Lucian (15 page)

Jordyn pushed her plate away. “Anything else?”

“Just a little thing, nothing big,” Lucian muttered. “You might hear things that won’t seem right, and you’ll know it isn’t. This man coming here is a high ranking city official. The last thing he should be involved in is the Cosa Nostra. Everything and everyone is corrupt in one damned way or the other, especially in New York.”

“So, turn cheek?”

“I’d appreciate it. I get why you wouldn’t want to have a front row seat to this if you don’t. It’s not exactly the same thing as people dropping off an envelope and going without you hearing much or understanding what’s happening. If that’s the case, and you don’t want to, you’re more than welcome to go chat with the chef while my guest is here.”

Jordyn tipped her chin up, a defiant glimmer in her gaze. “Hearing and not telling of a crime makes me an accessory, doesn’t it?”

Lucian snorted under his breath. “No one said anything about a crime happening, sweetheart.”

“You didn’t say it wasn’t, either.”

“No, I didn’t. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

Jordyn rested back into the chair. “I think I’ll stay with you.”

Inside, Lucian’s confidence in this woman might have swelled more. “Good. I want you on this side of the table with me, then.”

She was slipping in beside him without any more encouragement.

Lucian took the next ten minutes to call the head chef of Cazzo back into the dining room. The table was cleared of the tray and leftovers, the dessert menu sorted, and a request for two tumblers of Grey Goose and red wine ordered to be brought out when his guest arrived. Lucian’s attention was back on Jordyn for the short time they had left alone.

As expected, Lucian’s guest was on time as the man always was. Punctual to a fault, Frank Deveroux was never late. Like their arrangement always had been, the chef let the man in through the back entrance to minimize Frank being seen walking into a restaurant owned by a known Mafioso. In his early fifties, Frank didn’t look a day over forty-five, as he was fit, tall, and always smiling. It was why the public liked him as much as they did. It was hard to find fault in a charismatic man.

Lucian stood to greet him, keeping his hand firmly seated in Jordyn’s to urge her up with him. “Frank, it’s good to see you.”

“Lucian.” Frank grinned, shaking the hand Lucian offered. “You know you’re my favorite of all the Marcello boys.”

“Liar. Gio is, and we both know why.”

“Well, he does know how to provide a good time. Who’s this lovely thing?” Frank asked, sticking out his hand to Jordyn.

She took it immediately.

“This is my Jordyn,” Lucian said. “And she is quite lovely, thank you.”

Jordyn waved the compliments off, smiling. Lucian could see it in her curious stare, though. She recognized Frank, but it wasn’t clicking straightaway. “Hello.”

“Sit, yeah?”

Frank nodded, pulling off his suit jacket before joining Lucian and Jordyn in their seats. The city pin on his tie glinted under the lighting, and Jordyn noticed it immediately. While the chef brought out the tray of drinks Lucian asked for earlier, Jordyn finally seemed to pick up on just who exactly this man standing across the table from them was. She squeaked low under her breath like a little mouse, her hand in Lucian’s tightening in her surprise.

“Jordyn, meet the Mayor of New York City.”

Jordyn took a moment to speak, glancing between the two men watching her inquiringly. “I think I missed something here.”

Frank chuckled. “No, I can assure you that you have not.”

Lucian did say the man was a high ranking city official.

You couldn’t much higher than the Mayor.

Lucian gestured towards his guest. “Frank has just about everyone in his pocket that he can. Judges, city officials, high-profile families, NYPD Captains all across the city. His family has a long legacy in New York, they’ve long been involved in the shipping district, and own a great portion of it. That helps in certain aspects of our business, needless to say. We’ve found while working together what works for us, often works to his benefit as well. We fund certain campaigns, help to keep the city out of debt, and in return, Frank keeps us … well, kept. It’s a good arrangement.”

“That it is,” Frank agreed, resting into his chair, vodka in his hand. “So, time for business, then?”

“Fun is over, unfortunately,” Lucian replied. “I know you’re running short on time, here.”

“I’ve got a half an hour or so. They watched me walk into a restaurant two blocks away, but they didn’t see me slip out the back and into a personal car. We’re good. Let’s get it done.”

Lucian mimicked Frank’s easygoing pose, but as he leaned back, he pulled Jordyn’s legs up into his lap, resting his hands on her crossed ankles. He stroked her calves while he spoke. She didn’t seemed to mind, and the new position kept her facing him while she sipped on red wine and listened to the conversation.

“The city is about to propose the new budget for their construction plans next year for the older government building renovations, yeah?”

Frank nodded. “Should be crossing the committee next week, actually.”

“What’s the cost estimate so far?”

“Ten million. It’s mostly roof work this time. Nothing excessive.”

“Ten million seems kind of excessive,” Jordyn said quietly. “That’s a big number.”

Frank offered her a shrug in explanation. “Once you factor in contracts and costs for a dozen buildings, it all adds up.”

“It does,” Lucian said. “But it’s always well overestimated, isn’t it?”

“It is,” Frank confirmed.

“Dante and Antony want in on the contractor side of it. At least ten percent of the final cost of the entire contract. Antony guaranteed a fifty percent return for you. When it comes time to draw up the list of contractors for the final job, their company needs to be on it.”

“Five-hundred-thousand isn’t bad,” Frank mused.

Lucian smirked. “Antony takes seventy of anything I, or anyone else makes, so no, it certainly isn’t.”

“A million is hard hide.”

“Then move it around. Ten smaller contracts divided between whatever. They have more than one company able to put their name on the docket. It’s easily hidden that way.”

Just by the distant stare Frank was sporting, Lucian knew he was considering the numbers and proposition of the deal. If it was worth it, if it could work, and how it all needed to be done to the very final end. Frank was particularly good with numbers and decisions. It wasn’t the first time they’d made one like this.

