“Good morning, Gino. I didn’t know you were coming to see me, my son.”
My father’s words stuck in my throat—‘my son.’ I was jealous, I admitted to myself. For as long as I could remember, my father was all mine. Now, I had to share him with this asshole. It didn’t seem fair.
“I’m sorry about that. I was in the office, and I wanted to talk to you. I hope you don’t mind.”
Of course we fucking mind! You can’t just walk in here whenever you please, asshole.
“Of course not. Please, sit. What’s on your mind?” Ever the gracious man, Papa sat down at his desk and waited for Gino to speak.
Gino looked at me and hesitated.
“Don’t be concerned, Gino. Joe and I make decisions together. You can discuss anything with him.”
“Alright,” he said, but he didn’t look happy. “I’ve been offered an opportunity to invest in new business. I wanted to talk to you about partnering with me.”
“What kind of business is it, Gino?” I wasn’t going to let him talk my father into some harebrained scheme. Hoorah for my master’s degree!
“It’s a boat charter business. The owner has recently fallen ill, and he’s offered it to me at a good price.”
“We’ll need to see the financials, and Joe will do due diligence. If it’s profitable, we’ll talk.”
“That’s fair. I’ll get the documents to you later today. Thank you, Papa.”
There it was again, the bitter pill stuck in my throat.
“Arrivederci.” He left the room, and I wasn’t sorry to see him go.
“What do you think of him, son?” My father sat behind his desk, weaved his fingers together, and waited for me to speak. I had to be careful about how I answered him.
“He wouldn’t be my first choice for a brother, but I suppose he’ll grow on me. And you, Papa? What do you think?”
“He’s my son and I’m glad to have him in my life, but something about him doesn’t sit well with me. Then again, he was brought up by Abriana and her family, not the best role models, I’m afraid.”
“He's definitely a little rough around the edges.” I was being polite.
“Thank you, Son, for welcoming him to the family. I realize this can’t be easy for you. I’m proud of you.”
“Thank you, Papa. I’ve got your back.”
“Now, what did you want to talk to me about, Son?”
ELEANORA
The auditorium was packed. It was early in the morning, and not everyone was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. I suspected the large party on campus the night before may have had something to do with the sad looking zombies slothing in their seats.
I was feeling particularly wicked, probably the orgasm I’d had before breakfast. I slammed my books down on the table and reveled in the startled responses I got from the students. Ah, what goes around . . .
“Good morning. I hope you’ve had a good weekend. It’s crunch time this week—I want to see if you’ve remembered anything from your last semester. Please, pay close attention to the work I’m giving you today; it’s important.”
I loved my job. It was more fun than work, and I enjoyed torturing the students, occasionally of course. I’d be spending my afternoon in the lab, researching new data, expanding on the thesis I’d done for graduation.
Someone at the back of the auditorium caught my eye. I focused to see beyond the light of the projector as I tried to identify the new face. I was a super-recognizer—I never forgot a face. Oh, for fuck’s sake! What does he want?
Gino sat at the back of the class, watching me instruct the zombies on GMO Technology 101. It was bad enough that he was harassing Joe and me at home, now he had to come to the one place that I got to exercise my curious mind.
My good mood trashed, I finished the lesson in record time. Gino stayed behind as the students emptied out into the hall. Oh, yay! One on one time. Lucky me.
“That was very impressive, Ella. I had no idea you were such a bright spark.”
He came over and sat on the edge of my desk. I made a mental note to sanitize the spot later.
“I’m surprised to see you here, Gino. What brings you here?” I avoided eye contact as I packed my books away in my satchel.
“I’ve been deprived of a family for so long, I thought I’d pop by and see what you do for a living.”
I call bullshit! “That’s very thoughtful of you. You must be a very busy man. Thanks for stopping by; it was good to see you,” I lied through my teeth.
“Actually, I’m having a slow afternoon. Can I buy you a coffee in the university café? I’d love to get to know more about you. I am your brother-in-law, after all.”
I’d rather eat shards of glass. “That sounds lovely, thank you, Gino. But I’m spending the afternoon in the research lab and I’m late already. Perhaps next time?”
The wily fox grinned at me. “What a pity. Yes, let’s do it some other time.”
He slid off the corner of my desk, straightened his pants, and strolled off. I desperately needed a shower. YUCK!
***
“Hey, babe. How was your day?” Joe was a sight for sore eyes. It had been a long day, and I was thrilled to find my hunk in the kitchen. Whatever he was cooking smelled fabulous. I’d forgotten to eat lunch—actually that wasn’t entirely accurate; the thought of Gino watching me took away my appetite.
“Oooh. He massages, he causes multiple orgasms, and he cooks!”
“Come over here and I’ll show you what else I can do.” He opened his arms.
“Stop it. I like it.”
