CHAPTER FIVE
rome
D ad spits his wine, spraying the white marble countertop and starts coughing. Flo quickly hands her glass to Luca and runs over to him, thumping on his back. We watch her spring into action without a second’s hesitation. Admiration flares in my chest. She’s so competent and in control and it’s sexy as fuck.
“Deep breaths, Edo.” Flo’s calming voice soothes Dad until he stops coughing and she’s scowling over her shoulder at Luca, making him smirk. Our dad is a bit of a purist, and we fucking love to tease him about it.
“Dante is going to be kicking himself that he missed this one,” I whisper, taking a sip from my glass. My youngest brother is still in Kadelburg and had to miss tonight’s dinner. Shame. Luca and Flo seem to have brought their A games.
“Well, if it isn’t two out of my three boys.” Dara smiles, either oblivious to the tension rising in the room or she has just perfected her timing.
Knowing Flo’s mom, she’s perfected her timing.
“We all know I’m the true favorite, but I’m glad you said two to not hurt Rome’s feelings.” My brother smirks at me as Dara wraps her arms around his middle. She’s like the aunt we never had.
The doorbell rings again, my muscles tense and I jump into action. Our special guest is finally here.
“I’ve got it, Mom,” I call, already crossing the foyer to answer the door. I reach the door and take a deep calming breath. It’s my guest, so it’s only fair that I’m the one who should be there to greet him. I flick a glance at my brother, who gives me a subtle thumbs-up, and he disappears into the kitchen with Flo and Dad. Mom stands beside me, her smile already in place, ready to be the picture-perfect family Brian wants us to be.
“You got this, baby.” She gives my back a comforting rub. “Brian and his wife are going to find out what it’s like to spend a night in the Venuccio house, surrounded by our family.”
Well, I assume it will be Brian and his wife, that’s what I’d told Mom, anyway. It’s why she went all out for dinner tonight—well, more than what she usually would. And after a successful night tonight, Brian will sit down and take a proper look at our proposal so we can start negotiations on the long-awaited takeover.
I use her encouraging words as a confidence booster. “Thank you for coming…” I open the door wide and freeze, the well-placed smile slipping off my lips.
“No problem.” The woman standing in my parents’ entryway smiles, the gloss on her lips sparkles in the light like a beacon. Jesus. My eyes skim down her body and back up to her face. Her attire screams money , but is not too over the top. Her feminine features complimented with a light coverage of makeup, something you would expect if you were going to a low-key…family dinner. There’s no doubt the woman standing in front of me is attractive, she’s just not the guest we were expecting. She tucks a strand of her golden hair behind her ear, her tight-fitting dress stretching as she takes a step forward, making her way through the small gap between Mom and me, leaving us staring at each other, confused about who the fuck just walked into the house. I hope Luca didn’t organize this woman as some sort of game with Flo, because tonight really is not the night.
I slam the door shut, spin on my heel, and reach out to catch her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name?”
She pauses, her gaze slowly perusing me before coming to rest on my face. She lifts her chin. “That’s because I didn’t give it.”
She evaded my question so easily, like she’s spent time learning how to do that. Mom sends me a worried look as I take a curious step forward with my hand extended for a formal handshake. “I’m Rome Venuccio. We’re actually expecting our dinner guest any moment. But I could happily escort you to the house you’re looking for…” I trail off, hoping she would input her name so I’m not standing here sweating bullets wondering.
A flicker of irritation shines in her eyes as she places her hands on her slim hips. “You’re expecting Brian Deeter? Correct?”
A worried frown creases my forehead. “Yes.” I let my hand fall to my side, feeling like a dickhead holding it out for much longer when she’s made it quite clear she isn’t going to shake it.
A smile pulls at her lips, making my insides curl. She’s way too comfortable for a person who has walked into the wrong house, and there’s no way she could just pull that name out of a bag—it’s too specific. My gut tightens, already anticipating what she’s about to say. “Due to unforeseen circumstances, he was unable to attend this evening.”
My jaw ticks, of fucking course. This is another one of his little games. If I didn’t want to take over his company, I would show him my middle finger. I screw my lips into a thin line. Composed. I need to be composed.
“And has asked me to attend in his place,” she continues.
“You?” My charming persona snaps into place. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had to use it to close a deal. It’s what makes us professionals, being able to mask our true feelings at the drop of a hat. It’s a skill that has taken years to perfect, and one I’m quite proud of.
