Chapter 9 #2
As we enter the Corinthian, Damiano is greeted with a deferential, “Mr. Barone,” from a man I presume is the manager.
I’m introduced as his sister, and the manager shows us up to the penthouse in the private elevator.
I feel a tingle of anticipation as Damiano secretly strokes my waist behind the man’s back.
Just what does my brother have planned for us in a penthouse hotel room at night?
“I will send your guests up as soon as they arrive, Mr. Barone,” he’s told, and then the man leaves us.
I turn to Damiano. “Our guests?”
With a mysterious smile, Damiano carries the briefcase into the master bedroom and beckons for me to follow him.
He puts it on the bed, unlocks it, and reveals the contents.
They sparkle like nothing I’ve ever seen before.
It’s jewelry. Dozens of pieces of fine jewelry.
Necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, all stunning and of high quality, and perfectly cut and mounted.
“These are beautiful,” I breathe.
“Almost as beautiful as you.”
I raise my eyes to his. “Are they stolen?”
Damiano rubs his slightly stubbled jaw, lips curving in a smile. “By the Barones? No. By the previous owner, or the one before that? Possibly. Probably. They were given to Dad by various people to pay off loans and discharge favors. Now, they can only be sold privately.”
He lifts a platinum necklace with both emerald and round-cut diamonds and fastens it around my throat.
Fine jewelry. This side of the Barone crime family business is perfect for me, and Damiano has no idea how much.
I didn’t just take up shooting and kickboxing as my hobbies.
I wanted to go to college, but Mom refused, saying that most degrees would be a silly waste of time for me, and I should learn to cook or keep accounts.
I loathe cooking, and spreadsheets make me cross-eyed, but I researched other courses.
History. Literature. Art. My attention was snagged by a course in gemology and jewelry design, which needed both technical and artistic skills.
I thought I could do well at it, and it seemed like something our family might value.
Mom is always dripping in jewels, and because learning about jewelry seemed harmless to her, she agreed.
I don’t think Damiano ever noticed what I was studying.
I move over to a mirror and stroke the diamonds around my throat as I examine them closely. They look like VVS1 or VVS2 quality. Maybe even FL. Flawless. “Beautiful. This necklace must be worth close to two hundred thousand dollars.”
Damiano checks the notes from the briefcase, and his eyebrows lift in surprise. “That’s exactly what it’s valued at, one hundred and ninety thousand. How did you know that?”
I smile and shrug one shoulder. I’m not ready to admit how easy this is going to be for me. “A lucky guess.”
He puts the notes aside. “A dozen very rich and dangerous men will soon be arriving to bid on these jewels, but maybe tonight will be too tame for you. No exploding warehouses. No shoot-outs.”
I turn back to the case and examine the jewelry, pretending to be only mildly interested in them. “It’s fine. I presume you want me to model the jewels for these rich and dangerous men?”
“Yes. They’ll fetch an excellent price on their own, but with you modeling them, we can make the price skyrocket. If you find that insulting, I’ll understand.”
“I’m not insulted in the slightest. This is the perfect first night on the job for me.”
He smiles. “Wonderful. Be sure to stay on your guard. This is an auction, but you never know how things are going to go down.”
I step closer to my brother, put my hand inside his jacket, and feel the gun holstered under his arm. “Can I have a gun?”
He smiles down at me. “A gun doesn’t go with that outfit, my love. Some Barone soldiers will be arriving soon. We’ll protect you.”
After the warehouse explosion, I know he means it.
I can be so much more than a living jewelry stand tonight, but this is an important first step for us. I return his smile as a thrill of excitement goes through me. “Then let’s make some money.”
“The jeweler will be arriving soon, and then we can set up.”
But the jeweler doesn’t arrive, and Damiano paces up and down while he tries to reach the man on the phone. Finally, he puts his phone away with a muttered curse. “What the fuck am I supposed to do now?”
“We have the jeweler’s notes. I’ll introduce the pieces and point out what makes them special, and you can run the auction.”
Damiano thumbs through the paperwork. “I don’t know, Lucy. Some of this stuff looks complicated.”
“I can handle it,” I assure him, suppressing a smile. “Tell me in which order I should model the pieces, and I’ll remember the carats and reserve prices.”
