I’ll take the chicken.” I handed over the menus and listened to his footsteps as he walked away.
“So, are you excited about your painting?”
I’d stopped thinking about it the second we left the museum. “Not much to be excited about.”
“You’ll have a masterpiece in your conference room. That’s a bold statement.”
“I make bold statements every day.”
The corner of her mouth rose in a smile. “Can I ask you something?”
“Anything.” Conversations with her never seemed stale. She didn’t ramble on like most people, choosing to get to the point and not drag her feet. There was nothing more obnoxious than listening to someone talk just to hear their own voice.
“Be careful, Cato.”
“I’m not afraid of anything.” I certainly wasn’t afraid of the truth.
“That man you shot in your driveway… Do you really think he deserved it?”
I hadn’t anticipated such an interesting question. I hadn’t anticipated her bluntness. None of my men would be dumb enough to question the validity of my decision. She obviously felt comfortable playing with fire. “Yes.”
“Why did you do it?”
“I have enemies in Russia. They infiltrated my security detail with one of their own. He was planted there to spy on me, to find any information that might be relevant. He was only there for ten days before my men caught on to his tricks. Once they shared their suspicions with me, I handled it.”
She suddenly turned timid and quiet, the beautiful blush in her cheeks fading to the color of snow. Her posture was still graceful, but it took on a cowering appearance, rigid like all her muscles were tightening at the same time. Her eyes remained focused on me, not blinking for so long, it seemed like she forgot how to blink at all.
“I could have had my men handle it for me, but I like to do the dirty work.”
She tilted her head down and grabbed a piece of bread from the basket. She placed it on the plate in front of her and tore off a piece. She dipped it in the dish of oil but didn’t place it in her mouth. It was the first time she’d fidgeted in my presence. “Does that happen a lot?”
“When you’re at the top of the food chain, everyone wants what you have. Some men are stupid enough to believe I can be overthrown. Those men aren’t executed in a merciless way. Those men are tortured first. Their families are tortured. Everything they love is ripped apart before I finally put them out of their misery.”
She pinched the bread between her fingertips and smeared it with more oil.
I watched the color in her cheeks move to her neck. I watched the way she lost her confidence, like she was actually afraid of me. “I’m a scary man, baby. The scariest man in this country. But as long as you don’t betray me, you have nothing to fear. I’m a criminal, but I don’t harm the innocent. They stick to their world, and I stick to mine.” I had the power to make anything happen, to commit murder in broad daylight, and the police wouldn’t touch me. Reporters would cover it up to protect their friends and family. The entire world turned the other cheek—since I let them be.
“You just told me you torture people. I think fear is a rational response.”
“I torture liars, thieves, and assholes. Are you a liar, thief, or asshole?”
She popped the bread into her mouth and chewed slowly.
“I didn’t think so.” I drank the red wine before I set the glass down again.
Siena was quiet now, her interrogation barely surviving a single question.
“You have a lovely home. I apologize for not mentioning it before.” I’d been too busy fucking her on the kitchen table and the bed to make small talk.
“Thank you. I love it there.” She abandoned the rest of her bread on the plate, having her fill from a single bite. “I know it’s a bit small, but I think it’s the perfect size. As long as I don’t have more than two kids, it should work.”
She spoke of a family like it was the only thing in life she really wanted. She didn’t discuss other ambitions, like starting her own company or pursuing hobbies. She just wanted a family to live in that cozy house.
“What?” she asked, addressing the quizzical expression that must have been on my face.
“Nothing.”
“You had this look in your eyes, like you were confused by what I said.”
“I guess I’m just intrigued by the certainty