Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 620 -

*Elio*

Well, it was apparently that 'cheerful, wonderful, and heart-warming' time of the year again. Thanksgiving came and went, making what was left of California's autumn fade not too long after that. The temperature remained semi-consistent, but people were noticeably getting ready for the holidays.

Normally, I would be eager to join in on the seasonal festivities, even if it meant lugging out my various boxes of decorations and fake tree from the back of the garage.

But ever since my slight fall-out with Cat, my mood remained cold and indifferent. I hadn't meant to lash out on her the way I did. It was never my intention to simply show up and take my anger out on her. In fact, my whole purpose of going over to see her was because I missed her. I missed the soft feel of her around me. I missed her scent and her beautiful smile.

"Fuck," I hissed under my breath.

Why did I let my anger get the better of me in the first place?

For the past couple of days, my mind had been consumed with nothing but work, and I spent more time in the office than at home. Now that Christmas was clearly on its way, I knew my workload was bound to become more rigorous than before.

I sagged back into the chair behind my desk, letting my head fall back and my eyes closed. I took in numerous long breaths, trying to clear my head.

Christ, I couldn't even properly rest my eyes long enough without seeing Caterina's broken expression. I needed to fix things between us. With a whole lot of the family coming to the States for Christmas, I need to knock this shitty feeling that's been hanging around me since I last saw Cat.

I heard a buzz, and my eyes fell to my desk where my phone sat. The screen lit up and my mind instantly went to Caterina. But my hopes were quickly deflated when I saw that the caller ID belonged to someone else.

I picked up my phone and pressed the answer button.

"Hey, Dad," I greeted curtly.

I heard his chuckle through the speaker. "Sounds like someone is having a rough day," he commented with amusement. "Care to talk about it?"

I let out a long breath and bit the inside of my cheek. No, I couldn't actually tell him what had been eating away at me, not without running the risk of exposing my relationship with Caterina in the process.

'Yeah, that's assuming that you still have a relationship after the way things ended a few days ago,' I thought bitterly to myself.

Oh, for Christ's sake. I ran a rough hand through my hair and bit back a curse.

"No," I answered. "Nothing I can't deal with."

"Well, I called in mainly to see if you've heard from any more of the family about coming in for the holidays," he stated.

"Oh, yeah. I got a call from Natalia earlier this morning. She and Tallon won't be able to make it for Christmas," I explained. "Something about spending a week in Tuscany or something."

I constantly wondered if Cat would ever be interested in traveling out of the country. Knowing that I originally grew up in Italy, I've always felt drawn to the idea of taking a trip back to visit. Taking her through the various touristy spots and a few personal areas of Venice made me smile with interest.

My father sighed. "Yeah, I think I heard something about them missing out this year too."

"But at least Alessandro and Mia will be flying in," I told him.

For a brief moment, I felt my stomach turn over in hesitation. I think part of the reason why I was so angry before was because I knew that at some point, I was going to have to face my father's rigid opinion about me wanting to work with Alessandro. The mafia was never a clean sort of business to be involved with-that much I always knew. It sort of became a sore subject for my parents to talk with me about if and when I'd ever try to bring it up.

Knowing the hell my family had endured during my father's previous reign as Don, I understood why my parents weren't eager to talk about their past. But it always left me wanting to know more... more than I should probably have wanted to know.

"Well, speaking of Alessandro, there's kind of been this opportunity floating around between me and him," I said.

His octave dropped as he spoke. "Oh? What kind of 'opportunity' exactly?"

I rolled my fingertips against the top of my desk and mustered up my patience.

"I spoke with Alessandro about the idea of potentially expanding the business over in Italy. Because of its success over here, he thinks that he could have some serious potential overseas as well."

"I see," he muttered. "And who would be covering the groundwork from their end if your position is in the U.S.?"

"Alessandro mentioned that there are people from his end who would handle things while I'm stationed here. Honestly, I think this would be a great expansion opportunity, not just to cover more commercial ground but to keep things tighter with the family."

He gave an indecisive hum in response. "Elio, I know you feel a disconnect with not being around the immediate family. When I first moved you and your mother out to the States, I was worried that we would lose contact with a lot of people back in Venice. But that was a risk I was, and still am, willing to take. Nothing is more important than your safety."

"But Dad, there is nothing unsafe about this deal I'm trying to make here," I countered.

"You know damn well what Alessandro's real business is. You know about the work and the kind of people who operate under him. The extreme lengths these men are willing to go to for the sake of family are nothing short of disturbing." His voice filled with stress. "Not many people know the kind of energy and emotion it takes to be a Don. The list of enemies we've acquired over the years is horrific and unyielding. Why do you think I fought tooth and nail to remove us from that kind of life?"

