Strong Mafia Daddy by Scott Wylder

CHAPTER EIGHT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tony

Doing paperwork for my nightclubs was always a pain, but I didn’t dare delegate it. I liked knowing what was happening in them, including going over all of the financial statements and vendor invoices.

Luckily, most of my work I could do remotely, so it wasn’t that hard to adjust to managing my nightclub from Queensville. It was tedious no matter where I did it.

Luckily today, I had a cute little distraction on my floor. She was lying on her stomach, kicking her feet up in the air as she colored. She was quiet, her brow furrowed in concentration as she focused on coloring in between the lines. Even after a couple of hours, she didn’t get sidetracked or make any noise. She just continued to color. It was adorable.

I itched to reach out and pat her head, or even better, abandon my work and get on the floor to color with her, but I couldn’t. She didn’t trust me enough yet, and if I neglected my work, it wouldn’t be long before my empire crumbled, and my protection would be meaningless.

But every few minutes, my eyes would wander from my work to Zoe’s cute body. Even if she weren’t in the room, I wouldn’t be able to focus because all my time would be spent thinking about her. To make matters worse, she was dressed in ragged sweatpants and a t-shirt. Mark had been right-- her clothes were ratty and barely wearable. Just the sight of her dressed in rags like that made my chest tighten. Zoe hadn’t gotten enough love and safety over the years. I would change that.

By five o’clock, I managed to get enough work done to stop for the day. Zoe had set down her crayons and was resting on the floor with her eyes closed. I knelt on the floor next to her and gently pushed her hair out of her eyes. “Wake up, little one,” I said. “It’s time for dinner.”She sighed and turned over, looking up at me with sleepy eyes. “I wasn’t sleeping,” she said. “Just resting my eyes.”“Of course. My mistake.” I couldn’t stop the huge grin spreading across my face. She was so cute. “Are you ready for dinner?”

She nodded and sat up, stretching and yawning. “Dinner sounds good.”

“Good. Get your shoes and meet me at the front door.”

“Should I change clothes? Where are we going?”

“That’s a surprise,” I said. “Just wear whatever you’re most comfortable in.”

“Okay.” She picked up her crayons and coloring book before leaving to change. I went into my room and changed into a white button-down shirt and black dress pants.

A few minutes later, I met Zoe down at the entrance. She was dressed in a pair of jeans and a blouse that had seen better days. Oh yeah, a shopping trip was definitely in order. “I’m ready to go,” she said.

“Perfect.” I grabbed her hand and linked my fingers through hers. She didn’t resist. “Let’s get going, then.”I took her to an upscale restaurant in the next town over. It had some of the best food in the area, and I had become a regular since moving to Queensville. It gave me some of the luxuries I had missed since hiding out in rural towns.

“I don’t think I’m dressed for this place,” she said as the valet took our car. “This place looks like it has a dress code.”

It did have a dress code, but that wasn’t a problem.

I opened the door for her, and we went inside. The maître d'looked up at us, and before he could send us away, I flashed him a smile. “Good evening. Is Flynn in today?”

He looked uncertain. “I believe so, but sir--”

“Go get him for me, please. I want to introduce him to my date for the night.” I put my arm around Zoe’s waist. Her arms were crossed in front of her body. She looked around as if she thought someone would come out of the shadows and attack her.

The man disappeared. She looked up at me. “Can we go somewhere else? I don’t want to make a scene.”

“We’re not making a scene. Just trust me, okay?”“Okay.” She sounded skeptical.

The maître d'came back with Flynn, the handsome man who owned the restaurant and was also the head chef. He also owed me money. We worked out a deal where I ate free at his restaurant as a form of payment. It was well worth it.

He greeted both of us with a cheerful smile. “Tony, my friend, it’s good to see you. And who is this lovely young lady putting up with you tonight?” He reached out to grab Zoe’s hand for a handshake.

“This is Zoe. Zoe, this is Flynn. He owns this restaurant.”

“Nice to meet you,” Zoe whispered.

“No need to be so timid, my dear. Any friend of Tony’s is a friend of mine.” He grinned. “Would you like your usual table?” He asked me.

“Perfect,” I said.

“Excellent, excellent.” He leaned down to whisper something to the maître d'before turning back to us. “Please let me know if you need anything, anything at all. Enjoy your evening.”

We were led to a private booth in the back of the restaurant, closed off by curtains. “See?” I said after the maître d'left. “It’s all right.”

“I don’t know about this,” she said. “You could have told me where we were going. I could have worn something nicer.”“I wanted you to wear what you felt most comfortable in,” I said.

“And you happen to feel most comfortable in that?” She gestured towards my white button-down shirt.”

“Yes, I do.” I never liked t-shirts and sweatpants. They made me feel too vulnerable. Suits and dress clothes remind me and everyone around me of my power.

A waiter came in to take our order. I ordered food for both of us, a glass of wine for me, and a milkshake for Zoe.

“A milkshake?” Zoe said after the waiter left.

“Trust me, you’ll enjoy it,” I said.

When the drinks came, Zoe took a sip of the milkshake, and her eyes widened. “They made this with alcohol.”

I nodded. “Irish cream. Delicious, right?”

She grinned and nodded. “Thank you.” She took another sip. The sight of her happiness gave me a rush of pleasure. “You know, you keep doing a lot of things for me,” she said. “You buy me presents, treat me to fancy food, and you keep being nice to me.”“It’s the least I can do,” I said, sipping my wine. “I want you to feel comfortable with me.”

“I think I am,” she said. “As crazy as that is. I know what you do, after all. But for some reason, I feel safe with you.”

“You have no idea how happy that makes me, little one.”

“There’s got to be something I can do to repay you,” she said. “I mean, all of this is incredible. I feel like I haven’t done much at all.”“I told you. All I want is your company.”

“I know, but there’s got to be something else.”

I took another sip of wine, thinking. Should I tell her what I wanted from her? It might be too soon. She was only just starting to trust me. But she was so eager to please and so adorable. I wanted her. All of her. “How would you feel about calling me Daddy?”