Page 48 of Jackpot Joker

“Well, leaving here isn’t one either,” Dario snaps.

We sit for a moment, his heavy breaths the only sound in the room. When I can’t take it any longer, my voice is quiet. “I can look for another position here in the city, but if I can’t find anything by the end of the month, I will have to go back.”

Dario considers my words, then abruptly stands. “Work for me.”

I laugh. It’s one of those that starts small but then grows as I realize how preposterous his statement is. When I’m full-on belly laughing, I look up to see the serious expression on his face.

“What do you mean? I did work for you. It got me fired all of a few hours ago. Did you already forget?”

Dario grimaces, and I feel a little bad for twisting the knife a little deeper. Not too bad, though.

“Work for my family. Directly. We will drop all of our filings with Jorgensen & Munson, and you will be our sole representation.”

I chuckle, a little smaller this time, but his expression remains the same. “You’re serious?”

“Deadly.”

“You want me to work for you?”

Dario nods. “For my family.”

“Wouldn’t you need to run this by them first?”

“Merda,” he mutters, then sinks back down on the couch, his head in his hands as though he’s thinking to himself. A moment later, his head pops up, and his eyes are lighter than I’ve ever seen. “Come to family dinner with me. You can meet my brothers and my father. The whole family will be there, actually.”

I stare at him, blinking slowly every few seconds. “You want me to meet your entire family?”

Dario nods. “You’ll need to meet with them to get their approval as our new attorney, but I don’t see how they won’t see in you what I do.”

My heart warms at his words, but I rub my chest, reminding myself once again that he’s only offering this proposition as a condolence for putting me out of a job. I consider his offer. The last thing I want to do is pack all my things and move back home. I would have to live with my parents and brother until I find a new place to live, and as much as I love them, it’s been so long since we all lived under the same roof; I can’t imagine we wouldn’t try to kill one another.

Besides, the main reason I sought out Jorgensen & Munson was because I wanted to leave behind the small-town life. I bite my lip as I realize what I’m about to do, then I bob my head up and down. “Okay.”

“Yeah?” Dario asks, surprised.

“I’ll join you tomorrow for your family dinner in hopes of them considering me as the family attorney.”

His smile is wide and brilliant. “It’s a date.”

I shake my head. “It is not a date.”

On the car ride over, Dario explained that while this was a more involved family dinner that included the entire family and not just his father and brothers, it was still a casual affair. The man clearly doesn’t understand what the word means. Feeling completely underdressed, I step into the elaborate estate his family owns. The three other women standing amongst a sea of casually dressed men appear to have purchased their wardrobes from a 1920s speakeasy. The sight is enough to make my stomach flip in unease, but I inhale deeply as Dario guides me through the room.

I run my hands down the sides of my jumpsuit, knowing the color makes my skin glow, and my lips curve upward. Green has always been my favorite color, and the olive tone of my outfit brings out that shade in my hazel eyes.

The fabric hugs every curve as though it were tailored just for me, the belt cinching my waist in all the right places. The pants cuff above my chunky heels, giving me enough height to make my legs look endless.

Slipping my hands into my pockets, I look directly into the judgmental eyes of the women staring at me in their tiny, black cocktail dresses with their slits and bare shoulders. I don’t need sequins and sparkles and the arm of a man to know I look good.

“Gio,” Dario calls as we approach where his brothers stand by the bar. The eldest of the Carusos holds his bourbon up in greeting, but his eyes assess me. Did Dario not tell him I was going to be here?

A larger man stands beside him, casting a stare that sends an eerie feeling over me. This looks like a man you call when you need to get rid of somebody. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he was either a hit man or in the mafia.

“I believe you’ve met Jasmine Baker.” Gio reaches out and shakes my hand as Dario completes his introductions. “And Jasmine, this is my other brother,” he says, motioning to the other man. “Luca, meet our new family attorney.”

I extend my hand to him, but he simply stares down at it, opting not to touch me. I’m conflicted by the lack of interest. On one hand, I’m terrified he could crush every bone from my fingertips to my shoulder with the simple movement if he wanted. On the other, this man is hot as sin, and I wouldn’t mind his hands on me in any capacity.

“Miss Baker, this is a pleasant surprise. I’m sorry to hear about your employer,” Gio says before cutting his eyes to his youngest brother. “He was a good and loyal man.”