23. Von
F inding myself sandwiched between Bear and Lazzaro in the limo made me glad the drive to the strip club wasn’t long. When I came down, there’d been another round of freakouts about my dress from my brothers. Thankfully, the twins knew better than to tell me to change and the matter was settled. Until an argument erupted about who was going to sit next to me and a thumb war broke out. Bear crushed them all, but Lazzaro lasted the longest, so he was runner-up.
Relaxing in my seat, I crossed one leg over the other and tested the release of the blade on the back of my heel. The knife was meant to look ornamental, but it was a lethal fully functional weapon. Just another reason why you should never assume a woman is harmless simply because they couldn’t possibly hide anything in their dress.
“Damn, you always seem to have all the cool toys,” Lazzaro commented.
I grinned at him. “Well, I have to know what’s out there so I can find it for my clients. Plus, when they see me using cool shit, they always want to buy it, and what do you know, I’m the only one who knows how to get the goods.”
“Yeah, yeah, you’re a badass, we know. So, are you going to tell us the plan for tonight?” Matteo questioned, arms crossed as he continued to pout about not sitting next to me.
Setting both feet on the floor, I leaned forward and rested my elbows on my knees. “I’ll tell you part of the plan, but I need you guys to be in the dark so there’s no chance the surprise is ruined.”
“Do your boy toys know?” Matteo demanded, jerking his thumb at Erik and Apollo.
My brothers have always had this overprotective streak in them. It took them months to accept Bear and trust he would take care of me. So I wasn’t at all surprised to see them ganging up on Apollo and Erik.
Erik frowned and twisted to look at Matteo. “Why the hell didn’t you ask if Bear knew?”
Lazzaro and Matteo laughed, which only pissed Erik off even more.
“What’s the point of asking when we all know Von tells Bear everything? I’ve learned it’s best to assume the hulking shadow who’s attached to our sister at all times knows more than any of us,” Lazzaro explained.
“ You’re wrong. I don’t know what’s happening tonight, ” Bear interjected. “ The difference between you two and myself is I don’t question my goddess. My job is to watch her back and trust she knows what she’s doing. ”
The twins looked from Bear to me, waiting for an interpretation. I never expected those two to pick up sign language, but you’d think after so many years they’d figure out some of the basics.
“Wait, you two don’t know sign language?” Apollo accused, jabbing a finger at Matteo.
Matteo leaned closer to the door giving more space between him and Apollo. “No…”
“We already know four languages. Why would we need to learn sign? It’s not like Von comes around often enough for us to use it,” Lazzaro said with a shrug. “But what did he say, Vonnie?”
“Oh, nothing much, just that he knows everything because he doesn’t question my choices and trusts I know what I’m doing,” I shared.
Lazzaro scoffed. “Right, I’m sure that’s what he said.”
“It is.” Apollo and Erik said at the same time.
Their response shocked my brothers and had them exchanging looks.
“You both know sign language?” Matteo inquired.
“Of course, how could I be a good soul mate if I didn’t make sure I could communicate with one of the most important people to my treasure?” Apollo explained, sounding rather haughty.
Erik scratched at his beard as he gave me a questioning look. If I had to guess what he was asking, I’d bet it was to see if it was safe for him to admit he’d been in the military. My brothers might be idiots, but I knew no matter what, they would never betray me, so I gave my approval with a smile and a wink.
“I was special forces in the military and learned sign language there,” Erik admitted. “Never knew how handy it would be to communicate when you were in a situation where you couldn’t even risk a damn fart.”
This revelation earned Erik quite a bit of respect in my brothers’ eyes. They’d always wanted to join the military, but it wasn’t in the cards since they were taking over the family business.
Finally, the limo pulled up just outside the strip club. This was no shit hole on the side of the highway offering cheap entertainment. No, Speziata was the embodiment of lust, greed, and gluttony in every way possible. The club used a historic building that had once been a courthouse, with its marble stairs and pillars which had once been to intimidate those who had done wrong. Now the place housed every kind of debauchery money could buy.
