AllFreeNovel
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I ignore the voice in my brain to scowl at my crew.
"She's pissed, but she knows she's mine." I dare any of them to argue.
None of them do.
"Let's get the last two businesses set up." Neither owner had been around when we showed up earlier.
We're hitting both at closing.
"Theo, you and Bobby take the Vietnamese restaurant. Michael, You're with me."
Staying at the club would have meant waiting until tomorrow to hit the second location. We never go in alone.
Lucia needs time to cool off.
And I need time to figure out what to say to make her understand. Nothing I have said so far did the trick. She doesn't want to do business with criminals.
Gamó.
I'll change her mind. Once I figure out how.
I'd ask my brothers for advice, but Zeus is the one who insisted I collect the fucking protection tithe to begin with and Orion is better at poking the bear than soothing it.
I don't even consider asking my cousins. Both are man whores like Zeus used to be before he turned into The Monk. And the way they looked at me in my brother's office, neither understands how important Lucia is to me.
I'll figure it out. Lucia is mine and she's staying that way even if I have to cuff her to my bed.
My cock twitches at the image in my head. She would look beautiful spread eagle on my bed, her hands and ankles tied down.
LUCIA
Refusing to give in to the emotional pain that wants to take me to my knees, I force myself to work the floor like I do every night. I talk to patrons, check in with the DJ, help my bartenders keep the inventory stocked behind the bar and answer questions Willow can't.
All-in-all a typical Wednesday night. Only tonight, when it's time to clear the club, I am militant about getting everyone out. I instruct the DJ to make the announcement and then switch to soft jazz. We turn the lights up and I tell the staff and bouncers to hurry people on their way.
I want time to lick my wounds in solitude, if not peace. There is no peace trying to wrap my head around Atlas's betrayal.
Whether they can sense the mood under my calm exterior, or they're ready to go home themselves, everyone does their closing tasks quickly and without the usual joking around. When they are all gone, I lock the door, arm the alarm and then think better of it.
I turn it back off and reset the code to one Atlas doesn't know. I use the date of Tino's death. Another day when my world exploded around me.
Once the alarm is set, I head upstairs. On the way, I change the code on the door to the stairs to the date I married Tino. A reminder of the past and how naïve it is to trust a man with my heart. When I reach my apartment, I reset the unlock code to Lenny's birthday. This time it's a reminder of what is at stake and what my priorities have to be.
Walking inside the small space, I immediately regret coming upstairs. I should have slept in my office, even if I had to do it on the floor. Atlas's leather jacket is lying over the arm of the small sofa. His duffel is against the wall. The scent of his cologne lingers in the air but it's the memories that hurt the most.
The two hand-cast ceramic mugs he bought from the Farmer's Market because I like them sit on the counter waiting for our morning coffee. The table where we share breakfast and other things. My disloyal brain throws up an image of me riding him while he sits on one of the chairs at that small table.
It plays like a high-definition video in my head and it's not a fantasy, but a memory.
Another memory assaults me. Us making lo—having sex against the wall. Over the back of the couch. Him eating me out on that same couch.
I try to shake the memories loose, but the images won't stop and my heart shreds in my chest knowing I will never experience that level of sexual pleasure again. Worse, I will never know that kind of emotional intimacy.
It was fake for him, but it wasn't for me.
It wasn't for me.
My legs fold under me. There's no one here to see me give into weakness. I let myself fall to my knees, the tears I've been holding back for the last three hours coursing down my cheek.
