His Mafia Queen

Friends Without Benefits

Riley

As Catherine approaches, I begin to stand, but she waves in a downward motion, indicating that I should remain seated. A stack of silver bangle bracelets on both her bare, pale arms jingle and sparkle in the sunshine.

She's wearing a sleeveless black dress and black sandals, the closest outfit to something appropriate for Florida I've seen her in so far. As usual, her dramatic makeup is flawless, and I wonder how she manages to not sweat in this heat. I'm shocked she's not wearing a wide-brimmed hat, the kind that old Italian actresses and women at funerals wear.

"Riley." She says this as a statement, like she's chiding me. The hem of her flowy black dress flaps in the breeze. "I called the paper and asked for you, and they told me you were in the hospital. I'm so sorry you aren't feeling well. Are you better? Here. I brought you a little present."

In her hand is a black gift bag, tied with a cascading, curly, shiny black ribbon. She holds it toward me and I accept it, unsure of whether I should open it now, or what. She plops down on the lounger next to mine and smiles.

"Thank you," I say, curious what's in the bag. It feels awkward to accept a gift from a woman who is in love with my boyfriend, but her expression is so joyful and eager that I smile, too.

"Open it!" She claps her hands together like a little kid. "Please? Don't wait."

I dig into the bag, extracting yards of black tissue, then reach inside. "It's a..." I pause to inspect the item. "A coloring book. And pens!"

The book itself is a large, beautiful volume of mandalas "for adult coloring and emotional therapy," it says on the side. The pens are obviously expensive, and in rich, jewel tones. It's honestly the sort of thing I'd want to buy for myself — totally frivolous — but wouldn't dare spend the money.

"I thought you might want to disconnect for a little while. Coloring always helps me. I put on my headphones, listen to my favorite music, and zone out. I also thought you'd love the colors, something told me that you like bold reds and blues. I felt that in your aura."

I look at her, touched that she's put so much thought into this gift. I'm not an aura-believing person and am surprised that she is. "I love it. Thank you."

She grins wide, as if she just found out that she aced an exam. She's quite pretty when she smiles. Less severe.

There's something about Catherine that's compelling, and I can't put my finger on it. It's as if she wants to be my friend, and under any other circumstances, I'd be in favor of that. But the fact that she's so enamored with Gabriel gives me pause. Why is she being so nice to me?

She settles back onto the lounger, shielding her face from the sun with her hand as she studies my face. She's wearing dark sunglasses so I don't know why she's bothering to avoid the sun. "When I talked to Gabriel, he told me you had a bad infection. Is everything okay?"

She spoke with Gabriel? When? Why hadn't he told me? "Yeah, I'm okay now. It was a kidney thing. I'm mostly tired."

"Ooof. Those can be awful. You need to hydrate. Where's your water?"

The corner of my mouth quirks up and I reach for my giant water bottle, holding it up. "You sound like Gabriel. He made Andre buy this big-ass jug just for me. I've been told to drink seventy-two ounces a day."

Catherine's laugh soars through the air. "He's such a micromanager. Gabriel, I mean. I'm shocked he isn't here, hovering all over you. I could hear the worry in his voice when I spoke with him. That man is smitten with you. I hope you know that."

Well, at least she is acknowledging the obvious, but I still don't know if she has an ulterior motive. "He had to work, that's why he's not here. There's been a lot going on lately, and not just with me."