“Remember, guys, I’m Evonnia, your little sister, the princess of the Zuccaro Family, who’s come home to spend time with her family. Bear is my bodyguard, while Erik and Paul are my companions who keep me company while I jet set around the world, spending all of Daddy's money,” I reminded everyone. “I need the new bloods not to see me as a threat. If they do, well, then it makes finding the men we’re looking for harder.”
Everyone gave their acknowledgment, then Lazzaro opened the limo door and stepped out. Being the gentleman he was raised to be, Lazzaro offered me his hand. Any other time, I would have slapped it away and cussed him out, however, this time, I was playing a part. I grasped his hand and let him pull me from the limo as I tucked my other arm behind me so I wouldn’t flash anyone, mainly Matteo.
A line of people was waiting to get in, but our group ignored them and headed for the entrance. Two huge men dressed in all red suits stood guard at the double doors. Off to the side, opposite the line, was a group of ten or so men wearing suits in various shades of black and gray. If I was a gambling girl, I would bet everything those were the new bloods.
“Laz, didn't I tell you I wanted them to show up at midnight?” I whispered as we reached the bouncers.
My brother looked at the men, nodded, then glanced at me. “I told them exactly what you sent me. It’s not like it will hurt anything for them to stand out here and wait, it will be a good lesson.”
I scanned the men quickly, not wanting them to catch me in the act. If I had to guess, I’d say the men’s ages ranged from eighteen to almost thirty. It was rare to see men past thirty- five go through all the work to be bled into the family. Most of our new blood were high school dropouts or recent graduates who hoped their knowledge in a certain area would give them a leg up. While special talents were desired, we made new bloods earn their place in our ranks to test their commitment and trustworthiness. You could have the biggest numbers out of all the other families, but if they weren’t loyal, none of it mattered.
The men didn’t budge from where they waited since neither of my brothers gave them permission to follow. For me, seeing something like that was a good sign, but I was curious as to why only ten out of the fifteen had arrived. Could it be there’s a divide between the new bloods? If that were the case, the twins had their work cut out for them. Then again, they’d have to notice something was up, and I wasn’t sure they’d figure it out on their own.
“Mr. Zuccaro,” one of the bouncers greeted.
“Evening, Samuel,” Lazzaro said with a smile. “Allow me to introduce my little sister, Evonnia. She’s in town for a couple of days, and I wanted to show off our newest venture into adult entertainment.”
I locked my innocent girl mask in place so my surprise at this announcement wasn’t noticeable. When the fuck did they buy this place? Hell, if I’d known the owner was open to selling it, I would have killed to swoop in and snap it up.
“Lady Zuccaro, it’s lovely to meet you,” Samuel said with a sultry smile as he reached out a hand.
Von would have responded with a snappy comeback and put the man in his place. However, tonight I was mafia princess Evonnia who loved attention of all kinds, so I placed my hand in his. Samuel pulled my hand to his mouth and kissed my knuckles.
“My, how gallant,” I simpered. “Something tells me you’re not simply a bouncer if my big brother knows your name and feels the need to introduce me.”
“Beauty and brains, as one would expect from someone in the Zuccaro Family.” Samuel praised in a tone I’m sure he thought was sexy. “You’re right. I’m not just a bouncer, I’m also the manager. We’ve had a few fights break out in the line the past couple of nights, so I decided to keep an eye on things personally.”
I looked up at Lazzaro as I pulled my hand free. “Where did you find such a dedicated worker, Laz?”
“Samuel was actually the assistant manager before we acquired the business. Although we discovered he was doing all the work for the full-time manager, so we fired him and put Samuel in his place,” Lazzaro explained with an expression of tenderness, playing up his brother complex.
Matteo stepped up to stand on my other side looking irritated. “Samuel, stop hitting on my baby sister, and let us in already.”
“Matty,” I scolded, whacking him on the arm. “I can handle myself, if I don’t want a man flirting with me, I’ll say so.”
Matteo grumbled under his breath as he crossed his arms. “I’m your brother, telling other dudes to fuck off is my job.”
