"Vera, what the hell do you think that you're doing?" My father hisses at me over my burner phone as I'm putting on some makeup in the small bathroom mirror of my small apartment.
"I think that I'm doing the best that I can with an impossible task," I tell him, knowing that he's angry because of this 'date' thing with Dante because I had told Sergei about it and he didn't think that it was a great idea but what am I supposed to do about that now?
"I told you that you should seduce Giovanni only if necessary, not to fuck his son," His voice is getting louder and I don't like it when he yells at me but knowing that he's too far away to reach me, I just stay calm.
"Nobody's fucking anybody," I correct him. "I'm just covering my ass. He caught me outside of his office after I broke in. What the hell was I supposed to do? 'Yes, Dante, hi, I was actually sent here by the Russians to steal your secrets, sorry about that' and then just expect him to let me go?"
"Dante is not an important part of their infrastructure," He ignores me and continues on his rant because he isn't very logical when he's angry. "Getting close to him will get us nowhere."
"Well, I won't be dead," I inform him and then I let him yell at me some more as I put on my dark lipstick. "So that's somewhere. To me, at least. Look, we got somewhere with the stuff in Dante's office. The files weren't all useless, were they? So suck it up and let me do the job that you sent me here to do."
"From now on, you are to listen to Sergei's exact orders, do you understand me?" He demands of me just as the iPhone sitting on the corner of the sink bings with a text. I hadn't given Dante my number but it was on my resume, which he has access to so I wouldn't be surprised if this text is from him.
"Of course, Boss," I assure my father, unlocking the screen to confirm my suspicions. The text just reads 'I'm outside' and that's it. It's either Dante or somebody else about to kill me. I can't take a gun with me though, so I'm hoping for the Dante option. Granted, he might be trying to kill me too. "He's here, I have to go. I'll send a message to Sergei when I get back to let him know that I made it back, alright?"
"Don't fuck this up, Vera," He snaps at me in his gruff voice and then he hangs up the phone. With a loud sigh, I grab both phones and leave the bathroom. I leave the burner phone in the closet and I grab my bag that has my wallet and keys in it before I leave the tiny apartment.
Out on the curb in front of the apartment building, the car parked at the curb is a black Aston Martin with Dante leaning against the hood wearing dark jeans and a button up shirt under a fitted leather jacket.
"I feel underdressed," I admit, looking down at my dark shorts, floral corset, and denim vest. I didn't even pack any fancy clothes to bring with me to the apartment so even if I wanted to dress up, I didn't have that option.
"You are completely underdressed," He confirms with a nod but he does not dismiss me, he opens the passenger door for me. Who knew he could be such a gentleman?
He gets in the driver side and starts the car up, pulling back onto the road and speeding off, probably just to show off his very fancy car. It's working. "Where are we going then? I thought just dinner. A hamburger or something."
"I had better plans in mind but hamburgers will do," Dante decides as he drives us toward a restaurant. At least, I think that's where he's taking us now.
"I'm broke," I remind him. It's a lie but Elisa is broke so I have to keep up the façade. If I wanted a fancy car like this, I could have one but cars have never really been an interest of mine and so I never asked for one.
"I'm not," He adds with a little smirk on the corner of his lips.
"So you're paying for everything then?" I wonder jokingly, leaning back in the comfortable chair as I enjoy the ride. I mean, being next to a Berardi isn't very enjoyable and the hair on the back of my neck stands on end but riding in an expensive sports car is pretty cool. "Wow, you must really want to impress me."
That makes him smile and that's completely different from his smirk. I look away, out the window of the car. "It's more showing off than it is trying to be impressive."
"I don't see a difference," I say.
"You will," Dante promises very mysteriously. I don't ask him what he means by that. "Anyway, I know a good hamburger place that's kind of close, since you didn't dress up for the occasion."
"The occasion is that I wanted to be shown around the city," I tell him. "And I'm broke so if your plan was to take me to really fancy places, you aren't a very good tour guide."
"I thought that this was a date."
"I never said date," I remind him even though I know that when I asked him to hang out, the fact of it being a date was pretty much implied. That's why I've been freaking out and why my father is so pissed off about it.
"It was assumed," He adds exactly what I was thinking.
"You're wearing jeans," I point out to him. "That's not very fancy."
"I'm wearing pants," Dante defends. "And a nice jacket."
"I was going for a statement that says 'I just moved across the country on my own budget and it's hot out tonight' also I shaved and I want to show these bad boys off. You're not the only one who is trying to impress," I explain to him, mostly true except for the moving across the country thing. I only moved across the city.
