“You could cut back on carbs,” she said.
Sergio barked a laugh. “Oh, yeah, I like her. Hey, Aida, help yourself to whatever you want. Don’t let him guilt you into working, too. You’ll let him get soft if you do.”
“Sounds good to me.” She puts the rag and the spray bottle back down on the counter next to the register and leaned against it again. “Hey, Sergio, can I ask you something?”
“Of course you can, young lady.” He put the tray under his right arm. I sighed and closed my eyes, rubbing my temples.
“Maybe this was a bad idea,” I grunted.
“Was Dante always such an asshole?” she asked. “I mean, maybe asshole isn’t the right word. How about… preening? Self-centered?”
“All of the above,” Sergio said, nodding. “And yes, but actually he’s better now. You should’ve seen him when he was young. Oh, lord, the boy had no sense. If something was dangerous, Dante was doing it, profitable or not. That’s just the kind of man he used to be.”
“And what is he like now?” she asked, and I noticed the genuine curiosity in her tone.
Sergio’s eyes fell on me and he shrugged. “He’s a Capo now,” he said. “He’s a leader. Puts others ahead of himself. Still a jerk, but you could do worse. Now I’ve got a lot of bread to bake.”
“Thanks for the kind words, Serg,” I said.
He laughed and headed into the back again. I tilted my head and grinned at Aida as she stood up straight.
“What?” she asked.
“Interesting that you want to know more about me.”
“Don’t get any ideas.”
“Hard not to, when you’re fucking me with your eyes all the time.”
She shook her head and turned away. “You’re unbelievable. You kiss me one time and you think—”
“You kissed me back, you know.” I walked over and stood on the other side of the counter. I leaned forward, my mouth next to her neck. She didn’t startle as I brushed her hair back. Her posture tensed for just a moment, then loosened as my lips found her skin.
“I didn’t know what else to do,” she said.
“Interesting,” I murmured. “And right now. You seem to like it when I touch you.”
She didn’t speak. I kissed her neck, her cheek, and she turned her head to look at me as our lips pressed together over her shoulder. I ran my fingers through her hair gently, not pulling, just feeling her. She purred into that kiss before she pulled away and shook her head.
“Bad idea,” she said.
“I disagree. Sergio wouldn’t mind. I could tell him to close up and go home. We can fuck in the back then eat all the bread.”
She hesitated for just a second then laughed. “Okay, that actually sounds great. The bread part, at least.”
“And the fucking.” I crossed my arms. “Don’t forget that.”
“But we’re not doing this. You’re… you’re an asshole. You ruined my life.”
I laughed and shook my head. “You don’t sound very convincing.”
“You did. You… you ripped it wide open.” She took a step back from the counter and her eyes went wide. “I’m serious, Dante. What am I going to do now? How long am I going to be stuck in this limbo?”
I spread my arms and shook my head. “I don’t know,” I admitted. “I’m sorry. I just don’t know.”
“Yeah.” She chewed on her lip for a second then shook her head. “It doesn’t matter, okay? We’re not doing this and that’s final.”
I watched her pretty face for a long moment and I could see the tension and the anxiety. I knew she wanted me as much as I wanted her. I knew her body kept telling her to give into my advances, to let me give her all the pleasure she knew I could make her feel. But she wasn’t ready for it, not yet at least. The wounds were too fresh, everything was too new.
I could respect that. For now, at least.
She was mine, after all, and I’d have her sooner or later.
“Get back to work,” I said finally, picking up the rag and tossing it at her. “That display needs wiping. And the counters.”
“Doesn’t anyone else work here?” she asked.
“Staff comes in at five thirty.” I checked my watch. “We have twenty minutes. Get wiping, little Aida.”
She glared at me then softened. “Fine. But I’m having another coffee and a pastry when we’re done.”
“Works for me.” I picked up my espresso and sipped it, savoring the frothed milk and the rich coffee. “I have some meetings here this morning, so you can hang around. After that, I’m taking you back to my house. I’m sure Gino misses you already.”
She shrugged and turned toward the display case. “Works for me.”
I watched her spray it down, her lean, tight body moving in quick and precise lines, before turning back to the counter and getting to work.
6
Aida
Every morning for a week, he brought me to the bakery and put me to work.
At first, I was exhausted all the time. But I quickly realized that if I just went to bed earlier, I’d get almost enough sleep. By the fourth day, I was starting to get the hang of things.
I hated to admit it, but I looked forward to those hours between four thirty and eight in the morning. He’d show up, call me downstairs, and we’d drive in together. We’d talk about nothing, TV shows and movies we liked, and I quickly realized that we shared really similar taste in things. That surprised me, because he didn’t seem like the kind of guy that liked that sort of stuff.
“How do you have time to watch TV?” I asked him on the morning of the third day.
He grunted and shrugged. “I don’t sleep much. I watch a lot of it in bed.”
“Huh.” I frowned. “You always look well rested.”
“Guess that’s my superpower. I look well rested,