I covered my mouth and laughed, trying to do it just like I’d seen Poison do hundreds of times. “Please forgive them, their little sister complexes come out anytime we’re at a club with other men around. It’s one reason I make sure to bring companions with me, otherwise, I’d have no one to talk to or dance with.”
“No need to apologize, if I had a sister who looked like you, I’d act the same way,” Samuel assured me, then pulled out a golden ticket from his inner suit pocket and handed it to me. “Give this to the girl at the ID check, and she’ll make sure you all get our VIP pin. Once you’re wearing the pin, your drinks will be on the house, lap dances are free, and you can reserve a private room for the night.”
“How do you make money if you’re giving everything away?” I questioned, making me wonder how many people get this treatment a night.
“There are only five golden tickets per week, and they are only given out at my discretion or at the owners’ request,” Samuel answered.
I plucked the ticket out of his hand with a hum of approval, and was fascinated to see the ticket didn’t just appear to be painted gold, it was made out of real gold. Doing so would certainly make it harder for someone to make a fake ticket. Samuel signaled the other bouncer, and they opened the door allowing us entry.
The pictures I’d seen online didn’t do this place justice. Red velvet curtains were hung from the ceiling to create a hallway that led you to the security checkpoint. The path was lit by lanterns which seemed to have been plucked out of Arabian Nights and hung from the ceiling. I knew they weren’t real lanterns, but the bulb flickered as if it were a true flame. My heels clacked on the marble floor, but the curtains dampened the sound so it didn’t echo throughout the building. The need to not draw attention to myself wasn’t something I could shake off after so many years.
“Good evening to you, Masters Zuccaro,” a woman in a sleek black dress greeted with a curtsy.
The woman was stunning with long, slim legs, graceful hands, and a face you wanted to see under you screaming your name. It was women like her who had me exploring my sexuality. Every time I’d been with a woman it had been fantastic, but I didn’t love it more than having a dick rearrange my guts. Then again, who said I couldn’t indulge in a treat once in a while?
“Lady Zuccaro, I presume,” she said with a genuine smile. “I’m Mina, the front-of-the-house coordinator. I handle everything related to what happens in the main performance area, but I’m also in charge of booking out the playrooms. Since we haven’t officially opened yet, you and your brothers get first pick. On this tablet, you can see what each room has to offer along with pictures.”
I took the tablet, skimmed over the options, and went back to see more detail about a few of them. “I’d like to reserve room number ten.”
“Excellent, will you need anything extra waiting for you in the room?” Mina inquired.
Flashing her a smile and showing off my tooth gems, I leaned in and whispered, “This is going to sound a little crazy, but if you could make sure there are about twenty or so forks, metal-tipped darts, a handheld staple gun, and a fake tail of some kind. It doesn’t matter what animal it is as long as I can attach it to someone somehow.”
Mina didn’t even bat an eye at my request. “No problem, we’ll get working on those things right away. When the room is set up, I’ll make sure one of my girls lets you know and shows you the way whenever you’re ready. Normally, the rooms are only booked out for a max of two hours, but since you are a VIP, it’s yours for the night.”
“Sounds good to me,” I said, looping my arm through Lazzaro’s. “Shall we head in?”
“Oh wait, I almost forgot,” Mina announced and rushed over to the check-in station. “Here are six VIP pins. I know most of the staff recognize you two Masters for the most part, but wearing one will make things run smoothly.”
I accepted the golden pin in the shape of a diamond with VIP etched into it. Unsure where to pin the damn thing, I froze, until a hand plucked the pin out of my hand. “Let me do it for you, little siren,” Erik murmured.
Thankful to let him take over matters, I waited as he pinned the badge near my left shoulder. It was probably the only spot you could put it since the right side was where the zipper was. Erik slipped one hand in my dress and used it as a shield to keep from stabbing me. The bastard also took the opportunity to run his fingers over the swell of my breasts, teasing me. My eyes fluttered at his touch and had me rubbing my thighs together.
God, would I ever reach the point where I’ve hit my limit on how much sex I can have in a day?
“Such a good boy,” I crooned and gave him a quick kiss. “Now let’s go have some fun.”