Serafina
I glanced up at him, and then away, taking a sip of my drink as I tried to hide from the intensity of his stare. I could feel it, even though I couldn't
see his eyes. But unless I wanted to crawl under the table or walk out of the room, there was nowhere for me to go.
With that thought, I suddenly stood up. I needed a moment.
Enzo's hand immediately wrapped around my wrist, keeping me there at the table. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"
"I just need to use the restroom," I told him as calmly as I could. But inside, I was freaking the fuck out.
He assessed me for a long moment. "Out the door and to your left, next to the kitchen." One finger at a time, he released me.
"I'll be right back," I told him.
Taking my coat to hide what I was wearing from the other patrons, I heard him say, "You have five minutes," right before I opened the door and walked out into the crowded restaurant. I scanned the room, but no one was paying any attention to me as I searched for the restroom sign and hurried in that direction.
When I got to the ladies' room, I shut myself in a stall and locked it firmly behind me, feeling like I could breathe for the first time since he'd shown up at the club. Jesus Christ and Holy Mother, what the hell had I gotten myself into? Even with his sunglasses, which he hadn't taken off once tonight, I could feel the heat of Enzo's eyes. They burned me everywhere they touched. He was always a bit... intense. But tonight, tonight was different. And I knew exactly why. He planned to keep me with him all night. That's why he'd told me to bring a change of clothes and why he was sticking to me like a burr. He wasn't going to give me a chance to get away. But even though I'd agreed to do this with him, now that the time had come, I didn't know if I was really ready for everything it entailed. I didn't know if I was ready for him.
I stared at the hearts written in permanent marker on the stall door, not really seeing them. I swallowed hard. This man was going to consume me until I didn't know who I was anymore. Until I didn't want to be anywhere without him. Until I couldn't leave him. And then he would discard me as men do. I'd seen it plenty of times. I'd watched as mafia men caught an interest in some unlucky woman. They would court them at dinners my father held. Pursue them like dogs after a bone until the woman was stupid enough to fall for their pretty words and possessive actions. And then once they had them, when the woman was so stupid in love with them they would do anything they said, the men would grow bored. They'd start yelling at them all the time. Calling them names. Breaking them down until the women were nothing but a shell of what they once were. And the men? They'd stop bringing their wives or girlfriends to the dinners and would show up with something new. Someone younger, prettier, but just as stupid. It made me sick to watch. I would not become one of those women.
Maybe I did just need to get out of this city. I had a little money saved, enough to get me to another state and set up for a month or two, but that was it. Not enough to have my name legally changed or to get a passport so I could leave the country, which was my ultimate goal. Somewhere where my father would never think to look, like Svalbard, that island way up by the north pole. He'd never think to look there. I hated the cold. He'd think I'd go somewhere tropical.
My phone buzzed in my jacket pocket. I pulled it out and checked the screen. There was a text from Enzo.
You have two minutes and I'm coming in after you.
"SHIT," I muttered to myself. Yanking down my ruffled panties, I quickly peed and washed my hands, then hurried back to the table. Our server followed me in with a tray.
"You just made it," he told me.
"What if I needed more time?" I asked, my face hot as I took off my coat and laid it back over my chair. "Thank you," I told our server as she set my plate on the table before me.
"Then you should tell me. Otherwise, I'm going to think you're trying to run off on me, Sera." He said it with a hint of a smile, but I knew he didn't find the thought funny at all.
"Can I get you anything else?" the server asked.
Enzo looked at me. I shook my head. "Thank you, I'm good."
She gave him a small bow. "I'll come check on you in a few minutes."
"Actually," Enzo stopped her before she could leave. "Would you mind giving us our privacy? I'll pay on our way out."
"Of course, Mr. Delligatti. No problem. Just crack open the door if you need anything and I'll come check on you."
"Thank you," he told her. Once she was gone, he took off his sunglasses and laid them on the table, then rubbed his eyes with his thumb and fingers of one hand. I watched him, noticing how strong his hands looked. Strength I already had personal knowledge of.
My heart was thundering in my chest, and I willed it to slow down. We were alone, but we were still in a crowded restaurant. He wouldn't try anything here.
Would he?
My pulse continued to race. I looked down at my food. It smelled delicious and my stomach growled in response, but I had no idea how I was supposed to eat. Picking up my fork, I put a small bite in my mouth, savoring the flavors. It was really good. And as Enzo dug into his dinner, I found myself beginning to relax.
We ate in an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes-at least on my part. Enzo appeared entirely at ease. I didn't look at him. I was afraid of what I would see without the shield of his glasses to block his emotions from me.
But I could feel him watching me the entire time we ate.
When I was about halfway done with my meal and my stomach no longer grumbled in anger, Enzo set down his chopsticks and picked up his napkin to wipe his mouth. It hadn't escaped my notice that he had impeccable manners. "What's wrong, Sera?"
Surprised, my eyes flicked up to his before I could think to stop them. He was frowning, his brown eyes filled with genuine concern. It softened me a little to see that coming from him. I tried to muster up a smile for him, but I didn't think I was very successful. "Nothing. I'm fine."
"No. You're not. You're nervous. Did anything find its way into your pocket when you went to the restroom?"
I wasn't just nervous. I was terrified. I tried again for a smile, even as my face flamed with embarrassment. "No," I told him in answer to his question. "I'm just worried about what everyone will say when I get back to work."
His eyes roamed over my face, searching for the lie. But since that actually was one of the things bothering me, he appeared to believe me. However, I wasn't prepared for him to pull out his phone and call my boss again.
"It's me again. Sera won't be returning to work tonight. Please tell everyone she's ill, and make sure they believe you." Looking at me, he asked, "When are you scheduled to work again?"
"The day after tomorrow."
"She'll be back on Friday." Ending the call, he put the phone back in his jacket and picked up his chopsticks to resume his dinner.
I stared at him in disbelief. "I'm going to be so fired. Dammit, you can't keep doing that."
Raising his eyes to mine, he told me, "You're lucky I'm allowing you to keep the job at all."