Lorenzo's POV
I was certain I was making the right decision in moving her into my spare room, that way I could keep a watchful eye on her at all times. I just have this strange feeling in me that I have never felt before. It makes my heart skip a beat every time I am around her, and I am starting to really like it.
I watched her closely as I returned from my many meetings. She was not aware I had returned. She was so busy adjusting her chair and setting up her office so that it suited her better and that did not bother me at all. I'd rather see her make the space her own. I intend to keep this one close to me for the foreseeable future. I only hope that she handles the job well since she wasn't quite qualified for it.
I caught myself smiling as I saw her spinning in her chair. She paused when she saw me. I watched her slowly stand up and make her way into my office. "Are we heading home now, sir?" she asked me quietly.
"Yes, we are. Are you ready?" I asked, smiling. I really liked the sight of her in that office. She looked so gorgeous in there; I haven't found anything I disliked about the woman standing in front of me.
"Um, yes."
"All right then, let's go," I say impatiently. "I have a dinner date that I need to get to, so I cannot be late for this meeting." I watch as she returns to her office to get her jacket and purse. "While I am at this meeting, I want you to go to this store and buy what you need for a week's worth of professional clothing," I told her, handing her the card for the store next to the restaurant. "I will bring you food after my meeting."
"Um, okay. Do you not want me to take notes for you, sir?" she asked me.
"No, I need to handle this particular meeting on my own. And you, my young woman, should look the part of my PA, and I'm pretty sure you don't have the clothes for it." I spoke with authority as I handed her one of my personal cards. "Put it all on this."
"Well, thanks, I guess," she replied, taking the card from me. I watched as she stuffed it into her wallet. I led the way out of the building and into the car. I knew many were probably staring as we made our way out, but I didn't care. Let them stare. It was not like anything was happening between me and Azlynn, even though I wanted it so badly.
I opened the car door for her and watched as she slipped into the seat looking so cute in my car as always. I hid the smile on my face as I walked around to the driver's side, then got into the car and quickly wiped it off my face. I drove down the road quickly, feeling sorry that I was not taking her out for dinner. However, I needed to handle this particular client without her presence as it was so distracting to me.
I pulled up in front of the restaurant and pointed down the street to the clothing store I was sending her to. "I will meet you there in two hours, so that will give you plenty of time to shop for clothes. Do not make me go to that store after you!" As I said this, I knew she would not disappoint me.
"Yes, sir." came her soft response, and it made me smile. She was learning fast, and I was quite pleased.
I watched her as she slowly made her way down the sidewalk toward the store. It seemed that she was not happy with the way tonight was going. But nothing was enough to alter my mind about keeping her away from this client, so I needed to schedule and handle the meeting today before she begins tomorrow.
Walking into the restaurant, I scanned the room looking for him, spotting him sitting with two other men. I let the hostess know I was there to meet with him and she took me to his table. As I got closer to them, one of the guys stood up and patted me down to check for guns and wires. I knew better than that. Feeling at ease that I had none on me, he sat back down in his chair. As I adjusted my shirt and sat across from him at the table, he looked unhappy at me and became nervous.
Good afternoon, Mr. Albertini. I appreciate you meeting with me after we spoke urgently this afternoon. As I mentioned I have an exciting business venture that I would like to discuss with you. As I know, you are a successful businessman who has grown his worth into the billions. That means you have what I need, money, and lots of it. This might be of some use to you as well." He says as he pulls some file folders out of his briefcase and hands one to me. "This is the proposal my lawyer drew up as I am aware of how businessmen like to look professional. I know you don't want your name connected to anything suspicious, right?"
I opened the file and was surprised by what I read. I almost glanced back in his direction. I didn't know what to say to him. It seemed that all he wanted was money. The file described his expansion plans to expand into a trucking company that would make moving their product so much easier, and the plan detailed everything. It made perfect sense to me, but I wondered why he was coming to me with it. There had to be many more guys willing to do business with them.
"So, your plan seems well-thought-out. Seems like you really know what you want to do, but I'd like to know why you came to me about this?" I asked him with my arms folded over my chest, my eyebrows raised. I was curious why they chose me and not someone else.
