by Olivia Harp
“We’ll have lunch at the casino,” he told her, “you’re gonna love it there.”
They were starving. It was past two, and they hadn’t had anything to eat since the early morning.
“I thought we were going to be back to New York immediately after the meeting,” she replied.
“Well, we were,” Lucian said, “but we’re in Vegas, right?”
“Might as well have fun,” Crow finished, stealing the words out of his mouth.
Fucking Crow. They’d been friends since they were kids. Shared everything. And now they shared a girlfr—
No. He wouldn’t call her that. It wasn’t right. He barely knew her.
She’s just a friend. An awesome, incredible, good friend. Shit.
He wanted her. Back in the Tea House, he was driven by mad by lust, and he let Crow finish inside of Lexie.
It doesn’t matter.
Now it was his turn. He wanted —no, needed— to be inside of her.
To give her his seed.
CHAPTER 25
CROW
The look on her face. He couldn’t look away, it made Crow happy.
They entered the Vennetian and went straight to the Boulaire.
“I don’t understand what half of these things are!” Lexie said with a laugh.
The restaurant looked magnificent, old French decor, a huge chandelier with about a thousand candles on it, and delicious meals.
Crow helped her, translating some of the dishes into more familiar terms.
She couldn’t concentrate. She left the menu on the table and gave up.
“I trust you guys,” she winked at them, “get me something delicious.”
Crow had to use all of his willpower to avoid staring. She was too beautiful.
And she’s a fucking boss.
She talked to Oscar like a professional; she didn’t let him put her down or underestimate her. That took guts. She was there to do her job and she did it, fuck if someone wasn’t happy about it.
He was proud.
And worried, too.
He felt like killing Oscar for talking to her like that. The old man had been a friend of the family for decades, and he still didn’t care. The way he talked to Lexie almost sent him over the edge. He could barely hold himself. He was willing not only to die for her. He was willing to kill for her.
Calm down. Just calm down.
He never shared a girlfriend with Lucian. He was too possessive, too hot headed for shit like that.
But when he was inside of her, nothing aroused him more than the sight of her pleasuring his best friend… he exploded like never before.
What the fuck was going on? He didn’t know, but it worked. And fuck if he cared what anyone else thought.
Lexie was talking about how beautiful everything was. They could show her the world.
Then he noticed.
This was Vegas. No one looked twice when she grabbed their hands or laughed and leaned on them, all flirty on the table.
But back home, things will be different.
He cleared his throat and put the thought aside. He’d find a way to make it work. And if people stood in his way, he’d have to destroy them.
CHAPTER 26
LEXIE
They ordered steak, pork and a bunch of weird sounding dishes Lexie couldn’t really pronounce. But what stole her heart was the salad.
The Frisee salad aux lardons, she remembered Crow saying, even though she couldn’t repeat his accent.
“I lived a few months in France, came back four weeks ago,” he said.
But when she asked why, he just shrugged and looked at Lucian.
“Business,” Lucian finished.
Crow said “nothing to worry about,” and that was it.
She trusted him.
They’re gangsters. Or work for the mob. Or they are the mob. I don’t know yet.
She would find out, they’d tell her. She was supposed to run away from men like this, but she’d grown too attached to them. To the way they saw her, how they touched her.
It had been almost a year, wait, maybe more… since she’d been with someone, and suddenly this happened and she couldn’t stop herself from going deeper and deeper into this… relationship?
Don’t kid yourself, girl. This isn’t a relationship. Chill.
They now stood at a gaming table, she grabbed the dice, Crow and Lucian blew on her hand and she rolled them. She chose the winning color for the third time in a row, she was going mad with excitement, the rush of winning made her laugh like crazy, kissing Lucian and Crow as the croupier handed her her chips.
She sat on the Blackjack table, she wasn’t as lucky there, played some poker, even baccarat… in short, she tried everything there was to try, and before she knew it, it was time to go back.
She sighed.
“Win some, lose some, right?”
The guys smiled.
“How did you do?”
She didn’t even have to check. She was forty-seven dollars below the four thousand they all started with.
“I hate myself!” she yelled on the jet, into the darkening horizon, “I was like, fifteen hundred dollars up at one point, but I got carried away!”
“Did you have fun?” asked Crow.
She sighed and sat on her comfy seat. Lucian was opening a bottle of water on the fridge and offered, but she and Crow were fine.
“Yeah. Would’ve been much more fun if we beat the house but…” She shrugged with a smile, “thank’s a lot guys, for this trip.”
“No, thank you,” Lucian said, “you really helped us out today.”
She nodded.
“You’re something else,” Crow said, his eyes fixed on her, making her shiver.
“That, you are,” said Lucian as he came back to the front of the jet, sitting next to her and Crow, and kissed her hand, “I’m glad we met you.”
She laughed, “oh, I’m glad you did.”
They laughed.
“Not counting how we met you. Everything else has been incredible.”
