CHAPTER 4
Giovanni
I had initially contemplated going out to the club with friends and treating the night like an impromptu bachelor party, but decided against it at the last minute, choosing instead to keep the night somewhat low-key. Besides, it was easier to pick up women that way when I was solo. I had learned a while ago that women didn’t like being ogled by big groups of men, unless, of course, they were on stage and being paid for it. In everyday situations though, that kind of thing was intimidating. When a woman saw a guy with a bunch of his friends checking her out, it tended to make her feel like prey being chased by a pack of wolves, and I didn’t like making women feel that way.
Even though settling down had never quite been an appealing idea to me, for I loved playing the field entirely too much, it didn’t change the fact that I had great respect for women. One of my biggest pet-peeves was a man who didn’t know how to treat a lady. Guys that abused women made me sick to my stomach, and that included men who tended to get a little too aggressive and touchy whenever a woman wasn’t consenting. My fists had dealt with plenty of guys like that over the years, to say the least.
“Here you are, sir.”
I smiled as the female bartender came over to bring me another beer. With a buddy of mine being the owner of the bar, I never had to deal with waiting in line to place my drink orders. I got served personally and directly.
“Thanks, darling,” I said, winking at her and sliding a crisp one-hundred-dollar bill into the pocket of her apron.
She blushed and muttered a quick thank you before scurrying off. The expression on her face let me know that she likely knew who I was. People were always a little hesitant about receiving what they felt was ‘dirty money,' but they hardly ever turned it down either because, at the end of the day, all money was green.
I took a sip of my beer and leaned back in my chair, bopping my head to the music playing and scoping out the scene before me. I’d picked my favorite table, located in the back of the club so that I could have a good view of everything. On nights that I didn’t feel like being a part of the action, I just liked to watch. Being observant is a trait that runs deep in my family, and it’s something that naturally came out of me both at work and at play.
Through the dim lighting of the club, I saw that the dance-floor was packed with women. From the looks of it, the group of women in question was clearly out celebrating something. Perhaps a birthday, a bachelorette party, a college graduation—whatever the occasion, they all had on their sexiest dresses and high-heels, with hair and makeup styled to perfection. Men stood around their circle, eyeing them and trying to figure out how to get one of them alone. But they were far more into each other than the guys waiting around them like vultures.
I turned my gaze to the tables around mine, which were occupied by twos and threes. At several tables, couples talked over drinks. At others, guys flirted with the women they’d been dancing with. At one far table in the corner, a couple was making out so vigorously that it was clearly past time for them to get a room. At another table, a pair of guys sat, talking and laughing over beers.
And at another table, a beautiful young woman stood, looking clearly agitated. I sat up straighter in my chair, leaning to get a better view.
That’s when I noticed the guy in front of her.
Instantly, I began to feel irritated. I knew this guy’s type all-too well. He smiled, clearly oblivious to the fact that the woman he was forcing his company on did not want him there. A strained smile that was more like a grimace remained plastered on her pretty face as she shook her head. When she tried to step away, the creep put his hand on her shoulder.
I slid back in my chair.
Hold on, Gio, I told myself. Don’t go rushing off to be the hero so quickly. How do you know she can’t take care of herself?
I took a deep breath and reached for my beer, taking another sip, all the while, keeping my eyes glued to the scene.
The woman tried to walk away from him, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back toward him, making her stumble a bit in her heels.
Well fuck that. I slammed my drink onto the table, stood, and quickly made my way over.
“Everything all right here?” I asked once close enough.
Startled, the guy spun around.
I could instantly tell he was sloppy drunk. Although he was approximately the same height as me, he didn’t have any muscle to back it up. The button-down shirt he wore was only half tucked into his pants, and even from where I stood, he reeked of whiskey. His hair was disheveled and became even more so when he ran a hand through it.
“Nope, everything’s fine,” he said, his words slurred. “Just talking to my lady, here.”
“Excuse me?” the woman said, disgusted. “I am not your lady.”
“Not yet,” the guy said, giving a lewd laugh that turned into a hiccup. He reached for her wrist again, but I grabbed his arm before he managed to touch her. “Hey bro—knock it off,” he said.
“No, you knock it off. I’m going to give you until the count of ten to back away from her and carry on with your night.”
“Oh yeah? Or what?”
“Trust me, you don’t want to find out,” I snarled, applying pressure to his wrist.
“Owww! Hey! Knock it off! Fuck you!” the guy said.
With a shove, I let go of his arm. He stumbled backward and glared at me as if he wanted to hit me. But when I stepped defiantly towards him, he backed down.
“Whatever. She ain't all that,” he muttered and then walked off.
I shook my head and muttered a few choice words of my own before remembering my manners. I turned toward the woman. “Are you all right?”
She nodded. “Yes. Thank you.”
“No problem,” I said. “I can’t tell you how much I fucking hate guys like that. I never miss a chance to rattle them up, if I can help it.”
The woman laughed, and for the first time, I fully took in her appearance.
I had seen that she was beautiful from afar, but up close, she was positively stunning. She had long dark hair, the most gorgeous hazel eyes I’d ever seen, a flawless complexion, and curves that filled every inch of the slinky dark dress she wore. Her appearance gave off the impression of exotic, yet innocent at the same time.
But then I reminded myself that she had just been getting harassed by a creep so it wouldn’t serve me well to start drooling over her.
However, I couldn’t help noticing that her posture had relaxed considerably. She smiled at me and extended her hand. “Hi. I’m Arianna.”
I took her hand in mine. “Giovanni, or just Gio for short.”
“Nice to meet you, Gio. You can call me Ari. And thanks again. I guess that’s what I get for deciding to come out on my own tonight though. I was supposed to be meeting with friends, but I had decided to go out at the very last minute, and none of them had been able to clear their schedules.”
“Well, that sucks,” I said. “But on the plus side, I’m here solo too. So, if you’re looking for a friend for the night, I’ll gladly play the role.”
Ari laughed again.
“Can I get you a drink?” I asked.
She hesitated for a second and then nodded. “Yeah. Sure, friend.”
I smirked and waved over the bartender. I then turned back to face Ari, pulling out a chair for her. “So, what made you decide to come out at the last minute? Celebrating anything special tonight?”
Ari smiled, although it didn’t fully reach her eyes this time. “I guess you can say that. I’m recently…employed.”
With the way she averted her gaze, I knew she was lying. You didn’t work for the mafia without being able to have a sixth sense about when people were lying to you. Employment was not the reason she was out tonight, but clearly, she didn’t want to talk about whatever her real reason was. I decided to let it slide though. After all, I didn’t know this woman, so whatever she was hiding wasn’t any of my business in the first place.
“Congratulations,” I said, pretending to believe her.
“Thank you.”
“What do you do?”
“I’m a second-grade teacher.”
“You must like kids.”
“I adore them.”
“Have any of your own?”
“Not yet.”
The bartender arrived with our drinks. She also didn’t smile at me as much this time now that I was seated with a beautiful woman. I discreetly slid her another one-hundred-dollar bill nonetheless, which she accepted, as I knew she would.
“What about you? Are you celebrating anything in particular?”
I handed her drink over and tried to think fast. “No…I was just bored. Wanted to have a few drinks, listen to some music…Meet interesting people…Looks like mission accomplished.”
Ari blushed and took a sip of her drink, staring back at me with eyes that suddenly made me think that perhaps she wasn’t quite as innocent as she seemed.