When The Sun Goes Down - A Midnight Mafia Novel

Chapter Fifty-Two

"The more you are with me,

The more that I'm alone
I don't need the answer, I already know" - Automatic loveletter

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I had never had a more awkward dinner. I really didn't want to eat the lamb after seeing it smeared across Alessio earlier. Luckily there was so much food I had plenty of other options. No one spoke for the longest time ever.

"So Katherine." Alessio's mom said finally while smoothing out the napkin on her lap.

"You can call me Kate." I said pleasantly.

"Kate." She repeated. "What are you to my son?"

"I, uh." I looked down to my lap. What was I?

"And your intentions?"

"Intensions?"

"Madre." Alessio interrupted us in a slight groan.

She lifted a hand and he quieted immediately. She'd definitely have to teach me that trick. "Yes. Your intentions."

I hadn't really considered this before. What were we going for here? "I am very fond of him." I admitted.

"Is this thing here, whatever you two think you're doing. Is it real?"

"It is." Alessio piped in.

"I'm talking to the girl." She said in a perfectly calm and even voice and then turned to face me again. "You wouldn't be the first whore he's paid to pretend to play house with him to please his mother. I always see through these charades."

"Excuse me?"

Alessio, who was sitting at the head of the table let his fork fall noisily on his plate.

"Did he or did he not pick you up off the streets and pay you to be here?"

"I'm not a prostitute." I said legitimately offended at the accusation. I glanced to Alessio. "I thought you said you didn't need to pay someone to sleep with you."

"I don't." He said sharply.

"He doesn't pay them for sex. He pays them to pretend to be his girlfriend so his dear old mommy doesn't lose all hope on ever getting grandbabies and his father doesn't try to send girls his way. You see, I'm not an idiot. I can see through you."

I was baffled. Stunned into silence. He didn't pay women to sleep with him, but he paid them to pretend to play house?

"Whatever it is he's paying you tonight I can triple. Just leave. Keep the dress, perhaps you can pawn it for your next fix."

"Madre!"

"Oh shush."

"With all due respect Mrs. Genovese, Alessio didn't pick me up off the streets."

"Oh fine, the agency, your pimp, whatever."

"She really isn't." Pietro piped in.

Alessio's mother looked at each one of us, scrutinizing all of us. "Then why is she here?"

Why was I here?

"It doesn't matter." Alessio muttered and picked his fork back up.

"No, I'd like to know too." I said turning my attention to Alessio.

He glared at me. If his mother wasn't sitting across the table from me I'll bet he would have just ignored me, gotten up and left the room or tried to dismiss me. "If you don't know why you're here maybe you should leave." He said sharply.