He’d always been protective of me, so it came as no surprise when he’d decreed I wasn’t allowed to date any of his ‘meathead’ teammates.
I glanced around the apartment, once again noticing the pictures he’d removed. “And you?” I asked. “How are you doing? Are you okay?”
“Yes.” His expression was sincere. “We’d been over for a while. I think all we really liked was the idea of each other. Which, fuck me, sounds bloody awful.” In his accent, it came out like, “sounds bladdy awful.”
Lord knew he wasn’t going to get any judgement from me. This morning had given me perspective, but last night? If Kyle had asked me to go home with him, I’d have done it.
All he would have had to do was fucking ask.
Chapter
THIRTEEN
KYLE
Unlike most Italian restaurants, the smell of garlic did not cling to the air. The place was understated. Subtle hints of Tuscany in the décor, as opposed to the obnoxious, over the top decorating you often saw in the chain restaurants. The food was excellent without being pretentious.
Joseph sat on the other side of the wooden table, carefully swirling the red wine in his glass, and studied the legs of the wine intently as they streaked down the sides. His dark-eyed gaze was focused, like nothing else existed in that moment.
It was unavoidable, thinking about sex around him, not just because of the club he’d built. A seductive power radiated from him. Our waitress had gotten flustered while taking his order, and I doubted it had anything to do with the fact Joseph was the owner.
How often did he look at Noemi that same way? Did she melt beneath his intense stare?
He set the glass down after taking a sip and considering its flavor. “I’m not sold on this wine. It’s sweet for a red, and expensive. I don’t want to get stuck with several cases I can’t sell.”
He gestured to the glass, wordlessly asking me if I wanted to sample it.
“No, thanks.” I shook my head. “I’m on the clock.” Not that anyone would care if I took a sip of wine during my lunch hour, but Joseph had called me here to discuss business, and I had a self-imposed rule to never drink while working.
“Of course. Thanks for fitting me in.”
Which hadn’t been too difficult. His restaurant was in the Loop, so I was able to cab it over from the office, and he could kill two birds with one stone. Our meeting over lunch allowed him to check in with his staff while discussing . . . whatever it was he wanted to talk to me about.
“Noemi’s father,” he said, “with the help of his legal team, took the liberty of drafting a prenup for her.”
“Ah.” Joseph’s future father-in-law was worth well over a billion dollars, and he’d been grooming his oldest daughter to take over for him at his media company. “I’d be happy to take a look and offer advice before you sign.”
A slight smile turned up at the edge of his lips. “That’s not necessary. I already signed.”
“Oh.” If he had, there wasn’t anything I could do to help.
“I don’t have an issue with the prenup. I know it’s irrelevant because there’s not a chance in hell Noemi and I will get divorced, but regardless, it’s smart business to protect her assets.”
His expression was . . . odd. Like he was amused.
“I’ve explained this to her,” he continued, “but my fiancée refuses to sign. It’s not the principle of a prenup that bothers her. She’s smart and she’s seen both of her father’s marriages fall apart. Her objection is the way Tony presented it to us. He announced he wouldn’t come to the wedding unless we signed a prenuptial agreement.”
I didn’t know them all that well, but I had a very good idea how that went over with the engaged couple.
“I’m not marrying her for money,” he added, his amusement spreading into a full smile. “I own three businesses and have investments well into seven figures. I may not be as wealthy as the Rossos, but I’m doing all right.”
“Sounds like it.”
“Noemi says he doesn’t respect me, and refuses to let her father hold power over us. So, she won’t sign the prenup he had drafted for her. I need to present her with one instead.”
Realization clicked into place. “You want me to write a prenuptial agreement for you and Noemi, that’s basically a fuck you to the most powerful man in Chicago?”