Page 83 of Tainted Princess
Beside me, Anton sat up straighter, following the discussion with rapt attention like everyone else in the room. I glanced around at the people who were witnessing this; my compatriots and competitors. Some were criminals, some were politicians and titans of industry, but all were here at my invitation. And now they all watched, ravenous for the drama, wondering what I would do. Would I allow Francesca, a woman that none of them had ever seen before, throw her weight around in my club, and if not, what was I prepared to do about it?
It was a decision that I was realizing I needed to make. Soon.
As the crowd of miscreants waited with bated breath for my reaction, Vinnie and Rock had approached her, each taking up a flanking position behind Francesca, and it did not go unnoticed by anyone in the room that Rock, my second in command, had chosen his side.
“So, just in case you managed to forget since last night, let me break it down for you one more time, alright? What I said goes. There is no question, there is no negotiation. You lost those privileges when you tried to extort Enzo for more than you’re worth.” This information brought a round of murmurs from the VIP crowd, many of whom were also in bed with Jerry and his services. Tugging the lapels of her tailored suit jacket, Francesca flipped her hair and laughed. “You are not the only game in town, Lebowitz. Not by a long shot.”
Running a finger under the collar of his dirty shirt, Jerry looked around, noticing the looks he was getting from his clients, many of whom he had probably run the same con on recently, but with better results.
“Enzo,” he started, looking to me for help as Francesca stood over him like a Valkyrie, her blood red lips held in a sneer that would make weaker men, men like Jerry, wilt on the spot. “Enzo, tell her. Tell her that I—”
This was it. The moment where I could either stand behind Francesca or throw her away, and something told me that if I cut her down here, she’d never forgive me. For all my mixed feelings regarding Francesca, and having a wife in general, I knew I would regret it forever if I ruined the fragilethingwe had found growing between us.
So, with that in mind, and with every head turned our way, I locked eyes with Francesca, slowly unfolding myself from the chair, and made my way toward her, loving the way her eyes widened as I approached.
The closer I got, the farther Rock and Vinnie backed up, so that by the time I reached her, we stood alone in the center of the booth. In the back of my mind, I could hear the fight below us, the crowd roaring their approval every time someone got in a solid hit, but my focus was solely on Francesca. Not taking my eyes off of hers, I raised my hand, seeing her small involuntary flinch and hating that she’d even think for a moment that I’d hurt her. Instead, with a gentle touch, I ran the backs of my knuckles down her cheek and along her collar bone, loving the way her pupils expanded when I grazed the hollow at the base of her throat. This close, I could smell the clean and spicy scent of her, different from the first time I had stood this close to her at our wedding. Then, she has smelled like autumn, crisp air and fallen leaves. Now, after less than a week with me, she smelled of heat and sunshine, the desert having welcomed her with open arms, and I wanted to breathe her in over and over until her warm scent filled up the cold places inside my chest.
Leaning in close, I took her hand in mine, noting the way her fingers trembled slightly as I raised them to my lips and placed a gentle kiss on the back of her knuckles.
A quiet murmur went up from the observing crowd, but I ignored it in favor of watching as Francesca’s lips parted on a gasp. Hoping she’d play along, I shot her a quick wink before turning my scowl back on Jerry, not missing the shocked faces of everyone around us.
“She’s not saying anything I wouldn’t tell you myself, Jerry. You fucked up. Now you have to deal with the consequences of that. Francesca is just letting you know what they are.”
Francesca met my eyes, and while her face didn’t change a bit, I could read the appreciation in her stare and the way her fingers squeezed mine slightly. She was standing by me, and I was gonna stand by her. Everyone else could get fucked.
“So, Jerry,” she continued, withdrawing her hand and moving a step forward. “Do you have any other concerns regarding the terms of our agreement, or are you gonna walk out of here tonight with both your eyeballs still in your skull?” Looking around at the angry faces in the room, knowing he had burned almost every bridge he’d ever built, Jerry turned back to Francesca, his eyes wide and his jowls wobbling as he shook his head rapidly, agreeing to her terms even though the skin of his neck burned red with his anger. “Good,” she said, placing her hands on her hips and cocking one to the side in a pose that was way too fuckin’ sexy. “Then stand the fuck up. You’re in my seat.”
