The Devils Of New York

Chapter One

Six years, it had been six happy years since I'd become CEO of Winters Group International however that also meant nearly seven years with Arilynn. So here I was having planned every detail of a trip to Marbella.

I'd figured out flight time, and time change. Figured out time to get to the airport. I even figured out exactly how I was going to be giving Arilynn a small white gold item that she was long deserving of.

I would admit I was deeply in love with that woman, more then I had ever been with anyone else. During the many years I spent at Thornbrook I watched all kinds of drama tear apart perfectly happy couples going through perfectly normal events of waves of a relationship.

It would still randomly occur to me that I had been with Arilynn for nearly seven years and it blew my mind each day that passed, that I was the lucky bastard to end up with her.

The both of us stood in the bedroom of my penthouse labelled as PH72 on the plans though I had the whole condo renovated to my taste and style leaving me with the large home that my girlfriend and I shared with one another for the past six years. The floors were a dark grey-black vinyl wood with a fur replicate carpet sitting underneath the custom bed. Glass panels cover the entire north facing wall providing a view of Central Park in the early Autumn morning. Orange and maroon leaves fill the trees providing a speckling pattern to the park as each tree seemed to blend into the next from all the way up here.

Arilynn was by the window wrapped in one of her long beige wrap around cardigans with her long ashy brown hair falling in waves over her shoulders, her diamond shaped face reflected in the glass, blurring the Grecian nose, and coffee brown eyes that often held a softness and astute curiosity that I wasn't very good at showing. A cup of tea gave off steam as she tapped on the porcelain mug with her long fingers.

"Are you enjoying the view love" I ask wrapping my arms around her waist and resting my head on her shoulder allowing the pane of glass to show me my own sharply featured face and messy charcoal hair.

"I think I love this city more then you" she teases a bright beaming smile taking over her lips.

"Really, my family has lived here for over a century, seen wars, and crisis, trends come and go. I'm sure they've seen most of the money that flows through this city too" I recollect looking up through the window in thought.

"What started the Winters brand post the second world war?" Arilynn asks, "I should remember but I don't at the moment".

"L&W Outfitters and Tailors was just that made clothing for the wealthy and powerful, along with made custom status pieces for them as the years went on. Even were the suppliers for many large brands today. But I would have to say the Mafia were probably a safe guess, then over time the brand expanded by then my great grandfather was in control of the brand and well we all know the rest of the story till now" I muse.

"Except the thirty-seven year gap that's still going and shrouding your family in mystery" Arilynn points out with a hum and I just smirk slightly.

"It'll have to stay that way for a while, besides my family is filled with survivors, and I will do anything to protect you. You know that".

"I do, you also won't tell me the point of us going to Marbella when there are so many meetings coming up that are incredibly important".

Turning the girl I held around I looked at her with a semi pointed expression.

"Arilynn, that is the exact reason we go on a vacation. Our directors can deal with the things going in that are business related. We get to go to Spain and enjoy a few days to ourselves" I say and she lets out a breath.