Dante parks his insanely expensive car in the parking lot of a burger restaurant that looks loud and busy on a Saturday night. I don't know this side of Vegas at all because this is Berardi territory and I always keep my feet on Pantera's side. So wherever he takes me, it really will be a new experience for me. I know that Dante is a Berardi and that is disgusting but in order to pretend that I'm okay with that, I'm going to ignore that part of him. I'm going to have a good time tonight and let loose and pretend like none of the mob stuff is happening because that's the only way that I'll get through this.
"Okay, you have a good point there. Your legs do look amazing," He assures me, getting out of the driver's side of the car and so I exit the passenger side, surprised again at Dante Berardi. Who knew that he could be so fucking smooth? I know I've said this before many times but how does he look so human up close? He doesn't let anything that he's done, or that's been done to him, haunt him at all. That's how it seems anyway.
"You come here often?" I ask Dante as we walk into the loud and crowded restaurant. The walls are decorated with TVs and LCD beer signs, the floor scattered with peanut shells. It smells like beer and there are people everywhere, getting drunk at the small bar or sitting down at the tables to have dinner. It's kind of charming but I really can't see Berardi and his clan hanging out at this place ever.
"No but I'm trying to be accommodating," He explains before he tells the hostess that we will need a table for two people. She has really big boobs and short blonde hair in a bob cut, she's very pretty. I expect Dante to say something sexist to her, something trashy and harassing because even though he's shown his human side so far, there has to be something that makes him show his monster.
"How thoughtful of you, bunny," I say in response, noticing that he's not even looking at the hostess but he's watching a soccer game on a TV above the bar as the girl gets two menus out and leads us through the peanut shell-ridden restaurant to a small booth near the window that looks over the city scape of Vegas.
"You're not letting that go?" He raises his eyebrows at me. The hostess tells us that our waiter will be here soon and then she's hurrying off again to return to the front of the restaurant.
"I'm very stubborn," I assure him teasingly, picking up the menu to give it a look to see what I want to eat. I haven't eaten all day, too busy going shopping for apartment decorations and too nervous about tonight. Not because I'm going on a date with Dante but because I don't want him to murder me. If I blow my cover, that's what'll happen and I just don't want to die is all.
"So, you're from Kentucky, right?"
I nod.
"Why'd you come to Vegas?"
"Well, when I left, I didn't have any help from my family so I need money pretty badly. I heard that even if I couldn't get a computer job here, I could always take my shirt off in the street for tips. People come here to spend money," I tell him. I have this whole story made up in my head of Elisa's past and why she's here from Kentucky so when he starts asking questions like this, I don't even blink.
"Parents didn't want you to leave?"
"It's just my dad that didn't want me to leave," Well, that's not a lie. "And he wanted me to become a salesman like him instead of getting into computers like I wanted."
"It's good that you got out of there then," Dante tells me as I spot a barbeque hamburger on the menu that sounds delicious and so I'm done looking down at the menu and will now probably be forced to actually make eye contact with Dante. I just have to stick to my story and I'll be good.
"Yeah," I agree, thinking about how amazing it would feel to actually have gotten away from my father's smothering hand. Elisa is a lucky girl to be free from it.
"Was he angry?"
To make my lie as believable as possible, I stay as close to the truth as possible. I imagine what it would feel like to leave my father, how good yet terrifying that would be. I've thought about it countless times before, even before Elisa was created. "He was very angry. He yelled a lot but I told him that it wasn't his decision. I had the money, I was over eighteen, I was leaving. I didn't want to be like him. I left. I do love my dad but he's a cold man. I know that he loves me but I think that he always just assumed that I knew that and so he never said it. He doesn't like to talk about feelings at all."
"I can relate to that," He says with a nod. "My dad doesn't like to act like a dad either."
"Really?" I pretend to be shocked. "You seem like you really want to follow in his footsteps."
He offers a halfhearted smile. "We aren't all as brave as you, Miss Boner."
"That one is really getting old," I try to change the subject. Talking about horrible fathers is not date night material... or maybe with Dante, it is.
"No older than bunny," He defends.
"I'm more stubborn," I warn him.
"I highly doubt that's true."
"I guess we'll see."
"Yeah, okay, we'll see," He confirms. The waiter comes by and introduces himself before we order our drink and food. It's really cheap food so I'm sure that hamburgers would be too greasy and so I get a steak with mushrooms and fries in hopes of it tasting alright. I have to constantly remind myself that Elisa likes this type of food because she's too broke to afford good steak.
"Why'd you come here tonight?" I ask him after the waiter is gone because I've been dying to know and I'm hoping that he won't mind telling me what he's thinking.
