Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Luca
W hen the women left the table, I swirled the wine in my glass and regarded the man across from me. “I apologize if I caused trouble between you and your woman.”
D’Agostino lifted one shoulder. “Don’t worry. I like when she’s pissed at me. You told Vito you needed help with your cousin?”
“Niccolò has disappeared and I need him found. I’m hoping your computer experts can look at CCTV footage for me.”
“What reason could he have for disappearing?”
“I don’t know, but I’m being told he’s in custody. I don’t believe it.”
“If it’s true, this would be very bad for you,” D’Agostino said.
“It would, which is why I need to find him. Your people can use facial recognition software on video of the trains, parking lots, whatever. He can’t be that hard to find.”
“This takes time.” He met my gaze pointedly. “And money.”
“I have plenty of the second, but not much of the first.”
D’Agostino stared off into space and I wondered what he was thinking about. We didn’t know one another well, but I’d heard of his troubles with Ravazzani, the torture he’d endured. Many men wouldn’t emerge sane from such an ordeal, so I respected D’Agostino.
“I don’t want your money,” he finally said. “I want a marina. The big one.”
“Roccolletta?” I gaped at him. “Fuck off. No way am I giving up control of that marina. And why do you need a port? You’re already on the water.”
“Ravazzani controls most of the marinas on the eastern coast, save yours. It’s only a matter of time before he approaches you with a deal.” His smile turned predatory. “I would like him to negotiate with me instead.”
“What makes you think I would ever give up any of my marinas, let alone the biggest?”
“Ravazzani’s empire grows larger with each passing day. Which is bad for the rest of us.”
“If he tries, then I’ll reject his deal. You think I am unaware of his efforts to put a stranglehold on everyone else?”
“No, but you can’t withstand him alone. You’ll need allies.”
“An ally like you.”
D’Agostino rolled his hand meaningfully. “There are worse friends to have, Don Benetti.”
“You can’t have the entire marina.”
“Then I don’t know why we’re here.”
I sipped my wine and then carefully wiped my mouth. “Name something else.”
“There is nothing else I want.”
“I have a son close in age to your daughter.”
His brow wrinkled with disapproval. “Gia would have my balls if I agreed to an arranged marriage. She is very fond of my children. No, I want the marina.”
I didn’t think Gabriele would be fond of the idea either, so I didn’t push it. “I have construction contracts, business contacts. Members of the Italian government. Name it. ”
“I have already named it.”
Merda! I curled my hand into a fist, my mind racing. The marina was used for both illegal and legal imports, and every vessel paid a fee to me. Giving it to D’Agostino would be a huge loss. “It’s hardly a fair trade. Your men find my cousin, but I lose the marina for good? You ask too much. But we can compromise.”
“Meaning?”
“You can use it freely. My men will continue to oversee the traffic there, except for your business.”
He rubbed his jaw, long fingers stroking over his rough skin. A fingertip was missing from one of his fingers. “I’ll agree if there’s no time limit—and if you promise to come to me first if Ravazzani ever offers you a deal.”
“Agreed.” I offered my hand and we shook. “I’ll have my brother call Vito to work out the details.”
“Va bene.”
Just then the women emerged from the washroom and walked toward our table. I leaned toward D’Agostino and lowered my voice. “You hate him, don’t you?”
“More than you can ever know. But I also respect him, which is how I know he won’t be satisfied until we’re all out of business.”
We both rose and helped the women into their seats. Valentina remained quiet for the rest of the dinner. Even during dessert, she pushed the tiramisu around on her plate, not participating in the conversation. What happened in the washroom to sour her mood?
I paid for dinner and the group of us gathered on the walk to say goodbye. Surprisingly, Gianna hugged Valentina. “Remember what I said,” D’Agostino’s woman whispered in Valentina’s ear.
I frowned. Had Gianna said something about me?
I shook D’Agostino’s hand. “Sergio will be in touch.”
“Good. I’ll tell my brother to expect his call.”
They got into the limo and drove off. I considered my options and went with the simplest. Aldo and Carlo were talking at the curb, so I caught their attention and pointed north. Aldo nodded and I took Valentina’s hand and began leading her up the block. She glanced over at me. “Have they been here the whole time?”
“Yes.”
“How did I not notice?”
“It is their job to make sure no one notices them.”
“Where are we going?”
“You didn’t like your tiramisu, so I thought we would try gelato.”
“You know a gelato place here?”
I needed her closer. Letting go of her hand, I put my arm around her waist. “There must be one nearby, no?”
We soon found a gelato shop and they served the treat the true way—in a cup with a spoon. Not a cone in sight. Valentina chose chocolate, while I got blood orange. After I paid, we walked and ate silently, letting the sights and sounds of New York City surround us. I sensed she was working something through in her mind and I didn’t want to push.
Besides, she knew where I stood on the issue of her and me. My plans for the night hadn’t changed one bit.
“I like Gianna,” she said.
“I thought you might. She’s a ball-buster, like you.”
“Did you and Enzo work out whatever the issues were?”
“Yes.” D’Agostino hadn’t made it easy on me. I needed to warn Sergio of what we’d promised in exchange for D’Agostino’s help. “Which means you have my attention for the rest of the trip.”
“She said not to believe a word you say.”
I didn’t like it, but it was decent advice, considering her history with D’Agostino. “Have I lied to you?”
