Chapter 2
two
The sugary liquid drips from the collar of my black silk shirt.
I don’t blame her, I deserved it. In my defense, the moment I saw her flawless caramel skin and crimson red lips, I was aching to feel them wrapped around my cock.
Her wild curls frame her face, pulled back in a way that keeps them out of her eyes but barely tamed.
Damn, this woman is a fucking stunner. It’s a shock to find a woman so uninterested in crawling on her knees the moment she sees my face.
I’ve spent decades with women kneeling at my feet, begging for a taste of the Arsenio Empire and everything it offers.
They don’t want me. Not the real me, at least. Hell, they don’t even know me.
They just want the money, the cars, the expensive clothes, and the jewelry.
And of course, the drugs. They all want the drugs.
But here, no one knows my name. For once in my life, there are no sycophants lining up to kiss my ass.
I’m really not sure how to handle it. There have always been those who criticized my father for marrying my mother and naming me as his heir, however, no one dared cross the man.
He ruled with an iron fist until the day we laid him into the ground.
He would be ashamed to see what I’ve made of this family.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve generated billions for Fortuna Nera.
I’ve grown our reach far beyond the borders of Italy.
Yet there are plenty of those, mainly my uncles, who don’t believe the Arsenio line should ever have mixed with the Spanish.
That I simply shouldn’t exist. My own flesh and blood believe I shouldn’t be alive, but in this business, it’s not something one would find surprising.
Yet here I am, standing in this fucking coffee shop in some backwater town in South Carolina. Covered in iced coffee because I can’t control my mouth.
“This fucking guy?!” she screeches. “I think the fuck not.”
The coffee shop cleared out quickly, leaving Helo, the irate barista, and myself here alone.
“Well, she certainly has a mouth on her, doesn’t she?” I smirk, not helping my case at all.
“If you want somewhere to live, you’ll shut the fuck up while you’re behind.” Helo says out of the corner of his mouth.
He grabs a few napkins from the counter, shoving them in my direction before whispering something to the fuming barista. She gestures wildly back at him, obviously not happy with whatever he’s telling her. She is glaring daggers at me over his shoulder, making my cock twitch in my pants.
Fuck, I love a feisty woman.
This is not the reason I’m here. I need to focus on regrouping.
On figuring out what the hell is going on inside Fortuna Nera and eliminating the cancer inside my operation.
Just thinking about it makes me want to put a fucking bullet in my skull, but I know it must be done.
As my father always taught me, like all things in life, there is no end until death.
“Please, allow me to start again. I apologize for my behavior. I have travelled a long distance, and I am quite tired. But I make no excuses. I am Sebastian. It’s very nice to meet you, miss…?” I ask, interrupting Helo and stepping around him to offer her my hand.
She crosses her arms over her chest, pushing her tits up. It takes a ridiculous amount of self-control to keep my eyes trained on her amber ones, but I manage. Her expression doesn’t budge.
“This is Vanessa Diaz. She is the woman kind enough to offer to rent the apartment above the coffee shop to you, so play nice, please?” Helo says, glaring back at me.
I give him a short nod before retracting my hand and sliding it into my pocket. The tiny gold hoop in her nose glints against the light as her nose twitches, and I stifle a smile.
“Well, I would appreciate the space. However, I’m happy to have anywhere to change out of this shirt at the moment.” I smirk.
Her eyes gleam, something devilish banked there, but she doesn’t apologize.
“You’re welcome to change in the bathroom over there after you clean up this mess off my floor.
I’ll grab the rental agreement if you two want to have a seat at the table by the window.
We can go over a few things.” She doesn’t ask, she demands.
I’ve never cleaned a floor in my fucking life, but for this woman, I’m actually considering it.
She throws a towel across the counter at my chest, and I catch it, completely speechless.
Helo stands next to us, watching the exchange with an expression that is equal parts amused and concerned.
I’m sure, for her safety. He’s seen me cut off a man’s finger for pointing it in my direction.
Yet here I am, crouching to the floor to clean the disaster of ice and coffee she threw my way, and I almost want to laugh about it.
“She has a…commanding presence, doesn’t she?” I scoff, and Helo just laughs.
