She stared in shock. 

Sex she had expected, dancing she had not. 

Was he serious? His response to her silent question was to grab another chair, set it away from her and sit with his legs apart. He waited. 

"The music will end before you know it, sweetheart. The night is quite short."

His voice was a deep baritone that pulled at the wanton strings sewn in her flesh. Her fingers took hold of the top of the chair, fingers tightening on the oak wood as she swung her right leg up in time to the beat, in time to The Weekend's smoky, seductive voice. 

His eyes followed her leg, his gaze caressing the smooth strength of it as she placed it on the flat surface on the chair. 

"You knew our love would be tragic..." the song sailed, urging Fran to turn her back to him as her right leg joined her right on the chair. Now that she was standing on it, she rolled her hips to the side, bending slightly, teasing him with a glimpse of the swell of her ass. She looked over her shoulder at him, giving him a sultry once over. 

Luca's grin widened. He was right. She was a cheeky one, a mixture of innocence and daring. He liked that a lot. 

Fran crouched, spread her knees apart and began to bounce up and down, slowly in time to the music.

Pressing her palms into the chair's flat surface, she hopped off it, dropping into a middle split just as the music began to come to an end. 

Fran's chocolate skin was covered with a thin film of sweat by the time she rose from the ground to face him. Her heart thumped with a mixture of excitement, pumping lust with the blood in her veins, a thick mixture of lust born from the music and the aura of Luca, who was now rising, clapping slowly as he made his way toward her. 

This time when he stood before her, he did touch her, but it was a feather-light touch on her cheek, then her throat, then the line between her breasts. 

Fran closed her eyes as his fingers teased her. His fingers continued to trace the fiery path to her navel. She wanted him to go lower and was disappointed beyond reason when he let his hand drop. 

She lifted her face, her eyes pleading. 

She's incredible, Luca thought, his eyes dropping to her pouting lips. He could not resist finally tasting those plump lips. He pulled her in with his hands cupping her neck. She came willingly, her neck bending backward as she lifted her face to his. 

He tasted her lips, groaned and slanted his mouth over hers. 

She tasted even better than he imagined. Her lips yielded, parting to receive his tongue. Her mouth was warm and soft. He bit on her lips lightly at first, then harder, and she moaned into his mouth, straining closer for more, her body pressing into his to imprint those soft curves on the hard planes of his body. 

His hands drifted down her body, pausing to squeeze the globes of her *ss together, then apart. 

"Francesca," he murmured into her mouth. 

She shivered. "Luca."

He loved his name on her lips. 

"You understand that my pleasure is now your only concern, don't you?"

She drew in a breath, moaning a little as she stifled yet another shiver. "I do."

"Good girl." His hands rubbed her silkily. "Have you ever been broken in before?"

"I'm not a virgin," She confessed without thought.

One hand came up to lift her chin so that he could look into her eyes, "You'll be. With me."

He squeezed her *ss again before his right hand drifted like velvet over her left cheek, delving in between to rub silkily at her hole. 

"I want to f*ck you here," he told her. His left hand dropped from her face to touch her between her legs, causing her to part her feet slightly. "And here."

She shook all over, letting out a soft gasp. 

He leaned back to observe the look on her face and was surprised to see her eyes half opened, lips parted and with a dazed stare infused with interest in her eyes. 

Bloody hell, she wants it, he thought to himself. 

Would he be teaching his angel, or would she be teaching him? 

Fran swallowed the nerves and excitement in her throat as she tried to step back. His arms tightened around her, his face hovering close. He showed no intention of letting her go. 

"Mr. Castello..."

He smacked her bum. 

"Luca," She gasped. 

"Good girl."

Fran hid the smile threatening to pull her lips. Why did she enjoy it? Did she always have this electrifying lust, or was it Luca that brought it out of her? 

"I take it you'll help me, then?"

"As an exchange."

That was all he would give her. He let her go, not moving an inch as he dropped his hands to the side while his gaze raked her from her lips to the junction between her thighs. 

"Now you'll undress."

The command in his voice compelled her to hook her fingers in the straps of her gown. She wasn't wearing a bra underneath, only tights and the sequin gown over it. The smooth linen inside the gown caressed her breasts as it slid down her body, pooling around her ankles. 

