Sweet Temptation

He smiled, the wrinkles in his face deepening. “Good to see you, Cassio. Take a seat.”

I sank down in the armchair beside his and shook my head when he offered me a cigar. I’d never liked the taste very much. “What is it you wanted to discuss?”

“How are things back home with Giulia?”

I gave him an exasperated look. “Is that what this meeting is about? Marriage counseling?”

Father leaned forward, putting his cigar down in the tray. “Our men admire you. They fear you too. Some might even hate you. If your second marriage ends as unfortunately as your first, then hate and fear might become too dominant.”

I pushed out of the chair, but Father put a wrinkled hand on my arm. “Stay. I’m an old man. I’m allowed to tell my son the truth.”

“It’s the truth as you see it, Father.”

He waited.

Sighing, I sank back down and leaned back. “Things are as well as they can be, considering Giulia’s age and the situation as a whole. Nothing about this is ideal. I’m trying to exercise damage control.”

“Damage control,” Father scoffed. “Marriage is a matter of emotion. If you expect the worst, the worst is what you’ll get.”

“If you expect the worst, you’re prepared for the worst. I won’t be caught off-guard ever again.”

“Maybe you should give Giulia the benefit of the doubt. She’s a lovely girl. She’s nothing like Gaia.”

“I don’t know what kind of woman Giulia is.”

“And whose fault is that?” Father inquired.

I shook my head. “Does this conversation serve another purpose than to criticize the way I handle my marriage?”

“I’m worried about you, Cassio,” Father said quietly, his eyes filled with sorrow. “You are everything I wanted in a son. You are strong, you are just, you never shy away from the hard decisions. I never doubted your ability to rule Philadelphia.”

“But now you do?”

Father’s shoulders sagged. Even though his parlor was pale, he reached for the cigar again. “A temple needs more than one pillar to stand. There’s more to life than work.”

I stared off into the flames of the fireplace. “Work is the only constant in my life right now.” It was a confession I regretted the moment I said it.

Father leaned forward and patted my leg. “Then change it.”

I glanced at my watch. “I need to go now. I’m meeting Christian to discuss his findings about that new chapter of the Tartarus MC. They’re popping up like weeds.”

I stood and this time, Father didn’t try to stop me.

Mother followed me to the door, trying to convince me to stay for lunch, but I wasn’t in the mood for their meddling anymore. I kissed her cheek then hurried to my car.

Christian and I met in a small Italian place that served the best risotto in town. Christian already sat in our usual booth when I walked in. I gave him a curt nod when I slid into the seat across from him. “Any news on the chapter?”

Christian didn’t say anything for a while. “How’s Giulia?” I didn’t like the undercurrent of warning in his voice one bit.

“She’s well. She’s my wife now, Christian. She isn’t your concern. She’s mine.”

“I can accept that as long as you promise that she won’t end up like Gaia.”

I jerked up and bent over the table, grasping him by the throat and shoving him back against the bench. His face turned red, but he held my gaze. “Careful, Christian. In this city, my word is law. The protection of your father, and even that is limited, ends at the borders of Baltimore.”

“I don’t need my father’s protection or I wouldn’t be here, working under you,” he pressed out. “Giulia is my little sister. I’m going to try to protect her as well as I can.”

I tightened my fingers on his throat. “Giulia is safe with me. She doesn’t need your protection.” I released him and sat back, pushing my tie back under my vest and smoothing my jacket.

Christian massaged his throat. “No wonder that Luca likes you so much. You and him have very similar tics.”

“The bikers are planning something. Look what they did in New Jersey and New York. We’ll have to keep an eye on them.”

“I’m doing that. It’s not easy to establish contacts.”

We talked only about business after that, even if it was clear that Christian wasn’t happy about it. Too many people were trying to meddle in my marriage, and I didn’t appreciate it in the slightest.

It was almost midnight when I unlocked the front door and entered the entrance hall. Light from the living room caught my attention. Elia wouldn’t be waiting in there. The guards had their own small house on the premises where they could spend the night.

Something darted toward me. It took me a moment to understand that it was the dog. She yapped, and I braced myself to grab her again before she destroyed another pair of my pants.