"Because you asked me to," He replies as if that was obvious.
I shrug at him. "I didn't think that you'd actually show. Did you actually want to hang out with me or did you just feel sorry for me?"
"There are people more deserving of my pity," Dante responds and that's all he says but even though he didn't directly answer my question, he basically did answer my question.
"Well I am honored," I say jokingly, resting my chin on my palm with my elbow perched on the table between Dante and me. "Do you show all the new girls around or am I just super-special?"
"I was just feeling generous," He explains to me. "I'm usually too busy to do anything fun."
"I'm fun?" I raise my eyebrows at him.
"Not work related, I mean," He corrects himself. "But my dad's out of the state for a few days so fuck him."
I note that for future use but I'm not going to go on any spy mission tonight so I'll wait to do anything with that information. "Oh, I see. So I'm an excuse for you to avoid your responsibilities to piss off your dad."
"They aren't my responsibilities, they're my father's," He explains and I understand exactly what he means by that. "And why are you trying to find an excuse as to why I am here? Can't you just accept that I want to get to know you?"
"No," I tell him honestly. I know that I'm not acting like myself, I'm trying to act like Elisa who likes to smile and joke and tease and be playful and that's not who I really am but it's still hard for me to grasp the fact that he would really want to get to know me. Nobody really ever has before.
"Would you believe me if I told you that I only agreed to this because you have big tits?" He asks me very bluntly and although I am used to bluntness, I was not expecting this. It makes me laugh.
"It would be more believable than the bullshit that you're spewing right now," I mumble at him, finding myself gazing at his strong jaw line instead of his dark eyes because I don't want them to swallow me. I fear that they have the ability to do so. "Anyway, fine. You are here because you're convinced that I have a dazzling personality, but-"
"Why are you here?" He interrupts me by firing my question back at me, his dark and bushy eyebrows raised.
Trying to get into the feel of the restaurant, I grab a peanut from the metal bucket on the table and pop it in my mouth, shell and all. "Oh, it's definitely because of your tits."
He laughs. I've heard him laugh before and I noticed it then too, but he has a very human laugh. There's something about it that just confuses me, makes me take a step back because I feel so discombobulated. If he wasn't Dante Berardi, I would say that he has a nice laugh. Beautiful, even. But he is my rival, my enemy, and there is nothing beautiful about him. I have to remind myself that constantly.
"You know that you're supposed to take the shell off of those before you eat them, right?" Dante asks me, changing the subject as he motions toward the peanut bucket that I had grabbed my peanut from.
I shrug at him and say, "I like to suck the salt off of the shell before I eat the nut."
I know that it sounded sexual but I meant it to be funny. Dante raises his eyebrows at me and does not smile but he smirks only a little bit and it's only blinking until it's gone. "Good to know."
I make eye contact with him as I crush the shell between my teeth and then spit it out after fishing the peanut out, leaving just the nut in my mouth for me to swallow. This time, he smiles. Had he been born with a different last name, that smile would be beautiful. I'm sure that there are a lot of girls out there who do not hate the Berardis who do think that his smile is beautiful, because I'm sure that he smiles at many girls.
"We should go out to a casino or something," I suggest just to change the subject. "That's what people do in Vegas, right?"
"Sure, we can go to a casino," He assures me with a small laugh. "Just not the Berardi, I spend enough time there."
I can't help myself, without even knowing it, he's lined me up for the perfect line. I put another peanut in my mouth before saying, "What about the Renegade? I've heard good things."
His eyes narrow only a little bit and I have to hold back from looking incredibly smug. However, he handles the situation much better than I had hoped by answering with, "No, not them either. They have rodents."
And instead of trying not to look smug, I'm preventing myself from glaring. What a bitch.
"Somewhere else then, you lead the way," I mutter in response.
"I know a place," Dante tells me, apparently not sensing my bitter tone, which is good. I guess that I covered it up better than I thought that I did. "Are you lucky?"
"I'm going to go with no," I say, thinking about my current predicament and if I was a lucky person, maybe I wouldn't be here right now.
"Maybe tonight, your luck will change," He suggests.
I scoff, thinking that my luck is just plummeting tonight, getting even worse. If I was getting luckier, I wouldn't be on a date with somebody that I want to shoot in the skull just purely for existing. "Yeah. Maybe."
When our food comes, conversation dies down but once the food is gone, I have nothing to stop me from having to make conversation again and I don't know what to say. I know how to relate to him but I don't want to say anything relatable out loud because I don't want him to feel like he can relate to me. I don't want him to hate me (Elisa) even though he does already hate me (Vera) but I don't want him to really like me either. It's very complicated.
