Page 23 of His to Break

Eventually, she lifts her head and grins at me. It’s a smug, satisfied smile that I’m sure mirrors my own.

“So, where are you taking me tonight?” she asks.

“Huh?”

“You told your mother you were taking me out tonight.”

“I was thinking of dinner and a club, but now I’d rather stay home and fuck my wife.”

As I move to kiss her, Vinnie shakes her head and wriggles off my lap. “Oh, no, Leo, you can’t offer a night out and then take it away from me.”

I can see from the determined gleam in her eye that I’m going to have to stick with my initial plans.

“Okay, we’ll go out, but what do I get for showing you a good time?”

“I’ll submit to whatever you desire.”

Before I can respond to that, she gets up from the floor and sashays off toward the bedroom, no doubt to get ready to go out. Fuck! I’ve been married to her for only a day and she’s already running rings around me. This woman is dangerous. I’m going to have to get control, and quickly.

CHAPTER 10

Vinnie

The restaurant Leo takes me to has a gothic vibe that really suits his current mood. Since we left the apartment, accompanied by a security team of six men, he’s been brooding. He wanted to stay home and go for round two, or was it three? As incredible as that would have been, I want to get to know both the man I married and the city I’m now going to call home. Plus, I’ve never been to a nightclub, so I want to see what all the fuss is about.

“Thanks for taking me out.” I give him a genuinely grateful smile, but his only response is a grunt. “You come here a lot?”

“Few times.”

While he sips the whisky he ordered the moment we walked through the door, I scan our surroundings. It’s pretty dark in here, with light coming from wrought-iron sconces and candles on the tables. There’s dark wood paneling on the walls and the art on display features abstract splashes of color that are eerily reminiscent of blood spatter. Blood-red cloths cover the tables and the high-backed chairs have black padded velvet seats. It feels like the sort of setting where you’d sacrifice virgins.

“You like it here?” Given his impeccable dress sense and the stylish way his apartment is furnished, I’d have expected him to favor a more elegant restaurant.

He shrugs. “They do a decent steak.”

Of course they serve steak, and I’ll bet it’s always bloody.

“We ate steak last night.”

Leo looks at me as if to say ‘so what?’. I guess he’s a red meat kind of guy. While I’ve got no objection to that, I’d rather not eat the same meal two nights in a row. I grab the menu and try to make sense of it. Their cuisine includes Chinese dumplings, authentic Hungarian goulash, and everything in between. I have no idea what the theme of this place is supposed to be. The whole place has me unsettled, or perhaps it’s the company.

When the waiter comes over, he looks to Leo who waves a hand at me, indicating I should order first.

“I need a moment to decide.” I speak softly, keeping my eyes lowered. At home I’ll push and prod Leo as much as I please, but in public I’ll show him deference. In this world, a man needs to be seen to be in charge. I won’t undermine him, for both our sakes.

“I’ll take the sirloin, medium rare, béarnaise sauce, and a side of truffle fries.”

At least he knows what he wants. I furrow my brow as I continue to study the bewildering array of foods.

“Shall I order wine?” Leo asks solicitously, giving me more time.

“Please.”

While he orders an eye-wateringly expensive Barolo, I scan the menu once more.

“Have you decided what you want?” Leo asks.

“Uh, yes, I’ll have the, uh… cheeseburger, if that’s okay.”

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