Damiano assesses the case of jewels while rubbing the back of his neck and looking bewildered. “I have no idea about the order. The jeweler was supposed to take care of that.”
“Then I’ll choose. To start with, something high quality and eye-catching.” I select a heavy ruby pendant and put it on, nestling the sparkling red stone between my breasts. “What do you think?”
Damiano caresses the ruby, and his touch lingers, warming the stone.
“Beautiful,” he murmurs, his eyes growing darker and heavy lidded.
I know he’s remembering what I look like naked.
Right now, he’s imagining what I’d look like naked wearing just this ruby necklace.
Has he been dreaming about how I tasted?
How it felt to be one thrust away from burying himself deep inside me?
Damiano’s fingers move lower. He cups my breast and rolls his thumb over my nipple through the black velvet, making me shiver in pleasure.
I’m not picky where and how I lose my virginity, as long as it’s to him.
I don’t need rose petals and candlelight.
Bent over a king-size bed in the Corinthian, Damiano’s hand clamped over my mouth while he fucks me fast and hard with a dozen men waiting for us in the next room sounds amazing, actually.
He makes me so wet that I doubt it will hurt for longer than one thrust, and then it will be all pleasure.
There’s the sound of the elevator opening. A moment later, Dad rounds the corner and sees us, followed by four of his men in suits.
Damiano snatches his hands from my body and steps away. One day, he won’t have to hide what I mean to him. He’ll be able to touch me without pulling away like he’s been burned.
“Dad. We agreed I’d run the auction tonight,” Damiano says.
I pretend to be fascinated by the jewels in the case. Dad glares at me and then turns to my brother. “What is your sister doing here?”
I calmly reach for the ruby earrings that match the pendant and fasten them to my earlobes.
“What does it look like she’s doing? Lucy’s helping me.”
“You know the rules. You do not involve our women in our business.”
“It’s a jewelry auction, and Lucy’s beauty makes these stones even more precious. I made a business decision.”
Dad’s opening his mouth to tell Damiano that I can’t stay, but Damiano speaks over him. “The jeweler bailed. I need Lucy.”
Dad closes his mouth. “Fine. Afterward, take her straight home. You and I will speak about this tomorrow.”
I cast Damiano a worried look, hoping I haven’t gotten him into trouble. There’s no time to think about it now because the guests have started to arrive, and Dad and Damiano go and meet them.
I’ll just have to make sure tonight goes perfectly so Dad has nothing to reproach my brother for come tomorrow. I’ll prove I can be an asset to this family.
I study the jeweler’s notes and lay the pieces out in the order that I’m going to present them. When Damiano comes to say that they’re ready for me, I emerge from the bedroom and head down the corridor, tucking my blonde curls behind my ears so that the ruby earrings can be seen.
In the large sitting room, a dozen hard-looking men in suits with tattoos peeking out beneath their sleeves are settled into the sofas and armchairs, sipping from tumblers of whiskey.
There’s only one other woman present, around twenty-five and wearing a low-cut dress.
The man she’s with is in his fifties. He’s wearing a wedding ring, and she isn’t.
I take a seat in the armchair that’s facing the room, demurely crossing my legs at the ankles. With a smile, I tell the men about the ruby set, pointing out the high-quality stones, the unique design, and the provenance of the pieces, which is French. I recognized the maker’s mark.
As I speak, I look around, and I realize I recognize some of the men. My best friend Adora’s older brother is here, a big man with tousled golden hair. Cristiano Montoni is handsome and appealing, until you notice his cold, hard eyes. He’s the new Montoni don.
Don Vincenzo Vici, a sleek, dangerous assassin, is here as well, but sitting as far away from Cristiano as possible.
The previous Montoni don, Adora and Cristiano’s father, murdered his family.
Despite this, the bloodthirsty man married my sweet friend.
I wonder why he’s here tonight. He’s not a man I expected would be interested in expensive jewelry.
Damiano starts the bidding at the reserve price while I sit with my hands loosely clasped in my lap, smiling at the men. Dad’s expression is sour, but I’m determined to show him that I am an asset, not a hindrance.
The set sells for nearly twice the reserve price. Damiano catches my eye as I get to my feet, and I can tell he’s pleased. My head is high as I leave the room to put on the next set.