"Does your father know that you are with me?" I ask him eventually when I realize that I don't know how strict Berardi is with Dante. I'd imagine that he's very strict but if he is, I don't understand why he'd let Dante come out tonight. I mean, I know that Dante is in his early twenties but I just assume that his father is like mine. And mine doesn't let me go anywhere at any time unless it's for business.
"I didn't run it by him, no," He responds as he's paying the not-too-expensive bill. "You won't get in trouble with him if that's what you're worried about."
"I just imagine him not being too happy that you're spending your free time with the newbie computer geek," I explain to him. We have to wait for the waiter to return with the check and then we can head out. I shouldn't have suggested that we go to a casino, that means that this night isn't over yet. I'm just now realizing how stupid that was to say but I can't take it back now.
"He's not that interested in how I spend my free time," Dante assures me. "He's got too many other things to actually worry about."
"Okay. That's good."
A little smirk starts tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Not much of a trouble maker?"
I shrug at him, thanking the waiter for being speedy as he returns with the completed bill and with Dante's change from the cash that he paid. "Not when it affects other people. I just don't want to get you in trouble with your dad."
"Don't worry about it," Dante assures me. We get back in his fancy car and he starts driving to a new destination, probably a big flashy casino because that's what I said that I wanted. Right now though, I just want to go home. The windows are down now and my hair is down, going crazy around my face as it laps through the wind.
Because the windows are down, the roaring wind that soars through the car makes it almost impossible to keep a conversation without shouting at each other so I just enjoy the sound of the wind and it's dark outside now so I enjoy the view of the loud city that we're travelling through that now lights up the sky. Las Vegas comes alive at night with all of its light, music, and smiles.
I know that tomorrow, those smiles will fade. The people out now dancing and laughing and drinking and being happy will wake up tomorrow with hangovers and a mail order bride but tonight, they are so happy. I can see it on the faces of everybody that we pass as they walk along the sidewalk. I can tell that the city is happy by how bright everything is. It almost doesn't matter that tomorrow, when the sun comes back up, it will all be gone again.
When Dante parks the car in a parking garage, I fix my hair that's been tousled by the wind and I get out of the car. We're next to the Bellagio which is a really gorgeous casino that I've actually never been to. I have enough casino time with the Renegade that I don't care to explore the others. The big areas in Vegas that aren't near either the Renegade or Berardi casinos are pretty much fair game to both mobs so there is no turf war here.
We are both at peace here, not having to worry about getting murdered or double crossed because the mobs do not exist here. Granted, I guess that I am double crossing Dante right now but I think that you get my point. If he knew who I really was, maybe this would be a good meeting ground for us.
"This is really pretty," I mutter as we walk down the sidewalk near the lake in front of the giant building. It's very busy on this weekend night and we're pressed against each other in an attempt to make it through the crowd. Our hands awkwardly brush against each other a few times but every time that they do, I'm quick to cross my arms or run my fingers through my hair to prevent him from reaching for my hand.
As we get to the center of the sidewalk by the fountains, Dante stops walking and he leans against the banister of the pathway. "The show starts in five minutes."
I know that he's talking about the Bellagio Fountain show because in front of the casino, there is this large lake with a fountain and every so often, they do a fountain show with lights and music and everything. I've seen it before but not for pleasure. I was chasing a man down the stretch of this sidewalk because he was trying to outrun our loan sharks. I had caught him and his body is now rotting in the desert.
I've never been able to just sit here and watch the show and I'm kind of excited to get this opportunity.
"We're not actually going to the casino?" I ask him curiously.
He shakes his head in the negative. I lean on the banister resting on my elbows beside Dante. On the other side of him, there is a man playing the bongos in hopes for tips. It's not too loud and actually kind a nice beat. "You're not dressed for it."
"I didn't think that casinos were that fancy," I object although I'm not too disappointed in the fact that we're not going into the casino. Like I said, I get enough casino time with the Renegade and as of late, the Berardi as well.
"I like to go to the VIP rooms," Dante explains and it almost makes me roll my eyes. Of course he does. He really does love to overplay the loads of money thing. I've never really been that into it.
"Okay, fancy pants, the fountain is better anyway," I concede. I notice a few show girls standing out on the sidewalk across the street from us offering pictures to the people walking by. They're wearing very big feathery headpieces and matching glittery bikinis with tall stiletto heels begging for a few tips and extra attention. I don't judge, they're just doing what they have to do to survive and they seem to be succeeding at it, grabbing a lot of attention from their onlookers.
"I think that you'll like it," He says.
I give him a curious look and turn to face him. "You think that you already have me figured out?"
