Ruthless Mafia 6

Despite all of Sidonia’s worried whispers before she left the house, Zorah held her chin up high and waved to the man in
the restaurant waiting for her.
Two days ago, her uncle told her she was betrothed. Two days ago, her so-called fiancé called her and told her she was
not to date anyone. Yesterday morning she woke up to Sidonia showing her a video of him Sunday night, the same night
he’d told her to stay a virgin, at a strip club getting a lap dance from a buxom blonde woman in a shiny bikini. Then
when they’d searched the girl’s name, things far more depraved landed on the phone screen. Zorah threw up her before
she’d even eaten breakfast and then made an appointment to see her uncle.
Her uncle was not sympathetic to her plight of the wickedness of the man she was supposed to marry. When she’d
protested and in a rare display of temper denied she would marry the man, her uncle exacted his punishment. She’d left
her uncle’s office hurt, angry and for the feeling yet another first in her life, vengeful.
If Icaro Lucchesi could do such things so, could she. She wasn’t about to go to a strip club or have sex but when, Micah,
the second patient of the day at Dr. Floss’s office, asked for her number to take her on a date, she gave it willingly.
When he’d called her during his lunch break and asked her to dinner on Tuesday evening, she agreed instantly. She did
tell him she’d meet him there since she wasn’t keen on letting a stranger know her home address, but she was going on
this date!
Crossing the restaurant feeling very daring in her dress which was showing far more skin than she was used to, Zorah
smiled and let the man kiss her cheek in a warm greeting.
“Zorah, you look stunning.”
“Thank you, Micah! You look very handsome as well.” He did too, she thought as she took in his warm brown eyes and
his reddish hair which was neatly styled. She was even happier when he pulled her chair out for her like a true gentleman.
As they were seated, Micah reached across the table and held her hand, “what changed your mind? I’ve been asking you
out for over a year now.”
“Can I tell you the truth?”
He nodded.
“My family wants me to marry a stranger in an arranged marriage, but I found out he goes to strip clubs and sleeps with
the dancers. I’m not marrying him. I’m going to find my own way in this world and find someone I want to be with.
You’ve always been so nice to me. I know you don’t go to the same church I do, and I thought maybe it was time to do
something different since nobody else seems to have my best interests at heart, even those from my congregation.”
“I’m a lawyer, Zorah. They can’t force you to marry.”
“I know.” She ignored the memory of her uncle saying they’d all be killed if she refused. She’d made peace with God. If
they killed her, she knew there was a spot perfect for her in heaven and she was certain none of her other family
members would be there with her. “I’m not going through with it. I’m taking control of my own life, and it starts with
dating who I want.”
“And you want to date me?”
“I want to go on this date with you,” she smiled widely liking the way his smile lit up his face. “It remains to be seen if more dates are forthcoming.”
“I like you. You’ve always been very direct with me.”
“Being direct stops us from having missteps in communication.” It was a quote of her uncle’s. Her phone buzzed in her
purse, and she made an apologetic smile. “It’s probably Sidonia.”
“She’s the dental hygienist where you work?”
“Yes.”
“She’s texting you?”
“We’re roommates. I told her I’d let her know when I got here safely. Would it be okay if I took my phone out?”
“Of course. You don’t need to ask.”
“I went out with a fellow once who was really offended when I set my phone on the table. I guess it’s bad etiquette.”
He laughed and pulled his phone from his jacket and set it on the table and winked at her, “I will if you will.”
“Deal.”
She opened the phone and felt her stomach lurch at the text.
“Get the fuck home or I’ll turn your ass red.”
She couldn’t imagine the need to curse for the sake of cursing. She deleted the message and then sent a quick text to
Sidonia telling her she arrived at her date safe but to lock the doors and windows because Icaro knew she was out.
She set the phone down and gave him a smile. “There. All done.”
Her phone buzzed again, and she looked to see the slew of scared emojis from Sidonia.
“She’s scared?”
“No. She’s teasing me. I was nervous for our date.” Add lying to her list of sins for today. She could confess it later in a
confessional where her uncle was not presiding. Her phone rang and she noted the number, declined the call, and then
dropped it in her handbag. “Enough of that.” She picked up the menu. “What’s good? Have you been here before?”
“A couple of times,” he smiled his perfectly white teeth at her. “I really like the alfredo from here.”
“Ooh,” she met his eyes over the menu top, “I do love a good alfredo so long as it’s not too garlicky.”
“If we both have garlic it’ll cancel each other out when I kiss you goodnight.”
“You are getting ahead of yourself,” she tapped his hand with the menu as she felt the blush stealing over her cheeks.
“Oh my god, you’re the cutest thing ever. You blush,” he rested his chin in the palm of his hand, his elbow propping up
his head as he grinned at her. “All the way to your neck. It’s adorable.”
“You are making fun of me.”’
“I am not. I am genuinely enamored with the blush.”
His words only made her blush more. Her phone started ringing again in her purse and she groaned, looking at Micah
apologetically she sighed, “I’m so sorry.”
She declined the call and then sent Sidonia a text.
“Are you calling me?”
When her friend texted her back to say she absolutely was not calling her and was in fact hiding under blankets in her
bed with headphones on and watching a movie on her tablet she shut the phone completely off.
“There, no more disruptions.”
“Someone is really trying to get in touch with you.”
Zorah made a show of twisting her lips, “I thought it was my roommate, so I checked it in case it was her but it’s not her
number.”
“Then who would be calling you so frantically?”