They all went silent.
No one really talked about it, and it didn’t matter.
“Guys, I’ve been thinking.”
Both of them turned their complete attention to her.
“I don’t want to say something that could mess things up.”
They tensed up, she could see it. It was almost imperceptible, but Lucian, for example, lost his perfect smile for a second. Crow did not move at all. Didn’t even blink.
“But you really know how to treat a woman.”
They relaxed.
“Not any woman,” Lucian said and Crow finished his sentence, “this is new for us, too.”
She held their hands. She’d never felt more free. Her work was valued, and the sex. Oh my God, the sex. She felt like she could tell any of her fantasies to them and they’d go along with her. It’s like we know each other from a previous life or something…
Still, there was one thing that bothered her.
“Guys,” she said, “I didn’t do my job properly.”
Lucian lowered his water, “what do you mean? You did great.”
“I didn’t want to say so, and I don’t want to fuck anything up. Not with you or your friends.”
“Tell us,” said Crow.
“Well, you saved a lot of money this quarter, right?”
Lucian nodded, Crow remain attentive, his eyes not wandering for a second.
“Listen. Don’t hate me for this. Maybe I’m wrong, and nothing will come out of it—”
“Just say it, honey,” Lucian interrupted, Crow held her hand, she knew she could tell them anything.
“What if this mistake has been happening for a while?”
“You mean—”
“Yes, Crow. Two hundred thousand dollars just this quarter, including the money you were supposed to pay. Who knows for how many years.”
It took them a few seconds to process that kind of information.
“I’ll call Oscar,” said Crow.
“No,” Lucian said, “I’ll ask him to check this out. But only after he finishes with this quarter. I’ll tell him it was our idea.”
“He’s been doing his job for a long time, maybe we needed a new set of eyes on the books.”
Lexie smiled.
“Besides,” she said, “he’s got his hands full. He’s managing the clubs, too.”
“He knows he can hire as many people as he needs,” Lucian said, “he’s stubborn, hopefully he won’t take this the wrong way.”
“Business is business,” Crow finished, “I don’t give a fuck if we hurt his feelings.”
Lucian looked out the window, deep in thought.
She was glad she said it. It was the right moment.
They all saw the sun go down the horizon as they got closer to their destination.
It was supposed to be a soothing sight but she couldn’t help but feel like she messed up.
“We’ll send you the files,” said Crow, breaking the silence.
Lucian turned to him, nodding, “good idea.”
“You can work on them so when Oscar finishes with his fuck up, you’ll have everything ready. The sooner we get this fixed, the better.”
She was about to say no, she didn’t want to meddle in someone else’s job, but these were her men. She couldn’t let them down.
“Ten percent cut, as—”
“No,” she interrupted Lucian. She would earn more than twenty grand if she was right with the previous numbers.
“But we agreed—”
“And I say no. It’s a lot of money. Your money. I’m going to help you with this. And if you must pay, because of pride or whatever reason, we’ll see what the market rate is. I’m not taking advantage of a little problem I found.”
“But—”
“No, Crow. This is business.”
Lucian smiled, then Crow. Then she did.
“Come here,” said her tall, blue eyed man, and kissed her.
“We have to keep our professional and personal life separate,” she said, extending her hands to Lucian, then going over to him, sitting on his lap, “let’s not fuck this up.”
“Oh, you’re bad,” he said, chuckling, “you’re very bad.”
“I am, didn’t you notice?”
“I noticed,” said Crow, “I like it.”
They laughed again. She felt empowered. Sexy. Ready to take on the world and kick its ass, a small revenge for all the bad years she’d gone through.
She was acting more and more like one of those girls in black and white films. Film noir, she thought, with a smile, I’m a femme fatale.
She just had the most amazing day and nothing was going to ruin it.
Then she remembered.
All those femme fatales in the old movies. They all ended up badly.
CHAPTER 27
CROW
The rest of the way home, Crow remained awake. Lucian and Lexie slept next to him. He enjoyed the silence.
At their apartment, they just crashed on Lucian’s bed. It seemed appropriate for them to sleep together, if only for today.
We’ll figure it out later.
Sunday was going to be a long day.
He decided on turning Lexie’s bedroom into a small office. It was either that or renting out somewhere, but that would take longer than necessary.
So he made a mental list of what they needed: a big desk, a trip to get every office supply she might need, a printer, and obviously more clothes.
She needed a full wardrobe.
Was she moving in?
They never talked about it. I wish she stayed.
For the time being, she was, at least.
He was getting too used to her presence. Just thinking about her leaving made him anxious.
The way she stumbled into his life…
She placed her leg over his, like she’d done before. The warmth of her skin lulled him.
He was thankful for this.
Crow might have been a monster, in the past. But she made him want to become better.
She gave him more strength to fight his inner demons. To turn his fury into something more constructive.
He wasn’t a killer.
Not anymore.
