Luca could not have been happier with the way his phone call went. This girl, Arienne, she was everything he'd been looking for, but hadn't realized until he saw her in the cafe.
Paulo was right. It was time for him to settle down. He just never expected to meet someone with the power to draw him in, to make him feel like he wanted to give his heart away. Men like him didn't do that. It wasn't because he thought less of women, it's just in his line of work he had been witness to men losing their wives, due to illness or a rival family. Luca never wanted to experience that kind of pain, so better to just keep himself from it all together. Or so he thought.
There was a knock on his study door. It was Paulo. Luca looked at his watch. Ten fifteen on the dot. His second was punctual if nothing. Loyal as well and those were the kind of men that Luca surrounded himself with. Loyalty was a hard thing to come by when you were the head of a family. Greed could so easily overtake a person and they would find themselves doing things they never imagined.
"Enter" Luca responded. The heavy wooden door made a slight groaning noise as Paulo walked inside. He shut the door and then walked with confidence to the chair opposite his boss and friend.
"I take it your phone call went well with the little girl from the cafe?" His lip had a slight curl and his eyes a slight gleam of mischief to them as he waited for Luca's answer.
"Si, it went fine. As a matter of fact, it was better than fine. She has agreed to see me again." Luca stared thoughtfully at his underboss. Paulo had worked for Luca long enough to read between the lines and pick up on the unspoken request.
"You got it boss. I will keep an eye on her and make sure she is safe at all times. I will also check out anyone who works in her building, etc." Luca nodded as Paulo continued.
"You've got an early morning boss. Better get some sleep. We have a meeting first thing at Santini's and then you have meetings with some of the other families to discuss how to handle this Morelli thing that won't go away."
Luca scoffed at the mention of Morelli. He was a wannabe. Even though he'd grown up in the life, just as Luca had and most of the other families, he also thought he was so much better than everyone else. Always shooting his mouth off and making an ass of himself. Someone would shut that mouth of his one day and Luca just prayed that it would be him.
"That stronzo (asshole) is going to get himself hurt if he doesn't learn to keep that fat mouth of his shut. Fuck! What's he bitching about this time?" Luca bit out. Paulo knew he wasn't pissed at him, but this situation with Morelli. He was right though. Morelli was going to end up wearing cement shoes or get a bullet between his beady little eyes.
Paulo shifted in his chair, reaching for two glasses and a bottle of dark liquor. Pouring himself and Luca a healthy shot, he slid the glass over. They raised and clinked their glasses together. "Salute" Paulo offered up. Luca nodded as they both sipped the strong Scotch.
"What doesn't he bitch about boss? He thinks you get everything and he gets nothing. But what that sleazy little worm doesn't get is that you work your ass off for everything you have. Respect included. He still thinks that's something he's due, not something he has to earn. The heads of the other families have laughs at his expense. He's just too full of himself to realize that." Paulo finished his drink and put the glass on Luca's desk and sat back in his chair.
Luca agreed with all that Paulo had said. Respect. It was everything in this business. You could have smarts, money, looks, etc., but a man without respect was nothing. A man without his word was nothing. His father had not only taught him that, but he lived it. Another thing his father taught him was you respect your women. He never saw his father raise a hand to his mother, much less his voice and Luca respected him greatly for that.
Sighing, Luca's mind went back to the meeting with his men and the agenda. "Do we have everything together that we need to discuss? I want to make sure we get all topics discussed so we can move forward with Santini's. The opening is fast approaching and I would like to be ahead of schedule, not just barely make it."
Paulo talked with Luca about a few other things, but as the man spoke, Luca's mind couldn't help but wander to the brown haired beauty from the cafe. The mere thought of her soothed him. He had no explanation for it, just that she did. It brought him a kind of peace that he'd never felt before; a feeling he was definitely not familiar with.
After telling his underboss good night, Luca ascended the stairs to his room. He knew he was tired, he felt tired, but somehow his mind wouldn't shut off. He had a million things running through his brain and Ari was front and center.
Climbing into bed, he closed his eyes, focused on his breathing and did everything he could think of to fall asleep. It wouldn't work though. He couldn't stop thinking about her, about seeing her again and spending time with her.
It was going to be a long night indeed.
YOU ARE READING
Hers To Love (complete) Cover By @army_ss841
RomansA 25 year old woman moves from Texas to pursue her dream of being a photographer. She had always hoped that her career path would lead her to New York, her fantasy since a little girl. The Big Apple! Little did she know that with one click of he...