Luca's eyes followed it before his dark eyes came to rest on her breasts, causing her dark nipples to pucker under his gaze like raisins on pudding. 

He lifted his hand, hovering it in front of her heaving breast, tempting her with the heat of his hand. Fran nearly lost control waiting for him to touch her. Her eyes begged for him to make the contact. He saw the pleading in her eyes and his response to that was to drop his hand, nearly causing her to cry for him, but he surprised her by going down on her, smoothly pulling her tights and panties as he did. 

Fran was tempted to drop her hands to cover herself. She stepped out of them. 

Luca cast her underwear aside, rose and led her to the bed. He turned her in his arms, away from the bed, so that her bare bum was pressed into his erection. His palms caressed her flesh as his hands went under her arms so that he could weigh her breasts in his palms - he liked how soft they felt - and squeezed them. 

"How flexible are you, my sweet?" He whispered in her ear. 

She licked her lips. His erection was evident on her bum, strong and hard. She wanted to ground her bum in it, wanted to feel it slap against her thigh. "Pretty flexible."

He pressed her into his groin briefly before stepping back to sit on the bed. "Touch your toes," he ordered, his breath warmed her ass. Yet all she felt were chills and the thrill of sin on her flesh. 

Fran bent from the waist, reaching her toes. Doing so exposed her to him - completely, without the barriers of her flimsy underwear. With shaky fingers she reached for her ankles, closing them around her delicate bones. 

She felt his breath on her bare bum, in between her legs, along her slit and the rim of her hole. He was so close, so near, yet it wasn't close enough. He was teasing her yet again. He leaned in close to kiss her close to her dewy slit, blowing gently on her engorged nub. 

Fran's knees buckled. 

"Stay still. You'll enjoy this as much as I will," he promised a moment before his mouth finally closed over her creaming flesh. 

Fran moaned as his warm mouth covered her. 

It was beyond good. Words could not describe how delicious the wet feel of his tongue sliding over her throbbing slit felt. He sucked and licked a fiery path down to pull at her tight nub. 

Bent over the way she was, Fran went dizzy. All the blood in her body seemed to be in two places at once; her clit and her head. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't pause enough to draw a breath before he delivered another stroke with his tongue. His strong fingers pulled the globes of her ass apart and his tongue pierced her channel, swirling and tasting every last drop of her essence. 

Fran cried out. She nearly lost her balance. 

Luca reached for one ankle, grabbed her hand and led it to her clit forcing her to play with the tiny nub of pleasure. He watched while she played at his command, grounding his teeth against the swell of his cock in his pants. He watched her face too, saw her eyes roll back. She was struggling to stay bent over, struggling to stay balanced. 

He returned to her creaming flesh, sucking and licking gently at first and then forcefully, hungry for more and more of her. 

She cried uncontrollably, moaning, crying and begging. Her knees could not hold up anymore. She would have fallen if he had not grabbed her hips and pushed her into his face until she tightened, and her walls sprang apart, causing violent quakes in her body. 

Her knees finally gave out, and she nearly collapsed head first, but Luca was there to catch her. She shook in his arms, crying with her eyes closed while her legs shook with the tremors. Her fingers clutched his shirt, nearly digging into his flesh. 

Luca rose from his place on the bed with her in his arms. Turning, he laid her on the bed, unbuckled her shoes and cast them aside. He rose to his full height, his gaze raking her supple body with lust. Desire shone in his eyes when it met her pink quivering flesh. 

He wanted more, but that would have to wait for later. Right now he needed to bury himself inside her. 

From beneath her lashes Fran saw the swirl of desire in his eyes, his gaze pinning her onto the bed. Her body screamed in ecstasy and longed for more. 

She watched him shrug off his jacket, cast it aside. He popped his collar, cuffs and his buttons, shrugged off his shirt and cast it aside. Next were his pants. 

Fran didn't blink.

Luca liked that. 

Her eyes watched his belt slide through the loopholes of his pants and his zipper slide open. His pants came off with his boxer shorts and his penis sprang from between his thighs, nestled in a nest of dark curls. 

He was huge. He had girth. Jay had been huge as well and if she hadn't been so busy she would have explored her limits with him, but now she worried that Luca wouldn't fit. 

