BONUS STORY: TANYA & ENZO.

THREE: 

Enzo's POV: 

Watching her squirm and avoid my gaze for five days in a row has been fun. The ride back home that day had been hilarious, I had a hard time keeping a straight face. I'd made it my mission to randomly call her, ‘Kitty Blondie’ when no one was within earshot and it made me chuckle when she'd go pale in horror.

We kept bumping into each other, and I had either fate or Carlo to blame for it. The first time I met her, she'd left an impression on me, a fumbling, nervous stripper. I'd laughed unintentionally humiliating her in the process that day. 

I'd been out on a job, to keep an eye on one of our top clients in New York who began to do shady stuff and Carlo needed to know everything the fucker was doing. One of those things was that he was a regular customer of that club. Wednesdays and Fridays, he was always there and I'd first met Tanya—only knew her stage name then—on my first spy trip on the client and I could tell she was new to this.

Shy, unsure, awkward, and had been furiously apologetic when she'd stepped on my toes during a lap dance.

A terrible dancer. I thought.

Yet, it was like she was on drugs. I kept going back for more, paying for her services only until that mission was over and I had to return to Italy.

She'd stayed on my mind for months no doubt… I couldn't forget those eyes that looked somewhere between yellow and gold, so innocent yet daring, and that body? It was enough to make a priest forget his vows.

But like always, every good thing must come to an end and I eventually got her off my mind. But only until this year and Carlo get a call from our FBI guy about a certain text message Antonio's kid, Natalia had sent to someone in the US.

A little digging later, I realized she was the one. I thought it was crazy that that ‘someone’ was the girl I'd obsessed over for months. I'd know those eyes anywhere, they are like liquid gold, like an odd mix of yellow and gold… 

It was a shocking moment for me, almost too good to be true.

The world wasn't that small, New York especially was a big place, how is it that of all people it had to be her? This wasn't a complaint, I was strangely happy with the new development.

I'd follow through with Carlo's plans, grateful he didn't have to kill her but just scare her a little but something tells me if I'd been asked to kill her, I would have pleaded on her behalf.

And so, obsession deepened after that. Even after leaving New York, I had someone keep an eye on her, watching her every move… What she did for the day. What she ate. Who she met with. What time she went to bed? I had pictures of everything from my Intel. I just kept needing to know more and more of her.

I tried hard to make it stop. I told myself we lived worlds apart, she didn't know I existed as I'd always used a disguise to track down that client. 

What was I trying to achieve by stalking her?

It was stupid. 

I didn't even know this girl apart from what I dug on her. Maybe I shouldn't have indulged and made myself her returning customer for months while I was on that mission. 

I shouldn't have but I did and now, I'm stuck with this weird obsession.

Unfortunately… fate and Carlo were working hard to keep this obsession going because I had to endure sharing the same roof with her for the next month. 

~   ~   ~ 

5:13 AM.

My muscles strained and screamed at me, my fingers wrapped firmly around the cold steel as sweat poured down my face. 

The in-house gym was quiet save for my harsh breath and the clink of metal. 

One last rep and—

“So you do work out.” A familiar voice reached my ears and I paused mid-air, carefully settling the barbell down, I sat up.

There she was, the last person I'd expected to see this early.  I grabbed my water bottle taking a swig. “What are you doing here?” I rose to my feet.

“Is that a real question?” She asked crossing her arms and it was only then I realized she had a gym wear on. “Don't act like you didn't already know I'm a gym girlie.” 

My brows furrowed at her statement.

She scoffed, flipping her silky, blonde hair. “I know you've been stalking me, mister—” 

“What?” My heart stuttered, I could feel the color drain from my face and she smiled widely almost… predatory. 

How did she even…? 

“...I saw the pictures,” she smiled sweetly. “You've been keeping me on my toes the past few days. And since our meeting at the airport, I couldn't stop thinking about how you knew my stage name no matter how hard I tried or wanted to pretend like it didn't bother me…” 

I don't like where this was going.

No, I was not afraid or anything. I was so caught off guard, that it was totally unexpected that she'd ever find out what I was up to.

“...Then, I began spying on you—”

“You spied on me?!” 

“Mhmm,” she nodded, clearly proud of herself. “I eventually found out where you stayed in the mansion and dug around your things when you were away with Carlo—”

“That's not—” I stopped myself, grabbing my bottle so hard, I think I heard it squeak.

That's not what? Normal? Not legal? Not respectful? 

How hypocritical. I stalked her for months, I was no better than her.

Her eyes fell to where I was channeling all my frustrations on my water bottle and back to my face. Her smile never faded, she leaned against a treadmill, crossing those pale, long legs at the ankle.

“I guess you didn't think I'd catch you in your own game,” she said at last. “God, you taunted me, teased me for days and I was going crazy. Feels good to finally know how you knew about me. You had me followed.” She laughed. “You're a creepy old fuck, Mister Enzo.” 

Creepy…

I deserved that.

“What do you want?” I sighed in defeat. Maybe this was the wake-up call I needed to put an end to that fucked habit. I knew it had to end somehow.

I expect her to tell me to get rid of all the pictures, hurl insults at me, and threaten to report me to the police for stalking her—although that would be a waste of time, most of them were under our payroll. 

I know I sound like a stronzo, but truly, reporting me was useless. 

Instead, she shocked me by asking, “Why didn't you approach me?” 

I searched her face to see if she was being serious. The gears in my head were turning as I tried to make out why she'd ask that instead.

She let her hands fall to her side. “Alright, maybe that's a stupid question. The purpose of stalking is probably to stay away and watch from afar, I think?” 

I needed to gain control back. “I can not spend the entire morning talking about this, I need to get ready for the day. So I'm asking again, what do you want, Tanya?” 

She mockingly pouted, “Tanya? Not Kitty Blondie? You're a mood killer, sir.” 

Something stirred in my stomach at that.

Sure, I knew I was attracted to her, she was insanely attractive, and it was hard not to.

When she slowly took steps forward, I felt tiny knots screwing into place in my stomach. At this moment, it felt like I, the predator, had become the prey.

She stopped, our toes almost touching and then she gave me the most charming smile—it made me feel funny. “Want to know what I want?” 

Yes. 

I kept my lips shut and my expression blank.

“You'll find out soon enough.” And then, she turned and left, moving across the gym to the stair master.

My eyes followed her movement, my heart thrashing in my chest for two things.

Like I said, I was attracted and obsessed with her so of course, I'd stare every chance I'd get.

I could tell she was trouble already. No woman has left me speechless, confused, and powerless but she did that effortlessly.

I cleared my throat, dragging my gaze away and I stormed out of the gym with a reminder to keep my distance from her.

The whole messed-up stalking was nice while it lasted, it was time to move on and not let things get any more complicated than they already were. At least she didn't know I was once a returning client of hers at the club—that one secret was safe with me.