Chasing Stars - A Midnight Mafia Novel

Chapter Forty-One

                "I can't believe you." Alessio grumbled. "I honestly cannot believe you."

"We had a deal." I reminded him curtly as I smoothed out his shirt.

"You're a cruel woman."

"You look fine." I groaned.

"A tyrant of sorts."

"I stayed in the parameters of our agreement. No khakis, no polo."

"Devious brute."

"You're being a baby." I sighed and stepped back to admire my work. I'd put Alessio in dark, nearly black jeans, a white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled to just below his elbow, and over it I forced him into a V-neck black sweater vest with grey, black, and white diamond shaped checkered pattern across the front. The lips of his suit jacket came through the V-neck of the shirt and folded over the neckline of sweater. He looked both casual and sophisticated with the top button undone. I had definitely been right, a tie would have been just a bit too much.

"I look like Mr. Rodgers." He said back flatly.

"Mr. Rodgers did not look like this." I tried seductively and pulled him forward again.

He pursed his lips in a pout and I giggled. "You are the worst kind of villain you know." He said before kissing me politely.

I love the way he looked right now. He looked normal. But also, with his dark hair and stubble he looked sexy and devious, the smoldering glare he kept trained on me as I walked across the room to gather our coats added just a hint of danger to his look. He was a ladies dream, and a father's nightmare. That much I was sure of.

"It's itchy." He mumbled. "What'd you pay for this? A whole thirty bucks?"

"Twenty-five." I said proudly and he looked horrified. "Don't be such a baby. We look adorable."

"We match."

"Exactly!" I was wearing a dress, long sleeved and appropriate length for my father of course. The neckline was high and the top half was black up until my belly button where it came down into a V and the bottom half was grey. I'd even broken out a pair of shiny black heels for the occasion.

"You don't think that makes it look like we're trying too hard?"

"If we are trying too hard that means I'm really invested in this. If I'm really invested in this he'll try a little harder to be understanding." I said and handed him a simple black jacket. No trench coat for you today Mr. Don.

"I find with enough threats and violence people tend to become pretty agreeable with me." He said calmly. I glared at him as he held my coat out and helped me into it. "You glare at me but I'm completely serious. In all my years, I've only had maybe...a dozen people all together refuse me after pulling out the ice pick."

"If you take an icepick to my father's head-"

"Through the ear baby. The ear. The head itself doesn't accomplish nearly as much."

I swatted his arm. He shrugged and opened the door for me. My heels, that's right, heels, clicked loudly across the marble steps as he led me to the car. He'd whined a good bit about driving himself too. But these were terms not up for discussion. I wanted us to look as normal as we possibly could coming in here. A personal driver in a huge SUV did not accomplish this at all. So I made Alessio drive us in his own sleek black audi. I had no clue he'd even owned an Audi, apparently he had several.