Tied to You - ON HOLD

Chapter Two

"Are objections allowed?" I piped in, setting my coffee down on the table.

"No, this is a business deal that has been agreed upon by both parties which was Mr Russo and I, and for you two- it's non-negotiable. Alessandro? Any questions?"
I looked to Alessandro who shook his head no.

"Could you excuse us both please? I think Alessandro and I should... get to know one another and let you both continue your business." I said, shooting him a look.

Papa agreed and dismissed us both, and we stood from our seats and went to the door where one of Papa's guards was stationed.

He held the door open for us and I uttered a quick thank you after Alessandro followed behind me.

Once the door shut, I harshly grabbed his wrist and pulled him along into our games room, where my brother and I would usually express our hatred for each other in the style of competitive gaming.

I shut the door behind him and slammed him into the wall besides the door. I grabbed him by the neck and applied enough pressure to make his airways tighten.

Grabbing my pocket-knife, I opened the blade and held it to his face.

"You're going to answer my question with a shake or a nod: did you know about this?"

He lightly shook his head no.

He opened his mouth, so assuming he wanted to say something, I eased the pressure on his neck slightly so he could talk.

"My father only told me in the car. I had no idea it was you, he never mentioned who it was because by the time he had explained everything, we were here."

"Alright, let me ask you this: did you know who I was? Yesterday? You knew my name, but what else did you know?" I let go of him, and he took a deep breath, clearing his throat as he awkwardly adjusted his outfit.

"Your name, age, height, family. I knew that, and it wasn't hard to tell who you were. Judging by that and the knife you had snuck past my club's security yesterday, I knew a little about you. I also know about you through the whispers in the underworld."

"Oh, baby. I wouldn't trust the whispers of the underworld if I were you." I said, laughing lightly.

I didn't have much of a public appearance when it came to my father's business but once word had gotten out about me and the skills my brothers had that I wouldn't, I became an easy and vulnerable target.

"Let me ask you this, Chiara. Did you know who I was?"

"The second your guard approached me and told me that 'Mr Alessandro Russo' was interested in speaking with me, I knew everything. You're a well known person in the criminal world."

"Sounds like you have a fan club for me, tesoro."

"You wish, Russo."

He looked around behind me, a look of confusion crossing his face.

"What is this room anyways?"

"A red room. What do you think, idiot?" I rolled my eyes, turning to face the pool table that was there.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you Chiara?" He scoffed.

"Shut up. Can you play?" I asked, gesturing to the pool table.

Alessandro came and stood next to me, folding his arms over his chest. He turned to me and raised an eyebrow.

"Pool? It's a bit early in the morning for games" He questioned.

"Think of it more as an... Ice breaker. Me and you; let's play a game."

"Chiara... what are you thinking?"

"Here's how this is going to go. We'll flip a coin, and whoever wins the flip starts. For each ball you put in, you ask a question and I'll answer. Same goes for me; if I shoot one in, I'll get to ask, and you can answer. Or... we can scratch that completely and play something I like to call 'Strip pool'."

A desirable look took over his face and his lips turned up into a smirk.

"I'm intrigued. What am I agreeing to with this... 'strip pool'?"

"A bet. €500 from us each, raises it to €1000. If I make a ball in, strip one item of clothing, and if you make the shot, then I'll strip one item. Deal?"

He hesitated for a moment, his eyes flicking to and forth from the pool table to me.

"What happens if I win?"

"If you win, which is a big if might I add, you take the pot home. You don't win anything else."

He narrowed his eyes in thought and then stood straight, offering his hand to me.

We shook hands before he said, "Deal."