Romancing The Mob (ON HOLD)

Chap. 11

Ch. 11

            Carlos Santos surveyed the stranger sitting across from him who looked exactly like his daughter. Once well-mannered, quiet, and rather agreeable, this spitfire that refused to listen to him was someone he did not recognize.

            “Laura, be reasonable-“

            “I think I’ll have the check, Papa, if you must insist on talking about this.” She said sharply, closing her menu and looking around for the waiter. He scowled at her.

            “Fine, I won’t mention it, but we both know you’re making a mistake-“

            “I know I am ordering the linguine with white sauce and hand rolled meatballs, and a glass of wine. That is all I know, Papa.” Laura replied, pushing her hair away from her face and sipping her water.

            He just won’t stop, Laura thought, fuming from her side of the table. If she could have gotten out of having dinner with her father, she would have, but he’d been waiting for her when she’d gotten out of work, and he would have caused a scene if she’d refused. God, he was such a child at times. Whatever Carlos Santos wanted, Carlos Santos got, Laura mocked, rolling her eyes. Her father was one of the most powerful men she knew, his name alone moved people to get whatever he wanted, as quickly as possible. But Laura was not one of those people, was not someone who worked for him. She was his daughter, his family, and he should treat her with more respect than he did. She shouldn’t have to book an appointment with his secretary to talk to her father- no, no, she wasn’t going to do this. Laura took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She wasn’t going to let him upset her again just by thinking about it. She was going to let it go and just enjoy a free meal.

            “How is work?” Carlos finally asked, reaching for the butter to put on his bread. Laura moved his hand from the butter on reflex and put the small plate of olive oila dn herbs in front of him instead. His cholesterol was probably through the roof, and she wasn’t going to let him make it even worse, at least not while she was around. Carlos frowned at her, but resigned himself to the olive oil.

            “Work is good, I’m working with this Peruvian architect-“ Laura was interrupted by her phone going off, and she hesitated when she saw it was Alexei, but figured she should probably still answer it.

            “Ciao?”

            “Meet me for dinner.” Alexei suggested smoothly, and Laura glanced at her father then back down.

            “Non, I can’t, I’m already at dinner.”

            “Coffee then.” He replied easily, not even asking who she was with, which made Laura more pleased than she should admit.  

            “Perhaps.”

            “Laura,” He said her name like a caress. “You know you want to.”

            She hesitated, and her father frowned at her.

            “Who is that on the phone?” Carlos demanded, and Laura looked away from him again.

            “I….I don’t know.” Laura said to Alexei, who sighed.

            “Think about it, call me back.”

            “Okay.”

            “Ciao, bella.” He purred.

            Laura blushed, even through the phone. “Ciao.”