How the Hitman Stole Christmas - Sam Mariano Page 0,59
in Chicago?” I ask.
His gaze shifts back to my face. “Mm-hmm. My boss owns a couple of them. He has this piano bar—it’s not a speakeasy, but it has a similar vibe to this place. Then, because he’s got a flair for the dramatic and more money than God, he bought an actual speakeasy. Seemed only right a Chicago Mafioso should own one.”
I grin. “I want to go. You should have kidnapped me a night sooner and taken me there first.”
Jasper smirks mildly. “Sorry. I’ll try to plan my hostage itinerary a little better next time.”
With a perfunctory nod, I tell him, “See that you do. Could I meet this enigmatic boss of yours, too? You’ve mentioned him a few times, and I’m curious. Maybe we could go one night when he’s there.”
His hand on my waist tightens. “Absolutely not.”
I wrinkle up my nose at him. “How come?”
“He doesn’t hang out there, he just owns the place, and my boss… he’s all kinds of trouble. No reason for you to ever meet him—especially if you’re curious about him,” he mutters.
Now it’s my turn to roll my eyes. “I didn’t mean like that. Besides, he’s married, isn’t he?”
“Very happily, but he’s still a shit stirrer who yanks on people’s strings purely for his own entertainment. He likes to play games with people. He’s been known to torment his own friends for fun. It’s just not a door we’re gonna open.”
I pull a pout to exaggerate my disappointment at not getting my way, but as Jasper talks to the host about getting us a booth, I suddenly realize I have no idea if I’ll get to spend even a single night in Chicago with Jasper.
My return flight to Syracuse is Sunday.
Christmas is Friday, and I doubt we’ll leave on Christmas day.
That means I’ll likely only have one night with Jasper in his natural habitat.
It also means I only have three more days with Jasper, period.
That brings me down a little, but I try to perk back up as we’re seated in one of the lush velvet booths.
The place is packed. I’m surprised we didn’t have to wait, but I think Jasper may have slipped the host a twenty or something, because we’re seated before some of the other people who seem to be waiting, and they definitely got here before us.
I gaze across the table at Jasper as he removes his coat and shoves it to the side along with our shopping bags.
He looks sharp tonight. He always looks handsome because he is handsome, but tonight he dressed up in black slacks with a navy blue dress shirt. Since I’ve only seen him in more casual clothes, it makes me wonder how he usually dresses when he’s not on vacation.
“So, there are two stereotypes when it comes to how guys in your business dress, right? Which one is real? Track suits, or real suits?”
Jasper’s lips curve up, his gaze drifting around the room. He must be satisfied that we have enough privacy, because when his gaze returns to me, he answers. “I can’t speak for every outfit, there are certainly some that prefer them, but no one who works for Mateo Morelli better be caught dead in a fucking track suit.”
I grin, my gaze drifting to where his dress shirt is open just a bit at the throat. “So this is how you normally dress back in Chicago?”
Jasper nods, crossing his arms on the table and leaning forward. “You like?”
“I do,” I answer warmly. “If I had known you were going to bring me here, I would’ve stepped it up a little, changed into one of my new dresses first.”
He shakes his head, letting his gaze drop to check me out. “What are you talking about, step it up? You look gorgeous. You don’t need to change anything.”
His compliment brings a little splash of heat to my cheeks. I’m just about to tell him he doesn’t look so bad himself when the waitress comes over.
We haven’t looked at the menus yet. With the place so busy, I want to get our order in promptly, so I grab a menu and make a quick drink selection.
Jasper seems cooler and more collected when he orders, like he was already prepared even though I know he couldn’t have been.
Looking across the table at me, he asks, “Are you hungry?”
“I could eat.”
Without asking what I want, he tells the waitress, “We’ll also have the filet mignon bites and a charcuterie tray.”