I shake my head in disbelief, which unintentionally releases my not-so-slicked back hair from its position, temporarily blocking the little vision I feel like I have left right now. Quickly, I run my hand through the center of my hair to put it back in place. I blink to make sure my eyes are not failing me, but sure enough, there stands the object of my depraved desires.
The walking, breathing embodiment of perfection. The commencement of my untimely demise if I don’t play my cards right. The rag doll in the flesh, standing here in my bar. Ms. Sienna Ricci.
I knew this moment would happen. I mean,fuck, I’ve made sure of it. However, in my planning for this very moment, when I could make myself known to her, I did not anticipate her being at The Sandy Claws. At least, not the night before her first day at the office.
A nervous chill takes over my spine as I try to remain stoic to disguise the unease building inside of me. Thankfully, Alex has snapped out of his mood toward Vanessa as he takes over the conversation I so rudely abandoned.
As she continues to make her way through the crowd, I can’t take my eyes off her. My gaze is glued to her, as if she were quicksand and I the helpless fool sinking.
“Sienna, I was looking for you!” Vanessa shouts over the blaring music, snapping me out of my trance.
Fuck, she is exquisite. Even in the dim light, she fucking shines. Equally as petite as her friend, Vanessa, though exceedingly gorgeous, with curves for fucking days. She is a vision of beauty that could summon desire from the dead. I swear just one look from her sultry, dark stare would be enough to make a saint sell his fucking soul to the Devil himself.
With her drink in hand, she gives Alex and I a quick side-eye before redirecting her attention to Vanessa. “Sorry, I went to the bathroom and got turned around. It’s kind of dark in here.”
Sienna shifts her stance onto her heels as she tosses her jet-black hair back, revealing a sliver of skin exposed from her off-the-shoulder dress. I notice throughout the collage of designs on her skin, there are long, delicate lines wrapping around her clavicle, with smaller horizontal lines going through each of the longer strokes of ink. She tucks a stray piece of hair behind her ear, and the same stitched design runs from her index finger and down through her wrist, as well.
“Yea, it’s dark as shit in here,” Vanessa agrees. “Not to mention, smoky.” She dramatically wafts her hand. “I can’t believe they allow people to smoke in here,” she complains.
I clear my throat, finding a way to insert myself in the conversation, while still proceeding with caution. It’s then, I realize, that I haven’t yet introduced myself to Vanessa, and by default, Sienna.
“I believe we are all adults here. So, if a patron decides to come into my establishment to pay for some drinks and decide they want to light up, who am I to judge?” I smirk, trying to mask the nerves I feel brewing.
“Oh, shit, sorry,” Vanessa says, straightening her posture, as if I’m going to scold her. “I didn’t realize you knew the owner of this place,” she huffs, looking at Alex.
“What can I say?” Alex shrugs. “Must have slipped my mind.”
“That’s because you always have a stick up your ass, Marino,” Vanessa says, playfully taunting him.
He darts his eyes at me, trying to signal how to proceed. He knows exactly who Sienna is and doesn’t want to make any abrupt moves to blow any covers just yet. Judging by the way Sienna’s seductive gaze is on me as she runs her hands through the ends of her thick, straightened hair, I can tell she has no idea who I am.
I make a conscious effort to have no images of myself in the tabloids or my website. I don’t want her figuring out who I am until tomorrow. I mean, I could tell her tonight, but where is the fun in that?
“Yes, this is one of my many business ventures. It used to be a church. I always felt a structure as distinctive as this would be best suited as a place people can indulge themselves after a long day, rather than feel guilty for their perversions. I had it converted, and here we are.” I raise my hands, emphasizing the unique ambiance that surrounds us.
“Cool,” Vanessa says, seemingly unimpressed.
“I had a feeling this was once a church. The architecture reminds me of cathedrals I saw traveling with my parents in Europe,” Sienna responds with a delicious smile.
Ah, yes. Of course, Matteo Ricci spent summers in Europe with his family. Say what you want about his reputation on the streets, but the man loved his family. Something my pathetic excuse of a sperm donor is incapable of.
Poor girl, she has no idea what I have in store for her. She may be all smiles now, but I know that the scars she wears go deeper than the ones she has painted on her skin. There is a darkness inside of her that lays dormant, and I intend to extract what she keeps hidden as I undo her seams, stitch by delicious fucking stitch.
I feel Vanessa’s icy stare on me as I’m entranced by her friend.
She steps slightly, creating a barrier with her body, blocking the full view I have of Sienna. Alex is right, she is going to be a problem.
Her suspicious scowl stays on me as she parts her lips to speak, “Well, hopefully, your friend, Alex has let you know that owner or not, smoking indoors is beyond frowned upon these days,” she reprimands, as she inches toward me once more, solidifying the barrier she has built between Sienna and me. “It’s kind of illegal, but you knew that already, didn’t you?”
Keeping her stern eyes on me, she steps back, releasing the imaginary wall she was attempting to build. She should know better, nothing and no one will keep me from Sienna. Not even her cop best friend. Vanessa flashes a smile, as if to soften her not-so-subtle warning, focusing her attention back to Alex, who is wide-eyed and staring at me, as if waiting for a cue on how to proceed with her and Sienna.
“Got it,” I snap back as I reach for … What’s that? Ah, yes, another fucking smoke. Vanessa may intimidate Alex, but she is going to have to try a lot harder to do so to me. This is my turf and I make the rules, not her and the arguably-more-corrupt precinct she works at.
Both Vanessa’s and Sienna’s jaws drop as I light a Parliament in front of them.
Reveling in the rage I see forming on Vanessa’s face, I turn my attention back to Sienna, who is noticeably fidgeting with her empty glass, swirling the ice around, as if in the hopes that the booze will reemerge.
I blow smoke out of my mouth and away from them, making sure to be considerate of Mrs. Officer, as I glance back at the bar, waiting to catch Jose’s attention.
