Page 14 of The Prices We Pay
“What? I meant for dinner, obviously.”
Joe lets out a laugh that could soothe all the cracks in my shattered soul. “Come on, Enz. Let Josephine get back to work.” His eyes soften for a moment. “Don’t stay too much longer, okay? Go home and get some rest.”
“I’ll be done soon. I promise.”
Enzo plants a quick kiss on her cheek. “See you tomorrow, Sweetheart.”
Joe simply smiles and rolls her eyes at his antics.
As the two of them walk out of her office, I linger in the doorway for a moment. “Next time you want to stay late, let me know. I don’t want you here by yourself.”
She waves me off dismissively. “I’m a big girl, Dante. I can take care of myself.”
“I’m sure you can. But you shouldn’t have to.” Emotion quickly wells in her eyes over my words. “Just let me know.”
“Okay,” she agrees.
“Goodnight, Joe.”
“Goodnight, Dante.”
And for the second time today, I find myself walking away from Josephine Jenkins, plagued by the insatiable desire to make sure she’s okay.
7
Sebastian
“Iswear to god, I’m going to marry her.” Enzo’s excited voice booms through the apartment the moment the elevator to the penthouse opens.
Luca’s voice follows, “You barely even know her, Enz. And for the millionth time, we’re her bosses. It’s crossing a line.”
“We literally just came from murdering someone, and you’re going to lecture me about crossing a line. Plus, Seb is your employee, and you’re with him.”
“That’s different, and you know it. Seb and I keep it private. You couldn’t keep your feelings for someone private if your life depended on it.”
“A man in love should be able to shout it from the rooftops, Amico.”
The two of them never stop bickering. You’d think that considering they’ve been best friends since they were in their mothers’ wombs, they would have sorted most of their arguments out years ago, but no. It literally never stops.
If I didn’t know they were practically joined at the hip, I’d think they hated one another.
“Who are they talking about?” I ask Dante as he plops down on the opposite end of our giant black leather sectional. He immediately moves to put his giant boots on the coffee table when I raise a brow at him. Thinking twice, he toes them off before resting his feet.
“Joe.”
“Joe?” I think about it for a moment, and then I remember the stunning woman I met this afternoon. “Right. I should have known Enz would be assover tits for her.”
“I don’t think he’s the only one,” Dante grumbles.
“Ohhhhh, really?” I lean my head against the back of the couch and look up as Luca stops behind me.
“Oh, really, nothing. I’m her boss; she’s an employee, and we don’t know anything about her besides what’s in her personnel file.” Bending down, he plants a kiss on my forehead. “Hey, Mio Re.”
“Hey, Baby.” He shuffles around the end of the couch and sits next to me. “I could find out more about her, you know?”
He gives me a perplexed look. Not that I blame him. Luca and I aren’t exactly in what you would consider a normal relationship, but our commitment to seeing one another happy is unwavering. We love deeply, but neither of us has really asked how we see this playing out long-term. However, one thing I do know… whatever he wants, I’m willing to give him.
“You don’t have to do that.”
