Dario linked his arm with mine again, and we entered the building. Three men in regular black suits greeted us with a bow, and I was unnecessarily shocked.
I should be used to this by now.
"You must feel like royalty."
"I am much more influential than royalty, Bambi," he replied confidently, and I could not help but believe him. I should stay on his good side.
"Stai sempre vigile," he spoke with his men, and they bowed again.
"Si, Don. Welcome, Doña." Once they said that, they looked at me with smiles. Dario, however, was not pleased, and I swear I heard him curse under his breath.
"Lei non è tua doña; rimani in linea. Let's go." I assumed he reprimanded them in Italian because they immediately looked down and apologized like children caught awake past their bedtime.
"Weren't you a bit harsh on them now, Dario?" I carefully asked. He pressed the elevator button, and it opened instantly, and we got in. He sighed.
"No, that was nothing. Anyway, some of my men are a bit talkative, so be prepared for inappropriate questions or jokes. Most are dirty-minded, and I can't seal their lips forever."
"Are they worse than Lazlo?"
He laughed. "Si. Especially Abramo," he replied, and I sighed. "Now, you don't have to answer anything if you don't want to; just be yourself."
"Of course I will be myself. I am not going to change for mafia men." He nodded and almost smiled at my reply.
I mean, what is there to change?
The humongous door opened, and a lady with a conservative waitress outfit greeted us with a smile and led us to a bigger door. I could not help but notice her occasional, almost discreet glances at Dario, yet I understood her girl fantasies. He was beautiful in every sense of the word. Handsome was an overrated word that undermined his beauty.
As we were about to enter, Dario kept his grip on my arm, and I suddenly got restless. It might be surprising due to my achievements in life, but I was a bit introverted. I did not care about people's opinions, yet I still felt nervous around strangers.
Being human is tiring.
The moment we stepped inside, naturally, all eyes were on me. "Shit," I muttered, and Dario squeezed my forearm in reassurance. I took a deep breath and reminded myself that I was the damn CEO of one of the most successful companies. Fake it until you make it, Joe.
I smiled. "Hello, everyone." More than two dozen men were there, and I was sure they were not just them in the whole mafia, but it felt nice to see familiar faces. Lazlo, Mattia, and Basilio smiled at me, making me slightly relax. Dario walked us to the head of the table and made me sit next to him, making me feel like royalty.
"Ciao, bellissima! You must be the sexiest woman I have ever laid eyes on. Those hips can do steamy work at night," a tall brown-haired man with black eyes said with a smirk.
Dario cleared his throat, and he raised his hands in surrender. "You must be Abramo. Nice to meet you, bud."
"How did you know it was me? Did Dario tell you about my good looks?" he asked, and I chuckled.
"No, he told me you have the dirtiest mind, so I guessed." As I spoke, most men laughed, and some threw tablespoons at Abramo. They seemed easygoing and almost normal. I glanced at each of them to memorize their faces.
"I am Fabio, and I did not appreciate Abramo's dirty comment earlier. Don't treat women like that, Abramo! They are gems," he said and shook my hand. He was a blonde with light brown eyes.
A feminist in a violent environment? I like that.
"I am Giovanni. Can you hand me your laptop? I need to copy the branch's data just in case." Giovanni was straightforward, and I did not mind it. He was dark-skinned and had brown hair and brown eyes, but what caught my attention were the beautiful freckles on his face. Their pattern resembled waves.
"He's the tech-savvy here, and I brought your laptop because I knew he'd ask for it." Dario pulled my laptop from a back bag I had not seen before and looked at me for consent. I nodded as I did not mind and focused on the rest.
They were kind enough to spare me any more unnecessary glances or comments, at least most of them. Abramo kept flirting with me throughout dinner, but I kept getting back at him with burning comebacks. We also discussed the business and settled on the essential rules and basic procedures.
"Dario, your woman here is brutal. My heart cannot handle her meanness," Abramo said as he drank wine.
I scoffed. "I am not his woman. I don't belong to anyone," I replied and took a bite. Fabio raised his glass, cheering at my answer.
"Then why did he keep calling you Bambi when your name is Jolene? You know what Bambi means in Italian, don't you?" Orlando, who seemed to notice every tiny detail, asked. His black hair covered his forehead, but his blue eyes were too bright not to see.
Before I could respond, Dario slammed his hands on the table, grabbing everyone's attention. "Non fare altre domande. Lei è mia e non voglio il parere di nessuno al riguardo."
Some smirked, and some smiled at me when he said that. Fabio narrowed his eyes, and I was too damn curious to let it slide. "No, don't go all Italian on me now! My phone is dead, and I can't translate what you said! I have the right to know what you said when all of you men are ogling me like I am crazy." It sucked not knowing their language.
"Don't worry, Bambi. You will know eventually." Dario placed his hand on my knee and actually smiled.
Lazlo whistled, and Dario withdrew his hand from my knee. "I saw what you did there, Dario. Who knew our Don is a hopeless ro-" Before Lazlo could finish that predictable sentence, Dario threw a knife in his direction, only missing his ear by an inch. "Okay, sorry. I'm mute now." He returned the knife and placed it near my plate, not Dario's.
Dario seemed to clear his throat tonight quite a bit, and I could not help but laugh. "What's so funny now?" he asked, and the men looked at me. My anxiety around them was long gone, and I guessed the wine did its magic.
"You act like brothers, and Basilio is the fun uncle; it's nice considering the dangerous aspect of your line of business," I explained as I took another sip.
"We are like family, and we value family the most." Mattia's reply surprised me since he was quiet today. However, Giovanni was quieter, he ate and typed on the computer, and no one bothered him.
"Exactly, and I appreciate you for saying I am the fun uncle and not grandpa," Basilio said and stood up from his seat on the other side of the large table to give me a side hug. "Watch and learn, Dario; you keep calling me Nonno! I feel old when you do that."
"But you are my Nonno! See what you did there, Bambi?" Dario crossed his arms and stared at me like I just killed a cat. The rest laughed, and we all enjoyed the moment. But nothing lasted forever here. As we were laughing at Fabio's jokes, someone clapped his hands. We all looked at the source of the sound, and I was beyond furious.
"The fuck are you doing here?" I stood up, grabbed the same knife Dario threw at Lazlo, and threw it at fucking Atlas. It should have caught him off guard, but he caught it with both hands and smiled wickedly.
"You weren't kidding when you said you'd get rid of me for good, love," he said and threw away the knife.
~~~
18.05.2023
*Dun, dun, dun...* Atlas is finally here!
What do you think he's going to do?