24. Luxtyn

24

LUXTYN

T he next couple of hours passed by quicker than I thought they would. I decided to spend the first one soaking in the Jacuzzi in my en suite bathroom and the second one eating breakfast with Izzy, who I've decided is my new favorite of the DiMaggio siblings.

She's unlike a lot of the girls I've come across in my life. Although, I'm beginning to wonder if I was always the problem. Never giving anyone a chance since I knew I would be moving soon. I had always adjusted to not making friends because of that reason. Knowing I won't leave New York City anytime soon is making me realize I might need to change my outlook on relationships.

Izzy's bubbly personality is more similar to Enzo's than Matteo's. He seems to be the odd ball out, personality wise, when it comes to the siblings. Although he comes off as cold and calculated at first impression, I'm beginning to realize there are many layers to Matteo.

Since he and Enzo left for that meeting this morning, Rocco was left to babysit me. I also met Izzy's guard, Eddie .

Rocco let me know a few minutes ago that Matteo was on his way back to pick me up to go shopping. It's weird having someone be a messenger for me. If he would give me back my phone, I'd be able to communicate like a normal person. I wonder why he hasn't yet. Does he not trust me?

I finish getting ready in my last pair of clean black leggings and a sweatshirt before slipping on my black combat boots. Maybe it's a good thing Matteo's bringing me to pick up a few things. I still plan on paying him back somehow but need to figure out how to make money here first.

A knock draws my attention to the door. Opening it, I find Matteo on the other side dressed in the same thing he left in, a perfectly fitted black Armani suit with a black shirt unbuttoned at the top, teasing me with the dark ink on his chest.

"You wear a lot of suits," I say.

He smiles while glancing down at his ensemble, like he forgot what he was wearing before taking in my outfit. "You wear a lot of tights and sweatshirts."

Touché.

"Well, you're already wrong. These"—I pull on the fabric of my leggings—"are leggings . Not tights. I'm surprised, Matteo. You seem like the kind of guy that would know his way around a woman's wardrobe."

Stepping into me, he wraps his hulking arms around my waist. "Apparently not the right woman." It probably shouldn't make my heart skip a beat, but it does. It actually skips several as he plants a peck on my lips, so light it makes me crave so much more.

"C'mon. Let's get you some more of those leggings you seem to love so much." I laugh as he pulls me out of my room.

Matteo has Rocco and another guard I just met, Tito, drive us to Fifth Avenue. How many guys does he have working for him ?

Rocco parks the G-Wagon on a side street, and we all get out. "Keep an acceptable distance back. Make sure you both keep your eyes on everything ," Matteo orders the two solidly built men. Matteo is jacked, but in a proportional way. His body is that of a Greek god, whereas Rocco and Tito have the bodies of bodybuilders on steroids. Add their height to it and they come off as pretty damn intimidating. They're not quite as tall as Matteo, but they still tower over my five-foot-seven self.

Wrapping his hand around mine, Matteo leads us down the sidewalk, past multiple high-end stores like Louis Vuitton and Chanel. Glancing over my shoulder, I notice Rocco and Tito doing exactly what Matteo ordered. They're following us about twenty-five feet back and have their sights on. . . everything. They scan the road, the sidewalks, even inside the windows of passing stores.

Furrowing my brow, I turn back to Matteo, who also looks like he's scanning the area. "Is there something I should be aware of?"

Without looking at me, he asks, "What do you mean?"

So this is how it's going to be. "Don't play dumb, Matteo. I heard you back there. Why do you need Rocco and Tito to keep an eye on everything ? And why do you look like you're preparing for an ambush at any second?"

His gaze moves to me, and I divert mine to the sidewalk, taking note of my surroundings so I don't walk into something.

"Elena and Giuliana now know that you and I are married, which means Giuseppe Silvestri knows we're married." He stops us and turns me toward him. "Giuseppe Silvestri doesn't trust my family, so he most likely will not be happy about that information. "

I nod. "Because of the port. But you haven't even taken over Angelo's yet. Maybe this Giuseppe guy won't even care."

He breathes out a small laugh as he shakes his head. "That's not how things work. If anything, Giuseppe is probably more skeptical now since I haven't done anything about the port yet."

"And why do you have it out for him again?" I say again, as if he's told me before, but he hasn't. All I know is there's some tension between Matteo and Giuseppe Silvestri, but I don't understand why.

