“Ah, baby, I missed you.”
“I missed you too, Dad.” My words are muffled against his chest as I hold him just as tightly.
When he pulls back, he holds me at arm’s length, looking at me closely, and frowns at what he finds. “What is this? Who has upset my princess?” he asks as he wipes an escaped tear from my cheek.
“No one, Dad. I’m just so happy to see you.”
“Pfft, so what am I? Chopped liver?” The gruff tones of Uncle Mickey have me turning to face him.
“No, just saving the best for last,” I joke, and a brilliant grin crosses his face.
“Oh, you are a charmer. Hear that, Stefano? I’m the girl’s favorite, just how it should be.” He grabs my hand and tugs me over for a hug. When he does, he whispers in my ear, “Tell Uncle Mickey who put that look on your face, and I will break their legs.”
I giggle slightly, but when I pull back, I see he’s dead serious. Whoa. Uncle Mickey is not a blood relative. He’s my dad’s best friend and has been in our lives for as long as I can remember. My dad does have a brother, but we aren’t as close to Lorenzo as we are to Mickey. Lorenzo lives in a city about two hours away, so we don’t see him as often as we see Mickey.
“Thank you, but I will take care of it myself.” He studies me closely, and I know he can see the cold fury simmering within me. His eyes brighten with pride as he pats my cheek.
“Ah, my girl, I just know you are going to make this family proud.”
Penelope scoffs as we all take a seat on the sofa. “This is unheard of. She is a girl. She will be useless. The only thing she is good for is securing an alliance. Let her be useful by spreading her legs for the family. I hear Mario Maricuso is looking for an alliance. I’m sure he has someone we could marry her to. She will give him a couple of heirs and secure that family’s loyalty.”
My stomach lurches as I comprehend what she’s talking about. Alliances? Loyalty? Heirs?
I look at my father, and he has a relaxed air about him as he sits on the couch, drink in hand. He studies me, but Gio can’t hold his tongue any longer.
“Unlike you, Penelope, Tori is more valuable than what she can do by spreading her legs. Not to mention she’s gay, so she won’t be able to be used for a marriage anyway,” he spits out, and I gape at him. Seriously? He had to share that with the room?
“What the fuck, dude?” I growl at him, and he shrugs.
“Sorry, babe, but it’s nothing to be ashamed of, and thankfully this family is more open-minded than others.” I’m getting the feeling that when Gio uses the word “family” that he doesn’t mean blood relatives. My eyes swing to my father and his best friend. Neither of them seems upset by Gio’s announcement, but Penelope acts horrified despite the cool calculation I see in her eyes.
“Stefano, did you hear that? You will have to have the gay beaten out of her so that she will be sin free when she goes to her new husband.”
“Penny, you’re getting hysterical. I think that maybe this is all too much for you. Why don’t you go and lie down while we talk business?” Dad doesn’t even look at her, missing the scowl she throws in his direction. “You know it isn’t your place to be involved in the family business.”
Just like that, Dad dismisses her. I’m kind of shocked, because I’ve never heard him talk to her like that before.
She stands up, her cheeks blazing with embarrassment, and smooths out her dress. “Come, Victoria, let the men talk.”
“I think you misunderstood me, Penelope. I asked you to leave. I didn’t mention Vicki at all.” Dad still doesn’t look at her, keeping his eyes on me the whole time. I feel like squirming under his scrutiny, but I refuse to look weak, so I hold my head high. I am not embarrassed about being gay, I just would have preferred to tell him myself.
Penelope glares at me with pure hatred before turning on her heel and flouncing upstairs. We all sit in silence until we hear a door slam. At Dad’s nod, Mickey stands up and quickly follows her.
“Come, let us go to my office for this talk. It’s soundproof and has been screened for bugs.”
ChapterTwelve
Dad stands up and leads us to his office deeper in the house. After entering a combination on a keypad next to the door, he opens it and allows Gio and me to enter before he follows and closes it behind us. The smell of cigar smoke and leather books is strong in here. It’s one of my favorite places in the house. Dad always let me play in a corner of the room when he was working in here.
“What about Uncle Mickey?” I ask, taking a seat at one of the chairs in front of Dad’s desk. Behind Dad is a wall of shelves that hold all the hardback, leather-bound books that contribute to the smell of the room. The carpet is thick and luxurious, and the office furniture is imported from Italy. Nothing but the best for my father. He would say a comfortable, happy mind was a productive one.
“He is watching Penny while we have this conversation.” Dad sits down across from me, and Gio takes the seat by my side. “Vicki, Gio has informed me that you have finally started asking questions about what I do.”
That pang of guilt rears its ugly head and kicks me in the ass. “Yeah, I suddenly realized how self-absorbed I am. Can you forgive me?”
Dad gives me a gentle smile and shakes his head. “There is nothing to forgive, my princess. It’s that way for a reason. I’m sure you are smart enough to realize after all of Penny’s blabbing just then that my business may be more than it seems.”
“Well, I can’t say I don’t have questions.” I can’t hide my annoyance, and he smirks.
