Page 59 of Lucian

Sure, she’d be safe in Manhattan without him, at least for a little while longer, but Lucian didn’t like to see her too far from his side.

The little black dress, silver pumps, and light makeup she wore looked superb under the specialty lighting in the dining room. Especially as she walked across the hardwood floor to meet him at the table he had set up with papers and desserts.

“Sit, I want you to try these with me,” Lucian said, nodding at the tray of specialty desserts the chef brought out five minutes earlier. “I need a woman’s opinion. I think women have a better palate then men, honestly.”

Jordyn’s laugh was almost like wind chimes. “You think?”

“Sure. Women tend to focus more on the taste and texture than simply filling, chewing, and swallowing when they go out for dinner. Besides, I’m distracted, so expecting my full attention on this is pointless today. You might as well enjoy these. Cory needs my final say for the new dessert menu by tonight. I’ve been putting it off for a couple of weeks.”

Lucian was glad Jordyn didn’t ask what his distraction was because it revolved entirely around her. It hadn’t helped he’d been too busy that morning trying to get a start on his day to wake her up like he wanted to. Between her thighs, tasting her sex on his tongue, and driving her insane.

For now, Lucian’s insane infatuation was being satisfied in the way she propped her chin up in her palm when she read, or how she tapped her left foot when she reached a passage that interested her more than the rest.

Really, he just liked watching her.

Jordyn didn’t disappoint with the tiny fork and fifteen samples of desserts for the next half an hour, either.

Needless to say, Lucian got absolutely none of his orders completely finished for the restaurant. Cazza was his favorite of all his businesses. It was the place he spent most of his time when he worked, usually, since he didn’t need a fulltime office.

Not to mention the Cosa Nostra side of things.

Unlike the past couple of weeks in Brooklyn, collecting smaller payments from his street associates, having a place like Cazza was much better for the bigger deals. It was high class. Most of the men who walked through the doors to see him were of the same caliber. They certainly didn’t want to meet with a mafia capo in some dingy bar or back alley shop.

It needed to look on the up and up, after all.

“So, I have a meeting in ten minutes,” Lucian said, gaining Jordyn’s attention from the last dessert she was sampling.

“You want me to disappear in the back for a while?”

“Jesus, no. Why would I want that?”

“I don’t know. You’re the one who brought the meeting up.”

Lucian waved it off. “First of all, I was well aware of what I would be doing today, so if I thought you shouldn’t be involved, I could have asked someone else to keep you company.”

“You mean babysit,” Jordyn said, her nose crinkling at the thought.

“Jordyn, my mother doesn’t leave the house without two enforcers trailing close behind.”

Jordyn’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“Really. They’ve been her personal bodyguards ever since Antony became boss. She rarely ever notices them, and they’ve only needed to step in a handful of times to deal with something. So no, I don’t consider it babysitting. Dante wasn’t busy today, and he likes your company.”

“He likes teasing me, Lucian. Mostly about you.”

“Because he’s my brother. It means he likes you.”

“Fantastic,” she replied drily.

“Anyway, the point is, I had this meeting set up for a while. I don’t mind you being here for it. I’ll introduce you, but after that, just let me do the talking. Smile, because you’re beautiful and I like to see it, and try not to get bored.”

Jordyn pushed her plate away. “Anything else?”

“Just a little thing, nothing big,” Lucian muttered. “You might hear things that won’t seem right, and you’ll know it isn’t. This man coming here is a high ranking city official. The last thing he should be involved in is the Cosa Nostra. Everything and everyone is corrupt in one damned way or the other, especially in New York.”

“So, turn cheek?”

“I’d appreciate it. I get why you wouldn’t want to have a front row seat to this if you don’t. It’s not exactly the same thing as people dropping off an envelope and going without you hearing much or understanding what’s happening. If that’s the case, and you don’t want to, you’re more than welcome to go chat with the chef while my guest is here.”