Her eyes remained on the strong, veined piece bobbing between his thighs as he climbed the bed, hooked his arms behind her knees and pushed her deeper into the bed. 

She rose on her elbows, her eyes widening now as she finally tore her gaze from his cock to his face. "W- wait... I don't think..."

Luca didn't give her time to think. Spreading her knees wide with his strong thighs, he took his place between her thighs, placed the head of his cock at her entrance and, without warning, slammed into her. 

Fran's head rolled back into the pillows, a tight groan escaping her throat, her fists clutched the sheets tightly as he drove in inch after inch, pounding her soft flesh relentlessly. There was no warning, no words as he slammed into her again and again, groaning into her flesh as he buried his face in her neck. 

He didn't give her a moment to breathe or adapt to his size, yet her body expanded to receive him, forced by the intrusion of his large, demanding cock. Her slippery walls clenched tightly to its firm length. 

Luca groaned. She felt so good. Her channel was just as wet, hot and tight as he had imagined. Night after night he watched her dance, and he wondered if her body was as soft and supple as it was in his dreams. If her p*ssy creamed as he imagined. 

It was even better. The wet heat stretching and constricting as he delivered stroke after stroke curled his toes. 

Reaching beneath her, he grabbed her ass, spread her cheeks apart and pounded even harder until the bed bounced and the springs creaked.

Her moans were music to his ears, no longer a cry of pain but of pleasure as he stretched her to her limits. She wrapped her legs around his waist, matching his rhythm with the passion of a Wildcat, her arms wound around his neck with her fingers digging into his skin. 

She learned fast, and he realized he wanted to show her more, teach her more. 

As he thrust into her again, and again he thought to himself 'You are mine. Mine, angel, mine.'

He felt her tighten, felt her fingers dig even harder, nearly breaking skin as she threw her head back and exploded again, crying out loud as she did. 

It was more than he could take. Driving in with a force that completely emptied his lungs, he exploded inside her, coating her insides with his cum. With a loud groan, he collapsed on top of her, his cock still jerking inside her. 

Fran whimpered, squeezing her legs together on his waist to stay the tremors in her body.

The wild beat of their hearts merged into one, slowing gradually like the tick of a clock. 

Luca squeezed his arms around her. He couldn't believe it, but for the first time in months he was spent, too tired to turn her over for a new lesson. But the night was still young, he had a lot to teach his pretty butterfly.  

He said the night was short, but it turned out to be longer than they both thought before the sun brought dawn to the penthouse windows and Fran found that Luca's hunger was as insatiable as the night was long. 

After the first orgasm, drained and spent for the first time in years, Fran turned over to her side and drifted off to sleep. 

Just a little nap before I leave, she told herself. 

It was Luca's gentle yet firm hand between her thighs, parting them so that the side of her knee was pressed into the mattress, that woke her up. Her eyelids fluttered open to see him rise above her. Even before she fully awakened, he was pressing his erection into her. 

Moaning low in her throat as moisture gathered within her again, Fran parted her legs wider and raised her hips to his when he sank into her. 

Luca forced her hips down, trapping one of her legs with one powerful, muscular leg. He surged up, burying himself balls deep inside her, groaning against her neck as she stretched to receive all of him. He lifted his head to kiss her and Fran turned her head away, her skin heating up now as pools of pleasure gathered between her legs again. Her hands ran the length of his back, fingers digging deep into his flesh until he winced. 

When he rose above her to look into her face, hips still pumping hard and fast below, she smiled at him, her soft brown eyes hidden behind eyelids heavy with sleep and lust. He lost himself in those eyes, grunting from deep within his chest as he surged powerfully, burying himself to the hilt to pour his seeds into her again. 

After a few minutes, he rolled off her to spoon her tightly against him, his erection softening against her bum, and squeezed her with his hand around her waist. 

Fran's eyes opened in the darkness. She looked down at his strong arm around her waist. His hand snaked below, fingers flat between her thighs so that he could feel the heat of her sex while he slept softly behind her. She wondered at the possessiveness of his hold on her. When she tried to scoot away, his arm tightened, bringing her back to the warmth of his body. His fingers played with the soft curls down there, then toyed softly with the lips of her vagina. 

She gasped, feeling a new wave of need course through her again. 

