Page 56 of Degrees of Power
“Did he say what’s going on with that? I couldn’t bring myself to ask and she seemed comfortable where she is. Says she’s sleeping a little bit,” I say.
“No, just that he had it under control. Brian’s a good man. Whatever’s going on with them, he’ll take good care of her until we can get Alfreita out of the picture,” he says, placing our dishes in the sink and leading me upstairs to our room for the night.
* * *
I wake in the morning to my phone alarm, scowling, turning it off and groaning at the seven-thirty a.m. time.I slip out of bed, jumping into the shower quickly washing and towel drying before sliding into my robe while I attempt to at least dry some of my thick hair before heading to the closet. I have Skype calls scheduled and while just on video conference and not in person, I decide to slide into a grey, patterned pair of thigh highs that end with little pearls and lace that outline my thigh, a slim skirt, and sweater. The nylons are a gift from Chase and feel like butter against my skin. I slip on a pair of black lacy panties and matching bra, pulling the sweater on before I reach for my skirt. Gaby is in the kitchen and looks up when I enter. “Hi, Chase is already working. Would you like a bite to eat now or want to wait?” she asks, knowing I’m not a morning person normally.
“Actually, I’m absolutely ravenous,” I say, feeling my cheeks warm with the memories of last night.
“Chase asked me to make you a hearty meal,” she says kindly, handing me a plate with an English muffin and a healthy topping of mango slices, blackberries and blueberries.
“It looks wonderful,” I say, opening the muffin to reveal the layer of Egg Beaters and provolone.
“You made a breakfast sandwich with Egg Beaters. That was so nice of you,” I say, touched by her caring.
“You need your proteins with all your running and I know your aversion to eggs,” she says, sashaying to the kitchen counter.
“Thank you, Gaby. It’s absolutely delicious,” I say, taking a bite of the muffin sandwich.
“It’s an absolute pleasure. You make an incredible difference in his life. You are good for that young man,” Gaby says, winking at me.
“Thank you. I love him so much,” I say, taking a few more bites.
“Oh, the feeling is mutual sweet girl. He can’t take his eyes or mind off of you,” she says.
“I thought he would be down here for breakfast, where is he?”
“Caught up with business in his study,” she says, rolling her eyes upward.
“Can you make a plate for him?” I ask.
“Love to,” she says before sliding a plate piled high to the center of the breakfast nook.
“Thank you, now to find my husband,” I say, heading towards his office with breakfast in tow.
I open the door and he is concentrated on the monitor in front of him and looks up as I walk in. “Morning, come sit by me,” he says, letting his eyes roam over my outfit, finally settling back to my eyes.
“Katarina, while you know that I want to keep you sheltered from anything ugly, you have a right to know, to understand what it is we are navigating and what harm may lay in wait for us. No more secrets, it ends here,” he says, hitting the button to connect the flashing light and incoming call while still on mute.
“What you are about to hear is to be held in the strictest of confidence, the conversation is untraceable, overseen by the most powerful intel units in the business. I obviously have clearance and they will be unable to tell that you are with me. Saying that, it means you won’t be able to comment on the conversation, only listen. Are you okay with that?” he asks, lifting my chin so that my eyes have no escape.
“Yes, I just appreciate you letting me hear it for myself,” I say, kissing him soundly on the mouth. A brief connection, meant to convey how much it means to me that he trusts me with this information.
His control dissolves and my lips are captured by his own, his passion soaring into a fever, evidenced by the way his tongue captures my own, imprisoning it, leading them through a well orchestrated dance, tongue on tongue, tongues on lips, lips capturing lips, before ending, finalizing our pact with a playful bite to my lower lip as the speakerphone engages and my father’s voice permeates through the room.
I straighten, and look at the speakerphone on the desk, the flashing light alerting us to the fact that they are unable to hear us. “Chase, we’ve got everyone on the line,” my father begins.
“Thanks, Carlos. On this end you know we have intel monitoring the conversation for any disruptions in security. Jay the floor is all yours,” Chase says.
“As we discussed yesterday we’ve learned a great deal about the hold Alfreita currently has over three men, all in senior positions of Interpol. Things progressed nicely last night and we now have interventions in place to counteract the blackmail of said members. I won’t go into detail, but suffice it to say that we should have this rectified within the week. In the interim, let’s just say they will be cooperative while maintaining appearances of alliance to Alfreita.”
I am watching Chase. He is listening, but I know nothing being reported out has not already been reviewed and cleared by him.
“Carlos, Vicenti is not aware of this. While we wanted to make sure you knew the concerns were mitigated, we don’t want to share that bit of information just yet,” Jay says.
“Great work, Jay. Of course I’ll keep that in the strictest of confidence. Any news on the family front?” Carlos asks.
“Yes, but I would feel better if we were farther along. We’ve picked up communications from your two youngest brothers. They’ve been in constant contact with your uncle in Italy. It appears he is concerned about family name, the reputation, the Cosa Nostra if you will,” Jay says.