“I’ll make sure the paperwork is in order, you just change into something a little less dark roasted.” he says, sitting at a table by the window.
I drop the wet towel into the sink behind the counter as she watches me like a hawk out of the corner of her eye. She really is a beautiful woman. How a woman like that ended up in this town is a mystery to me. But hell. I’m stuck here, too.
Walking to my car, I grab a clean shirt out of the bag I quickly threw in the trunk in my hurry to leave Florida.
Bundled underneath the minimal amount of clothes I was able to bring along is the one possession I refuse to travel without.
I shove it back down to the bottom of the bag, refusing to think about it right now.
There are definitely more pressing matters at hand.
Not bothering to change inside, I strip the wet shirt off, tossing it in the trunk and slipping on a clean one. I opt for white this time, hoping to make me look less like the devil as a dry laugh sounds behind me.
“You really should be more careful doing that in broad daylight, you know. The old biddies would probably have heart attacks. It’s not every day a tattooed Italian adonis strips in front of a coffee shop in this town, Seb.” A soft, feminine voice says from the storefront behind me.
“Ah, Miss Willow. How lovely to see you this morning. I would apologize, but I’m not sorry.
I would rather you be able to see all of this than have to see only your husband for the rest of your life.
” I smirk, dragging the t-shirt down my abdomen slowly.
Willow, Helo’s wife, is the manager of the tattoo shop next door, and over the years of our business connections, I’ve come to know her well.
“I’m good. One cocky, dominating man in my life is more than enough, thanks.” She laughs, waving as she walks back into the shop.
Pushing open the door to the coffee shop, I find Vanessa and Helo sitting at the front table, looking through the contract together. She glares at me but says nothing as I pull out the remaining chair next to them and sit down.
“Contracts are nothing new to me, so shall we begin?” I suggest, and Vanessa rolls her eyes.
“Listen here, Mr. Fancy Pants. This is my circus and these are my monkeys. So how about you chill the fuck out and answer the same questions I ask every potential tenant, and then we’ll see where it goes from there, okay?
” Vanessa straightens her spine, posturing herself to show she’s the boss in this situation.
If that’s what she needs to move this encounter along, then so be it.
“Very well, Ms. Diaz. I will answer any question I can. Within reason, of course.” I responded, giving Helo a pointed look. Surely he’s given her some insight as to why I’m here, right?
“Look, maybe we’ve all gotten off on the wrong foot here. Sebastian won’t be able to disclose all the information you typically request, but I can vouch for him. He won’t be a problem, Ness, I promise you that,” Helo states, and I nod.
“You’ll barely know I’m here, Ms. Diaz. And the rent won’t be an issue. I have some…problems to sort out with my business, and once that is settled, I will be on my way.” I tell her. She narrows her eyes at me, unsure if I can be trusted, I’m sure.
“How long should I expect these problems to take to get sorted out? It takes time to list the space and advertise. Should I be expecting you to leave in the middle of the night a week from now? Or will you give me at least thirty day’s notice?” she asks, sarcasm evident in her tone.
“I will pay six months in advance, regardless of how long I’m here. In cash. At the end of six months, we can reevaluate. Sound fair?” I suggest.
Her brows raise in surprise, and I smile internally, glad I finally feel like I’ve gotten the upper hand on her. I may manipulate people to get what I want from them, but I’ve never cheated any hard working coffee shop owners out of their money, and I don’t intend to start with Vanessa.
Besides, the amount I would pay in six months for rent is nothing compared to the thousands it would cost to pay someone to get rid of her body.
“Fine, but you bring a prostitute to my rental and you’re paying an additional cleaning fee.” She snaps, scrawling her name across the contract and pushing her chair back with more force than necessary. She clearly doesn’t care for me. Helo drops his head back in exasperation, but I can only laugh.
“I’m not sure how you pissed her off so quickly, but I’d play nicely, Sebastian. You might need her help.” He suggests, and I scoff.
“I think I’ll survive without a venti cappuccino, but thanks for the advice.
Now, I believe you and I have some more important business to discuss?
” I sign my name on all the necessary lines that seem like little more than a formality to rent the four walls upstairs.
Moving on to my business, I push the contract away and listen as Helo slowly dismantles the world I’ve worked since birth to build.