She felt his smile on her neck behind her. He was mocking her. 

"Tonight will never be enough," he mumbled into her hair. 

And he proved it once again, but this time around, he easily maneuvered her on top of him. Her thighs parted, knees locked on either side of his hips. 

She sighed, subconsciously running her hands up and down his chest, his broad, muscular chest. Dark hair spiced his olive skin, and she tangled her fingers in them. 

"Again?" She asked, shifting her hips forward so that she could crane her head to look back at his hardening cock. It smacked her ass. 

She turned back to Luca, and he gave her a charming, boyish lopsided grin. "What does it say?" He cocked his head to indicate that he was talking about his rising erection. 

Fran found herself smiling. "It doesn't get tired does it?"

Not with you, he thought with wonder, but he didn't say those words. Instead, gripping her thighs in his strong hands, he told her what to do, "Fuck me, Francesca."

Fran bit on her bottom lip as, with one hand on his groin for support, she rose up slightly and with the other hand she held his cock, placed it at her entrance and sank onto him. 

Luca bit back a moan. Every time he thought it was good, it got better. Her vagina was a gripping vice on his veined erection, milking the length of him so sweetly, so innocently. She rose and fell on his shaft with care, and he thought he would lose his mind from the effect she had on him. It nibbled at the edge of his mind that come morning she would leave, and he hated it. He would keep her here, go on his knees to beg her to stay if he could. 

But Luca Castello was a proud man, a mafia boss. He bent his knee to no one, much less a woman. Who was Fran to him but mere entertainment? Not even the woman he once loved, or thought he felt something close to love for, could bring him to his knees. Fran was nothing but a passing interest, one that had held his attention since he first saw her on that stage. Once he tired of her, he would discard her, and they would go their separate ways - once he found her sister, that is. 

For now, his balls tightened for her. He lusted for her. The sooner he exhausted his lust the better. Running his hands over the rise of her hips, he gripped her ass apart and forced her to ride him even faster. 

Fran followed his lead, her eyes stretching wide in their sockets. She nearly lost her balance, but soon she leaned forward, found her balance with her hands on his chest and rode him as fast as he wanted, her hips jerking back and forth on his groin. Her body was afire. 

The action brought friction to her clit, her small swollen numb grinding hard again his flesh until she was crying out in pleasure again. 

Luca let out a primal growl, his head pressed hard into the mattress with its tangled sheets when he felt her tighten against him again. Her wet walls clenched his cock tightly when she came again, springing apart very quickly as the insides of her body jerked rapidly. 

"Luca," Fran cried in his ear. She slumped against him, shaking and shivering, and his arms covered her while his hips pumped one last time, deeply, as he drained his balls inside her. 

Luca held her close, soothing her with his hand running up and down her back, which was wet with sweat. He nearly blacked out this time. 

It was several minutes again before he could breathe easy and by then Francesca was already sleeping. Her back rose and fell as she slept softly against him. 

He held her close and listened to her soft breathing. Her body was soft just as he imagined. And he also knew that her heart and soul was just as soft. 

His life was a dangerous one. What she was doing by delving into his world through him was also dangerous, but he could understand her desperation. She was worried about her sister. 

Once he was like her, worried about his brother. He would have done anything to keep his brother away from the dangers of his world, but Giovanni quickly proved that he was his own man, climbing his way from the bottom of the gang to a point that was just below him. 

Luca's hands were dirty, in a world like his it was hard to keep a clean hand. But Giovanni's were even dirtier. His brother quickly became his muscle and knife, teaching the opposition why they shouldn't mess with the Mafia brothers. 

Since the anti - organized crime laws in many countries, popular gangs like the Mafia and the Yakuza had gone underground, keeping a low profile while still keeping their webs in the criminal world. Luca was keeping the Mafia brothers safe through his connections with federal forces. As long as his men didn't go out of their way to cause trouble, they were safe. 

Now he worried that safety was about to be threatened, what with Giovanni talking about Ricky and Francesca insisting that his brother might have something to do with her sister's disappearance. 

The effect of his pleasure was wearing off now. He gently slid Fran off him. 

She mumbled in her sleep and curled against him. 

Luca looked into her face, aching to reach down to touch the soft lines of her cheeks and jaw. He squeezed his hands into fists. 

