The Promise

by Kristen Ashley

  “He did. Trish wanted pancakes,” Herb replied.

  The commando tipped his head back and looked to the ceiling. My breath returned but only to come erratically, mostly because I could see his muscled throat and the underside of his strong jaw.

  Yummy.

  Then he told the ceiling, “Fuck me.”

  “Lucas Stark! What would your mother say?” Trish remonstrated.

  He tipped his chin down and leveled his eyes on her, and at the wrathful look in them, I stopped breathing again and fought against wetting my pants.

  “You Stark?” Benny asked, fortunately taking Stark’s attention off Trish, and I could feel my man coming out of his chair.

  “You Bianchi?” Luke Stark asked back after an affirmative nod.

  Ben didn’t answer, but he did put out a hand.

  Stark took it.

  “Elaine! Can we get menus?” Trish called.

  “Comin’ right up,” a waitress called back.

  “I take it you’re Giglia,” Stark said, and I looked to Sal to see him up and giving Stark the once-over.

  Sal also didn’t confirm his identity verbally. He just said, “At least you look serious.”

  I didn’t know whether to moan or whimper when Stark replied inflexibly in his rough voice, “I am. Very serious.”

  It was then Stark looked to me and his features softened.

  Definitely moan-worthy.

  “You’re Francesca,” he stated and, luckily, I was.

  I stuck out a hand. “Yeah. Frankie.”

  He took my hand, gripped it not too strong, not too light, and let it go.

  He then looked to Herb. “You can go now.”

  “Thank God,” Herb said, immediately pushing back his chair.

  “What? What do you mean?’ Trish asked. “We haven’t had pancakes.”

  “We had lunch two hours ago,” Herb told her.

  “Well, now I’m in the mood for pancakes,” she told him.

  “Herb,” Stark growled warningly.

  “Right,” Herb said, then looked to his wife. “See that guy?”

  He pointed and she looked so I looked and saw he was pointing to Sal’s guy outside the window.

  “And that one?” Herb went on, and I looked back at him to see he was pointing across the other side of the restaurant.

  I looked over my shoulder and saw he was pointing at Sal’s other guy.

  “Those guys are this guy’s guys,” Herb went on, and I looked back to see him jerking his head at Sal. “And those guys and this guy means we are now done. We’re leavin’. We’re not gettin’ pancakes. We’re getting the hell outta here.” He looked to Sal. “No offense.”

  “None taken,” Sal muttered.

  Herb looked to Trish. “Let’s go.”

  “Oh, all right,” she mumbled. Pushing back and grabbing her purse, she stuck her hand out toward me. “Nice to meet you.”

  “You too,” I replied, taking it for a good-bye squeeze.

  More of the same for Benny and Sal, then she hustled around the table, got right into Commando Stark’s space, patted his arm, and leaned up to kiss his cheek.

  The fact Stark would allow this shocked me so deeply, I gave big eyes to Benny.

  Benny didn’t see my big eyes. He was looking at Herb shaking Stark’s hand and was doing this not looking happy.

  Herb and Trish took their leave as Elaine slapped menus on the table, asking, “Coffee?”

  “All around,” Benny ordered for everybody, probably to make her leave.

  “Gotcha,” she said and hustled away.

  Stark sat in Herb’s seat, back to the wall, facing us, and Benny and Sal settled back in.

  “Can you assure us amateur hour is over?” Sal asked immediately.

  Sal was scary, but I wasn’t sure even Sal should go head-to-head with this guy. I’d mentioned his flat stomach but not his broad shoulders or the defined, bulging biceps and chest that were straining the material of his tee so much, any movement might make it tear clean free.

  An intriguing thought.

  “Herb and Trish are Roxie’s parents,” Stark told him. “Roxie is Lee’s sister-in-law. She’s one of the best women I’ve ever met, a great wife, an outstanding mother. They raised her to be that way. They’re fuckin’ insane, but they’re good people. They aren’t amateur. They’re friendly. And they got nothin’ to do with Lee or his business.”

