Sonata (Butcher and Violinist 2)

“What are you thinking about?” he asked.

“I’m thinking about how handsome you are.”

“Hmmm. Which gives me the opportunity to think about how gorgeous you are.” He smiled, and we stared at each other in silence like two silly fools.

I grinned. “If Rafael was here, he would vomit.”

“All the more reason why we should stare longingly into each other’s eyes while he’s around.”

I laughed, and we talked more. Jean-Pierre told me more about his childhood. With such a violent past, he still had so many happy memories. His mother and father had made their mistakes, but they loved him with a fierceness, and had tried to raise a good man. I shared some of my stories and he asked so many questions, wanting to know every detail of my memories.

A few hours passed.

Once I yawned, Jean-Pierre grabbed his phone and told the driver to take us home.

“Do we have to leave?” I whimpered.

“Sadly, we do.”

“We should live in here.”

“I’ve been considering that recently.” He devoured my mouth.

When we made it back, I pouted and dressed. Jean-Pierre appeared to be dragging himself out of the limo too.

As soon as the cool air hit my face, our reality returned.

Rafael met us in front of the building.

I looked up at the sky. “The lunar eclipse was amazing. Did you see it, Rafael?”

“No.” He frowned. “I had my own lunar eclipse.”

“What does that mean?” I asked.

Jean-Pierre waved him away. “Ignore him. Let me talk to Rafael. Giorgio can take you upstairs.”

“Okay. Are you hungry?” I asked.

“Yes.” He nodded.

“I’ll talk to the chef.”

Jean-Pierre smiled. “You make life better.”

I opened my mouth in shock.

“You take a simple day. Simple song. Simple date. You elevate it all.” He gathered me into his arms. “I’m happy to be with you, Eden. I…”

My gaze was frozen to him. “Yes?”

“I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

“Really, guys?” Rafael growled at our sides. “Can we tone down the love for the moment?”

I cleared my throat.

Was that an unofficial proposal? No. This is just awesome, but it’s not that. Shut up, Eden and enjoy the moment.

“Sorry, Rafael.” I caught my breath and then turned back to Jean-Pierre. “Nothing would make me happier than spending every last day of my life with you too.”

He beamed.

“Okay.” I raised my hands in the air when Rafael rolled his eyes. “I’m going.”

“Sorry to end the love fest.” Rafael held his phone out to me. “We have a problem.”

“What?” Jean-Pierre asked.

Rafael glanced at me and then back at Jean-Pierre. “We have a dragon on the phone. He wanted to give you an interesting tip. The phone’s on mute.”

“Kenji?” Jean-Pierre frowned and took the phone. “These men and their damn animal names.”

Rafael shrugged. “Kenji’s man has been waiting on the phone for five hours.”

Suspicion hit Jean-Pierre’s gaze. “Why?”

Rafael further explained, “Well, he has some guy waiting on the phone and I guess he’ll get him, when you’re on.”

“I could’ve called Kenji back, when I returned.”

“You know how the Yakuza can be. They’re always extra.”

Yakuza? Didn’t Jean-Pierre say that was Japanese Mafia?

Jean-Pierre spotted me still standing there. “Eden, I’ll meet you upstairs. I should take this phone call.”

“Giorgio’s over there.” Rafael gestured to the front of the building. “I’m staying here. I want to know what the fuck the dragon wants, and if it has anything to do with Celina or Shalimar.”

Me too.

Either way, I headed to the front door where Giorgio waited. Jean-Pierre would let me know everything once he returned upstairs. For now, I would let him focus.

I made it to Giorgio.

“Good evening.” Giorgio held his arm out for me. “How was your date?”

“Awesome.” I hooked my arm around his.

Jean-Pierre called after us. “Watch those hands, Giorgio! She’s not one of my maids.”

“Clearly not.” Giorgio waved his comment away.

I tried to keep in my laughter as we entered the building and hit the elevator.

He pressed the top floor button. “I’m sure Jean-Pierre has clued you in on one of my favorite pastimes.”

“Maids?”

He winked. “Yes.”

We stepped on the elevator.

The doors closed behind us.

Giorgio studied my clothes and hair. “Jean-Pierre is insatiable.”

I blushed.

The elevator rose.

“Jean-Pierre was always like that. No control. Even when we were kids. Do you know that when I was eight years old, he ate my whole birthday cake the day before? The entire thing. His mother had made it and hidden the damn cake from him.” Rage blazed on Giorgio’s face. “I never forgave him. His mother was quite the cook.”

I widened my eyes. “Wow. He never told me that.”

“No guilt for his actions.” Giorgio shook his head. “Jean-Pierre snuck down in the middle of the night, spent hours searching for my birthday cake, and then the greedy bastard ate the whole thing. They found his fat ass with icing all over his fingers. He was vomiting and shitting himself on the kitchen floor that morning.”