“Woke up as gangsters, did we?” I lean over the croissant tray and grab the one I think is salty, then rest an elbow on the railing. I bite into the croissant, and the crispy, sweet pastry melts against my tongue. My eyes roll back. “Divine.” I chew, flakes of pastry falling on my chin. “This is what I live for. Eating holy croissant in Paris.” I take another bite and throw my head back as I chew. “Mmhm.”
Alessio sits up and folds the map. “Get away from the railing.”
It’s not like I would throw myself off it, but okay. I look around for another chair, but the small table for two is just that. A small round metal table for two.
Alessio taps his thigh.
I glance pointedly at his nephew.
Alessio rolls his eyes. It’s such a childlike thing for him to do that I laugh. The pastry goes down the wrong pipe, and I start coughing. Alessio’s quick to pour me a water from a pitcher.
I take a sip, and as soon as I’m done, he grabs the middle of the robe he untied last night and pulls me to sit into his lap. There, he pats my back while Leo looks between us.
“Leo,” Alessio says, “I’m dating your governess.”
Leo’s eyes are on me, seeking confirmation, and I’m sure my cheeks are red from the heat that’s flaming them. “It’s true.”
Leo appears curious. “Do you guys kiss on the mouth?”
“Yes,” Alessio answers.
I can tell Alessio wants to say more, but I elbow him in the belly. “Leo, did you have breakfast?”
Leo nods. “Can we go for a walk today? I want to show you the square and tell you about Napoleon.”
“How about the Sun King. Do you like him?”
Leo nods. “Mmhm. But I haven’t been to Versailles yet.”
Alessio picks up the map again.
“What kind of map is it?” I ask, having never seen such drawings.
“It’s an aeronautical map.”
“Like a flight map?”
“Mmhm. I’m a pilot.”
Just when you think a billionaire who screws like a God and spends three million dollars on your clothes and jewelry for a single date night couldn’t get any hotter, he tells you he’s a pilot.
Now I picture Alessio in a uniform, and it occurs to me I’m a lost cause. Nothing stands in the way of me diving headfirst for this man. Nothing at all.
“Are you planning another trip?”
“You could say that.”
When he’s ominous like this, it means it’s a business trip. I probably shouldn’t ask any more questions since I might be forced to betray what he tells me.
“I need to teach my enemies a lesson.”
I swallow. “In what?”
“Power,” Leo answers.
I whip my head toward the boy, then look back at Alessio. Leo can’t possibly know about Alessio’s dealings. Even I wish I never knew.
Alessio studies the map. “That’s correct, Leo. Because our enemies should be what?”
