“No. Let them have a few minutes.”
I glance around and see that only about four capos and their men are still sitting around. Some enjoying dessert, while others are just catching up. Only once a month are most of these men in the same room. It is never planned either. We have to take all precautions to stay off the radar.
While most think the mafia has died, there are a few in the FBI who still believe that we exist. Those are who we need to be wary of.
“She is a pretty thing, huh? Lo.”
Lorenzo snorts from beside me. He took over as underboss when Niccolo retired six months ago. The same night of my crowning.
“She has a nice ass and some decent tits.”
I feel an unexpected jealousy rise within me. I don’t care about girls. They are just good for a quick fuck and go.
“Now the blonde though. She is a fine young thing.” He continues.
I glance over at the woman he is talking about. She looks young and shy. Almost innocent. She stands and blushes as the men tip them and give her compliments.
“So why haven’t you made a move then, Lo?” Gio teases him.
“Shit, do you see her blushing at those men? She couldn’t handle me. She’s too innocent.”
“Fuck, you have a conscience. I don’t though so maybe I should try my luck.”
Gio takes a step towards her, but doesn’t get far. Lo jumps up and stomps over to her.
I chuckle at his reaction.
“I don’t know why you keep messing with him.” I say as Gio falls into the seat Lo just vacated.
“Because he likes the girl and he won’t do anything about it. It’s dangerous. If he likes her he needs to bring her closer to protect her. You know that his interest has been known. That means she’s a target. Hell, look at him chasing them away.”
I watch as Lo indeed rushes the men along and clears the room. Then I watch as he takes out a wad of cash and peels off a couple of bills for each girl, including Sofia. She looks like she is objecting, but the other dark-haired girl elbows her in the ribs and she shuts her mouth.
“Well looks like it is time to go. Did you tip our servers?” I quirk an eyebrow to Gio.
That is the one thing I made sure of when I came into power. When we go out, often times my father would just give money to the owners. Who knew if they shared with the waitstaff. While Tony seems honorable, not all owners are. I decided that at each dinner, each man would tip their server themselves and hand it directly to them. Most tipped all the servers even though a specific one was assigned to them. We take care of our own and I was out to prove it.
Gio gets up with a scoff. “Just waiting on you boss.”
I stand and make my way to them with Gio behind me, as always. Other than being my confidant and advisor, he is also the one who always watches my back. Lorenzo often takes the front while Gio takes the back so I am always fully covered.
I smirk as I watch Sofia tense as we make our way towards them. I step to Tony first and hold out my hand. He shakes it and leans to kiss my cheek.
“Thank you for hosting us tonight, Tony. The service was impeccable and food as delicious as ever. I am not sure why we don’t come here more often. I will be sure to change that.”
“Of course. Thank you for choosing us to host. We are always happy to have you here.”
I smile and hand him a wad of cash.
“Oh, sir. This is far too much. We truly enjoy having you here.”
“You closed your restaurant down on a moment’s notice. Of course, you will accept payment for any lost income for tonight. I will hear no arguments over it.”
He nods once.
“Thank you, sir. Your generosity knows no bounds.”
I move past the girls and stand directly in front of Sofia. I peel off three hundred-dollar bills and hand them to the blonde, then do the same for the brunette, all while keeping my eyes locked with Sofia. I then peel off five bills and hold it out for Sofia.
