“Your ass and tits are practically hanging out,” Mel teases.
“That’s the point.” I adjust my top and pull the thong strings higher on my hips. I look in the mirror one last time, nodding my approval.
We step outside, arm in arm. Gabriele sits nearby, typing away on his tablet, while the others have moved to lounge lazily in the pool.
“Do you ever stop working?” I ask Gabriele as we pass him.
“You said to behave, not that I couldn’t work,” he replies.
“Touché.” I smile, deciding some quirks are best left alone.
“Is he single?” Mel asks, staring at Gabriele. She normally goes for guys older than her, but I guess three years younger isn’t too big of a gap.
“Hmmm, not sure,” I say, sipping the cocktail Anna, the bartender, just handed me. “Hey Gabriele!” I call out, and he looks up at me slightly annoyed.
“Yes, Charlie?” he replies.
“Are you single?”
“Charlie,” Luciano grumbles, swimming closer to the edge. “You’re crossing a line.” Of course he’s protective of Gabriele. The baby brother.
“Am not,” I shoot back.
“Just answer the question, Gabriele,” Mattia chimes in mischievously. “She won’t stop until you do.”
“I don’t have time for a relationship,” Gabriele says seriously.
“See? That wasn’t hard,” I say, grinning down at Luciano. In one swift movement, he grabs my legs and pulls me into the pool, splashing everyone around us. When I resurface, Luciano’s face is millimeters away from mine, so close I could lean in and kiss him.
Mel clears her throat dramatically and sits on the edge of the pool, breaking the spell between us. “So, Luciano,” she begins, “what exactly do you guys do for business?”
The brothers exchange glances between themselves, silently discussing how much to reveal. But before they can say anything, I beat them to it, “We’re the Cosa Nostra.”
Mel lets out a laugh. “That’s funny, Charlie. No, seriously?”
I swim over to her and cup her face, looking into her blue eyes. “I’m not joking.” Mel’s face pales in shock.
“Is she breathing? Gabriele, get over there. I think she needs CPR,” Mattia jokes.
“WHAT?” Mel shrieks, knocking over her glass.
“What’s with the squealing?” Carlo grumbles, moving away from us and towards the bar.
I speak slowly, pointing at the brothers. “We. Are. Mafia. My men…I am mafia royalty. Luciano here is teaching me the businesses.”
“That’s not the only thing he’s teaching her,” Mattia says, raising his hand for a high five. Instead, Stefano flips over his pool lounge, sending Mattia underneath the water. When he resurfaces, he unties his long blonde hair and starts shaking it out like a wet dog.
Gabriele shakes his head in disapproval. “How much have you drunk?”
Shock still paints Mel’s face. “I need another drink,” she says, waving for Anna.
“Can we get a round of tequila shots instead?” I call out to Anna, smiling widely. If looks could kill, Luciano would have killed me multiple times over by now, but I’m glad I told Mel my secret.
The rest of the afternoon goes by in a breeze and soon I’m saying goodbye. “I can’t believe this is your life now,” Mel says, her eyes admiring the foyer.
“I know, it’s crazy,” I say, leaning in for a hug. I wave goodbye as she pulls out of the driveway.
“Did we behave?” Mattia creeps up behind me, startling me. I turn around so quickly I nearly give myself whiplash.
