#1 Chapter 16
How was I to know Giovanni was allergic to seafood? I thought to play with him a bit, but I didn’t want him to die.
Don’t die. Please don’t die. Although, if he did die, I’d be let out of our contract… but I didn’t want to go to jail. I didn’t want to jump out of the frying pan only to leap into the fire. This intricate web Giovanni had spun around me was already binding me so tightly I could hardly breathe. I didn’t want to spend the rest of my youthful years in jail, too. That was too much for my young heart to handle.
“Boss, I’m sorry.” I sobbed, head bashing on his chest. I couldn’t believe I was actually feeling sorry for the mafia boss. “I didn’t mean to kill you.”
“Jay, would you stop crying already?” Giovanni chided, head propped on a hundred and one pillows. “You look like a derailed train; with snot coming pouring out of your nose.”
“A train doesn’t have snot,” I mumbled, tears washing down my face.
“Well, you do. Now go wipe your nose. It’s disgusting.”
I wiped my nose clean on my sleeve. And cried some more.
I didn’t know why I felt this upset, but the thought of Giovanni not being able to enjoy all the lovely seafood out there in the world really saddened me. He’d miss out on all those delicious dishes. Steamed lobster with lemon sauce, fried crab with lemongrass. Oh, the thought had my mouth salivating and belly rumbling. And this kind of made me more upset. Because if Giovanni couldn’t eat it, then there was no way a poor maid like me would get to eat it, either. I ate whatever the god ate. I cried some more at the thought.
“For fuck’s sake, wipe your tears and use a tissue or something,” he barked.
I didn’t do as he said. I continued to weep.
“Jesus. I hate it when you cry. Come here.” He pulled my head forward and wiped my nose for me. “Bobby,” he called.
“Yes, boss.” Bobby appeared out of nowhere.
“Take this away. And give me hand sanitizer.”This content belongs to Nô/velDra/ma.Org .
“Right away, boss.”
Bobby took the dirtied tissue and came back a second later with sanitizing gel. Giovanni proceeded to wipe his hands clean of all the germs I might have passed to him. Once done, he gave me a serious look.
“You’ve done it now, Jay,” he said. “Now how am I going to get any work done? I’ll be stuck in bed for at least a day.”
“I’m sure between all of us, we’ll put you back on your feet in no time, boss.” I sniffled again.
“No, I’m busy. Got money to collect and people to threaten. I don’t have time to look after the boss,” Bobby said, already backing out of the deal.
“Yeah,” Finnie had to add. “Weren’t you the one who made him eat the seafood? It’s your fault. Now you have to look after him all by yourself.”
“Not to be rude or put the blame on anyone, but I think this is a collective fault.” I tried to back off the deal. “Think about it. Who wanted to go to that all-you-can-eat restaurant in the first place? Bobby…” I pointed a finger at him. “You wanted that burger, and Finnie…” I pointed the finger at Finnie then. “You wanted to eat the pizza. So you’re both in this with me.”
“No, they’re not.” Giovanni cut in, silencing our argument.
“What? Why?” I asked, already feeling the buzz in my heart at the mere thought of staying alone with him.
“Because they have work to do.”
“Okay, fine, but how about Jonny and Heath?” I argued.
“They have to go outside the country for work.”
“But, boss-”
“Shut up, Jay. The deal has already been sealed. You’re to look after me for the rest of the day and tomorrow.”