Fire and Sweets (Book 3 of Wolves of Milano)

11. A lunch date

It’s Thursday. The day of the exhibition and Kara has only a half day at work. Taking care of her assignments in the kitchen, she thinks about the day ahead. When was the last time she went home this early? What will she do with herself? Can she even enjoy it? Does she remember how? Why is she even thinking about all these questions? She’s going home and she’ll take a nice relaxing bath, she’ll dress up and then she’ll go to the Gallery and mix in with the people. 

The name of the game: don’t get recognized. She’ll even wear a dress and put on some elaborate make-up. If she uses the curling iron and dolls up her hair, nobody will ever recognize her. That nice hand me down dress she got from Vesna is just the right thing to wear. The chiffon falls graciously to the floor in layers. It has a dark blue belt to show off her slender figure and she can pair it with any pair of black shoes she’s got. Nobody will see them from under the dress anyway. Sky blue with dark undertones shimmering through the top layer, the dress accents her eyes to their full potential. Is a blue shade overkill? Maybe she can call Allegra? The fashion expert in the family.

She walks out to the bar area of Rialto. She just wants to say goodbye to her mother, but the person sitting there makes her frown. What is Mattias doing here? Shouldn’t he be at the Gallery making sure everything is ready? Is he playing the danger game? Is he here to get caught or something? He is stalking her, but he’s not the only one. She is sure she can’t give the enforcer a slip two days in a row. Or maybe she can? The guy doesn’t know she will only work half a day, it’s not something she does. Maybe he will be careless, because he doesn’t expect her to leave early?

“What are you doing here?” She hisses in his ear as she leans closer to him.

“I came to beg for a few trays of your famous sweets. It’s going to piss off the catering service, but I don’t care. We can’t have an exhibit of your paintings without the best sweets in town.” Mattias explains to her. He is acting like he has no care in the world and she is nervous as hell.

“Oh.” She breathes. He surprised her with this. He thought about something this elaborate and he’s willing to make some caterer angry to please her?

“And I’m here to see you. Can I take you to lunch? It can be here, if you want to.” Mattias smiles at her.

“Not here.” She says. A plan forms in her head and she acts quick. “Did you arrange for delivery?” 

“Yes. Why?” He looks at her in surprise. Fair play and all, she thinks.

“Come with me. Be fast, we have to ditch my guard.” She whispers and pulls him from the restaurant by his arm. “Don’t even ask about it. It’s too complicated.”

“I’m not saying a word.” Mattias whispers. He is shocked that she holds his arm, she can feel it. She likes it. The chemistry is there, if she doesn’t fight it.

“Good.” Kara smiles. She has no idea why she agreed to the lunch date. Not that she actually said so, she just didn’t say no. She grabbed him and ran. He has no trouble keeping up with her, he’s a wolf. 

A mad dash through the park and she introduces him to the same pizza place she took Devana to. It will be good enough for lunch, besides, Giovanni makes a fabulous risotto. And it’s private. If no one sees her with him, then there is no chance of this getting back to her Uncle. She needs to avoid trouble, not invite it to a party. The grin on his face is a nice reward. She bets he wasn’t expecting this at all. But there is just something about the guy. He gets under her skin. Today was a good day for him, because she had no excuse. Her mouth took over and her brain froze. She acted on pure instinct. Why does she have to like him?

“I must say, I was not expecting this. I like it.” Mattias smiles across the table at her.

“I love this place. I don’t share it with just anyone.” She muses.

“Thank you for this. I will pretend to not know you. Later.” He winks. Damn! He’s flirting with her. He’s playing to her insecurities, and somehow he knows just the right thing to say. 

“I will have an elaborate disguise. You might not recognize me at all.” She teases him. Two can play the flirting game.

“I will recognize you anywhere. You can’t change your scent.” Mattias bites his lip to tease her some more. “Even if you drench your whole body in Chanel, I will always pick you out from any crowd.”

