Precarious

Prologue

"Why thank you for asking. I'll just have a cranberry cocktail for now," replied the lady, who was turning to Michael's direction. "Well, hello sir. You seem like you're having a rough night. May I be of any assistance? Do you need a ride home? From my personal experience, driving while intoxicated doesn't end well and it doesn't seem like anyone that you know is in here. I'll give you a ride home if that's alright with you".

"Uh, thank you Miss..." Michael stuttered. If only he wasn't so drunk, then maybe he could easily tell her to back off. The alcohol was finally beginning to affect him.

"Oh, well it's fine sir. I understand that you're a bit nervous. My name is Nancy. How about we go to the lounge? I see that you have a VIP pass and so do I. We can get more privacy there and maybe get to know each other also."

"Very well then, Nancy. Let's go," slurred Michael. In the bottom of his heart, he knew that it was wrong to talk with another woman, a stranger while his wife was in captivity. If only he hadn't had those 3 damn glasses of scotch. But at least he had brought someone with him in case situations like these happened and thank the Lord that he kept that to himself. His Underboss, Marco Caputo was busy talking with the owner of the bar, negotiating a trading deal. The signorina [the Italian word for girl], Nancy, didn't need to know that.

It had been a while since Nancy and Michael were talking. Suddenly, Michael received a phone call. He moved locations because even though he was drunk, he knew better than to take a phone call that would be likely related to 'work' in front of a civilian. Nancy, who was noticing this, dropped a pill in Michael's drink that was beginning to dissolve. She couldn't exactly hear what he was saying, but she knew that it had to be of some importance. When coming back, he smiled at her and she gave a false, insincere smile back. He drank the glass of scotch without knowing that she spiked it.

"How about we go somewhere to stay for the night sir? I have a hotel room booked only 15 minutes away. I can assure you that it won't be too awkward. I'll even take the couch." Nancy spoke. Her intention was to get information from him about a certain shipment, but if she couldn't get that information, at least she could still enjoy doing the task. Besides, Michael was so drunk, it would seem rude to leave him to fend for himself at a bar, where anything could happen.

"Thank you for taking me," hiccupped Michael. If only his Underboss could see him, he probably would help him, but certainly not before laughing uncontrollably. "I also think that I had a room booked in the same hotel that you're talking about. But thank you for the offer. Also, call me Michael."

"No problem... Michael. It's a pleasure to help you," smirked Nancy. "Also, if you don't mind me asking, what is your profession?"

"I run a business," garbled Michael. Thank goodness he was good at being concise. It surely would be terrible if the leader of the Italian Mafia had done the unthinkable – break the Omerta code of silence.

"Oh that's lovely. Do you think that perhaps I could work in some way, for you? I can assure you that I'm well-qualified for any job in the business department. I have a degree in Economics and a minor degree in psychology. Even if only a Janitor job is available, I'll still take it. My last boss recently had to fire me because he couldn't afford to keep everyone."

"Of course you can. I have children, and I need a caretaker to tend to them. Managing a business does get a bit tiring, but I don't want my children to grow up with no one giving them attention. Is doing that job okay with you?"

"Oh no, it's perfectly fine. Thank you so much! I can assure you that I won't disappoint you."

It was dark now, and although Michael couldn't see Nancy, he couldn't help but feel a sense of attraction to her. Whatever attraction he had to her was not even close to the love he possessed for his wife, but he was at a weak moment in his life. It also didn't help that before Nancy drugged him, Michael was already half-drunk. Unfortunately, he was driven by lust that night and he committed an action that no one would like to see their spouse do with another person. In the morning, he woke up clothed and Nancy was busy on the phone ordering room service. When the call ended, he spoke.