Never Ever: Damaged Hero, page 5
His chair squeaks when he rests back. “We’ve had this discussion multiple times. You can’t leave the family business.” His brows draw together, forming an angry arrow between his eyes.
“I want to be a legit businessman, and as long as I’m working for you, that’s not going to happen. There’s nothing for you to threaten me with. I have no family, no life outside of this place.”
“Your mother raised you to be weak! I thought I had beaten that out of you as a kid!” He slams his hand on the desk.
“She’s the only kindness I remember, and she wanted more for me than this life. It’s the reason she ran as far away from you as she could!” I don’t know this for a fact. I can only surmise. She never told me anything about him.
“As much as I loved your mother, she became an issue. If she hadn’t left me, she would’ve gotten us all killed. She was lucky to live as long as she did after stealing my son.”
All the air is sucked out of my lungs, and my chest burns with the realization that, in all likelihood, he had her killed. He’d never admit it, but I’ll be damned if I don’t find a way to prove it. “I’m done, and I’m washing my hands of the Leone name.”
“Think what you will, but you’ll never be anything without me. I’ll ruin your reputation, and you’ll beg me to take you back.” I head for the door with my fists clasped at my side. “I’ll take everything from you, including anyone you love.”
I wheel around. “You sorry son of a…” I race toward him, but his bodyguard slams me against the wall, and kidney punches me.
“Don’t make me kill you,” he growls.
“Let him go. He’ll come groveling back,” my father calls him off.
I grind my teeth, grimacing at the sharp pain in my back.
Nick saunters into the office after hearing the commotion. “What’s he done this time?” He grins las if it gives him great pleasure for our father to be angry with me.
“Why do you let him treat you like a dog?” I snarl, aiming a finger at Nick.
“This dog, as you put it, is rich.” He spits out the word rich. “Why would I want to work for anyone else?”
“Money isn’t everything,” I seethe.
“I guess you’re about to find out,” my father says. “Empty out his bank account,” he orders.
He tried that once before, but I changed everything over, so there’s no way he can access it anymore. There’s money in one account that I left, so he’d think he’d taken everything from me. It’s a couple million, but small change compared to what I actually have skimmed out of it. He’s the reason I moved to the Ritz-Carlton, so he’d have no ownership of any property I own.
I shrug my shirt in place. “Empty it. I don’t care.”
“If you even think about going to the authorities, you’ll be dragged down with us. Claiming your hands are clean isn’t going to help you when I have the records to prove otherwise.”
My jaw twitches. “I don’t plan on ratting you out, I just want to be left the hell alone and my name erased from any involvement with this family!”
“When you do come crawling back, there’ll be a price to pay,” my father hollers as I storm out.
I make it to the car as Luca hangs up the phone. “Let me guess, that was my old man calling to fire you as my driver.”
He grins. “Yep.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll always have a job with me.”
“I never liked the old bastard anyway,” he says, shoving the gear into drive. “Where do you want to go?”
“The Italian Oven.” Why? Because I need to see her beautiful face. Lion’s den or not.
Traffic is heavy, and Luca reroutes us through it to get me there sooner. I’m antsy as hell, and he knows it. He comes to a rolling stop, and I jump out of the vehicle and stride to the entrance of the restaurant. Taking a deep breath in, I’m hoping like hell she’s inside.
Scanning the room, I see her behind the bar, tending to customers. Her hair is scooped up in a bun, and there are no remnants of the tears she was shedding earlier. I take a seat on the only open stool at the end of the bar and wait for her to see me.
“I thought you said you only came here once a month or so.” She places a square napkin with the restaurant’s logo on it in front of me. “What would you like to drink.”
“I can’t seem to stay away from you.” It’s the most honest thing I’ve ever said to a woman. “Bourbon.” I point to the bottle.
“You alright?” she asks, filling a glass half full of the brown liquid.
“Rough day.” I grip the glass, gulping it down. “A block of ice and keep the bottle handy,” I tell her.
“Sounds like you and I had similar days.” Her eyes fill with compassion.
I want to tell her I know and how sorry I am that she’s hurting. “Would you like to talk about it?”
She half grins. “I’m a little busy at the moment.”
“What time will you be done?”
She glances at her watch. “I promised to help out for a couple of hours.”
“Do you mind if I sit here until you’re done?” How did I get to the point where I’m waiting on a woman?
“Suit yourself. I’ll leave your tab open and the bottle right here.” She sets it next to my glass.
I watch her interact with people. She’s good at putting on a happy face, and they like her. Especially the men. I find myself completely jealous when they flirt with her. She laughs easily and has no trouble putting them in their place when they get out of line.
Every time she pushes a strand of hair around her ear and her hand lingers on her neck, my cock twitches. My lips long to kiss a trail down her delicate skin to her breasts, where I know I’ll find taut nipples.
My phone that I set on the bar vibrates on the polished wood. My father’s face flashes on the screen, and I turn it off. I can’t believe all these years, I never put two and two together concerning my mother’s death. After his rant today, I’m sure of it. I just need to prove it.
