Chapter 10

Vince stormed into the kitchen where he found his mother, Nadia, Domenico, and his little sister, Roxana. They were laughing and it smelt like his mother had baked his favorite peanut butter cookies. “Vinny!” Roxana threw her arms open and rushed to her big brother. Vincent rolled his eyes as he hugged her.

“Roxy, don’t call me that. You know I hate it,” he smiled down at her before walking over to his mother and wrapping her is a big hug.

“Care to tell me why you came in here like you avere un diavolo per capello?” Nadia asked her son.

Vincent huffed and turned to his mother with a frown, “your marito happened!” He shouted. He grabbed a cookie from the plate on the counter and took a bite. “Your Dito nel culo of a husband, is trying to tell me that I have to settle down before he turns the family over to me!” He threw his hands in the air and started to pace.

“My little Vinny,” Nadia cooed as she stopped him and cupped his face in her hands. “You know your father loves you. He’s just worried about you taking over and he knows that you need a woman to help you hold it together,” she handed him another cookie before patting him on the back. She started to walk out of the kitchen before Vincent stopped her.

“What do you mean by that Momma?” He asked her. “You think that I need a woman to hold together the Family?”

Nadia turned around and sighed, “I’m just saying that behind every good capo, there is women keeping him together. Your father and I just want you to find your queen. The one person that at the end of the day when everything feels like it's falling apart, like you just don’t know if you can handle anymore betrayal or bloodshed, she can pick you up and push you to keep going.”

Vincent ran his hands through his hair, “I understand that’s what you want for me, but I don’t want any of that. People don’t just have connections like they did in your day Momma. People don’t fall in love and women like you are not out there just waiting around for some man like me. If there are strong women out there like you, they want to be the one in control they certainly don’t want to be the little wife that waits around for her husband to ask for help,” he looked at his mother. He never once in his life thought of his mother as anything but the definition of strength. As he thought about how he described the women his parents wanted him to end up with he realized that she had been that for his father for so long.

“Seriously Vince, are you even listening to yourself?” Roxana put both hands on her hips with an extra amount of attitude. Vincent sighed and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Do you plan on being a bachelor at sixty? No amount of money or power is going to get you laid when you’re all wrinkly and old,” she continued biting into another cookie as Dominico busted into laughter. Vincent joined hi laughing as his mother shook her head in disappointment at her children.

“Roxy, to your room. Now,” she pointed to the kitchen door and gave her a serious look. Vincent and Dominico began to laugh harder as they watched their little sister stomp off to her room.

“Vinny, I just-” Nadia started but was cut off by Vincent’s phone ringing.

Vincent pulls his phone out of his pocket and looks at the caller ID, unknown. He answered anyway sometimes his guys that were undercover would call from a burner phone and he had a couple currently in pretty dangerous situations.

“Hello?” he answered.

“Is this Vincent?” He heard a sweet women’s voice. It sent a little jolt to his groin. He sighed and rolled his eyes. It hadn't been so long since he got laid that a voice should affect him.

“This is he. Who wants to know?” He said clearing his throat and trying to sound tough.

“This is Rebecca. Um. You... You took me home last night,” Rebecca stuttered.

Vincent couldn’t help but smile and a little chuckle even slipped out even though he tried to hold it in. Looking up he saw his mother and Dominico watching him with big smiles on their faces. His nostrils flared and he walked out the side door of the kitchen that lead to the little vegetable garden his mother had planted. He hated people ease dropping.

“Hello? Are you still there?” He heard Rebecca saying into the phone. Shit he had zoned out.

“Yes. I’m here. I remember you. How are you? Hope you’re not too hung over,” he said. He thought about how he had left her something for her head and water along with the note. He still didn’t know what came over him last night.

“Yes. I feel great. The pain meds and water definitely assisted in my feeling better,” she said before Vincent heard her whisper something.

“What was that?” he asked. He could feel that smile creep onto his face again. Oh no you don’t he thought and ran his hand over his face trying to wipe it off.

“Um. Nothing. Listen I just wanted to thank you for taking me home and not trying anything. That was very gentlemanly of you,” Rebecca said. “Tell him you think he's hot,” Vincent heard another girl say in the background. “Shut up, Joni,” Rebecca whisper yelled at her causing Vincent to laugh. “Sorry about that,” she continued, “like I was saying, I wanted to thank you -.”

Vicent cut her off, “don’t mention it. I was just doing what my mother taught me to and taking care of someone in need,” he said running his hand through his hair. He didn’t know why but he was enjoying this conversation and it needed to end. He didn’t do this.

Before he could tell her he had to get off the phone she started talking again, “I was wondering if I could treat you to dinner to repay you,” she asked with a deep breath after.

Vincent’s eyes went wide. Did she just ask him out? That was different. He was usually the one that saw something he wanted and went for it. I mean yes, women went after him but it usually consisted of a sexy dress and swaying of the hips not being asked to dinner. “Um. Look. I appreciate the offer but I don’t date,” he answered her. He couldn’t do this. He just got done telling his mother that he wasn’t planning on settling down and here he was thinking that her voice would not be so bad to hear for the rest of his life. No, there was no way he could go to dinner with her.

“Oh, no, I didn’t mean it that way,” she said quickly. Vincent rolled his eyes sure she didn’t. “We could do coffee if that would make you feel better,” she suggested.

Vincent sighed, “Okay coffee,” he agreed quicker than he could think about what he was saying.

“Great! I know this amazing little place on Michigan Avenue, across from Cloud Gate,” she started and Vincent smiled again. He knew the place she was talking about.

“Java to Talk About,” he said interrupting her rambling off the directions.

Rebecca laughed, “you know the place.”

“Yeah. I have meetings all day tomorrow after ten, so we will have to do it early,” he said part of him was hoping that she was like every other rich socialite he had met and would hate mornings and he wouldn’t have to do this.

“That’s fine, I have to be to work by than anyways,” she replied shocking him. “Eight will work perfect for me,” she added.

“Great. I will see you than,” he said sternly before hanging up.

“Goodbye, Genius. You forgot to tell her goodbye,” Dominico said from behind him. Vincent looked at his cousin and sent him a growl before stomping past him, bumping his shoulder on his way inside.