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That time my father went red in the face and snapped at me. " That's exactly what it is going to cause. You know what happens when you turn down people's offers. You know what happens when you shake things up for the wrong reasons. Everyone feels slighted."
" They could have come and told me to marry an elephant, and I'm supposed to oblige?"
" Tomaso, there's been talks about bringing the families together for years. This shouldn't be a surprise to you."
I shook my head. " I didn't think it meant marrying someone." This was the point in the conversation where I felt like I was losing a little bit of hope. This was when I had a bit of desperation for me. These were feelings that I was not used to. Or they felt that I tried to avoid tremendously. Because you did stupid things when you had those inside of you. And that's what was going to happen next.
" Well, I'm engaged." Blurted out. Although the words were fake. They felt so good to say. It felt like I had come to some sort of epiphany.
Watching my father's mouth open in shock was enough to make me want to laugh. I had to hold that back. That was one of the most difficult things to do. " What the hell do you mean engaged? Are you being serious right now, Tomaso?"
" Yes. Completely serious. It was supposed to be a secret. I wanted to marry her privately, and now I have to tell you like this." Who? Who was I speaking about? This was going to be a problem. I wasn't really engaged to anyone. That's what's a problematic lie that should not exist. Then again, who was I to complain if it were to get me out of marrying Linda?
My father brought his hand to his head and paced around for a moment. When he looked at me, there was a glimmer in his eye. I had forgotten that this man actually wanted me to be happy in my life. Maybe he was happy that I was fake engaged. " Who's the girl Tomaso? We must have a girl, or no one will even believe us. Hell, I don't even believe you right now."
" Her name's Angelina." Once again, I didn't think before I spoke. A habit of mine. But it seemed like this habit was helping me at the moment.
My father gave me a long look, but it seemed like he believed me. I was getting somewhere. Now the problem was,
Angelina.
Chapter 5
Angelina
ThedaywithTomasohad been different at work. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Everything was just so pleasant. Our little chit-chat throughout the day flowed nicely. The sun out the window was shining brighter. And I don't know, it was this beautiful sense where I could look towards the future and not be afraid. Maybe it was the job. Or maybe it was because this man was nice to me. I usednicebecause I couldn't come to terms with the fact that we did naughty things in a naughty office. A naughty office and only became that way because of us.
I guess what it all came down to. Unlike most people, I had a job that I liked. And maybe it was because my boss was sexy and we had chemistry, but there were times when you just didn't need to look into things. Sometimes you just need it to live in the moment.
But there were also points throughout the day where Tomaso was distant. We would be in mid-conversation, and he would zone out.
" What was I saying?" He asked me.
" You were talking about gas prices."
His eyes descended to his desk as if his thought had been on top of it, and he was looking for it. When his eyes met mine, it was clear that he had forgotten. " Yeah, I don't know where I was going with that."
"Are you okay? There are points throughout this day where you seem a little preoccupied."
He cleared his throat and shifted in his chair, which only solidified my notion. I may not have known him long, but I could tell when something was weird with someone." Well, I am the CEO. You and I have a complex thing going on here. You can't blame me for being a little out there at times. I have a million things going through my head."
I was surprised by what I said next. I usually wasn't the one to take the initiative with things. But he drove my curiosity. " Do you want to talk about what's on your mind? It’s better to get that stuff out of your head and out in the open."
He gave me a measured look, almost saying if I had offered him candy with a rapper, that would slightly open. Who was I to ask a mafia boss to open up? It was ridiculous. I had a level of confidence that was kind of illegal in this world of a CEO mafia boss. Or so that's the way I saw it.
" I don't think I want to talk about it. No offense. Not right now, at least. But I do have a proposition for you."
My mind ran in a million directions, probably like his. The only difference was I wondered just what his proposition was. " Shoot your preposition my way. But I must warn you, I'm a hard sell."
He chuckled, which was oddly satisfying to see. Something was accomplished about making him laugh. He wasn't an easy man to break down barriers with. "I'd like to actually take you out on a date. A real date. Not just talking to you here in the office."
I could feel my cheeks going red. The warmth was rushing up into my face. I couldn't remember the last time I felt like that. But I welcomed it. Those were the moments when you felt most alive. Now, what was I supposed to say to him? It had to be an automatic yes, right? " I would love to go out on a date with you. That's shockingly romantic."
" Now you're pushing it." He teased. And once again, I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks.
The rest of the day went swimmingly. It was almost too good to be true. I got my workload done without straining. My eyes stayed glued to the computer. Took a few coffee breaks. I let myself get excited about what would come after the shift. Even though I knew I needed to stay level, I still questioned it. I felt like I deserved happiness. Call me crazy, but it did seem like he was happy too. Maybe I was looking into things a little bit too much. Maybe I was looking at that smirk on his face and thinking it was because of me. It was hard to say anything. Because as much as he gave me emotionally, there was still so much that was unknown when it came to Tomaso. Sitting there with his popped collar and five o'clock shadow, he was a treasure hunt to me. He wasn't just a man. He was a journey. And he was a journey that I wanted to go on.
But the rest of the day dragged on because I was so excited. Despite the good work day, I was still cautious about being on a date with him. I hated that I wasn’t as dolled up as I should have been. I was going to be in my work clothes. Then again, he found those sexy enough to take off of me in the office that once. I had to rack my brain to figure out the last time I had gone on a good date. But I knew when the next one was going to be. I had no doubt in my mind that we would be on a good date. It was going to be an experience. I was also going to use that experience to learn about this man. As toxic as it may have been for him to be in the mafia, I was intrigued and wanted to know more.