I let out a long breath and rubbed the sore spot between my eyes. "Dad, I really think you're overthinking this."

"And I don't think you realize the dangers that come with working that close to the family, Elio. I don't know what I'd do with myself or your mother if you were to become sucked back into the life we tried so hard to keep you away from."

"I don't want to let this kind of opportunity pass me by," I said firmly.

"Be careful, Elio. I came far too close with losing once. Grown up or not, I'll be damned if I let it happen again."

The call ended without so much as another word. My brows pulled together, and I tossed my phone onto my desk in a fit of frustration. God, I knew that wasn't going to go well. I knew what I was doing, and I certainly didn't need my father to remind me about the less than pretty past of our family.

Alessandro and I had spoken numerous times about the idea of a possible expansion. We've crunched the numbers and discussed locations. Nothing felt shady or dangerous at all.

Good Christ, well, now I really needed to reach out to Cat. My head was killing me, and I refused to have both my father and her upset with me.

I reached for my phone again and quickly pulled up her number. I hit the call button and held my breath in hopes that she'd pick up.

Her soft voice filled the phone. "Hello?"

"Cat." My chest filled with warmth as I stood up from behind my desk. "I need to see you. Can I... can I come by your place so we can talk?" "Alright," she agreed.

I couldn't stop the smile from spreading across my face. I didn't care how crazy I may have looked. We hadn't spoken since our fight and I missed her terribly. I told her that I would be over as fast as I could once I ended the call. God only knew what speed limit I kept as I guided my car through the busy streets to get to her house. The moment I pulled into the driveway, I rushed to the door and found it locked.

At first, I was a little peeved that I couldn't just walk right in. Then again, I was the one who had told Caterina to always make sure her door was securely locked. It was nice to see that this bit of advice was coming back to bite me in the ass. I started to use my keys but remembered that with the new level of our relationship, I needed to respect her boundaries.

I rang the bell and was swiftly greeted by a hesitant looking Caterina. She looked shy and slightly unsure as though she didn't know who was standing in front of her. This led to an awful feeling raking through my chest.

"Cat, I'm so sorry about the last time we spoke," I said earnestly. "I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you the way that I did. I know you were just trying to help me relax and I went ahead and-" "I'm sorry too," she interrupted suddenly.

My brows drew together while I shook my head in confusion. "What? No, Cat. You have nothing to be sorry for."

"I honestly shouldn't have suggested that we go somewhere," she admitted. "I had to study for finals, and you were right to point that out."

She opened the door wider, allowing me to step inside. I closed the door behind me and instantly pulled her into my arms, holding her close. I placed a single kiss on her head and ushered us into the living room. It wasn't enough though. I needed more of her.

Before either of us knew it, we were falling back into the large couch while our arms still remained a tangled mess. I brushed her hair back from her face and leaned in to kiss her properly. Cat arched into my touch and matched my movements with intense fervent passion.

Cat pulled back long enough to properly straddle my waist. Her hands went straight for the hem of my shirt and tugged it over my head. A desperate, guttural sound tore from my throat as she grinded her hips against me.

With rough hands, I practically ripped apart her blouse, causing small buttons to fly out in several directions. I snagged the back of her neck and pulled her back to capture her lips. I swallowed each and every one of her moans. Were we really about to have sex in her living room where anyone could replace us?

Another hard swipe of her hips made me quickly realize that I truly didn't care. I needed her, and I could tell from the heat between her thighs that she needed me too.

I swept my tongue along the seam of her mouth as my hand slid beneath the waistband of her leggings. My fingers drifted lower until I sought out her wet, slick folds. Cat's mouth fell open in a breathless gasp. "Mm, Elio!"

"God damn!" another female voice spoke out.

My eyes widened while Cat's entire body instantly froze above me. She slowly peeked over her shoulder to see who stood in the large entry way of the room. "Anna?" she gasped.

Her friend couldn't suppress the laughter that came bubbling out of her, whereas Cat and I continued to stare at her with wide eyes and shock. This, of course, caused her to laugh even harder at her unexpected discovery. Much to my dismay, Cat quickly reached for her clothes and tried to cover herself as best as she could.

"Have you ever heard of knocking?" she asked her friend.

Anna rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Since when the hell have you ever known me to knock? Anyway, you're the one who texted me, remember? We need to plan out tomorrow's dinner party."

Cat sighed. "Yeah, you're right. Okay." She turned back to face me and softened her expression. "I'm sorry about this."

I brushed it off as no big deal and let her get back to planning with her friend. I left the house with numerous thoughts on my mind. But only one seemed to bother me the most.

Why didn't Cat ask me to come to her event tomorrow night?