He was no fool. She was a woman. A dispensable one. 

He turned away from her and slid off the bed. He grabbed his discarded pants off the floor and slid them on at the same time as he reached for his phone. He tapped on it and raised it to his ear. 

The phone rang once before the call connected. 

"Where are you, Bobby?" He listened to the response on the other side, then said, "Be here in 5."

He padded across the room, found a decanter of scotch and some glass in the cabinet in the bar in the living room area. He poured himself a healthy amount, enough to temporarily wash the lust that was threatening to blind him to his job. 

He was pouring himself another glass full when the door opened and Bobby walked in. 

Bobby was huge and bald, a giant with a large white scar on his neck that warned anyone who thought otherwise that his baby blue eyes belied a dangerous nature. The scar was the result of a street fight that would have ended his life in their early days in Los Angeles if Luca hadn't flown in a brilliant doctor to treat him. That singular act was enough to seal Bobby's life to his for life. 

"Mr. Castello." Bobby's voice was coarse and husky. That and the scar was a reminder of his near brush with death. 

"Giovanni?"

"Last I checked he was leaving the club at 4 this morning." If Bobby thought it strange that Luca asked him to tail his brother, he said nothing about it. His loyalty was to Luca, not Giovanni. 

"Was he alone?"

"As far as I know, yes sir. If he turned around to meet Ricky I wouldn't know about that, but I'll check."

"That's fine." Luca brushed a hand over his face. He didn't know what to do about his stubborn brother, but he hoped that Giovanni wasn't getting his dirty hands even stickier. "I have a job for you."

The only indication that Bobby was listening was his intent gaze. 

"Have you heard the name Faith Elaise on the streets?"

"Can't say that I have."

"Ask around. Find out what you know about her. She's disappeared, find out why and who the players are in her disappearance."

"Yes sir." 

No questions asked. If Luca wanted someone to take a bullet for him, Bobby would take it. No questions asked. 

He turned to leave. 

"One more thing," Luca stopped him. 

Bobby waited. "Look into Ricky too. No one should know about this. I want to know what he wants from me."

"Yes sir."

"If you're caught you're on your own."

Bobby cracked a smile. "Right, Mr. Castello."

He left the penthouse. 

Luca walked to the bar to pour another drink for himself. Now that the assignment was given, his mind wandered back to the woman in his bed. She was young and inexperienced, but there was a curiosity about her, he wanted to explore. He suspected that she was wilder than she appeared. 

He smirked to himself. Would she really let him fuck her in the *ss? There was only one way to find out. 

He drained his glass and dropped it on the counter. 

**Fran woke up with a start. 

The room was only dimly lit by the rising dawn. She looked down at the scattered sheets on the bed, lifted the covers and looked down at herself. She was naked, and her body ached and throbbed. 

Damn, it had been a long night. The best night, a tiny voice said in her head. She dismissed it. 

No, she couldn't think of it as the best night of her life. She had given Luca the price. Now it was time to wait for him to fulfill his end of their bargain. 

She slid off the bed feeling shame mixed with the pleasure and ache in her loins. 

It was time to leave. 

Fran's POV

I slid out of bed bare and unashamed of my state of undress. That was because I was alone in the room.

If Luca was there, I probably would have grabbed the sheets and wrapped them around my body to cover myself now that clarity had returned. 

After last night I don't know if I would be able to bare myself to Luca again, especially after everything we did last night. 

Damn! How did I let myself go? 

I knew that a man like him was dangerous and corrupted, but I never guessed how deep his corruption ran - or maybe I did and willfully ignored it until he seared it into my flesh too. I still felt the ache he left behind, my inner walls remembered what intrusion of his thickly veined member felt like. When I sat on him and rode him I feared he would break through my wall. He was that large. 

My lower belly clenched. 

My eyes drifted to the bed where the corruption of my body had all taken place. When did he leave the bed? After the last time, I had been so exhausted I couldn't even keep my eyes open. 

Did I fall asleep on him? 

Damn! How did I go from barely knowing this man to not only bending over for him but also having his scent, his essence imprinted on my senses? My body? 

Keith would not be happy to know what I had done. Who could I even tell of the things I let Luca Castello do to me? 