  “I’d say that means yeah,” I murmured, and Stark looked at me.

  His hard face, again, softened and he said quietly, “Yeah. That means yeah.”

  I grinned at him.

  His lips tipped up, then he looked to Benny.

  Out of sheer womanly habit I took that moment to look at his hand resting on the table. There I saw a very wide, very shiny gold wedding band.

  Luckily, I had the best man in the world or the sight of that band would’ve been devastating.

  “You got somethin’ for me?” he asked Benny.

  “Unh-unh,” Sal cut in. “Before we give you anything, we gotta get assurances you can do this right.”

  Stark turned cold eyes to Sal. “I only provide references to people who’re payin’ me.”

  “I only pay people who I know can get the job done right,” Sal fired back, and I held my breath as Luke Stark turned his torso Sal’s way. Which meant turning his full attention Sal’s way. Which meant only a man like Salvatore Giglia wouldn’t cower under that dark gaze.

  “Then I’ll tell you, Lee does this. He finds shit he doesn’t like, like the possibility of a bad drug hittin’ the market, the company manufacturing it burying evidence that their product is harmful, and he gets interested. He’s interested. So Lee’s doin’ this, and when Lee does anything, he does it right.”

  “I’m not talkin’ to Lee,” Sal pushed.

  “No,” Stark growled, obviously losing patience. “You’re talkin’ to me, but when I say Lee I mean me because he put me on this. So that means it’ll be me who does this shit right.”

  Sal opened his mouth, but I quickly spoke because I didn’t think it would be healthy for anyone if Luke Stark got more impatient.

  “I have a question.” Stark looked to me. “Can you kick Chuck Norris’s ass?”

  Luke Stark smiled, white and lazy.

  My heart thumped.

  “I strive to be Chuck Norris,” he replied.

  I smiled back. “That’s good enough for me.” I looked to Benny. “Give him the drives, baby.”

  Ben obviously liked the look of Stark too because he shifted to push his hand in his pocket when Sal said, “Hang on.”

  That was when Ben stopped shifting and looked to Sal.

  “Look at this guy,” he ordered.

  Sal didn’t look at Stark. He scowled at Benny.

  “Fuck, Sal, I don’t even have to see him in action to know this guy could successfully execute a one-man coup on a small South American country,” Benny stated.

  I giggled.

  Sal turned his scowl to me. “This is serious, Francesca.”

  “Does Mr. Stark look like a comedian to you, Sal?” I asked, jerking my head Stark’s way.

  Sal looked to Stark. “Who protects Frankie?”

  Stark’s brows drew together and he looked to Benny. “I thought you were her man.”

  “I am,” Ben confirmed.

  “You need assistance with that?” Stark asked.

  “Fuck no.”

  Stark took him in, torso to hair, and said, “Didn’t think so.”

  Nice. A compliment from a commando.

  I kicked Benny’s shoe with my sandal.

  Ben looked to me and shook his head.

  I grinned at him and looked back toward the table.

  Stark turned his eyes to Sal. “Any more problems?”

  “When’s this gonna be done?” Sal asked.

  “Depends what’s on the drives. It’s good, Tuesday,” Stark answered, and Sal’s brows shot up.

  “You can say that? Tuesday?�
��

  “I can say that. Tuesday,” Stark repeated firmly.

  “That soon?” Sal asked.

  “We haven’t been fuckin’ around,” Stark told him. “We got three nurses who are ready to be deposed. They got data. And we got a lock on five patients who, if they knew why their hearts were fucked up, which they will, would be callin’ their attorneys. Somethin’ I can assure you they’ll be doin’ on Tuesday.”

  I leaned into the table, and as I did it, Stark caught my movement and turned his dark eyes to me. Dark eyes I just noticed were blue, they were that dark.

  Amazing.

  “The lead scientist on the project, who’s dead now, his original documents are on the drives,” I shared.

  “Excellent,” Stark replied.

  Ben shifted again to push his hand into his jeans pocket.

  Elaine came with a tray full of coffee mugs and a thermal pot, all of which she put on the table.