Jolting like he’d been electrocuted, Jerry leapt up from his chair, hustling as fast as he could toward the stairs. He was nearly there when he mumbled something under his breath. I didn’t catch it but apparently Vinnie did, because the next thing I knew Jerry was being laid out after a solid right hook to the jaw. The whole place froze, a collective breath held at the sudden hit. The booth was silent, the sound of the crowd below muted in comparison to the drama that had just unfolded, but then Fox, the MC President from California gave a loud whistle, and the VIP booth exploded in cheers and laughter at Jerry’s expense, and we all watched as Vinnie bent low and slung Jerry’s unconscious body over his shoulder and headed outside.
The commotion afforded me an opportunity to lean into Francesca, getting close enough to not be overheard.
“We have some things to discuss, wife, but for now, we need to keep up appearances. I hope you’re ready to be thrown into the lion’s den, because there’s no going back after tonight.”
If I expected her to balk, I was sorely disappointed, because the grin that slid across her crimson lips was positively feral. Francesca was a lot of things, but afraid wasn’t one of them.
“Good,” she said, her warm breath fanning across my neck in a sensation that I was shocked I didn’t hate. “Because I gotta tell you, Enzo. So far, Las Vegas has been positively dull.”
I barked out a surprised laugh, reaching for her hand again and steering us back to the seats. I could see Amber’s angry glare from where she stood against the back wall, but I didn’t have time to deal with her. It was her own fault that she had hurt feelings; I never made her any promises.
“Well, Francesca, you’re looking positively ravishing tonight,” I said honestly, allowing myself to once again take in her sexy tailored suit with the tiny top under the open jacket. I’d said ravishing, knowing the company around me expected a certain amount of decorum from my public persona, but she looked hot as fuck. I couldn’t stop myself from picturing her in only that lacy top, even more of her tanned skin on display, but I reined it in, if only for the fact that there were still two fights to go tonight, and I was committed to sitting here for both of them. Didn’t exactly want to be doing that with a fuckin’ hard-on for everyone to see. “It’s a huge departure from your typical wardrobe. What do you call this look?”
Francesca snorted. “Lexi called it my ‘Boss Bitch Power Suit’, but I call itwearing whatever the fuck I want for once in my life and not giving two shits what people think.”
That statement made me stop, staring at her as she lowered herself down onto Jerry’s abandoned chair and crossed one leg over the other. It had honestly never occurred to me that the version of Francesca I had known this week was anything other than her authentic self, but now that I considered it, I suppose it made a lot of sense.
There were expectations for people like us, expectations that needed to be met in order to stay alive and in power. I had to lead two lives; one, the high class, respected businessman, the other the ruthless criminal who wouldn’t take shit from anyone. Keeping my business safe meant never letting the latter be seen by the wrong people.
It stood to reason, then, that Francesca had been in the same boat; forced to become someone she wasn’t in order to be what everyone expected. Sitting beside her, noting once again her perfect neutral mask, I wondered if she was as exhausted as I was. Because living this double life was really starting to wear me down, and I was gettin’ tired of it. Tired of the bullshit dance where I smiled at folks who would rather spit on me than shake my hand if they didn’t have to. Tired of everyone who entered my life tryin’ to take from me, whether it was money or connections or just to get their name on the list at one of my clubs. Lies and falsehoods and playing pretend were the domain of the rich, and being in their company meant making myself a player so I didn’t end up a pawn.
And for the longest time, I had been doin’ it alone. Sure, I had Rock. He’d been my number two since before there was anything to be number twoof,but there was a disconnect between our positions that meant when it mattered, I had to step up and be separate. Beabove. It was bullshit, but it was what was expected of us, so that was how we played the game.
Besides, it’s not like Rock wanted the responsibility. He liked being in charge of nothing much more than the stockrooms because he always used them to fuck whoever he picked up for the night. It was crazy, but it’s what worked for us. He was always there when I needed him, though.
Having Francesca in my life, having her be just as versed in this society bullshit as I was, now seemed like more of an opportunity than a burden. I needed to talk to her, but I was starting to think that maybe that vision I had, the one of her and I ruling this city together, might actually be within my grasp.
The plans spun in my head, places we could extend our reach and connections she could help me make. The invitations we’d receive as a couple rather than myself alone as a jaded bachelor, all danced in my mind like a tantalizing delicacy I’d never dared hope to achieve.
I was staring at her, lost in thoughts of all the ways we’d take the city by storm—and more than a few thoughts of how I’d like to take Francesca—when Anton spoke up again beside me.