“Nora,” she finally gives me her name.
I get a handle on my annoyance, we need to play this smart. Brian thinks he’s going to fuck with us by sending a lackey?
“Nora,” I repeat her name. “We are so excited to have you over for dinner. Such a shame your boss was unable to attend.” I emphasize boss. Deeter is connected to her, and I need to work out how. With some well-placed questions, I’m hoping she will slip up and reveal it. If we were going to play our cards right tonight, I really need to know how Nora fits into this blurry picture.
She tilts her head to the side, studying me. Could it be? I let her take her time, the cogs in my brain working as I wade through all the information I’d gathered on the man these last few months. Brian has a daughter, but the last photo I’ve seen of her was from a long time ago—an article that did a write-up on the Deeter Group cited that his daughter hated being in the limelight—and the woman standing in front of me doesn’t particularly resemble her. Something flashes in Nora’s eyes, like she’s growing wearying under my assessment.
“Where’s the bathroom?” she asks and I gesture offhandedly down the hall, not really caring if she finds it or not.
Mom peers at me with concern but recovers quickly when she turns her attention back to our guest. “The bathroom is just down the hall, third door on the right. Let me show you.” Nora nods politely, then follows my mother.
I watch them for a few more minutes, my teeth so tightly mashed together it’s going to take a chisel to break my jaws apart. There is something off about this whole situation. I rub the spot in my chest Brian seems to be burning a hole into, and cross the room to where my brother is not so casually leaning against the wall, poorly concealing his attempt at eavesdropping.
“Where’s Brian and why did you invite that woman?” Luca asks.
“No clue and I didn’t,” I grunt out the five words, taking his glass from his hand and downing the contents in one giant gulp. I’d never really bothered to gather much information on his daughter, and I’m now regretting it. From what I’d seen, Brian’s daughter has no interest in Deeter Group, unless we haven’t received the correct information and she’s here to scope out the enemy. All my well-laid plans on how to outmaneuver this guy are suddenly crumbling down around me. I’m going to have to pivot the shit out of anything I had previously planned if I want to salvage this dinner. Nora is obviously someone high up in Deeter Group for Brian to truth her opinion. She must have some sort of sway for him to send her in his place.
My dad gives a final cough, drawing our attention to him before Flo leaves his side to return to Luca, he still has her glass of wine in the other hand. I’m tempted to take it too. Fucking Deeter. Tonight is not the night though; I really need to keep my wits about me.
“It’s official, your dad’s traumatized. I can no longer show my face here,” Flo grumbles, taking her glass from Luca with such force the red wine sloshes against the side, almost tipping the liquid out the edge. I swear I hear her grumble a threat of penis mutilation under her breath. Coming from Flo, it’s more cute than threatening though. Shit, there really is something wrong with me if I think that type of threat is cute just because it came from Flo. She massages her temples like Luca is giving her a headache and then tips her head back, drinking down her entire glass of wine. I study the carpet to hide my smirk.
Nora laughs while descending the wraparound staircase. I lift my gaze the second her voice fills the room, watching as she tucks her phone into her bag and frowns. How the fuck did she get up there? The second floor is definitely not where Mom directed her. Was she snooping? Fucking Brian Deeter.
“Oh, is this your new friend?” Dara asks, side-eyeing Nora with one eyebrow quirked in question.
“Apparently a twice removed business acquaintance,” I say at the same time Nora says, “Friend might be a loose term,” and plastered a giant smile on her face as she gives my forearm a squeeze like we’re old friends. “Since we’ve only just met, but I’m sure we’re on track to becoming fast friends.” I let the smooth line pass through my lips as I glance down at her hand burning the skin on my arm. I’m not some overstuffed teddy bear from Costco that enjoys being petted. I don’t move a muscle to remove it. With the connection to Brian still missing, I need to maintain my charm until I can figure out why the hell he sent this woman. We’re supposed to be handling a merger here, not a fucking marriage proposal.
“I’m not surprised. Rome doesn’t do girlfriends, he’s almost as allergic to relationships as my daughter.” Flo shuffles uncomfortably beside me, unhappy her mom is bringing this up in front of our guest. A flicker of a smile pulls Dara’s lips before it’s gone as she lifts her eyes to Nora. “I wonder if you’ll be the one to change that.”
