Mafia Queen

Chapter Eleven

Luca

Serena was already there by the time I got to the suite the next morning. I didn't see her, but her bag was sitting on the table.

After last night with Charlotte, any doubts I had about ending this today were squashed. She was uneasy, almost uncomfortable with me, and I knew it was because of how distant I had been lately. We had sex, but it was detached, like we were both holding something back. Me, because of my secret about Serena, her because she could tell I was hiding something. I laid awake all night, hating myself for putting her in this position, and it was time to fix it.

"Serena?" I called out, tossing my keys onto the counter. I was planning to get all the information I needed this morning, and then pay for her to stay here for the next few days. If there was an off chance that Niko thought I was still just seeing Serena as a client, I couldn't bail on her, or he would know. We needed the element of surprise in this one, and he had to think that I was having an affair with Serena. The interesting part was going to be trying to maintain that image for him, but make sure my wife knew that wasn't the case.

"In here!" Serena called.

I followed the sound of her voice into the bedroom but didn't see her. This was my first time in the bedroom of the suite, so I had no idea that I would end up in the bathroom when I came around the wall. To my shock and horror, Serena was lying completely naked in front of me in the bathtub.

"Jesus Christ, Serena, a little warning would have been nice." I covered my eyes and turned back around as quickly as I could. I slammed the door to the bathroom behind me just to be safe. This girl was something else.

I could hear her giggling on the other side as I paced back and forth in the bedroom, trying to compose myself again. "You're acting like you've never seen a naked girl before, Luca."

"Can you just put some damn clothes on and get out here? We have work to do." I growled, shoving my hand through my hair. This wasn't starting out well.

"Yes, sir." She giggled. I heard the water splashing around as she got out of the tub.

"Now, Serena." I snapped, not in any mood to deal with her shit today.

I sat down on the couch, trying to erase that image from my mind. It wasn't that Serena wasn't beautiful. My attraction to Charlotte was just different. She was intertwined in every bit of me—mind, body, and soul. The most beautiful and sincere woman I'd ever met. No other woman even stood a chance. It was like once you'd had the best, nothing else measured up. No one even came close.

That didn't mean she'd be okay with what just happened, though.

After a few minutes, she finally emerged in just barely more clothing than I left her in.

"You know, you're kind of sexy when you're bossy like that." She smirked, flinging herself down on the couch next to me.

Our bodies weren't touching, but I could almost feel the tension between our skin. I made a show of getting up and putting more distance between us. "My wife tells me that, too."

Serena pursed her lips. "Oh right, the wife."

"Yeah, the wife. The same wife that your husband tried to blow up a few days ago." I arched an eyebrow. Did she know anything about that?

"Trust me, if Niko wanted her dead, she would be." Serena's face darkened, and as she turned it, I could see a faint bruise on her cheek.

"Did he do that to you?" I put my finger to it gently.

She squeezed her eye shut and shook her head. "It doesn't matter. Let's just get this over with, okay?"

"Did he tell you about the explosion at my studio?" I asked.