Power & Pleasure

Chapter 7

"Hey there! Come on in," I say as I open the door, motioning inside. Catalina is now sitting on the couch, pretending to be completely distracted by her phone. As Mateo walks inside, I take a moment to admire him. He is wearing a tux, all black, with a gold watch and three gold rings. His hair is combed neatly, making him look professional. I also notice that he is wearing gold earrings, small little squares.

"Wow Antonella, you look amazing," He says as he looks at me up and down, biting his lip. My cheeks heat up as I smile at him, thanking him quietly. I grab my fur shawl as I walk over to Catalina to give her a hug.

"Sir, make sure she is home by 2! She has a very strict boss who will be mad if she's late," She says, pointing her finger at Mateo, pretending to be a strict mom. I chuckle, loving the way she's so overprotective of me, while Mateo just gives her an emotionless face,

"I will Catalina, don't worry. Ready to go Antonella?," He says, turning towards me.

"I am, also feel free to call me Ella or Toni. Antonella sounds too professional," I say walking out the door, waving and blowing a kiss at Catalina. Mateo walks over to the car, opening the door for me then gets in on his side.

"I'm sorry about Lina, she's just overprotective of me," I say, a few minutes into our drive. He's been silent and I'm not sure if it has something to do with Catalina's comment. Sometimes she can come off as rude, but I know she means well. After a whole minute of not answering, Mateo grunts.

"Don't worry about it, you're lucky to have that kind of friend in your life."

"Yeah, she's pretty great," I say looking out the window. A few more minutes go by of silence as I stare out the window, just admiring the city. Once I'm lost in my thoughts, Mateo coughs, bringing my attention to him.

"So uh, I should warn you. These people are, different. They are a little rough around the edges, just to warn you," He says, keeping his eyes on the road. I assumed that this event was going to be filled with business people like himself -- so if they are anything like him, it'll be boring I assume.

"Oh I'll be fine. If I can bare going to work everyday on the subway in 4 inch heels, I can withstand anything," I say with a chuckle. I look over at him to see a weak smile on his face. It's something, an upgrade for the usual straight, serious face he always has on. After a few more minutes, we pull up to this beautiful building. It's dark out now, so the only lights that shine on it are from the garden. I see tons of people walking in, all dressed similar to us. Mateo gets out the car and opens the door for me, offering me his hand. Once I step out, he continues to hold my hand. Clingy, nervous maybe, I say to myself with a small smile.

As we walk into the building, we're greeted with tons of smiles and the smell of good food. Two people hand us a glass of champagne each, then someone else with small hors d'oeurvres. We walk towards a group of people when Mateo pulls his hand out.

"Chris, how are you doing?" Mateo says with a big smile as he pulls someone in for a basic handshake. I stand there, taking in Chris. He is a tall guy, probably around Mateo's height. He's older though, late 40s I'd assume. His hair is a dark brown, with some grey showing through. He has a clean cut bread, same color as his hair. His eyes are a dark color, almost black I'd assume -- with not many wrinkles on his face. He wears a basic black and white tux, similar to the other men.

"I'm good, how are you? How is the business? Your men haven't been running around the streets causing drama," Chris says with a chuckle, as he takes a sip of his drink. I stand there, shocked by his comment. What he means by "his men"? Does he mean the employees? And what drama would business employees be causing? Anyone that I've ever met at the office is so professional -- and scared of getting fired by Mateo.

"Uh oh, yeah well... I have it handled," Mateo says as he rubs his hand behind his neck, face turning red. He's obvious flustered by the comment. I take this opportunity to introduce myself, trying to change the subject.

"Well, since Mateo has bad manners, I'll introduce myself. Hi, I'm Antonella," I say with a small smile, pulling my hand out.

"Ah yea, hello there. You are such a beauty! How did the Mafia King himself land you? He's a little rough around the edges," He says as he takes my hand and kisses the top softly, chuckling to himself. Once he says that, Mateo's head snaps towards me. I stand there, completely shocked by his words.

Did he say Mafia King?

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Author's note:

Hi there! Hope your weekend was well :)

This is a longer chapter, how are we feeling about it? Do we like the longer chapters or do we prefer the shorter chapters?

Let's talk about the story: crazy huh? So this gala isn't going as expected. Mafia King? Y'all think this is real? Let me know!

Thanks so much for your endless support, means a lot!

xoxo,

Ashley