“Yes.”
“About my name, but I told you why I need secrecy. And you’ve already agreed to be mine. You cannot take it back.”
“Of course I can. I can change my mind anytime I like. I’m not going to be your mistress.”
Ah. Now her attitude shift made sense. This was what Gianna had warned her about. “I have a mistress back in Catanzaro. I don’t need another.”
Valentina gasped, then hit me in the arm with her gelato spoon. “Luca! What the fuck!”
“Did you think I was celibate?”
“No, but I’m not getting involved with you when you’re already involved with someone else.”
“I am not involved with her. I fuck her when it’s convenient for me.”
“Oh, my god,” she muttered around a mouthful of gelato. “Do you pay her?”
“It doesn’t work like that.”
“Then explain how it works, please.”
“I’m a busy man. My free time is infrequent and unpredictable. I don’t have the energy to find a woman every time the mood strikes. So Chiara is available when I need her. And yes, I pay for her villa.”
“What does she do the rest of the time when you’re not around?”
“I don’t know and I don’t care. We do not talk about our lives.”
“This is unbelievable. How did you meet her?”
“She was fucking one of my men. Then she came onto me.”
“And he didn’t care?”
“Of course not. He introduced us.”
“I don’t understand your world at all.” She dug into her cup for another bite of gelato. “How do you know she isn’t still sleeping with him or with another one of your men? Or anyone else, for that matter?”
I snorted. “Because I am the boss.”
“Which means, what? You don’t share?”
“Exactly.” I put my free arm around her and kissed the side of her head. “I don’t share, bella. Ever.”
“But I’m expected to share?”
“Why would you care?”
“Because it’s gross. And wrong. And misogynistic. ”
“I don’t understand. She is back in Catanzaro. What does this have to do with what is happening here?”
“It just does,” she snapped. “Are you planning to break it off with her?”
“No.”
She stopped in the middle of the walk, her jaw falling open. “You have got to be shitting me. You expect me to be okay with that?”
This was enough. I didn’t need to explain myself on the street. If Valentina wanted to have this conversation, we would do it privately. I tossed my half-full gelato cup in the trash. Then I took her elbow and led her to the car where Aldo and Carlo were standing. I opened the door. “Get in.”
“Aren’t we going to finish this conversation?”
“Yes, but I’m not going to do it on the street. Climb in, or I’ll put your sexy ass in there myself.”
She sighed but did as I asked. “Give us a minute,” I told my men.
They both nodded and put their backs to the car, allowing me privacy and also blocking us from pedestrians. I went around to the other side and got in next to Valentina.
Taking her empty gelato cup, I put it in a cup holder. “Tell me why this matters to you.”
“Does she think you’re still in Italy? Is she waiting around for you?”
The suggestion was ridiculous. “I don’t answer to her. Part of being the boss means everyone answers to me .”
She folded her arms and stared through the car window. “Well, I don’t answer to you.”
I put my hand on her thigh and slid it high under her dress. “Yes, you do, fiore mio. You’ve already agreed to be mine. And this means that I now make the rules.”
She tried to push my hand away, but I didn’t budge. I was stronger and needed to make a point.
“Stop it,” she said. “We’re fighting and I don’t want you to distract me.”
Ignoring her protest, I let my fingers creep higher and higher, relishing the softness of her skin. I wanted to bite her inner thigh, mark her as mine. Finally, I brushed the tip of my finger across her seam and we both inhaled a surprised breath. Dio mio . No panties. “Who makes the rules, Valentina?”
“Not you, if your rules include sleeping with me and other women at the same time.”
I pressed my lips to the spot behind her ear, then kissed down her jaw. “Dimmi, bella. Who makes the rules?” I whispered, caging her in with my body.
She clutched my tie in her fist, a good sign of her willingness. “What if I said we both do?”
I bit her throat lightly. “Then I would give you a demonstration to prove otherwise. Is that what you want? Right here on the street?”
“No.”
The single word was nothing more than a gust of air. Not very believable as far as protests went. I gave her slit another swipe with my fingertip. “Are you sure?”
She tugged me closer by my tie. “Kiss me.”
It was barely audible, little more than a breath, but I was more than happy to oblige. I tilted my head and slid my lips over hers. Her mouth was soft and welcoming and receptive, and she kissed me back with no hesitation. I let myself sink into her, blissfully unaware of everything around me as I flicked her tongue with mine. How long had it been since I’d last really kissed her? Not even twenty-four hours, yet it felt like decades. I’d missed the little sighs she made in the back of her throat and the way she turned soft.
She chased my lips whenever I readjusted, her grip on the tie almost strangling me. I petted her clit with the slightest of touches, edging her with a hint of what was to come. Her hips rocked, seeking, but I didn’t give her enough to satisfy either of us. That would wait until we were alone in the hotel and I could make her scream with pleasure.
I moved my mouth near her ear. “Who makes the rules? ”
“Luca. I’m serious. Don’t sleep with her again, not until you and I are finished.”
“Okay.”
“Grazie, baby.”
My chest tightened—a strange and unfamiliar reaction. I ignored it and gave her slit another brush with my fingertip. “Now, who makes the rules?”
“You do, Luca.”
The sexiest three words I’d ever heard. I kissed her temple, then knocked on the window to signal the boys to get in the car. “Va bene, fiore. Now I will take you to the hotel and fuck you.”