“Mmm? So sure of yourself? You do realize this is a challenge?” Kara laughs. She will really give it a try and do her best to doll up. She is not too proud to call Allegra to come help her out.

“You are just like me? You love a good challenge just like any wolf. You never back down and you never let anyone win.” Mattias laughs at her.

“Right.” She smiles. “Which makes me think that your lone wolf excuse is bullshit. You just like to be a mystery. You love to make people wonder and guess, but you never volunteer anything about yourself.”

“Maybe.” He tells her. “But you will never find out, if you keep pushing me away.”

“Oh, damn.” She sighs. “Do you think I like doing this? I’m trying to keep you safe and out of my pack’s mess.”

“How about you give me some credit and let me decide for myself? I like you. I think you’re my mate.” He looks her directly in the eyes. “But, if you keep pushing me away, we’ll never know. If you don’t give us a chance, we might both miss out on something incredible.” 

“You really think so? You’re not just saying this to get laid?” Kara inquires. She has heard of so many things that guys dish out to get some action and then they vanish into thin air.

“No, Kara. I’m not just saying it. My wolf chose you. Please give your wolf the same chance.” Mattias begs her.

“I have to think about it. I have to talk with my mother. You have no idea what’s going on around here.” She answers. Can she do it? Can she give him a chance and endanger not only her life, but his?

The rest of the lunch goes by with small talk and trivia about the Gallery. He promised to her that her presence there won’t be made public and she is glad. She is not one for attention, but observing from the shadows is her favourite thing. Not that there will be many shadowy corners to hide in, but gaining anonymity is good enough. If people don’t expect her to be there, nobody will be looking for her. She glances over at him and thinks that he is great to talk to, not bad on the eyes either. Could she give him a chance? That seems to be the question she needs the answer to. And she has to answer it herself, no one else can do it for her.

They part ways at Giovanni’s and even leave separately to not draw attention to them. He seems to understand the caution, but Kara will have to explain things to him, if she wants to see him again. It’s dangerous for them both to get seen. What if her Uncle finds out? She doesn’t want to imagine what he’ll do, because he is capable of just anything. Alessio was lucky to have an ally on the inside, but she doubts that Elio would lose two fights on purpose that might give him away. 

Kara calls Allegra on the way home and her cousin agrees to come help her get ready. The sunshine of their family is a fashion expert and Kara trusts her to make her look good on a short notice. Maybe she can take her to the opening? It might be good for Allegra to go out and forget about the problems for one night? She sends her a quick text to see if the girl would even be interested in such an affair.

A long and relaxing bath is replaced with a quick shower and some yoga breathing. She is drying her hair when Allegra comes in. The girl is as stunning as ever in her Snow white perfection. She is wearing a dress that goes with any occasion. A subtle make-up and midnight black hair that spills down the girls back round up the appearance perfectly. Allegra looks stunning without trying. 

“What dress did you pick? Or do I have to find something for you?” Allegra asks with a smile. She looks relaxed, but Kara knows that is a front. The girl worries for her brother.

“The blue one on the bed.” She answers. “It’s a hand me down from Vesna. I love it, but I never had a chance to wear it before.”

“Oooh!” Allegra exclaims. “I remember that one. It will look stunning on you. I have an idea for your make-up, too.”

“Would you like to go with me? I never got an answer from you.” Kara asks Allegra.

“Oh. I didn’t see the text. I would love to.” The girl smiles. 

“Well, you’re even dressed right.” Kara laughs.

The make-up is all done and  she must admit that Allegra did a great job. Kara doesn’t look like herself and that was the ultimate goal. To blend in and not be recognized at the opening. She likes what she sees in the mirror. A dash of Chanel No.5 and she is ready to disappear in the crowd. She has the best date for the thing. Allegra is sweet and fun to be around; girl power and all. Maybe she can fool Mattias and evade him as well? Let the game begin.