  “I know it’s nearly three, but it’s also Sunday and, just sayin’, you’d be fools if you didn’t have Frank’s pancakes on Sunday,” she declared.

  “Blueberries in mine,” Stark said, taking the drives Ben slid across the table toward him.

  “You got time for blueberry pancakes?” Sal asked irritably.

  “There’s always time for blueberry pancakes,” Stark replied casually.

  I leaned into Benny and whispered, “I like this guy.”

  Ben looked to me and, again, shook his head.

  I looked to Elaine. “Can I have blueberries in mine too?” I asked.

  “Live it up,” Elaine answered, which I guessed meant yes.

  “Jesus,” Sal muttered.

  “No blueberries for me, but lots of syrup,” Benny ordered, leaning back and hooking an arm on the back of my chair.

  Job done. He could tell by looking at Stark he could trust him. Now all he had to do was keep an eye on me and feel relief. I could tell all this by the vibe he was giving me.

  And it made me happy so I leaned sideways and collided with him.

  He curled a hand around my shoulder.

  “Christ, I’ll take blueberries too,” Sal said.

  I looked up at Benny and grinned.

  He dipped his head and touched his mouth to mine.

  After I got that bit of goodness, I turned away, reached for my coffee, and looked at Stark.

  “Is your wife a commando too?”

  Another lip tip before, “She’s a graphic designer.”

  “Does she design logos for commando gear?” I asked.

  The lip tip tipped higher. “No.”

  I kept at him. “Is she the mother of a tribe of mini-commandos?”

  He shook his head but a light hit his eyes, a light that hit me right in the heart and warmed it.

  “So far, all girls.”

  At his words and the way he said them, I knew what that light meant. I knew it meant when his daughters got to certain age and looked in the mirror, they’d see pure beauty. I figured with the way he looked, his wife was probably hot too, so it wouldn’t be a stretch that their girls would be beauties.

  But that wasn’t the beauty they’d see.

  They’d see the beauty that came from looking at themselves through their father’s eyes.

  Behind a sip of coffee, I hid the feelings these thoughts made me feel. Feelings that, if I let them free, might mean I’d burst into tears. As I sipped, Sal’s words from earlier came to me.

  Then Benny’s words from yesterday came to me.

  And suddenly, I wanted to rush into the bathroom and look in the mirror.

  But I knew what I’d see.

  So, Mrs. Zambino was no dummy.

  I already knew that.

  What I was looking forward to was getting home to Chicago, walking across the street, and sharing with her the face I would now see.

  She wouldn’t be surprised.

  She’d already seen it.

  Repeatedly.

  * * * * *

  I stood, hand to counter, undoing the straps on my sandals after Ben and I got home, leashed up Gus, took him on a walk, then got back.

  Benny unleashed Gus and then directly slanted onto the couch, reaching for the remote, laying evidence that he was possibly preparing for a delayed pancake coma.

  The pancakes were good. And I liked Luke Stark even better when he wasn’t being scary but was instead being casually badass and also friendly.

  But for me, I was just glad all this would soon be over and we could turn our minds to better things.

  Like picking tile and kitchen towels.

  Once I got my shoes off, I wandered to Benny and saw him watching me. That meant he was prepared so I didn’t hesitate in collapsing on top of him.

  He braced for impact, took it, and wrapped his arms around me.

  I shifted mine so they were on his chest and looked into his eyes. “You liked the look of Stark,” I decreed.

  “Not as much as you, but yeah,” he replied, and I tipped my head to the side.

  “What do you mean, not as much as me?”

  His lips twitched before he said, “Babe, you were practically drooling.”

  Uh-oh. Benny caught that.

  “Well…” I started, then stopped because I had no clue what to say or why Benny’s lips were twitching and he wasn’t flying into a possessive, Italian hot guy jealous rage.

  “He liked the look of you too,” Benny noted.

  I felt my brows shoot up. “He did?”

  “Oh yeah,” Ben stated.

  “How do you know?” I asked, intrigued, even though I knew I shouldn’t be.

