Ruthless Dynasty: A Steamy Mafia Suspense Romance by Maggie Carpenter

Author:Maggie Carpenter [Carpenter, Maggie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dark Secrets Press
Published: 2022-05-18T18:30:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Melinda stared back at him like a deer in headlights, then let out a sigh and nodded her head.

“Yes, Blake, there’s more to the story, but can I tell you over dinner? It would be so much more comfortable than standing here.”

“I have to know now so we can decide what to do about those,” he insisted, waving at the huge bouquet of roses.

Bending over and grabbing the handles, she tried to pick it up.

“I don’t think we can do anything about it. It weights a ton. I’ll never get it out of here, let alone into my car.”

“But of course,” Blake exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air. “That’s the whole idea.”

“I don’t understand?”

“Riccardo wants it here while you’re working so you’re constantly reminded of him. He’s probably arranged to have the flowers replaced every few days.”

“Good grief.”

“Melinda, for pity’s sake, tell me what happened between you two.”

“Bear in mind this was back in college, not yesterday,” she said vehemently.

“Apparently for him it was. What’s the story? And tell me all of it, from the beginning.”

“Lord, okay, so, uh, the first date was no big deal. He didn’t even try to kiss me goodnight. The second was, what’s the word…unexpected. Remember, Blake, we were at USC in downtown L.A. He drove all the way into Beverly Hills to a really nice restaurant. While he was dealing with the valet, I walked over to check out a boutique a few doors down, and some random guy walked up and asked me to join him for a drink. The next thing I knew, Riccardo was there and the guy was lying on the ground with a bloody nose. It happened so fast, and Riccardo had this weird look in his eye. It really freaked me out.“

“What do you mean by weird?”

“Intense, like he was about to explode. He grabbed my arm and hustled me into the restaurant. Honestly, Blake, my heart was racing. When we sat down he leaned across the table and told me I shouldn’t talk to strangers.”

“You must be kidding.”

“I wasn’t about to argue with him, but I never wanted to go out with him again. The rest of the evening was fine, and he pecked me on the cheek when he took me home. That was it.”

“Why didn’t you tell me all this earlier?”

“I felt like an idiot.”

“Because…?”

“Because, uh, he called about a week later and asked me out again. Even though I’d promised myself I wouldn’t spend another second with him, I, uh, I said yes.”

“Why?”

“The truth is, there was something exciting about him,” she admitted, then taking a breath, she added, “I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but you kind of remind me of him. Not in a bad way,” she added hastily. “You’re both so confident, and—well—you know…”

“Yeah, I know,” he muttered. “So what happened on the third date?”

“We had dinner at the Bel Air Hotel. It was amazing. He was warm and funny, and I was having a great time,

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