“Not likely,” I scoff, my eyes sweeping down Flo’s rigid form. I subtly shake my head, getting it out of the untouchable zone and back onto what’s important. Nora’s fingers may as well have left indents on my arm from how her touch has branded into my skin—and not in the way I would like. I’m not above many things, going out with a woman so I can buy her boss’s company included. I need to focus on what’s important: Ven Industries acquiring Deeter Group. I subtly shake my forearm, loosening her grip on me, and tuck my hand in my pocket, where it’s safe. Well, as safe as it can be for now.
Nora gives me a sly look. “Well, I guess we’ll see what the future holds, you never know how these mergers go.” She winks at me. I flick my eyes up to my brother, who sends me another wink, mimicking Nora’s—clearly enjoying how uncomfortable this whole conversation is making me.
“Well…” Dara’s eyes survey us, before turning on her heel and making her way into the kitchen, leaving us alone.
“You must be Luca?” Nora tilts her head as she looks my brother over, before extending her hand out. Well, at least he gets a handshake. The fact she knows who we are shows she’s been coached, that Brian has obviously taken the time to make sure she is as well prepared for this as we thought we were for him.
“I see you’ve done your homework.” Luca shakes her outstretched hand. I slip my mask back on, this is no longer a fun, carefree family dinner. This is now serious.
“Oh, I know all about you, your family, and your business.”
How exactly do you know? is on the tip of my tongue when Flo sidles closer to Luca, wrapping her arm around his waist. Luca continues to watch Nora as he automatically pulls Flo closer to him.
“I thought you said this was a business dinner, Rome. Do you boys make a habit of bringing dates to business meetings?” Nora takes a not-so-subtle step closer to me. My nostrils flare as her overly sticky perfume fills my mouth, giving me a headache.
“Date?” Flo blinks confused. “Isn’t this the special guest you were telling me about?” Flo mutters, sipping her drink. Luca bends down and whispers something directly in her ear.
“Here I thought the three horsemen of the shipping world were all single, I wonder what other secrets you guys have been keeping.” Nora gives Flo a tight smile.
“Here I thought you were going to be a balding, middle-aged man with a complex. I guess we’re both wrong tonight.”
“How interesting that your automatic description of a business associate is something so generic and lacking original thought.” The tips of Nora’s claws are coming out, and not in the usual way of wanting to undermine Flo because she’s a woman and competition. No, Nora is fighting against the common narrative that only men are competent at such high levels in the corporate workforce. Something Flo herself faces in her own career. I mull over Nora’s answer; her connection to Brian is becoming more interesting by the second.
“Settle, girlfriend, or I’m going to have to give you some lessons in manners,” Luca chides, a playful grin teasing along his lips. I growl.
“How silly of me, I didn’t even introduce myself. I’m Nora Hendricks.” She lifts her hand for Flo to shake, but Flo doesn’t make a move to take her hand.
“I’m the hot one,” Luca says, trying to breathe a bit of heat into the awkward chill that has settled in the air.
“She met you three seconds ago, dickhead,” I bite out.
“Yeah, but I just wanted her to know which one I am in case she forgot.” I don’t miss the way Flo’s body tenses, Luca’s hand rubs a small circle on her elbow. He saw her discomfort too. I try to tamp down the jealousy burning in my gut when I see her subtly lean against my brother for comfort. He happily wraps an arm around her stomach like he is her human shield, and she relaxes back into him.
“It’s such a shame the sweet one is missing this.” Nora sighs.
Luca snorts a laugh and quickly smothers it with a cough. I narrow my eyes at him as he pulls Flo into his side and dots a kiss on the side of her head. Wishing it was me offering her support instead of my brother. Nora continues to stay plastered to my side with a fake grin coating her lips. My fingers itch to detach her from my body, but I hold firm. Keep your enemies closer and all that shit. Letting her feel close to me could work in my favor.
Flo continues to stare at Nora, her gaze assessing like she’s trying to recall a memory but it’s too blurry. “Do I know you from somewhere?”
“I don’t think we’ve ever run in the same circles.” A grimace passes across Nora’s face, like the words themselves hurt her. Well, that’s even weirder. People usually don’t have such an adverse reaction to mentioning social circles. But I don’t think too much into it, wiping Nora’s reaction off as a case of nerves. I need to be my charming self to her, so she can report exactly what we want back to Brian.
This is going to be a fun dinner ; I muse, just as Flo take Luca’s glass drains the last of it and says, “So, Leonard, was it? What do you do for fun other than gatecrashing family dinners and snooping in people’s houses?”
Real Fucking fun .