Page 17 of The Don's Prisoner

“What?” she snapped, and I pointed at my Lambo parked two rows from where she was parked.

“I’m over here,” I told her, and she shook her head.

“No. If I have to go to lunch with you, I’m driving,” she stated and started walking again. I shook my head. No way was she going to win this, but fucking really? Was I going to have to fight with her on everything?

Maybe she was more trouble than she was worth. I could find some hooker and pay her to be my wife for the next year or two, then get a divorce or have her whacked after she has a couple of my kids. I could find ways around Nonna’s rules.

But something told me Nonna would see right through that charade and might have me exiled just for trying to fool her. I wouldn’t put it past her. I knew she loved me, but she could be ruthless. And she certainly didn’t like being treated like she was dumb. As it was, what I was pulling with Victoria was a risk. I just trusted in her love for her brother and her desire to keep him safe more than I trusted a hooker’s love for money.

Besides, there was something very carnal inside me that wanted Victoria physically, which was a good step towards building a real relationship. Or so I was told.

“Get in my fucking car, Victoria,” I groaned and headed towards my Lambo. “I am taking you to lunch, which means I drive, I pick the restaurant, and I pay. It’s really simple if you would just let go of your ‘boss babe’ mentality for an hour or two. Let me do something nice for you for fuck’s sake,” I ranted, letting some of my frustration out.

When I reached my car, I unlocked it and looked over at her standing in the middle of the parking lot staring at me. She hadn’t moved an inch and looked like she was contemplating if she should do what I said or not. Like she might lose her title at work if she let me take the lead just a little bit, even to go to lunch.

I opened the door and looked at her, waiting. She had to make this decision on her own. I refused to be accused of taking advantage of her or the situation later. I could only push so much before it became coercion, and I did not want to have to push her all the time.

After a few moments, she seemed to mentally shake herself off and started walking towards me. I smiled at her and went around to the passenger side of the car to open the door for her. She didn’t look happy as she sat down in the front seat, but at least she had come on her own. I gladly took the minuscule win.

I went around to the driver’s side and got in, glancing at the way Victoria had crossed one knee over the other. I wasn’t used to a woman who acted like an actual lady. It was refreshing, and I had a feeling both my Nonna and my mother would love her. Isabella was the wild card, but she would certainly like her more than any of the other women I had been with recently. Or… ever.

I knew of a place called Oishi Tabemono that served the best sushi and had hibachi as well, so it wouldn’t matter what kind of food she wanted. It was about a twenty-minute drive through the city, and we sat in silence the entire time. I refused to put on music in case she decided to talk, but it seemed she was fine with the stalemate since she offered no conversation.

When we got to the restaurant, we both got out of the car at the same time, which irked me a little bit. I had been raised as a gentleman who planned to help her out of the car, but she jumped the gun. Maybe she didn’t know that was what I had intended, or maybe she felt that that kind of treatment was too demeaning. Either way, I ended up walking behind her all the way to the valet, with whom I left my keys, and we entered the building through a set of red wooden and glass doors.

I guided her through to the lobby by putting my hand on her lower back. She shot me a look and frowned until we arrived at a table by the window. The entire place was filled with twinkling lights and ambiance. The black wooden tables were adorned with contrasting white cloths, and the chairs were comfortable and cushioned to match. There was Japanese art hanging on the walls and statues on every shelf. There was a bar that seemed to be made of glass where the sushi was made and a matching one that mirrored it where the alcohol was mixed and served.

The table had a long stem rose in the center and folded black napkins on top of the long black and white menus written in a very stylish font. When we sat, Victoria took her napkin apart and laid it on her lap. I did the same.

Then we sat in silence, staring at each other, until she picked up her menu and started looking it over.

I had no idea what to say to her. Where should I begin? Tell her sorry, not sorry, that I was forcing her to marry me? Tell her she was exactly the kind of woman my Nonna would be happy to know I was marrying? Tell her I wanted more than anything to reach across the table and kiss her stupid?

The last one was a definite ‘no’.

The waitress came to our table. She was a very cute Asian woman with a very high and tight ponytail and a smile that lit up her whole face.

“Good afternoon! How may I serve you today?” she asked, and I let a cocky smile spread across my lips. I had been here before, and the waitresses were always very generous with me—grabbing me extra drinks, free appetizers, that sort of thing. I wasn’t sure if it was because of my flirtatious attitude or the money I threw at them, but I was never disappointed.

The woman blushed and looked down at the pad of paper in her hand.

“Why, hello sweetness. How are you doing today?” I asked her, and she blushed even harder, which I hadn’t thought possible.

“I’m… good thank you. How may I serve you?” she repeated, and I decided to take pity on the poor shy girl.

“I think we will share a sushi boat, the one with all the different flavors to try?” I looked over at Victoria who was scowling at me over her menu. “Was there something else you wanted to go with it? Order anything you like.”

“An order of the edamame too, please,” she said, handing the menu to the waitress who smiled at her, shot me a glance before taking my menu off the table, and turned red again. Then she retreated to the kitchen hurriedly, like she wanted to put us as far behind her as possible.

“That was a little rude, don’t you think?” Victoria watched the retreating waitress with a look of pity.

“No. She got the order, so she needed to leave,” I replied, confused. Victoria shot me a disapproving look.

“I wasn’t talking about anything she did, I was talking about you flirting with her. Not that this is an actual date, but that is what it looks like, and you were blatantly flirting with her right in front of me. Making me look like a fool for being with you here in the first place,” she countered, and I thought about it for a moment.

“I was just acting the way I do with every woman I meet. I wasn’t flirting. Not really.”

She snorted her laughter so suddenly I thought I had misheard her, but then her scowl cracked a little, forming into a smile around the edges.

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