Chapter 35
I’ve been absent the last two days, negotiating business deals for our new restaurant, Divino, opening in Boston. The location may have been influenced by Nova, her love for Italian food and Boston combining to launch our expansion out of the west coast.
Enzo and I traveled with Nova when she went back to see her mother last Christmas and I would be lying if I said the city didn’t grow on me a bit. The city boasts an alluring combination of outdoor activities with a robust metropolis. It’s truly the perfect place to launch our eastern endeavors.
It also happens to be a space for prime trafficking which, if Enzo and I can integrate into the community seamlessly, hopefully we can begin turning the tables for those girls as we’ve done in Seattle.
Currently, Divino has two locations, the first and largest being in Seattle and the second being in Los Angeles.
We opened the restaurant as a way to launder money from our father, and as our empire grows, so does our need for expansion.
Father has notably taken interest in our monetary growth, not realizing most of it has been siphoned from his own dealings.
But when he grew suspicious, the restaurant combined with the earnings from HELL quelled his paranoia.
The house is quiet with Father also being away. It’s a surreal atmosphere in the home I grew up in. His absence illuminates the space. A moment for Enzo and I to breathe unrestricted.
And consequently, a moment for me to apologize to Lucy.
There are certain feelings I must clarify with her.
Feelings I realize I’m denying and pushing to the side, but feelings I cannot allow to grow in an environment such as the one I have and always will live in.
I’ve agreed to let her stay, but I must make it known to her that I cannot continue any sort of intimate relationship.
The past events between us were…a mistake.
Enzo has seemingly fallen hard for the doctor, but his heart is fickle.
The glamour will fade and soon she will be as transparent as the next fling.
Although, I will admit I have never seen him as entranced as he is.
At the end of the day, I trust Enzo will keep our oath.
Weaknesses are not something we can afford.
The idling car sits outside the front door of the mansion, waiting for Quintin to bring Lucy down. I notified him of my arrival and asked him to retrieve her, but what I was not expecting was my brother.
Although, based on her sullen expression and the enraged one on his, I would say there is already trouble in paradise. Quintin goes to open the passenger door, but Enzo rips it from his grip, motioning Lucy inside as he glares at Q.
Childish behavior.
Quintin merely nods and steps back as Lucy sits gently, straightening her jacket and crossing her heeled feet at her ankles. “Hello, Rafael.”
“Lucy.”
“The fuck are we doing?” Enzo snaps as he climbs in the back, slamming the door behind him.
“We, as in Lucy and I, were going to dinner.”
Enzo leans forward, his head taking up the empty space between the two front seats. “No. We,” he motions his finger between all of us, “are going to dinner.”
One thing I’ve learned from growing up with my twin is I must carefully pick my battles and this one is not one I have the energy for tonight.
“Where are we going?” Lucy asks. I notice she’s lost the lightness in her tone. She sounds defeated. Where has her beautiful fire gone?
“Divino, have you heard of it?” Sliding the car into drive, I pull out toward the road. Glancing in the rearview mirror, I catch Enzo’s irritated gaze in the rearview mirror and ask without words what happened. He simply shakes his head, shame crossing his face.
“That's the restaurant you and Enzo own. Is it good?”
“If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t be taking you there. The restaurant exclusively serves animal organs.”
She looks at me, doe-eyes wide with horror, “Excuse me?” There’s the little spark I was missing.
I chuckle, looking back to the road so I don’t kill us on the way. “I’m joking. I only wanted to bring you out of your head a little, bellissima.” My attention pulls toward her like a moth to a flame and I catch her attempting to hide a smile. “I thought you could use a night away.”
She continues to observe the dark night through the windshield, leaving me without a verbal response.
But her body tells me everything I need to know.
Her fingers play with the sleeve of her sweater, pulling at a string.
A nervous habit. My hand comes down automatically, landing on hers and halting the destruction of the cashmere blouse. “Stop.”
“I-I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize, but I can’t let you destroy something so delicate. Here.” Rotating my wrist so my palm faces her, I glance down at it. “See the three deep lines in my palm? Trace them with your fingers. It will help.”
The feather light traces of her fingertips send shivers down my spine as she repeats the strokes again.
Keeping my attention on the road ahead of us seems impossible.
My ears pick up every slight noise leaving the passenger seat of my car.