CHAPTER 28
LEXIE
“No, Crow!” Lexie said.
Lucian thought his idea was great. But I’m not crashing here forever.
She didn’t want to leave, all right, but having her office in their apartment was being a bit more intrusive than she was comfortable with.
“I won’t be able to focus if I have the fridge right here, the TV right there… I need somewhere to clear my head.”
“You want to rent an office?” Lucian asked.
“No, silly, I can go to a coffee shop and work from there.”
“Are you sure?” Lucian continued, “I don’t know… do we really want our business accounting being done in a public place.”
“Really, Lucian?” she teased, “have you seen how an accounting entry looks? It’s the most boring stuff in the world. Besides, it’s just numbers on cells. Not like anyone can understand them.”
“She’s right,” Crow admitted, “just a million numbers on different cells, ordered by date and whatnot.”
“We just want to make your life easier,” Lucian said, “but whatever makes you happy.”
“Thank you,” she said, “now, you know what would really make me happy?”
“What?”
“Spending the entire Sunday just being lazy with you two.”
That settled it. Lucian and Crow looked at each other. What could they say? She’d made a decision.
Lucian sighed.
“Okay.”
Crow sat on the sofa, picked up a small remote from the living room’s table and pressed a button.
Small gears turned and the shades on the window at the far edge of the room began to lower themselves automatically.
“It’s been a while since we have a day off,” he said, “she might be on to something.”
“Of course I am,” Lexie said.
Lucian walked to the fridge, “any of you want a beer?”
“Isn’t it too early for that?” she asked.
Lucian looked at his watch and smiled.
“It’s already past twelve, sleepyhead,” he said roguishly.
Earlier, she’ woken up to an empty bed. Lucian worked on his computer while Crow talked on the phone. Something about a shipment that got delayed.
She rubbed her eyes and greeted them, asked what they were doing and that’s when they told her they planned on turning the guest room into her office.
Good thing they changed their plans. I’m glad they listen.
“I’ll have one,” Crow said, putting on music. The drums beat softly at first, then a man began to sing. She wasn’t much of a rock and roller but she knew it had to be Bowie.
“You want to listen to anything?”
“Nah, that’s just fine,” she said, enjoying the view and listening, for the first time, to the muted sounds of the streets below.
It was a sunny day in New York and she felt on top of the world.
“You know what we could do?” Crow said, “we’ve never actually swam in the pool upstairs.”
Her face lit, “that’s a great idea!”
“All right,” said Lucian, “I’m in.”
“Oh, shoot,” she said, “I don’t have a bathing suit.”
The boys looked at each other, their minds already working on how to solve the problem as quickly as possible.
“Let’s go get one,” Lucian said.
She had to change into one of those high fashion outfits Sosa gave her.
“Let’s go to my place,” she said, “I need to pick up some clothes, anyway.”
She wasn’t supposed to stay with them forever. And bringing clothes from home would make the transition out of there more difficult.
Crow exchanged a glance with Lu
cian, getting up. They thought the same thing.
They didn’t want her to leave, the damn rascals.
CHAPTER 29
LUCIAN
Sunday was Chancey’s day off so Lucian drove the Mercedes. Lexie tried to convince them to go via subway but then realized she wasn’t coming back with a suitcase full of her clothes on the train.
Besides, he felt like driving.
They went down to the parking lot, it was full of flashy cars, most had a thin layer of dust on them. Some of the richest people in the city lived there, but it was funny how they didn’t seem to use their expensive cars very much.
He opened the door for Lexie.
“Ma’am,” he said.
“Thank you,” she nodded in an excessively slanted British accent.
“You have to wear the cap,” said Crow.
“What?”
He nodded at the windshield, Chancey’s driver cap hung there.
“Fuck you, miss Daisy,” Lucian laughed.
“Now, quick, Mister Kovolski,” he followed in a mock southern accent, “we don’t want to be late.”
They all laughed, Lucian put the cap on, saluted Lexie with it, and drove to her place.
Driving at noon on Manhattan, wasn’t as bad as he expected. Well, it is Sunday, after all.
As they got closer to their destination, the big buildings, the bright, modern storefronts and hordes of tourists began to fade, replaced by dilapidated apartment complexes.
The buildings around those parts were much older, people walking on the streets wore cheap clothes, their faces rugged. This was a part of the city you never saw in movies. No glamour, no bright opportunities anywhere. This was the real New York.
“You know your way around here,” said Lexie.
“We found you near our favorite restaurant,” Lucian replied.
She nodded, trying to hide her anxiety. Lucian placed his hand over hers.
“Are you okay?”
She pressed her lips in a pretend smile.
“You’re safe with us,” Crow said.
“I know.”
“If I see those bastards again, I’ll fucking—”
“Crow,” Lucian interrupted, “take it easy.”
Crow looked at him through the rear-view mirror. He was usually a pretty composed person, but you never wanted to be on his bad side.