Page 56 of Tainted Princess
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Francesca
I could feel his eyes on me before I even sat down, giving me a clear idea of how the rest of this evening was going to go. To be honest, the whole thing had turned into a shit-show, and you could bet that Lexi and I were gonna be having words.
But that conversation was going to have to wait, because Enzo had sprung this meeting on me, and I was going in blind.
I had no idea who Jerry was other than the fact that he wasn’t Russian. I had a pretty good idea of who Jerrythoughthe was, though, because I had spent my entire life surrounded by men just like him.
Jerry thought he was the most important motherfucker in the building. He thought that whatever modicum of power he held, whether it was money or influence, allowed him to lord over the little people around him like a gluttonous king, consuming without consequence everything he could get his hands on and never caring one little bit for who he hurt along the way.
Jerry carried himself like he was rich, but if I had to guess, I’d say it was new money, judging by the flashy watch he wore. It was huge and gaudy and completely inappropriate for the rest of his outfit, which consisted of khakis with pleated fronts and a dirty shirt that could be found on the clearance rack atTommy Bahama. The watch was clearly compensating for other areas in which Jerry was probably lacking, and there was no way I wanted to even guess at what they were.
When Enzo announced me as his wife, I could see the wheels turning in Jerry’s perverted little mind. He thought he could use me, likely thinking that I was a soft spot for Enzo. Boy, was Jerry gonna be surprised.
“Enzo,” he drawled, eying me over the rim of his glass, “I didn’t know you’d taken the plunge.Mazel Tov.”He lifted his glass in a toast, winked at me, then drained the whole thing is one go, his fleshy throat bobbing as he swallowed. “Jerry Lebowitz,” he introduced himself, reaching out his pudgy hand. “Nevada Gaming Commission.” I shook it quickly then wiped my hand against my jeans. “I’m a close friend of your husband’s, ain’t that right, Enzo?”
“Yeah,” was all Enzo said. When the waitress arrived again, she had a fresh glass for Jerry and Enzo, and I ordered a whiskey neat.
“A whiskey girl, eh?” Jerry said, leaning back with one arm over the back of the booth, giving me a stellar view of his sweaty armpit. “I think you and I will get along just fine, Francesca.”
I smiled pleasantly and looked down and the table like I was flattered.
I wasn’t.
Taking a deep sniff and wiping his nose on the back of his hand, Jerry finally looked away from me. “Enzo, are we good to talk business in front of the little lady here?”
What a fucking pig.
“I wouldn’t have brought her over if we weren’t, Jerry.”
“Good, because we need to wrap this up. I ain’t leaving here without getting some ass, and the pickings are ripe tonight.”
Something about the direction of this conversation tweaked in the back of my mind. Reaching into my back pocket I withdrew my phone and sent a quick text to Vinnie, telling him to be on alert. I could see him from where I was sitting, and knew he was already watching like a hawk, but when he checked the message, he met my eyes across the room and nodded.
Looking back to my phone, I closed out of the texting app and surreptitiously turned on the camera. Setting the video to record, I tucked the phone in my bra, letting the top peek out enough that the lens was pointing across the table.
Right at Jerry Lebowitz.
“We’ve had a good thing going for a long time now, Enzo,” Jerry was saying when I tuned back into the conversation. “I would hate for something as insignificant as money to be the reason a friendship like ours came to an end.”
Ah. Figures. A Nevada Gaming Commission official by day, corrupt and lecherous douchebag by night. Not that I was at all surprised.
“Jerry,” Enzo said, and I could hear the frustration in his tone. It struck me how I was finally getting to know him well enough to know his different moods. There was grumpy, frustrated, pissed off, complete asshole, and hungry.
What a catch.
Enzo was interrupted by the waitress with my whiskey, which I took with a smile.
“I am more than aware of how long we have beenfriends. I could have put a kid through college with what I paid for your services these last few years.”
“And those service fees are going up, Enzo. Cost of living and all.” He smirked and sniffed, and this time, when he wiped his nose, I noted the plain gold band on his left hand.
“Listen, you fat—”
“Mr. Lebowitz,” I said, cutting Enzo off before this spiraled completely out of control. Both men looked at me, Enzo like I was fucking crazy and Jerry like I was on the menu. I ignored Enzo and smiled at Jerry. “Forgive me, but, what exactly is it you do for Enzo?”
“Francesca,” Enzo growled, but Jerry smiled wide, setting his glass down and leaning in.