  Benny weirdly didn’t hesitate with his answer.

  “He wanted to be sittin’ at a table with Sal like he wanted someone to pull out all of his teeth. He was puttin’ up with Sal because he caught sight of you and knows you might possibly be in danger. He also knows Sal’s on that so you mean somethin’ to Sal and Sal means somethin’ to you. He didn’t show him a lot of respect, but he showed him more than he normally would and he did that because of you. He thought you are what you are, beautiful and funny. Man like him doesn’t go soft for some hard bitch or just anybody. He goes soft for a beautiful woman who’s funny.”

  “But he’s married.”

  “He’s married, but he isn’t dead.”

  “I think he’s very married,” I informed him.

  “Definitely,” Benny agreed. “Man wears that obvious of a wedding band because he’s weak and let his wife pick the rings or because he’s seriously in love with his wife. There’s nothin’ weak about that man.”

  This was true.

  “Aren’t you…I mean, he was attractive and you caught that I caught that. Aren’t you pissed?”

  “Babe, you’re mine, but you aren’t dead either. It’s not like just because you’re bangin’ me you’re not gonna see guys you don’t like to see.”

  “That doesn’t upset you?” I asked.

  “You gonna bang ’em?” he asked back.

  “No,” I replied sharply.

  That got me a grin and, “Then why would it upset me?”

  “But you didn’t like the idea of me being Cheryl’s wingman.”

  “You likin’ the look of a guy who’s very married and doin’ that sittin’ next to me is one thing. You out with one of your girls, my ring not yet on your finger, for any guy to get an eyeful and maybe call up the courage to approach is another.”

  “I wouldn’t bang any of them either,” I pointed out.

  “You like the idea of some woman approachin’ me when you’re not around?” he asked.

  I saw his point so I pressed my lips together.

  His eyes dropped to my mouth, and when they came back to mine, they were lit with humor.

  I understood that part, but I didn’t trust the earlier part and I told him why.

  “So, you’re cool with this so I’ll be cool with you lookin’ at pretty women while you’re with me?”

  “I’m not dead, either, ba
be. And I might see a pretty woman, but even if I do, I’m not doin’ my job if you don’t know down to your gut there’s nothin’ I see that’s as beautiful as what I see in you.”

  God.

  Benny.

  I liked his words so much, I couldn’t stop my head from dropping so my forehead was on his throat, and that was where I kept it in order to deep breathe and not burst into tears.

  Ben glided a hand up my spine and curled it around the back of my neck before he murmured into the top of my hair, “See I scored with that.”

  “Sometimes your sweet overwhelms me,” I admitted to his throat.

  “Challenge accepted.”

  I lifted my head and looked at him again. “What?”

  He looked into my eyes. “Challenge accepted, findin’ ways to give you a lifetime of just that.”

  I could deep breathe for eternity and not stop the tears that wet my eyes at that.

  “You just did it again,” I whispered.

  He smiled and whispered back, “Good.”

  I looked to his smile, then back to his eyes that were warm and tender and beautiful and also smiling and kept whispering, “And again.”

  He slid his hand into my hair and replied, “Babe, you feel all I see you feelin’, don’t put it into tears. Kiss me.”

  My Benny.

  So wise.

  That was a much better idea.

  So I didn’t cry.

  I shifted up and kissed him.

  Ben shifted us on the couch so he was on top and kissed me back.

  Then he banged me.

  After that, Ben held me close and I snoozed off my pancakes while he watched the game.

  * * * * *

  Later, we made dinner together and watched movie.

  And later, before heading to bed, I stood in the bathroom, wearing my nightie, and stared at myself in the mirror.

  I saw what I always saw, but it was different.

  It was a person who inspired love and loyalty and protection. It was a person who got this because she gave it back. It was the person I’d always been but never seen.

  She was beautiful.

  My eyes shifted from my reflection to watch Benny, wearing nothing but light blue pajama bottoms, approach me.

  He watched me in the mirror as he made his approach but lost sight of me when he fitted his front to my back and wrapped his arms around my middle, burying his face in my neck.