Chapter 58

LUCA

"I'm not doing anything," she told me. "I'm just trying to make conversation."

I almost believed her.

The problem was that Veda never just "tried to make conversation." She fought with me, or didn't speak to me at all, or she was sleeping. One of the three. As a matter of fact, she'd been way too pleasant this entire afternoon. It was making my ass itch. She was trying to get on my good side. But to what purpose? This relationship, fake or not, was going to end the same way, no matter what.

However, maybe it would be fun to play her game for a while.

"I grew up in New York," I told her.

“You don’t have an accent,” she commented, waiting for me to say more. When I didn't, she asked, "And how did you get here to Texas?"

I let my fingers brush the bare skin of her upper arm, watching with something akin to fascination as goose bumps trailed in their wake. "I killed someone I shouldn't have." I watched her expression as she took that in.

She took a sip of her soda. "Oh."

"And," I continued, "there was an opportunity here for our business. So, with my father's urging, I moved to Austin."

"He was trying to get rid of you?"

I shook my head. "He was trying to keep me alive. And avoid the wrath of the Russians until he could get things under control. It was a win-win situation. Now he travels back and forth between here and New York. And when he's not here, I'm in charge."

She stirred her drink with her straw, watching the bubbles float to the surface. "I don't suppose I can ask what your business is?"

"I run strip clubs." That was the public side of my business. She didn't need to know what I did illegitimately.

Her gray eyes shot to mine. "What kind of strip clubs?"

I fought the urge to smile. "Is there more than one kind?"

"Uh, yeah. There is. There's guys. Girls. Girls who were born as guys. Guys who were born as girls..."

"Girls," I said. "I run the kind with girls. I don't care if they were born that way or not. As long as they bring in customers."

Her mouth tightened with disapproval, or maybe jealousy? "Underage girls?"

"No. That would be human trafficking. And that's a fucked up thing to do. I would never get involved in that shit. All of my girls are over eighteen, clean, and work there of their own free will."

"Glad to hear you have some morals, at least."

"There’re a lot of things you don't know about me, amore." Like how every minute you’re with me makes it harder and harder to remember what I have to do.

She frowned up at me. "Why do you call me that?"

"Would you rather I called you 'Nicole'?"

"Fuck no."

I lifted one eyebrow.

"Fine. Call me whatever you want."

Ah, there was that bite. I'd missed it.

The waiter came with our pizza, and she was quiet while I thanked him and put two slices on her plate.

"Did you have friends growing up?" she asked.

Flashes of blood-splattered walls ricocheted around in my head. I set down my pizza and picked up my napkin, holding it over my mouth until the feeling passed. "Yeah. I did. I had three. Now I have two." The third had had his arms and legs sawed off with a rusty chainsaw right in front of me. He hadn't lived long after that. He'd died before we could get him to a hospital.

I felt Veda's eyes on me. "I'm sorry if I brought up something I shouldn't have," she said, her voice subdued as she watched me.

Picking up my pizza, I took a bite, using the time to get my shit together. That had happened over twelve years ago, when I was still young and cocky. I wasn't either of those things anymore. "You didn't do anything," I told her.

She put her hand on my arm, the warmth of her touch dragging my head out of that blood-soaked room and back to the present. Back to her. "I'm sorry, Luca," she repeated.

I stared down at her fingers, so delicate against the muscles of my forearm. "Eat," I told her. "We need to get back to the house."

Giving my arm a squeeze, she did as I told her, not questioning me about anything else.

Jesus fucking Christ. Digging my cell out of the front pocket of my pants, I called Tristan and told him to come and get us in ten minutes. Then I flagged down the waiter and paid the bill so we could leave as soon as we were ready.

The ride back to the house was as quiet as the ride into the city. Only this time, instead of staring out the window, Veda kept glancing over at me.

Finally, I turned and looked right at her. "Stop it."

Her eyes widened and she jumped back, startled.

I took a breath. "Stop sitting there staring at me like I'm some kind of poor lost puppy. Because I'm the furthest thing from it. My life hasn't been easy, Veda. People have died. Some of them in horrific ways. But I'm still here, and I plan to remain that way. So I'll do whatever I have to do to acquire that end. Don't pity me. I'm not a man you have to pity. I've done things that would give you nightmares for months if I told you about them." I leaned toward her, picking up a strand of her hair from where it lay over her breast, brushing her nipple with the back of my fingers and smiling when it hardened. So sensitive. "And I enjoyed bathing in their blood."

Her chest rose and fell with short, sharp breaths as I ran the strands of her hair through my fingers. She was afraid. And yet her body responded to me always.

"Your hair is so soft," I murmured. “Like silk.” I wanted to drape all that hair across my chest and stomach like a blanket. "Come to my room tonight."

