are just simply radiant and beautiful, my dear."

I blushed at all the compliments she was heaping on me. "Thank you, Caroline."

"I should let you go," she shooed me with her hands. "Go. Have fun tonight."

If only you knew, Caroline, there's nothing fun in my life anymore.

Nodding to her, I followed Butch, who was already a few paces ahead.

We were outside now, and I spotted Giovanni leaning against his Jeep, his attention squarely on his phone as he typed away furiously. He was oblivious to our presence before him.

"She's here, boss," Butch called out to him.

His head snapped up, and his green eyes found me immediately.

I swallowed heavily as his gaze roamed my body.

At first, he didn't say anything, didn't react. Then all at once, his jaw dropped, and he clasped his hand over his mouth.

"Fuck," I heard him mutter.

.......

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