“Would you prefer a different brand of bourbon?” she asks, picking up the bottle that I haven’t touched since she left it.
“No. This one’s fine.”
She leans on the counter, and her top gives me a view of the curve of her breasts. “Have you eaten? I mean, more than coffee?” The corner of her lip curls upward.
“I have not,” I admit with a chuckle.
“How about I order you a few of my favorite things?” Her tongue lands between her lips, and I’m dying to kiss her.
“I’d like that, but only if you’ll join me.”
“Will appetizers hold you over until I get off?”
Her idea of getting off and mine are worlds apart. “Stuffed mushrooms?” My suggestive gaze dips to her breasts, and she stands tall.
“Yes, to the mushrooms.” Her cheeks turn the fleshy color of grapefruit.
She continues to wait on people, but every now and then, I see her glance in my direction. I’m disappointed when a runner brings out my appetizer and not Noa.
I take my time enjoying them, and she steals one out of my hand right before I pop it into my mouth. “Hey!” I laugh.
“You’re taking way too long to eat these babies.” She licks her fingertips, and I nearly come in my jeans.
“I was hoping you’d join me soon.”
The regular bartender opens up the half door and steps up next to her. “I’m back.” He scowls at me.
“Everything go okay?” Noa asks, touching his forearm.
“Yes.” He smiles briefly at her before he glares at me again. He tugs her aside, and I can only imagine he’s reminding her that I’m a dangerous man.
She says something to him, then steps on her tiptoes, kissing him on the cheek. “The bar is all yours now. I’m starving.”
She pushes up the door and grabs my plate of mushrooms, leading me to an empty table. “I’ll be right back,” she says and disappears into the kitchen area. When she returns, she’s carrying two glasses and a bottle of wine. “I took the liberty of ordering our food.”
“I take it your friend was none too happy that you were speaking to me.” I nudge my head toward the bar.
“Bruno? He’ll get over it. He’s overly protective of me. He and my husband were good friends.”
“When I left you this morning, you dismissed me. Did something happen to change your mind?”
“Let’s just say I’m tired of living in the past.” She clinks her glass to mine. “I’d like to enjoy my evening with someone who doesn’t know me very well. Only what you’ve googled.” She smirks.
I want to ask her why she feels guilty about her husband, but I sense she needs to steer away from any conversation involving him. “Tell me about this job of yours. How do you stay so lean and eat so much food?”
“The secret is only a taste. If I ate everything that was piled on my plate, I’d be as big as a house.”
“I thought you were going to eat a horse this morning.” I chuckle, and she snorts and covers her mouth in embarrassment.
“Sorry.” Her cheeks turn pink.
“Don’t be. I find it charming.”
She sits back and taps her nails on her glass. “Ever Christianson. I’ve never heard your first name before. Is it a family name?”
“I honestly don’t know. I think my mother just enjoyed saying the word. You know, like…don’t ever be rude. Don’t ever break a girl’s heart. Don’t ever do that.” I use my hands for emphasis, and she snorts again.
“Never ever say never,” she adds with a twinkle in her eye.
“She was a great mother.” My voice drops.
“Was? I’m so sorry.”
“She died when I was ten years old.” Murdered is more like it.
“How terrible.” She covers her mouth with her hand.
“It was tragic and changed my world forever.” I’ve never talked about my mother openly to anyone, but gazing into her eyes, I know she’ll understand my pain.
She reaches over and lays her hand on mine. “So you were left to be raised by your father? Did you have any siblings?”
I clear the lump in my throat. “No to both of those questions. It was just the two of us living on the coast of Florida.”
“What happened to you after she died?”
My life became hell. “How about you tell me more about Essex. I have to admit, I’ve never been there.”
“It’s a beautiful town, and there’s nowhere else I would’ve chosen to grow up. My mother is a retired schoolteacher, and my father worked for the local news as a weatherman.”
“I know Sofia is your sister, any other siblings?”
Our food is delivered to our table, and she waits to respond. “Just the two of us. She’s three years older than me, and we’ve always been close.”
“Sounds like the perfect family.”
“Pretty close, but we had our ups and downs like any other family.” She tucks her napkin in her lap.
What I would’ve given to have anything close to perfect. “Where did you meet your husband?” For a moment, I think I’ve lost her when her smile slips, but she recovers quickly.
“Actually, Sofia introduced us our freshmen year of college, and we tied the knot as soon as we graduated.”
I take a bite of lasagna. “This is good.”
“It was Drake’s grandmother’s recipe.” She beams with pride.
“How did you end up in New York?”
“It was Drake’s dream to own a restaurant in downtown Manhattan.”
“He has good taste in many things.” I sweep an appreciative gaze over her. “This is a sweet piece of property. He must have leveraged everything he had and then some to get it. I know plenty of investors who would sell their souls to purchase this place.”
“Really? Because I might be in the market to sell it.” That is, if Sofia isn’t able to purchase it, but he doesn’t need to know of that possibility.
“Why would you want to? You’ve got to be making a ton of money from it, and your sister would be out of a job.”
