Page 5 of Tailored for You

“I know some great guys,” Minnie started, and I sighed while I started to organize the strong colors.

“Great guys from where? The country club? That all-men’s exclusive club Charles Senior belongs to? Are they looking for someone to get their mothers off their backs?” Minnie meant well, but I’d met most of the men in their circle when I was with Charles.

“Don’t be like that. You are young, single, and having a thriving career you built from the ground up. There are plenty of men who aren’t half as stupid as my son and know what a catch you are. Say the word, and I’ll have them lined up.”

“Am I interrupting?” At the sound of the voice, my stomach flipped.

I slowly turned. Enzo stood in the doorway, expressionless, eyes flicking from me to Minnie and back. Without a word, he lifted a hand and ran it through the top of his hair, tousling it just enough to let a few strands curl over his forehead. It wasn’t messy—it was calculated, effortless—and I felt that familiar pull in my chest, that momentary need to reach out and smooth the lock back in place, even though I knew I couldn’t.

I wiped my hands on my pants and headed his way.

He sauntered like he knew he was putting on a show. His aura filled the room, making me want to stand taller and beg him to come closer just to be in his presence a little longer.

His eyes stayed on me as he walked, and I found it impossible to turn away.

He stopped barely a foot away in the small aisle that was made by the two long tables on either side of us, blocking Minnie from view and forcing me to keep my attention on him. He adjusted his suit, and his earthy scent filled my nose. I wanted to lean in, erase the space between us, and bask in his presence.

Something I couldn’t do, for so many reasons. Like he was my client and I had no business acting like some schoolgirl.

Especially not in front of Minnie. I didn’t care how many times in the last three years she tried to set me up on a date; I wasn’t prepared to deal with what might happen if she disapproved.

“Was there something wrong with the suits?” I asked when I was closer.

I shoved my hand in my back pocket to hold myself back.

“No,” he said. I waited for him to elaborate, but he didn’t.

“Oh. Okay. What did you need?” I asked. Why was I breathing like I’d just run a mile?

“I need to put in an order.” Enzo reached his hand out, a small piece of paper between his fingers. I grabbed it, opening it to find it was another order, this time for button-down shirts in only dark colors.

It wasn’t well known that he was in the Cosa Nostra, but Adrienne and her mother, Martina Vinci, had explained what it meant to be a made man.

The one time he came in with a gun still holstered on the back of his pants forced me to sit with the realization that he was more than the COO of Panorama, the persona he presented to most people.

That made my imagination run wild, and I went down a Reddit rabbit hole that I promised myself I wouldn’t do again.

“Just the shirts? Nothing else?” I asked as I wove my way through the tables to my desk.

I spotted Minnie in my periphery. She raised her eyebrows at me, a calculating look on her face.

Oh, no. I’d forgotten she was here the moment I spotted Enzo.

I moved a few papers around, hoping I didn’t blush and give Minnie something to home in on. It was a mess for an onlooker, but I knew where everything was, from invoices to dates. I clipped Enzo’s order to the top.

“Do you have a fabric you’d prefer? I can head to Bloomingdale's today,” I said as I thought through the rest of my day.

“Whatever you think is best, but it’s not a rush.”

I nodded, feeling as if my tongue was stuck in my mouth.

“Who might you be?” Minnie asked as she walked up to the two of us.

Minnie cast a look my way, raising an eyebrow in a look I took to mean ‘we’ll talk about this later’.

“Hi, I’m Minnie Davenport-Clearwart.” She held her hand out to Enzo.

He took it and gently shook it. “Lorenzo Lombardi.”