CHAPTER 10
Donatello
“Stai attenta, principessa.”
Jesus Christ, the pain in my ribs was horrific, enough I gritted my teeth.
Emmeline cocked her pretty little head, keeping her eyes pinned on mine. “I’m always careful, Donatello, but you should know by now that while I am many things, a princess isn’t one of them.”
Her language abilities made for difficulty in speaking behind her back.
“An excellent reminder.”
Perhaps I’d expected a slight shriek from the stunning woman standing in front of me. After all, she’d managed to catch me naked. All her fault. The towel had a mind of its own, slipping away.
Maybe because Emmeline had the barrel of a weapon jammed into my chest.
“If you don’t mind, can you stop jamming the metal into my ribs? At least three of them are broken.”
Unable to help myself, I raised my hands in surrender. Why bother grabbing the towel from the floor? She had me dead to rights breaking and entering.
“Nice try, buddy. You’re not hurt!” she huffed while taking a purposeful step away.
Now, I wasn’t the kind of guy to think I was God’s gift to women. In fact, all the stories floating around about me being some kind of playboy, with a different girl every night were total BS.
Yet maybe a drift of her gaze to the twitching dick that was now on its way to being one hundred percent aroused would do my psyche some good. Instead, she kept her venom-filled eyes on mine, her weapon pointed at my heart.
“We meet again, sweet Ambrosia. Should I call you the nectar of the gods?” I knew I was pushing my luck, but she deserved a little teasing.
“What are you doing in my house?”
“You mean Ambrosia’s house, a girl who doesn’t exist.”
Her breathing slowed as the rage increased. “Get out.”
“You mean like this?” As soon as I swept my arms down toward my pelvis, her eyes involuntarily trailed behind.
Instantly, her face turned a perfect shade of crimson, as breathtakingly beautiful as the lovely dress she was wearing.
Floral and wispy, more feminine than I was used to seeing her wear. She was a balls-to-the-wall kind of woman as evidenced by her leaving everything and everyone she knew, to head to acountry thousands of miles away. I admired her verve for life and her chutzpa, especially since I was the same way.
Although the other side of me, the one hired and paid extremely well, knew she needed another lesson in discipline.
Unfortunately, I’d already crossed one too many lines. Stepping cleanly over another wasn’t in my best interest.
She allowed her very heated gaze to linger for several seconds, which pleased me to no end. Then she jerked her head away as if worried it might explode. Huffing, her body language changed as she yanked the towel from the floor, tossing it at me. “Put some clothes on. And get your things out of my room. You are not staying here.”
“You seem to forget that I was given a direct order by the Don of the Prince Crime Syndicate. To avoid, ignore, or otherwise deny that order would be considered treason. In such a case a bullet driven into my brain.”
“Please. We’re not living in the previous century. You’re a paid employee of my family, given benefits and vacation time. I also know you have shares of the corporation’s stock.”
Even as she continued averting her eyes, she snuck a couple of quick glances. Meanwhile, I pulled the towel in front of me, heading to the bag of new clothes I’d packed quickly. “While I understand you’re kept protected from the darker aspects of your family’s business, that doesn’t mean the danger doesn’t exist. And as an employee for your family I took an oath to protect and serve the family and all its interests.”
It was about time I told her I was homeless.
“I’m not challenging your loyalty to the family, Donatello.”
“Good, because loyalty and respect are everything within the Prince family organization.” I yanked out a pair of boxers, realizing that it had been a long time since I’d had my devotion to the regime challenged. That bothered me.