Page 24 of His to Break

Leo nods to the waiter, an older man with a ridiculous gray moustache, who practically clicks his heels together and rushes off to the kitchen. His nervous demeanor suggests he knows exactly who my husband is. Even if the waiter isn’t familiar with the Volante family, Leo looks the part of the Mafioso in his black pants and that tight black shirt stretched across his muscular torso.

“You don’t need to do that.”

“What?” I sit up straighter now we’re alone once more.

“The submissive thing. I know why you’re doing it, but you’re not my lapdog, you’re my wife. Hold your head high and give anyone who pisses you off the shit they deserve. Just don’t disrespect me in front of other people.”

Tension I didn’t realize I was holding onto drains from my body. It’s a relief to know Leo doesn’t want me to act as though I’m in any way inferior to him in public.

“Okay.” I breathe in deeply. “I can do that.”

“Good. So, you went for the cheeseburger?” There’s a note of surprise in Leo’s voice, and I wonder if he’s used to women picking away at salads.

“Yes, I wanted to try it. I haven’t had one since I lived in Italy with my mom.”

“Why not? They’ve got them in England, don’t they?”

“Yes, but once my mom was gone, my father dictated what I could and couldn’t eat. He didn’t believe it was ladylike to eat burgers, hotdogs, that sort of thing.”

While Leo’s digesting that, the waiter arrives with the bottle of wine. Leo doesn’t bother with the whole rigmarole of tasting and approving it. He just grabs the uncorked bottle and waves the waiter away as if he’s swatting a fly. He fills my glass with wine first, and then his own.

“So, you’re telling me you were under such close watch you couldn’t sneak a cheeseburger, but you somehow managed to lose your virginity?”

I understand his obvious incredulity. A mafia princess’s virginity is highly prized and fathers like mine do everything they can to ensure their daughters remain pure until marriage.

“It was a question of opportunity. There were no burger joints near my home, but there were plenty of men around.”

“You slept with one of your father’s men?”

“Ugh, no, thank you. The guy who popped my cherry was a plumber. Cute guy. He came to fix my shower.”

Leo barks out a laugh. “That sounds like the script of some shitty porno.” He sips his wine. “So it was just one time?”

“Well, no. A few days later, my sink broke, and then my shower stopped working again. The guards got suspicious when my toilet got clogged up. They found a female plumber to fix it and that was the end of my fun.”

Leo shakes his head, but the sparkle in his eye tells me he’s amused. “You’re a breath of fresh air, Venezia Volante.”

“Why, thank you, kind sir.”

We both fall silent as the waiter appears with our food. He sets my plate down in front of me and I immediately wonder if my father had a point. There is no way I am going to eat that without making a mess of myself.

“So what about you?” I ask when the older man walks away. “Who was your first?”

“Giana DeLuca. She was on the cheerleading squad.”

“And let me guess, you were on the football team.”

“Nope. I played baseball. I learned from an early age that swinging a bat was a useful skill.”

I try not to shudder as I think about him using a baseball bat to break someone’s bones. Picking up my cheeseburger, I take a large bite. Grease dribbles down my chin and bits of lettuce fall onto my plate. This was a poor choice if I was hoping to live up to the demure yet alluring image my black dress is intended to convey.

“Did you go to college?” I ask as I wipe my chin with a black cloth napkin.

“I did a couple of semesters of economics and then dropped out.”

“Why’d you drop out?”

“I was eager to join the family business full time. Besides, there’s nothing a college degree could teach me about supply and demand that my old man couldn’t.”

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