"We are approaching you about this particular project because of your heritage; we Italians take care of our own. Therefore we reached out to you since we thought you'd be quick to help us out here," he replied, looking rather hopeful.
"Let me make myself very clear. I don't like getting my hands dirty unless I absolutely have to. I think however that this might help me in the long run, so I am willing to help you out with the $500,000 you are asking for. However, I have two conditions that I want to add to the agreement." I say with a cheeky smile on my face.
"Okay, and what are those?" he asks.
"First, my ownership share is 51%, and I keep those shares as collateral for my loan. Furthermore, you will owe me a favor which will be fully paid whenever I request it. I would prefer this company not to be associated directly with my name, so I will be addressed as LA and only LA in all the paperwork." I replied softly. I really didn't want to offend this guy as he was very dangerous. However, I knew that having someone like him in my corner would benefit me in the long run. It certainly made the dirty work easier for me.
I watched as he thought about my terms. "Well, I think those terms are doable. May I say that it is a pleasure to do business with you, Mr. Albertini? I must admit that the warnings I received about approaching you with this venture made me a little worried." he replied with a huge grin on his face.
I raise my eyebrows at him. "What warnings?" I ask, as I too was warned not to do business with him. After he contacted me earlier today and demanded a business meeting, I of course had my PI investigate him and find out exactly who he is. He returned with bad news. I was meeting with the biggest don in New York City and he was called Triggerfinger. I discovered that they never use their real names, so I decided to come up with some sort of name if I were to do business with him.
"Oh, it was nothing serious. I just told you that you don't like to get your hands dirty, but you would if you had to. I was also told you would probably turn me down, as you prefer not to do business with someone like me, but I was still hopeful." He smiled at me.
"Well, I don't but you made a very valid point to me. We Italians really do need to look out for each other. That would pretty much be the only reason that I am willing to follow through with and you are right it could be beneficial to me to have you owe me a favor." I replied in my usual cold tone. I was getting irritated a bit because I wanted to get back to my girl. I hate to admit it, but I was craving her scent. "I will have all the paperwork ready in the morning and have my attorney deliver it to you before I transfer the agreed amount of money into your account."
He grunted out: "That sounds pretty professional to me. Alright, have him meet me at The Warehouse at 3 PM sharp!" he replied to me. I knew that was the end of our meeting, so I stood up and extended my hand for a handshake. I walk toward the 'takeout' counter of the restaurant and order some food for two. I'll eat with her tonight at home, after all.
I take the food the guy behind the counter hands me and head outside to our agreed meeting spot a few minutes before the time I gave her. Seeing her surrounded by bags, I wondered how much money she had spent there. I wasn't really bothered because I had plenty. I did tell her to get whatever she wanted regardless of the cost, but I didn't expect it to be all of this.
I decided to call one of my company cars since I knew those bags would not fit with us in my Tesla. It would take a bit for the car to arrive, so I pulled out the food and sat next to her handing her food. We ate our meal outside under the stars as we waited for the car to arrive. I smiled as I heard her scream out in delight after taking the first bite of her sushi. I wasn't sure if she even liked sushi, but I was happy with her soft, silent moans as she ate her meal.
I put our leftovers in the bag when the car finally arrived. I instructed the driver to take all the bags back to the penthouse and put them in my guest room. He nodded and loaded up, leaving in a hurry. I looked back at Azlynn who was waiting for me to take her home, our home. I hate to admit that I like the sound of that.
I told the chauffeur that I was ready for my car and stood there waiting for my car to arrive. I felt very uneasy in the silence she gave me. I feel so attracted to her. I want to get to know her more, but at the same time, I am unsure, as I don't want to ruin her. I have never been the type of guy that wanted to settle down and start a family. I never imagined I'd fall in love. I didn't even believe in the word, but with her, I feel that it's possible. As I saw my car approaching, I opened the passenger door and watched her slide into the seat effortlessly. I drove home in silence as I walked back around to the driver's side.