He squares his shoulders, straightening his spine as his mouth turns down into a frown. "That's a story for another time. But it's part of the reason I'd prefer you not to work anymore and why I always have guards on you and my sister." He runs a hand through the stubble on his face.

"The world we live in is dangerous, Luxtyn." He continues with a low voice as he conveys the gravity of what he's saying. "Putting a ring on your finger means I've selfishly put a mark on your back. I can protect you, and I will protect you, but you have to be willing to let me." He pauses, waiting to see if I'll have a response, but I don't.

"I respect that you want to work, but I have more than enough money for the both of us. Your safety is my concern, and with you having the DiMaggio last name now, I have to make sure you're taken care of. That means working is out of the question. If you want to find things to do, I can help, but please. . ." He releases a drawn-out breath. "Can you let me provide for you and to keep you safe?"

Independence has always been important to me, but the sincerity behind Matteo's words makes me not want to argue. I might not know much about the Mafia world, but from what I've learned, I know it's dangerous. Maybe I should just stop arguing for once .

I give him a small nod, and he lets out a deep breath, as if he'd been holding it while waiting for my response. The sound of a door swooshing open behind me pulls his attention over my head.

"Mr. DiMaggio, please come in," the voice of a woman sounds from behind me. Turning around, I take in the blonde who's smiling a little too eagerly at my husband.

"You're not Liana," Matteo grumbles, and if I knew no better, I'd say he's not happy to see this woman who seems to be eye-fucking him directly in front of me.

"Liana had to step out for a client's wardrobe emergency, but she's filled me in on your requests for this visit. I've already pulled some great options for your wife here, that I know she's going to love."

The way she called me his wife as if she can't believe I am doesn't sit well with me. Everything about this woman gives me the ick. I don't know her, but I know I can't stand her already. And if eye-fucking my husband isn't bad enough, the fact she thinks she knows what I'll want to wear irritates me.

Her long blonde hair is perfectly slicked back into a high ponytail, and she's wearing a skintight red dress that cuts off at her knees and a matching blazer and red lipstick . Her nude heels are nearly six inches tall. There's no way this woman picked out anything I'll like.

Matteo mumbles something incoherent under his breath as he lightly pushes me through the door she's holding for us. We walk into the brightly lit store. It's not huge, but there seems to be a front section with meticulously organized racks of clothes and mannequins showcasing different outfit ideas. Farther in the back is a dressing room and tailor area.

I have to admit, the outfits on the mannequins are cute but not so much my style. They're all wearing either dresses or skirts. Does this place not have any jeans or leggings ?

A black belted trench coat with ribbed sleeves and an oversized shawl collar on a mannequin catches my attention over in the corner, so I slowly walk up to it. I'm drawn to it because it reminds me of a jacket my mom has. She got it when we lived in Colorado, and I borrowed it every time I could. The memory makes me chuckle softly.

"You like that one?" Matteo asks. I hadn't even realized he followed me over here.

"It's nice," I say nonchalantly as I turn to face him. His smirk tells me I didn't play that off as well as I thought.

"We'll take one of these," he orders the blonde. Her eyes widen and her mouth remains in a straight line.

"Oh, we just got that coat in today. There's only select sizes available in it for another couple months until the rest of Liana's shipment comes in for the fall season."

Matteo turns to face her. "Well, maybe you should find out if one of those select sizes is my wife's size, and if not, then I'll pay extra to have it rushed."

She pauses for a second before pasting on a wide smile, one that I'd consider overly fake, and nods. "Of course, Matteo . I'll check after I escort your wife to the dressing room to try on the options I pulled for her."

The way she says his name is too personal. Too comfortable. As if she knows him. I do my best to ignore it as she walks up to me, placing her hand on my arm to lead me to the back of the store.

She pulls open the large floor-to-ceiling door with a mirror on the outside with an intricate metal design around it and directs me into the dressing room full of outfits I don't like.

"Why don't you get undressed and try on the first option," she says, pointing to an emerald-green dress suit. "When you're ready to come out, we can see how you like it. Based off your feedback, I can pull some additional options or we can tweak what we have in here. Sound good?" Her chipper voice is too fake for my liking. I just nod in response.

She goes to close the door, but before doing so, she peeks her head back in and says, "I'm Ashley, by the way. Anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask."

Yeah, Ashley. I'll be sure to do just that.