"No," she told me immediately.

There's my feisty girl. I smiled and dropped her hair.

As we pulled up in front of the lake house, I watched her closely as I told her, "I have a few things I need to take care of tonight, so you'll have to find someone else to mouth off to.” 

Veda's eyes shot to me, filled with indecision. Then she said, "I can wait for you, if you'd like. Maybe we could watch a movie? Or just have a glass of wine or something? How long do you think you're going to be?"

I studied her innocent expression. Definitely up to something. "It'll be much too late. But I'll have Lisa stay and keep you company." I could see the wheels in her mind whirring a hundred miles an hour. No doubt she planned to question my employee to within an inch of her life. But I wasn't worried. Lisa was, at times, just part of the background of my home, so much so I'd forget she was there. But I didn't doubt one ounce of her loyalty. She would never betray me.

The car stopped. Getting out, I walked around to help Veda with her bags as Tristan took the car around to the garage. When we reached the upstairs, I was tempted to deposit them in my own room, and tell her she would be sleeping with me if she wanted to see them again. But in the end, I walked past my door and followed her to the guest bedroom where she'd taken up residency.

"Thank you," she told me as I set the bags on the bed. "For the clothes and dinner and everything."

"You're welcome." 

I left her with her new things and headed to my office, stopping by my room to change first. Being that the only thing I really needed to do was sit in my office and sip on a whiskey while I let Veda squirm, I thought a pair of black lounge pants and a white T-shirt were perfectly suitable attire.

Barefoot, I padded down the stairs and disappeared into my office before Veda came out and saw me. Curious as to what she would do left on her own, I poured myself a drink and pulled up the camera feeds on my monitor. I could see the hall outside her room, the great room, the kitchen, the gym, and the entertainment room. Not the bedrooms or the bathrooms. Although the thought crossed my mind that I should remedy that immediately.

Ten minutes later, she left her room. She had also changed, and was now wearing one of my shirts, a pair of sleep shorts she'd gotten for herself, and some slouchy socks. I enlarged the picture on my screen and leaned forward in my chair, watching her breasts as she jogged down the stairs.

Leaning back, I palmed my growing cock as I sipped my drink. This woman did things to me just by walking.

Instead of going to find Lisa, she went directly to the front door, and I sat up in my seat, my heart pounding. I tried to think what guards were on the grounds who might see her, but I needn't have worried, she didn't open it. She only looked through the glass for a good minute, then turned away from the door. Going to the right, she walked the circumference of the room.

I settled back again as she trailed her fingers along a shelf, touching a priceless object here, examining a photo there. I was so caught up in just watching her, I almost missed it.

"Sneaky little thing, aren't you?" I murmured to myself.

As Veda wandered around the house, she would glance around every once in a while. It took me a minute to notice what she was actually doing. She was looking for cameras. And she hadn't gone to the front door just to look out. She was watching for my men.

She was testing the boundaries. Planning an escape.

I narrowed my eyes. Maybe giving her freedom to roam hadn't been the greatest idea, especially since I'd dismissed both Enzo and Tristan, wanting to be alone in the house with her.

Picking up my cell phone, I called Lisa.

"Yes, sir?"

"Have you already left?" I asked her.

"Not yet. I was just finishing a few things downstairs. Do you need me to get you something?"

"No. But would you mind hanging around for a while? I have some things to do in my office and Veda has been left to her own devices. She could use some company."

"Of course! I don't mind at all. I like Veda. Have you both eaten?"

"Yes, we ate in the city."

"I'll see if she wants some tea then."

"She's on the main floor."

"I'll find her. Have a good night, Mr. Morelli."

"You too, Lisa. And thank you."

Not two minutes later, Lisa entered the picture. I couldn't hear what she was saying, but she waved Veda toward the kitchen. Smiling, Veda followed her. I switched screens.

Veda sat at the table while Lisa made them both some tea. They were talking, and I should've been trying to figure out what they were saying, but I couldn't take my eyes off of Veda. How relaxed she was. How openly she smiled. How she threw her head back when she laughed, and then immediately covered her mouth like she was afraid someone would hear her.

I wanted to hear her laugh like that.

They talked for a long time as I watched, until, when I was on my third whiskey, Veda couldn't hold back her yawns. Getting up from the table, she took her cup to the sink and—I assumed—told Lisa goodnight.

I followed her on the camera feed as she made her way up to the guest room and disappeared inside.

It was almost an hour later when I left my empty glass on my desk for Lisa to get in the morning and walked up the stairs. But I didn't go to my room. Instead, I kept walking to the other side of the house where Veda was sleeping.

Taking the key out of my pocket, I unlocked the door and slipped inside.