LUCA {Full Book}

19

I threw my front door open, running right into Eric as he stepped out of his across the hall.

"Wow!" He smiled, looking at me the way chicks did. "Where you off to?"

"The Plaza." It had only been three days since I'd seen Crystal but it felt like fucking forever. I couldn't even smell her on my pillows anymore, not that I was even trying. Shit, I was only going tonight to finish our game. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Suit's tight, your biceps are like ripping through your jacket."

Why the fuck was he still looking at me. "I had this tux custom made."

"Welcome to the gun show," he laughed as he flexed his arms.

"Don't say stupid shit like that." He was acting really fucking weird lately. He'd gone from bitchy to giddy overnight.

"What..." he shrugged.

"Get off my jock." I rolled my eyes over at him, noticing that he was in a suit too. "Where are you going?"

He shrugged back, "Out."

"No shit." He was such a weird guy. I looked back down at him, seeing the smile he was trying to hide. "Who's the chick?"

"Uh... um... nobody." He was shaking his head, obviously fucking lying.

"Well do a better job because I don't hear any screaming coming from your place."

I saw him cringe through the elevator door reflection just as they started sliding open.

"Have a good night man," I smiled, meeting his still uneasy face. "And if you can't make your girl scream send her over to my place and I'll show you how it's done."

He cringed again then waved me off as he started down the street.

"Just trying to be a good neighbor," I laughed before turning the opposite direction and heading up to The Plaza.

"Luca!"

I looked around the ballroom, seeing two asshats I recognized. "Charlie, Finn."

"What are you doing here?" Finn laughed. "Didn't think Wall Street partied with Insurance."

"Old money and new money can come together every once and a while." This was far from my usual crowd. Almost everyone here was at least sixty.

"Speaking of coming together, check out Rothschild's wife."

Finn raised his shot towards a blond in the distance, fuck she looked familiar.

"Didn't you bang her Romano?"

I did. "Shit, yeah. At some fundraiser a few years ago. Donated some cash then took her to the back and snorted coke off her ass."

"And there's Giuseppe Mancini, but don't fuck with his wife. Giuseppe might be old but he's still fucking crazy."

I shot my face up at the mention, seeing him across the room, arm and arm with his wife. Then I saw a sliver of gold behind them, watching as Crystal came into full focus, her dark skin barely covered by the tightest and slinkiest gold dress I'd ever fucking seen. Even her eyes had gold around them. Fuck. She looked like a goddess. I was used to my Crystal in tight jeans and little tops, this Crystal was fucking incredible.