Arthur Shelby- Love at First Sight

Arthur Shelby- Love at First Sight pt 3

John Shelby was waiting by the car with a grin on his face and a cigarette between his lips. He was poised to comment seeing Y/n and Arthur both walking out of the hotel. John had previously swung by Arthur's place only to find it empty. A text message from Arthur sent John to the hotel amused and ready to give his older brother shit for his blatantly obvious promiscuous activities the night before. John took a drag from his smoke eyeing the way Arthur walked beside but a little in front of Y/n. A small protective action he'd never seen Arthur make when he was with Linda.

"Don't say a word," Arthur's still sleepy and gruff voice growled at John.

"Mornin' Y/n, I trust you slept well," John directed his smirk towards Y/n as he opened the back door for her.

Y/n pursed her lips in a thin line attempting to hide her smirk, but John was mischievous and knew the look in her eyes. He glanced at Y/n in a fresh set of clothes, nothing fancy or uppity in her jeans and leather jacket, a glimpse of t-shirt beneath that read, 'Keep staring, I like watching your lips move'. John smirked in amusement at her shirt and back towards Arthur.

"I slept better than any woman ever has with you John-boy," her snarky response while climbing into the back of the car wiped that smirk off John's face making Arthur chuckle as he sat beside her.

Everyone was sat around a large wooden table inside Tommy's sprawling mansion in the country. Crystal glasses full of alcohol sat in front of every member of the family, smoke billowing upward toward the ceiling. A heavy scent of tobacco clung to the air. They were all there with watchful eyes glancing at Y/n and Arthur in his clothes from the night before. None made any comments about it, but the way they smiled said enough.

"Down to the matter at hand," Tommy spoke with a soft authority. "What exactly is your father wanting in return for his assistance?"

"Ideally, he wants his rum and whiskey sold in all your establishments with 60% of the profits from what is sold, but I'm sure I could get him lower." Y/n's attention was aimed at Arthur as she spoke. Her eyes glancing over all the tiny freckles on his face. It wasn't until John started to snicker that her attention went down the table towards Tommy with his raised brow and a subtle grin. "Frankly, he's not the one over here risking anything at all, I am."

"S' bit steep in my opinion, it's bad enough we're competing with Alfie on the liqueur front with his rum now we've got another Italian wanting to muscle in." Michael wore a stern expression, always so business-minded.

"I agree," Y/n sighed reaching for her water glass instead of the amber-colored whiskey that was calling out to her. "I'll kill Changretta for free, but my father will want something for 'my time'."

"Pretty sure Arthur would qualify as payment," John muttered making Finn laugh beside him.

"Oi," Polly smacked John on the back of his head. He groaned out in annoyance.

"I'll negotiate with my father, he'll see reason. I'm his only child left, he won't risk losing me too."

Such an open statement Y/n made in front of a group of strangers. The willingness to speak of personal matters. It left a few curious, Y/n wasn't anything like they were expecting, not from the offspring of one of the most feared mobsters in America. It was almost too cliche, a riddle wrapped in an enigma. She wasn't anything like she appeared or sounded like. There was a treasure trove of mystery in her and none more than Arthur wanted to know what lay behind that smile.

The meeting adjourned, shuffling chairs on the wood floor. Random conversations amongst the family already ignored by Arthur and Y/n. He tossed back the last of his whiskey and grinned watching her appreciating Tommy's art collection hanging on the walls. The way she held tilted gaining a different perspective on colors and brush strokes. He studied how her fingers delicately traced over the curves and edges of the statues. She wandered quietly into the adjoining room full of bookshelves and cushy leather chairs. Her eyes widely taking in the massive hoard of leather-bound books crammed into the shelves. She was something alright, the casual at ease stride in her walk.