LUCA {Full Book}

43

Where the fuck was I. I rubbed my eyes, feeling the floor under me and the coldness over me. "Crystal?"

Fuck. I pulled myself up, stretching away the kinks from sleeping on that hard ass floor before heading towards the bedroom.

"Crystal?" I swung open the door seeing her on the bed, eyes up on the tv.

"He was arrested for unlawful surveillance! He secretly filmed himself having sex with hundreds of unsuspecting women, so disgusting."

"Turn this off." I reached for the remote but she pulled it back.

"They're saying he could get up to ten years in prison."

I sank down next to her, watching the reporter on the screen.

"Authorities are saying the hard drive was delivered by an anonymous informant Rose, presumably one of the hundreds of women filmed without their consent."

Ha. Clever. Message received.

"... Adam Cohen was president of one of the largest financial institutes in New York, Cohen Capital, but as of yesterday the company's seen a mass exodus of clients, understandably so."

I pulled out my phone, 73 missed calls, 601 new emails. I didn't just take Goldmann, mafankulo, I took'em all.

"The arrest comes after what seems to be an inside job between the anonymous informant and the buildings newest doorman, ironically hired by Mr. Cohen. Newly installed security cameras have captured the informant talking with the doorman before being allowed entry into the building and subsequently leaving with the hard drive clearly visible in his hands."

They cut to video of police dragging Cohen out of his building and I reached for the remote, ripping it from her grip and powering the tv off.

He had threatened me, my company, and my name so that's exactly what I took from him.

Now it was over and it was time to go home, react to the news, give my interviews, and welcome his clients to Romano Investing.

I looked over at Crystal, her eyes still up on the blank tv. I had brought her here out of necessity, keeping my name clean and hers by proxy, nothing more, nothing less.

"You've never recorded a woman without her consent, right?"

Fuck, she caught me off guard, eyes staring right at me and I didn't have time to think through a fucking answer. "I always told them or asked them."

She looked away, staring towards the window. I knew I shouldn't have even answered that fucking question.

"You pissed about that?"

She turned back, shaking her head no. "I just realized that I don't want to picture or see you with anybody else."

"Those videos are long gone." Although I probably needed to delete some shit in my photos. "I wouldn't mind one of us." The only thing better than fucking her would be watching me fuck her, on repeat. "But I don't think I could easily delete it like I did the others."

"Film us? To watch when you're alone?"

"For us to watch and I don't plan on you leaving."

She hopped down, rifling through her bag and already zipping it up. "Speaking of leaving, we've got to head back."

No. This felt to good to end it now. "You wanna go take that walk?"

"It's too late," she shrugged, grabbing up her bag. "I've got to get back to the city."

"Of course." I threw my shit in my bag and followed her out, placing the key back under the mat before heading to the car.

I didn't want to leave. I didn't realize how fucking amazing it would feel to fall asleep with her, wake up with her, spend all the hours in between with her.

I started the engine, automatically stretching my hand over to her thigh, then searching for her hand.

I should have been happy, fucking jumping for joy, but instead I stared out the windshield, watching the towns turn to city, the trees to concrete as I drove her home.

"Just come back with me tonight." We we're getting closer to the village and I'd decided that her going home was not gonna fucking work out.

"I can't but..."

But. But. She was the only fucking chick who continuously fucking denied me and I was fucking over it. "Crystal! I'm giving you this opportunity.."

I heard her laugh, then another and I looked over, watching her fucking laugh in my face. "And I'm giving you this opportunity to think before you speak."

She squeezed my hand, then reached for her door with the other. "I had a fun weekend Luca. I'll be around Tuesday night or Wednesday if you're free."

"Tuesday or Wednesday? As in two fucking days from today!"

"Yeah...." she stepped out, grabbing her bag and closing the door behind her, then leaning down to the window.

Why was she acting like it wasn't a big fucking deal. It was two days!

"Whatever." I sped off, heading uptown to return the car. It was over, all of this bullshit was over.

I dropped my bag to the floor as I shook off my coat then hung it up in the closet.

My place was quiet and cold, no laughs, no footsteps coming towards me, no Crystal.

I walked back into the bedroom, putting my meds back into the bathroom cabinet then seeing my toothbrush, chilling all alone.

I had never even noticed that shit until her, it was just a fucking toothbrush.

I walked back out to my bag, digging out my travel toothbrush and taking it to the bathroom, lying it next to the other. There, two fucking toothbrushes. Jesus Christ. I had to get the fuck out of here.

The transition was too fucking hard. I'd spent years alone and never felt lonely, until her.

I grabbed my coat and hurried right back down to the lobby and out onto the cold New York City streets.

I had one last check to make so I started down 5th, following the familiar path.

"Arnie."

He twisted back, smiling the second he saw my face then gesturing towards the security cameras, but I already knew they were there.

"It's been a while Mr. Romano, how have you been."

"Decent. Glad to see you back where you belong."

"You hear about Mr. Cohen? All those years finally caught up with him."

"So I heard."

"The doorman he hired in my place seemed to be in on it, good on him, shame for Mr. Cohen."

The doorman had been the perfect accessory for my plan, and Adam had fucking hired him himself. I couldn't have asked for more.

"You never know who you can trust these days."

"I think I do." He tipped his hat, turning back to his doors as I started back down towards mine.

A smart man knew that bruises could lead to sympathy, that death could lead to a false legacy, but that conviction would destroy a reputation, take down an empire, and the scar was so much deeper than any knife could ever make.

And a smart man also knew to make copies of all the evidence so he would have leverage if his best laid plans were to ever fail.