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Michela turns bright red. She seems uncomfortable with her decision to part her legs, but she did it anyway. I like that about her. She puts herself out there, consequences be damned. People without a sense of adventure bore me. She excites me more than I care to admit.
I sit up and widen my legs to give my dick room to grow.
“How was the rest of your day?” she asks.
“I spent it reading.” The reports I requested on her and the guy named Tino arrived. Turns out the Tino who Michela mentioned in the car the night before is Tino Bianci. His mother, Agatha, married a Benvenuti, which makes Tino a cousin of a Benvenuti family don. While Tino is a bird and not associated with the Benvenuti family business, he served a short sentence for domestic abuse.
A year after his release, his wife passed away. Her sister found her cold in their marital bed. I suspect foul play, as did the detectives who worked the case that was later proclaimed a suicide. Domenico Benvenuti, the family’s head, might’ve hidden the evidence or paid off the cops. Either way, if Tino becomes more of an issue, I’ll have someone from the Body who works in the agency reopen the case.
Judging by the way she speaks of him, Michela is aware of Tino’s unpredictable temper, but I doubt she’s aware of how far the man will go. Currently, he’s out of town and not due back for another few months. By the time he returns, I’ll have spoken with Domenico about his cousin. He’ll appreciate the opportunity I’m giving him by warning his relative to stay away from my wife.
“The man you mentioned the other evening. Tino?” I say.
Michela’s eyes widen. “What about him?”
“He won’t bother you anymore.” As soon I secure Michela’s agreement tonight, I’ll speak with Domenico.
She touches her mouth. “What did you do to him?”
“Nothing.” Yet.
“I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“I’m happy you did.”
“Please don’t mess with him.”
Annoyed, I roll my shoulders. “I didn’t think you cared about what happens to him.”
“I care about people not getting hurt over me.”
I lift my hands. “I won’t touch him. The man is a bird, anyway. Birds are of no interest to me.”
She frowns. “You think he’s like a bird?”
I nod. “A duck, probably.”
She’s quiet for a while. “Ducks are cute.”
Motherfucker. “Cute, but they’re no eagles.”
“You’re right. Eagles aren’t cute. They’re majestic birds, but I have to say they seem lonely.”
“They’re alone, not lonely. Speaking of lonely…” From my front pocket, I pull out a little golden box.
“No way! That’s Trivo’s.”
Michela instantly recognizes the luxury brand by its box. This pleases me. Since I’ve not known Michela for as long I’d like to know someone I’m actually marrying, I made Stephania Trivo sort through her inventory for two hours, despite the fact she came to me with the ring she thinks Michela would wear.
I picked a different one. A slightly larger diamond that Stephania ordered with a promise it would arrive in a few days. Meanwhile, I needed a set of wedding bands, which Stephania provided. I’m offering Michela her band now.
Stephania didn’t protest the larger price tag of the bigger diamond I ordered, but she did mention that my wife seemed modest and that she might not enjoy wearing it. Thing is, if my ancestor had been a modest man, he never would have created such generational wealth.
Modesty is a virtue glorified by the poor and supported by the wealthy so the poor remain poor. It has a place in the world. It just has no place in my world. Michela will wear the ring I picked out for her, and she will like it.
Having never proposed to a woman before, and most certainly won’t now in the car to a woman I’m faking a marriage with, I find myself in unfamiliar territory. Unaccustomed to uncertainty or asking someone for their opinion, I don’t know why I seem to wonder if she’ll like the ring or not.
Her soft smile tells me she’s touched by the gift, but she’s not reaching for the box. In fact, she’s scooting away as if I’m offering her a crown of thorns.
