Power & Pleasure

Chapter 12

Similar to the outside, the inside of the house is equally as beautiful. We walk inside to a warmer environment, all the colors being very neutral -- browns, beiges, and whites. It's different then what I pictured a Mafia house to look like. There are two major staircases that lead to the upstairs, and on each side of the wall, in front of the entrance to the staircases, there are doors. The door on the left lead to the garage and the door on the right leads to the quarters for the "staff", as Mateo calls them. Walking through the staircases, we are lead to a huge living room, then the doors leading to the kitchen and dining room. There are also two hallways and either side of the room, Mateo telling us that the lead to various different rooms. Offices, the gym, the medical room, a library, a staircase to the basement, and a few other things I don't remember

"This house is so big, I think I need a map," Catalina says, as I laugh. Since we've been looking around the first floor, various different people have come up to us -- introducing themselves and overall, being very welcoming. Catalina and I are polite, making sure we don't make any bad impressions on anyone. Although these people are apart of Mateo's Mafia, they are still in the Mafia and we need to be careful. Once we finish with our first floor tour, Mateo lets us know that the basement leads to a mini "club", and they only really use it at night. Then he leads us upstairs. 

All the doors lead to bedrooms and bathrooms. Mateo explaining that there are different people that live here -- a lot of them are either the younger kids in the Mafia who got kicked out by their parents, were foster kids, etc., or are the other people who may not have made enough money to afford their own home, or cannot live at home for any specific reason -- aka Catalina and I. Our rooms are in the right hallway, the same hallways as Mateo's room and his closest friends; or as he calls them, "his right hands". He tells us that the left hallway is more the other people -- the not so permanent people that live here. When he tells us, I felt a sense of protectiveness from Mateo. Like he doesn't want anything to happen to use while we are here. It makes me happy, and feeling much safer than I've probably ever felt before.

Closer to the entrance of the hallway, Mateo shows Catalina her room. When we walk in, it's a nice size. It is decorated very bland, just light browns and whites. There is a small bathroom towards the right of the room, and he says that the bathroom also leads to a small walk-in closet. Then two of Mateo's right hand men come in and start carrying her stuff. I notice that Catalina is flirting with one of the guys, his name is Christopher. I look at her, eyeing her and looking between the two of them. She mouths the words, later, to me as she continues to stare at him.

Mateo then motions for me to follow him, and we walk more down the hall. When we get to the end, he points to the door at the end, "This is my room," Then he points to the last door on the left and says, "This is your room." I can't help but blush when he says that. For some reason, him putting me in the room next to him feels like he's trying to tell me something -- but I push this thought to the side as he opens the door. This room is similar to Catalina's room, the room is a light brown and white themed, and towards the right side of the room, it leads to a bathroom where Mateo tells me there is also a walk-in closet. 

"Your closet is slightly bigger then Catalina's. I figured you could use it since you had more clothes then her," He says, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand and looking at the ground. I smile softly, appreciating the gesture. Just as I'm about to thank him, a few of the men come and start bringing my boxes inside. I smile at them, telling them that they can leave them in a small corner of the room.

"I appreciate your thought with the closet. I do have more clothes then her. I was always the one with the shopping addition after all," I say, laughing and going to open some of the boxes. I notice that Mateo is just standing there, shifting on his feet. I can see that he is uncomfortable and I just shrug it off. After a few minutes, he grunts.