Along with shudders at the memory of what his mouth and body did to me, I also burned with shame and as soon as I thought about Keith, more shame replaced the flow of phantom shivers in my veins. Fear and worry about my sister Faith completely dispelled what was left from last night. 

How could I have forgotten? 

Anxious to be out of Luca's bedroom as fast as possible, I snatched my underwear and gingerly put them on. They were a bit uncomfortable because now that I had Luca's fluids mixed with mine my body felt sticky. The lace material chaffed my tender clit. I pulled the seat of my panties down for comfort, then found my gown. It jingled loudly in the cold silence of the room. 

I was just pulling the soft material over my head when the door opened again and Luca walked in. 

I froze but only for a second before pulling the gown over my bare breasts and hips. I looked over at him, at the shocked anger veiled behind the swirl of desire in his dark eyes, and smiled. 

Damn it, but he looks so good in just his pants! How was a woman supposed to cope when he stood there tall and all male with the length of his cock outlined through his pants even when flaccid? 

This was the devil that tempted me last night and oh how far I've fallen. 

**

READER'S POV

Luca had not expected to come upstairs to meet her already dressing to leave. He had expected that she would be asleep for at least another 3 hours but, alas, it seemed he had once again underestimated the woman. 

She smiled softly at him. It twisted something in his insides. 

He let his gaze drop from her inviting lips to her dress before he did something stupid like walk up to her to kiss her senseless and beg her to take off her dress one last time. 

"Going somewhere?" He tried to sound neutral, but even he heard the tight anger in his voice. Women didn't leave him! He decided when he had had his fill of them. He should be the one showing her the door, not her carving her own door behind his back, damn it! 

"I have to get back home," She told him. Still smiling oh so sweetly, she turned to pick her shoes off the floor. 

"Why?" He heard himself ask. He still hadn't left the door. Was he going to stop her from leaving? He wasn't sure of the answer himself. 

Downstairs he was sure that whatever happened between them during the night was nothing more than an exchange. He helped her, and she paid her dues on his bed. He had convinced himself in his head that that was what it was. There was nothing she could offer him that he didn't already have. In fact, he had women. He could count them all off the top of his head. Actresses, dancers, Yogi instructors he could call and who would come running to climb into his bed. 

Yet he wanted Fran to stay. He wanted to tie her hands and feet so that she would stay until he had his fill of her. Just like the others. 

"It's not like your sister will be waiting for you," he continued to talk. 

He wished he could kick himself in the ass as soon as those words left his lips. Her pretty face fell. Her long, dark lashes fluttered low to hide her beautiful brown eyes and whatever brightness he had seen when he first walked in dimmed. 

"You're right," Fran said, raising her eyes from her shoes briefly to meet his. "But I gotta have hope, right?" She smiled again, but it was not the same as her bright smile. "Besides," She shrugged. "I really need to sleep. After that, I have to practice for tonight's performance. I think I'm a bit stiff after last night," She laughed shyly. 

If she was several shades lighter, he would have seen the color in her neck and cheeks. So even after last night she still maintained her curious innocence. 

It was all Luca could do to keep her from leaving. 

He watched her sit briefly to buckle her shoes. When she rose again, she grabbed her purse. 

"I'll just have to grab my coat from downstairs, and then I'll be on my way," She announced. Not that he needed to know, but Fran felt the heat of his gaze, and it made her uncomfortable, especially because she could feel the anger in his eyes. 

She made her way to the door where he stood watch, but he didn't step aside. His gaze remained on her face, scorching her skin until she feared she was going to become a sweaty messy stain on the black linoleum tiles. 

Finally, he spoke. "I'll send word to you when I get a report from my man."

She was very disappointed that he did not ask for her number or say he would find her to tell her the news himself but that he would send word. 

So that was it then? 

"Thank you very much, Luca." And then, because she couldn't help herself, she asked, "Will you be coming to the club again? I can perform a better performance than last night," Her gaze cut to the chair she had performed with with a slight raise to the corner of her mouth. 

Luca steeled himself. What was her game? 

Finally, he stepped aside. "You should go home."

Fran's heart fell. She was being silly, she knew that. She should be glad that it was all over and not disappointed that he wasn't asking her to stay. Besides, she had better things to do than serve him on her hands and knees or bend over for him to choose which holes he wanted to fuck. 