Staying silent to give the man his time to think, Lucian skimmed his hand up to Jordyn’s knee before rubbing back down to her ankle in the same, slow manner. That wine glass of hers tilted up to her lips once more to hide her growing grin.

Lucian had to admit he liked her there, listening and learning like she was. There were some aspects of their business better seen than talked about. This happened to be one of them.

“We can do that,” Frank finally said. “Gio and you aren’t looking to get in on this I take it?”

“No,” Lucian responded. “We like the shipping district, as we always have.”

“Ah, and that’s what I’m waiting for. Dates?”

“Next month. Three shipments will be coming in during the last week. Could be any day that week, depending on the weather,” Lucian explained. “Security needs to be loosened up in the west docks.”

“And me?” Frank asked outright.

“One-hundred per shipment, and I want them all in and out of the area before it’s paid.”

“That’s feasible. I’ll work the details out, and give you a call for confirmation. Anything else?”

Lucian shook his head, taking a quick drink of his Grey Goose. “No, but thank you for coming.”

“Always good to do business with you, Lucian. God knows the Marcellos are easier to work with than some of the more legitimate deals.”

“Well, that’s because we know what we want right from the start. Say hello to your wife for my mother, Frank.”

Frank smiled. “Will do.”

When Frank was gone out the back of the restaurant, and the chef had come out to refill their glasses, Jordyn shot Lucian with a sly smile. “Did I just watch you extort a piece of a construction contract for the city?”

“Something like that.”

Jordyn snorted. “It’s kind of like getting your name on a party invite list because you know someone up high, not because you were actually invited or anyone wants you there.”

“Except we’re not going to the party,” Lucian said indifferently.

“Oh?”

“Nope. On paper, it looks like we are. In actuality, we never show up.”

“So you’re saying …” Jordyn tilted her head to the side, considering. “Really?”

“
Sì, amore
. Antony and Dante just pulled in a five-hundred-thousand dollar payday and they won’t do a thing but have a cover company sign the paperwork. Brilliant, isn’t it?”

Jordyn laughed. “It’s so disgustingly corrupt.”

“Welcome to our New York, sweetheart.”

Lucian went back to the paperwork he still needed to finish before they could leave, keeping his eye on Jordyn all the while. There were ulterior motives behind him wanting her to sit in on his meeting with the Mayor, and that was mostly to gauge her reactions to some of his family’s more unethical dealings with people who were intended to be very ethical. After all, they weren’t just well-dressed drug dealers. There was a hell of a lot going on behind the scenes, too.

With her wine glass tipped up high to finish off the last bit of the red liquid, she was still sporting a sly, almost private, grin. Clearly she wasn’t any worse for wear over the meeting. She certainly wasn’t running for the hills, anyway. That said something.

Once again, Jordyn surprised him, but Lucian shouldn’t have been. She was proving to be more than capable of handling his lifestyle and profession.

Strangely, Lucian found he was turned on like nothing else because of that fact. It certainly helped that he had a great view of her shapely legs resting across his lap and he always did have a thing for women in heels. The pants he wore did little to hide the length of his cock already beginning to harden, though Jordyn’s attention was fully diverted from him for the moment.

Something was wrong with him, surely. It wasn’t like he cared.

Feeding into that hunger with her was as natural as breathing.

Lucian couldn’t stop himself from letting his hand roam back up her calf and over her knee before moving under her dress to the inside of her thigh. The smooth silkiness of her skin against his palm was divine. Instead of drawing his hand back down like before, Lucian left it on her thigh, squeezing firmly. Then, he roamed a little higher until the silk of her thong was just at the edges of his fingers.

Jordyn’s wine glass was set to the table as her thighs clenched around his hand, preventing him from continuing his exploration. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Lucian grinned down at his papers. “Feeling you.”

“Not here you’re not,” she half whispered, shooting a glance towards the kitchen area. “The chef—”

“Is well aware I don’t like to be bothered after meetings and is busy getting his stations prepped for his shift. He won’t even expect me to say goodbye when we leave.”

Jordyn whimpered a sexy sound when the tips of his fingers skimmed under her thong, feeling the soft, trimmed patch of hair that led to her sweetest spot. “Couldn’t we just … get out of here?”

Lucian chuckled, shaking his head. “Oh,
bella mia
. The reason we’re not already out of here is because I’ve been far too distracted staring at you and wishing I’d fucked you this morning to get my work done before my meeting. It’s really your fault if you think about it.”

Finally, her legs opened just enough to let his hand continue. Slowly, he slipped further between her thighs to cup her sex, stroking the silken, fleshy lips of her pussy and feeling her shudder at the action. Already he could feel her pussy was hot and wet under his touch, and it only made him that much harder at the thought.

“My fau—” Jordyn’s words were swallowed by a moan as Lucian’s fingertips brushed over the hood of her clit with barely any pressure at all. “Lucian!”

“Hmm?”

“God, you’re awful,” she groaned, cheeks turning the prettiest shade of pink.

“Sure, but it’ll be damn good for you, beautiful.”

The second time, the pad of his thumb circled her throbbing little nub before sweeping open the lips of her sex to slip down to the entrance of her sex. There, he let his thumb slide into her clenching channel, feeling her muscles hug the one digit and wet him with her juices.

“Your thong is drenched,” Lucian told her, letting only his thumb massage her inner walls. Every stroke of the digit was answered by her sex clamping around him, arousal soaking him more, and breathy pants. “You’re body responds so well to me, Jordyn. Feel that?”

Jordyn sighed, rolling her hips into his hand as the heel of her left pump bit into his thigh. She spread her legs open a bit more, a shake rocking her thighs. Being a lefty was sure coming in handy for Lucian. He pretended to flip through his papers with his left hand while his right worked her sex into a fever.