That makes him smile as he turns to look at me as well. I look to his eyes to avoid looking at his smile because I kind of like it and I know that I shouldn't. "I'm working on it."
"My middle name is Margaret. If that helps," I say, unable to hide a smile of my own. I hope that he doesn't think that my smile is beautiful like I do his because he doesn't know that he shouldn't and that could cause problems.
"I already knew that," Dante says. "I've read your resume. Tell me something that's not on your resume."
That's kind of difficult for me considering Elisa doesn't exist outside of that resume. There is nothing else to tell. I decide that I'll just have to tell him something about me. I don't want to create a lie on the spot because I might forget it at a later date. "I want a dog."
"A dog?"
"My dad was allergic," That's a lie, my dad just hates animals of all kinds and would never let it happen. "But I've always loved dogs a lot. They're very loyal, you know. They don't care how badly you fuck up or what you've done in your life, they will love you no matter what. Sometimes, I just need that."
"What kind of dog?"
"Any kind, really. I guess if I could be picky, I would want a pit bull. They get a bad rep but they're really sweet. Humans have just failed them so terribly and I want to adopt all of the pit bulls and I want to treat them right. They should not be held accountable for their human's mistakes," I explain to him even though I'm probably talking too much now. I pause but he doesn't interrupt me so I keep going. "They're just doing what they're told. They're loyal. They shouldn't be punished for that."
"You really like pit bulls. Noted."
"Don't try to buy me a pit bull," I say quickly. "It wouldn't fit in my apartment."
"What makes you think that I would buy you a dog?"
"You really like to flash your money," I inform him and when he doesn't respond, I can't help but laugh. "What? I can figure you out too, you know."
He looks amused.
The fountain show starts before he can get in another word so we both lean against the banister beside each other and watch the show. It's very beautiful, the water dancing in the air like it is. Glancing over at Dante, I see him watching the water as well but as if he can sense me looking at him, he turns to look at me as well.
The colors of the fountain lights are bouncing off of his face, making his skin look pink and yellow and blue. I think that if he was not who he is and I was not who I am, right now would be a really good time to kiss. It would be a small kiss because this is just our first date but I think that it would be nice. His lips look really soft, his eyes don't look as dark and scary as they usually do. They look soft and intriguing. Like I want to get to know everything about him and what puts that twinkle in his eye.
I think that we would kiss for a few seconds, maybe I'd let him put his hand on my butt, slide it into my back pocket even after our lips had parted. It would be so nice if we were not the monsters that we are.
But there are monsters inside of us and if he knew who I was, there would only be a monstrous fight, not a cute kiss and some butt-touching.
I look away from him to watch the rest of the fountain show.
After it ends, we stick around for a little while just hanging out with the other people out exploring the city. I dance to the bongos, we tip the man who painted himself silver to look like a robot so that he would shake Dante's hand. We take pictures like tourists do and it's actually a fucking blast. When we get a picture with the giant baby and his giant bottle (a weird grown man willing to do anything for a couple of bucks), I almost lose it because Dante holds the bottle very awkwardly up to the man's baby mask.
When Dante sees me laughing so much, it makes him laugh too.
Eventually though, we start getting tired and my feet are hurting so we return to his car. I start getting nervous then because I don't know how Dante wants to end the night.
Is he going to try to kiss me?
Does he think that I'll invite him into my apartment?
Is he going to try to fuck me?
Will he force himself on me if I say no?
I've never heard of Dante forcing girls into anything but considering he practically kills people for a living, I don't think that it's too crazy to think that he's capable of rape. Tonight, he's seemed like a total gentleman but I know that guys put on an ugly face when they get rejected. If that does happen though, I'm not worried that I won't be able to defend myself, I just don't want to have to.
It doesn't seem like it takes too long for Dante to return to my apartment building and I'm starting to really stress about what happens now.
"This was fun," Dante says. I stay in the car but I'm ready to bolt, I just want to get the hell out of here.
"Yeah, I had a good time," I admit. I want to say that I'm only saying that for Elisa but I'm not. I was able to disregard his bloodline for almost the whole night and there are worse ways to spend a Saturday night. I had a good time. "I'll see you Monday?"
He doesn't lean toward me for a kiss, he doesn't touch my knee in a forward way, he just nods with a very unreadable look on his face. "I'll see you Monday, Elisa," He confirms.
I offer him one last smile before I get out of the car, completely surprised that he didn't try to make any advance on me at all. I know deep down that I should not be disappointed that he left it alone because I was just so worried that he'd try to take things too far but I can't help but be a little bummed out that he didn't even try. Maybe the night didn't go as well as I thought that it did.