She stepped toward the door under his gaze and just before opening the door she turned to him. 

"Thank you for the tips... At the club."

Against his wish Luca had to smile. She was smarter than he gave her credit for. She was interesting. 

"You knew?"

Her smile widened and with a one-shoulder shrug she said, "Well, I know now."

His response was a barely visible nod, but that was enough for her. They were parting on friendly terms. The price was paid, Faith would be found and when she was found Fran would ship her recalcitrant sister off to boarding school to complete her secondary education. If she had to scrap on her hands and knees to afford it, she would do that. 

The housekeeper was waiting downstairs as if she was expecting her and from the look on the woman's face Fran could tell that the older woman thought that Luca had discarded her like he did his other women.

Which, Fran guessed, must be something that often happened. 

That gave her a pause. How often did he bring women over for the night? 

She hadn't realized that the thought distracted her until the housekeeper mumbled, "Your coat, Miss."

"Thanks," Fran accepted it, ignoring the look on the woman's face. 

She walked to the elevator and took the ride downstairs.

Outside the lobby in the brightening day, she paused on the curb to swallow some morning air, but just as she was about to open her eyes to begin the long walk to the nearest bus station, a large shadow fell on her. 

She stepped back, eyes going wide at the sight of the tall giant with the large scar cutting from one side of his neck to the other, standing before her. His hands were buried in his coat pockets but the thought of how large they would be and how easy it would be for him to stifle her scream if he gripped her neck flashed through her mind. 

He must have read her mind or maybe her expression gave her away, but he raised his hands up and grinned. 

"Name's Bobby, Miss. Mr. Castello has ordered me to drive you home."

"Oh," Fran thought foolishly. "A-are you his driver?" She could not recall him being the same driver who drove them last night. 

"I can be anything he wants me to be. He walked to the car she hadn't noticed parked in front of the building and opened it. " Are you leaving now?"

Fran craned her neck to look up at the building. The penthouse was obscured by the thick fog that was characteristic of cool near-winter mornings in Los Angeles. She could barely see past the wispy white fog but for some reason she knew that Luca had to be in front of the window overlooking the city. He had such a powerful presence. 

Was he watching this exchange? 

"Miss?"

Fran's eyes met Bobby's, and she was shocked at how friendly they looked, yet his scar told a different story. 

"Yes, thank you."

She climbed into the comfort of the car and when Bobby shut the door, her eyes went once again to the penthouse where Luca indeed stood watching, now dressed in his robe - not that she saw it. 

Luca watched the car drive off. He stepped back from the window to reach for the intercom on the wall without looking. He pressed it and his housekeeper came running. 

"Bring more, Rosie."

"Another bottle before breakfast?" She questioned, the disapproval evident in her voice. 

Luca tore his gaze from the window, dark brows furrowed over equally dark eyes. Rosemary returned his stare defiantly. She had been in his service for as long as he stayed in the penthouse. She was aware of the darker details of his life and work, yet she was as fearless and protective as a mother hen defending her children from preying hawks.

Usually she stayed out of the way, interfering only when absolutely necessary, especially if the few cops not on Luca's payroll came sniffing. Luca appreciated her interference, but not today. 

Today he was in no mood to be questioned by a woman. Women came and went, an endless stream of them. Nothing more. 

"I didn't stutter," He replied her darkly. 

She looked like she was going to argue with him when her lips parted, but soon she snapped her mouth shut, her eyes sparking with unexpressed anger. 

"A bottle of whiskey and some breakfast." 

She turned on her heels and worked away before he would contest her stubbornness. 

He was tempted to laugh. 

I guess I'm lucky she's not my mother, he thought to himself. The last thing he wanted was a mother hovering over him now as an adult when he never had one as a child. 

His childhood in Italy had been quite normal until his father's lawlessness had gotten their mother killed. And then Luca had gone ahead to make the same mistake. 

Giovanni was not the only one with blood on his hands. 

Luca's were just as tainted, tainted with the blood of someone who was family to him. 

Jaws clenched so tight the joints nearly snapped, Luca turned away from the window and yelled to Rosemary, "Where the hell is that damn whiskey?!"