Luca

I didn’t get an answer from him though because we’d arrived at a dark wooden door with cameras pointed at it and two new guys standing on either side.

“We seeing the Godfather?” I smirked across at the men all gathered around the door like it was the gateway to somewhere other worldly.

“No, just my big brother.” Freddie glared back.

“Oh goody, a reunion. Just what I wanted to do tonight instead of earn my rent money.”

My stomach turned at the thought of seeing Luca Marquez again after all these years. If I could have bolted back down the stairs I would have in a heartbeat but I was trapped.

One of the gorillas guarding the door mumbled into his ear piece and then opened the door for us to enter. I stood still until Freddie pushed me forward forcing me to stomp like a sulky teenager into the office in front of us. Freddie closed the door behind him and I huffed in annoyance and plonked myself down into a leather sofa in front of me, folding my arms over my chest again to cover myself and moaning aloud, “This is ridiculous.”

The office was dark, the only light came from a lamp on a huge mahogany desk and a wall of screens showing security footage of a club, the corridors and outside areas. There was a large marble fireplace with a roaring fire and a glass drinks cabinet next to it set into the wall with blue back lighting and every spirit I could think of stacked up there. The whole aura of the office oozed power and intimidation. A dark figure sat in the shadows behind the desk in some kind of show of supremacy, to try and make me feel nervous no doubt, unsettled. I knew it was Luca and he didn’t scare me, I’d known him as a twelve year old boy, I last saw him when he was a nineteen year old coward leaving me behind. He always liked to play the part of the aloof, untouchable mysterious one but I knew him better than that. The room was silent for about thirty seconds before my resolve to stay quiet broke.

“Well the catch up has been great, can I go now?” I said in a sarcastic manner meant to rile them both up.

“Why did you bring a whore to my door Freddie?” Shadowy Luca growled.

“Yeah Freddie why did you do that, because all strippers are whores you should know that right? Was it to piss your brother off or do you think I’m a sure thing?” I chipped in shaking my head in mock disgust.

“Do you need me to spell it out for you?” Freddie wasn’t letting this one go. “Do you know what would happen to you if you carried on working there?”

“That’s her decision brother.” Luca sounded as bored as I was with this whole scenario, he wasn’t even looking at either one of us either. ‘Charming’, I thought, he was so important now he couldn’t even give his little brother the courtesy of looking at him when he spoke. I wasn’t sure I liked this new Luca one bit.

“Yes it is,” I altered my gaze from the shadow behind the desk to where Freddie stood. “So tell me what your problem is Freddie or take me back. You know Teresa will call the cops, do you want them crawling all over this place tomorrow?”

Freddie shook his head at both of us now as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“You want to know why I saved you? Fine. Tonight you were dancing, taking your clothes off, but tomorrow you could have been shipped off to who knows where. Sanchez is a trafficker, a sex trafficker, he specialises in a certain… type of sex slave. I’m guessing that’s where you were heading before too long.”

I gulped quietly in horror but managed to keep my cool exterior in place. “You think I can’t look after myself. I’ve been looking after myself just fine for years. I don’t need you or anyone else.”

“Freddie, you can’t save every fucking stripper Sanchez employs so just send her on her way and I’ll smooth things over for you. I’ll sort it… as usual.” Luca started to tap away at his computer, obviously indicating that he was finished with this farce and had already moved onto the next pressing piece of business.

“No!” Freddie shouted.

Luca stopped his fingers in mid-air and his head instantly snapped up to where his brother stood. He rolled his chair forward to illuminate his face in the lamp light and when I saw him I had to hold in my gasp. In the seven years since I last saw Luca he had grown even more beautiful, something which I would have thought was impossible. His jet black hair was still long on top but he’d slicked it back now giving him a dominant and commanding look. His lightly tanned skin was flawless but he had more dark stubble than he used to covering his square jaw with a sexy roughness that screamed stroke me, hold me, grab me. His green eyes sparkled with wicked intent and his lips looked full, plump, I found myself imaging what it would be like to kiss those lips, bite them. Feel them biting, nipping, caressing places I shouldn’t be thinking about right now in this office. I felt familiar flutters and moisture pooled between my legs; he was a distraction I so didn’t need right now. Lord this boy, well man now, always did this to me. He had the ability to put me under a spell every single time I was in his presence. That was one thing time hadn’t changed. I was always gaga over Luca bloody Marquez, and there was nothing I could do about it, he rendered me powerless.

“Who the fuck do you

think you’re talking to?” He gritted his teeth and his eyes burned into Freddie. I’d never seen him so angry and certainly not at his beloved brother.

“Luca do you even know who she is? Have you taken the time to look at her? She’s not some two bit whore.”

Luca didn’t even glance in my direction, he was so done with this it was kind of humiliating. I felt embarrassed for Freddie.

“I couldn’t give a fuck if she’s the Queen of England, get her off my sofa and out of my club, understood?”

I held my breath and waited to hear what Freddie would say next.

“No!”

Oh he was really trying to make up for abandoning me seven years ago. Too little too late dude, but nice try all the same.

Luca shot up out of his chair almost knocking it over, pure unbridled fury boiling over as he stalked around the desk to face his brother.

“Are you challenging me little brother?” He sneered, and I could sense the destructive power play bouncing off the walls.

“I challenge you to look at her, I mean really look at her, and then tell me you wouldn’t have done exactly the same thing tonight if you’d been at the club.” Freddie said holding his chin a little higher and standing his ground against this new mighty Luca.