“Where do you think Doc and Eli are right now?”
“I don’t know…”
“They’re working. Doc’s with his crew at Flare, that nightclub we have in Harlem, and Eli’s negotiating a construction security agreement with some guys in Florida.”
“He’sinFlorida?”
“No, baby, the meeting’s online. But we’re setting up contracts in DC, Omaha and Toronto and we have agreements in LA, New Orleans, Tijuana, New York, and are you seeing how none of us have time to scratch ourselves let alonethinkabout cheating on the hottest girl in the world?”
I ignore the flattery. “What about Adriano? All he does is skin deer.”
Bobby grimaces. “He says he’s retiring. We’ll see about that, but in the meantime, we’re covering his workload, which doesn’t help with our schedules.”
My stomach gives a guilty squirm. “Do you need to go to work? Should I give you some space?”
Bobby’s arms draw tight around me. “Never. Having you around is like a four-hour lunch break in Fiji.”
“But if you have to work…?”
“Not right now.” Bobby smiles. “That’s what makes you perfect for me. For us. We’re busy, but we can all give you a little of ourselves. Between all four of us, we might make one decent boyfriend.”
I kiss his chest. “I think you’re all decent boyfriends.”
“Even Adriano and all his dead deer?”
I smile, thinking of the way Adri calls me ‘Pryntsesa.’ I know what it means now. It’s Ukrainian for ‘princess.’
“Especially Adriano and his dead deer,” I tell Bobby. “Now can you please help me find a job? Once I have one, I’ll feel like I’m doing something useful.”
“You’re doing plenty useful already. Besides, the one thing Velvet House doesn’t need is money.”
I believe that. Two mornings after I lost my virginity, Eli called me to his office. It’s on the fifth story of the North Wing, a huge sunlit room with a beautiful view of the grounds.
“This is for you,” he said, handing me a plain black credit card. “Bobby will show you how to access your account.”
“What account?”
Eli looked at me so sternly it was hard to believe he’d ever let me undress him. “Your bank account.”
I thought he wanted me to start paying rent. “I’m sorry, I’m not working yet, but once I am, I’ll be able to contribute. Iwantto contribute.”
Eli’s face went all scrunchy. “What are you talking about? This is yourpersonal bank account. I’ve given you two million dollars and you’ll receive an additional fifty thousand a month.”
My jaw almost hit the floor. “You can’t… that’s too much money!”
He fixed me with his golden-brown eyes. “I’m a billionaire,bella. What do you expect? Eighty dollars a week for groceries?”
“You don’t have to give me anything!”
“And yet I am. If you need anything more, clothes, jewelry, speak to me. Do not let Domenico hand you wads of filthy strip club money. And let me know when you’d like to buy a car. That needs to be bought separately for tax reasons.”
I tried to come up with an answer and instead I just screamed. Just opened my mouth and screamed. The thought of two million dollars went off in my head like a bomb and I didn’t know what else to do.
“Mannaggia,” Eli said, jumping to his feet. “What’s wrong?”
I couldn’t get the words out, and just burst into tears. But instead of getting angry, Eli carried me to his office chair, sat me in his lap and rocked me back and forth. “Su… su… la mia dolce ragazza. Il mio prezioso gioiello.”There, there, my sweet girl. My precious jewel.
“I’m so scared you’ll all eventually hate me,” I sobbed. “I don’t deserve any of this.”