The release of a sigh, the creaking of the leather when she shifts her weight and relaxes further into the seat.
“Better?”
“Better,” she answers, continuing to trace those three lines, refusing to relinquish my hand.
When we arrive, I pass the valet my keys and another attendant opens the door for Lucy.
Enzo opens his own door, fixing his jacket and rolling his shoulders.
He reaches for Lucy’s, but she pull away.
They share a moment of intense eye contact, having a silent conversation amongst themselves before she gives in and allows him to intertwine his fingers with hers.
We are led to my private table in the back, a small round booth only large enough for three to four people. I sit first and Enzo motions for Lucy to slide in next, placing her between us.
The waiter, already familiar with my order, brings us a bottle of the finest red we serve. He pours three glasses, and I reach for it, taking a sip to calm my mind.
Enzo, the monster he is, takes large gulps of the deep crimson liquid and Lucy simply swirls it, then sniffs it, but she doesn’t take a drink. “Do you not like wine?”
“No…well, I don’t know. I’ve never tried it.”
“Try it.” I motion and she does, lifting the glass. The liquid stains her lips as she pulls it into her mouth. I force myself to look away from such a delectable sight before I lean in to discover what wine would taste like coming from her mouth.
Her nose scrunches slightly as she shakes her head and licks her top lip, cleaning up the remnants I was desperate to devour.
Fuck, I need to rein it in. I’m meant to let her down tonight, not lay her down.
“Wine fucking sucks,” Enzo chimes in and I’m fully released from the temporary hypnosis Lucy had me in.
“It’s an acquired taste,” I correct and the waiter returns with our menus. He lists off the specials of the night and as he does, Lucy’s mouth pops open slightly, clearly overwhelmed with the options.
I order my usual and Enzo his but Lucy orders one thing, only to change it at the last moment. By the time she’s changed her order for the third time, I’ve had enough.
“A sampling of everything, please.”
“Yes, sir.” The waiter lets out a breath, clearly relieved and walks away.
Finally, knowing I’ll have moments of uninterrupted time, I begin what I brought her here to do.
“Lucy, I must apologize for what you witnessed in the library last we saw each other. I was not myself and I’m afraid I’ve let our relationship grow beyond what I intended.
I don’t want you to have certain expectations I simply cannot meet. ”
“For fucks sake, Rafael,” Enzo says, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his fingers. “What my brother means to say, is he allowed himself to feel something for once in his fucking life and now he’s scared shitless.”
“That’s not—”
“It’s okay, Rafael,” Lucy says, resting her palm on my arm. I track the motion, but soon find myself locked onto those full lips. “I know my time here with you all is temporary.”
Enzo’s brows furrow, his jaw tightening at the mention of the word temporary, but he doesn’t say anything. “Temporary is all Enzo and I can give. But it doesn’t mean we don’t care. In fact, it means we care more than you could imagine.”
“She’s not—”
“Enzo,” Lucy silences him with one word. “I don’t want to do this tonight. I want to enjoy a night with two handsome men who…care about me.”
I glance at Enzo and hold his stare for moments, both of us agreeing to one thing.
Whatever she wants tonight, she gets. Tonight will be my last taste of Lucy Sinclair.
A taste shared with my brother. With all the depraved acts we’ve committed together, the bond we’ve forged through shared cruelty, caring for a woman as one seems the most natural way to… care.
Starting with a different drink, I snag the waiter’s attention and order our finest champagne. Enzo orders a whiskey on the rocks, which he invites Lucy to try but when she reaches for his glass he stops her, grabbing her wrist and pulling it to his mouth for a gentle kiss. “Not like that.”
Her brow creases as she tilts her head. But I read my brother’s intentions as soon as he asked her to try the whiskey. The little spark he gets when he’s wanting to play.
He takes a sip, holding the liquid in his mouth before wrapping his fingers around her throat. Pulling her close, he tilts her chin with his thumb and glances at me over her shoulder.
I gently pull the hair from her neck, inhaling her warm amaretto scent as I lean in close, whispering in her ear, “Open your mouth, bellissima.”
She immediately obeys and Enzo lets the amber liquid drip onto her lips and tongue, a few drops trickling down her chin. When he’s finished, he closes the distance and kisses her slowly. Licking the drips off her chin when he’s finished sharing whiskey kisses.