“Whoever would purchase the place would be stupid not to keep her on as the manager. She’s very good at her job. Drake knew it. That’s why he hired her.”
“You didn’t have any interest in managing it after he died?”
She exhales. “No. I lost enthusiasm in a lot of things, but running a restaurant was not something I actively wanted to undertake. It was his baby, not mine.”
“Still, the money has to be flowing.” I’m really good at reading body language, and when her eyes narrow and her cheek dips inward from biting it, I know she’s hiding something.
“Money isn’t everything,” she finally says.
“Funny, I was just telling that to someone earlier today.” I chuckle.
6
Noa
He seems completely charming. I’ll have to delve deeper into a discussion with Bruno as to why he feels so strongly that I need to keep my distance from Ever.
“You have a swanky car and a driver. I doubt money has ever been an issue for you.”
“True, but I’d give it all up in a heartbeat to be my own man.”
“You’re not your own man?” I raise a quizzical brow. Who owns him?
“That’s a story for another day. How about more of this delicious wine?” He fills my glass to the rim.
“You’re good at not answering questions, aren’t you?”
“Mmmm-hmmm.” He grins, lifting the corner of his mouth, and it’s the first time I’ve noticed a deep-seated dimple on his cheek. “But I have a question for you.”
“I may take a cue from your playbook and not answer,” I tease.
“Why did you say yes to breakfast with me?”
I straighten my spine and blow out a long breath. “Honestly, I don’t know.”
“Are you glad you did?”
“I’m getting there.” I wink.
“Have you dated much since your husband died?”
“Not once. No one has intrigued me enough.”
“Until me.” He licks his lips, and I want to explore them with my tongue. Either that or it’s the wine doing my thinking for me.
“Yes.” It’s a hard admission because some small part of me feels like this is cheating on Drake…in his restaurant. I sweep my gaze around the room, wondering if the woman he slept with is here. Does she know me? Did she even know he was married? Was she in love with him?
“Where’d you go?” Ever scoots his chair closer to mine so that our thighs are touching.
“Sorry, I was…never mind. Do you want to get out of here?”
“I’ll take you anywhere you’d like to go.”
“How about your place?”
“Do you have any idea what you’d be walking into?” His voice is breathy and warm on my cheek.
“Something very tempting…but temporary.” I stare into his alluring eyes.
“As long as you understand that, then I’d be obliged to take you home.”
I combat the dryness in my throat by swallowing hard and nodding. It must be the wine, or my libido run amuck, or just the fact that I find him utterly handsome and charming. A one-night stand is all I need to get him out of my system.
He tosses cash on the table.
“It’s on the house,” I say.
He grins and leaves the money. Taking my hand, Ever walks me out to his car and opens the back door.
“Do you mind if I run by my sister’s and change clothes first?”
“You won’t need clothes for what you’re going to be partaking in.” His fingers on my lower back already have me overheating.
I climb in and slide to the far side. Once he’s inside, he reaches across my legs and drags me closer to him. “Luca, this is Noa Sutton.”
“Nice to meet you, Ms. Sutton.”
“Noa, please.”
“Where will I be taking the two of you?” Luca asks, peering in the rearview mirror.
“To my place,” Ever tells him, then pushes a button, raising a dark glass between them.
“A girl could get used to having a driver. I abhor the subway.”
He clasps my hand and lightly rubs his thumb on the back of mine. “No matter what happens between us, my driver will always be at your disposal. Give me your phone.”
I dig it out of my bag and place it in the palm of his outstretched hand. He taps in a phone number. “He’ll be instructed to take your calls.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“No, I don’t, but it’s done.” He gives it back to me.
We sit in awkward silence until Luca drives up to the hotel. “You live in the Ritz-Carlton?” I gaze out the window at the welcoming sign.
“The penthouse,” he says.
Luca steps out, opens my door, and takes my hand again.
“Go ahead inside and wait for me. I have something I need to discuss with Luca,” Ever says, coming around to my side of the vehicle.
The grand doors are held open by a man dressed in a black suit with gold fringe. Once I’m in the lobby, I almost falter at its beauty. It’s enormous, with white walls shimmering up to the ceiling. The lights cast diamond shards across the marble floor from the chandelier. A green-jacketed young porter approaches me.
“Do you have any luggage I can handle for you?” he asks, looking around at the ground around my feet.
“She’s with me.” Ever’s deep voice comes up behind me.
“Sorry, Mr. Christianson. I didn’t know.” The young man tips his head at him.
Ever’s hand returns to my lower back, and he escorts me to the cherry-finished doors of the elevator and takes out a key card. When the door opens, another porter holds back a couple wanting to enter with us. Ever flashes his card in front of the computer display, and the elevator takes us to the top floor.
“They treat you like royalty,” I say, stepping into his world.
“Make yourself at home while I fix us a drink and turn on some music.”
“I’ll take a glass of water. I’ve already had enough wine.” I lay my purse on the table by the door and head straight for his balcony. “What a view of the city!” I holler.
He joins me with two bottles of water. “It’s the best thing about this place.”
