Luca

My Luca? Okay I was starting to really like this woman. She was making me feel a lot more at ease than I’d felt since I’d been here.

“He isn’t my Luca, I think you know that already though.” I gave her a marked stare and she nodded.

“Vinnie, I need a top up would you mind?” She said handing Vinnie her glass and turning her back to him to speak to me more privately.

“Chloe, I hope you don’t think I’m speaking out of line but Luca is a very dear friend, and I have a feeling you may grow to be a great friend too so I’m going to be completely honest with you.”

I nodded readying myself for the bitch fest she was about to unleash on me.

“I’ve known Luca for about four years now and in all that time he’s never even invited a woman back to his home for coffee, let alone to stay over. Don’t get me wrong he’s been with women. That’s what he uses me for.”

I took a gasp in, probably louder than I intended as she instantly corrected herself.

“Oh no not like that, I’ve never, we’ve never…been together. No I run a high class escort service. I provide Luca with…girls.”

I took another gulp of my whiskey and wished I could jump in the pool and swim away from this conversation. Awkward and hurt was an understatement for how I felt right now.

“My girls call him the ice king. He never instigates a conversation with them, he’ll answers their questions as succinctly as he can, but he prefers to…you know…do the deed and split. He’s never been with the same girl more than once you know, which has always seemed…weird. But now I see you Chloe I’m kinda getting it now.”

I wasn’t sure I wanted to ask the next question. “Why do you say that? What is it you’re…getting?”

“Why he always asks for a certain type. He likes brunettes, only brunettes, just like you. If they have curly hair even better. He likes big tits like yours and he loves curvy girls with skinny waists, which in that dress I can clearly see you have it all. You Chloe are a walking wet dream for Luca, you’re exactly what he asks me to find. I know you and he go way back so now I get it. He’s been trying to find someone like you, but now he’s finally got you back again. It’s really sweet actually, like a modern day fairy tale. The ice king has found his hot smouldering queen to thaw his frozen heart.”

I couldn’t stop myself from laughing at her idealistic imagery.

“I think the last thing we are is a fairy tale Gina. I feel like I’m in a flipping nightmare.”

Gina shook her head and looked at the floor.

“Vinnie told me about Sanchez. A few of my girls have come from his club to me. He’s an evil fucker, but Luca will look after you Chloe, you don’t have to feel scared.”

“It’s not Sanchez I’m scared of, I can look after myself.” I stood a bit taller as if to reinforce my strength and self-belief. “No I mean Luca, he’s always been hard work but he’s changed. He’s…even more closed off and arrogant than he used to be and believe me when I say I’m the last girl he’d want here.”

“We’ll see.” Gina looked over my shoulder and seeing Vinnie coming towards us with a tray full of drinks she whispered. “I think Luca likes you a little more than you realise and as for Vinnie, he likes you a hell of a lot so be very, very careful Chloe okay. Look after yourself.”

Gina hugged me, the scent of her heavy expensive perfume swirled around me then she let go and made her excuses to leave Vinnie and I alone. I liked Gina, but as I’d learnt on the streets I should always keep my guard up. I couldn’t afford to let anyone in right now, especially with so many enemies out there. How did I know she wouldn’t scuttle off to Sanchez and tell him where I was? Or tell Luca something I’d said to get me into trouble? Time would tell and time was something I seemed to have a lot of now I was cooped up in this place under house arrest.

“Gina seems nice.” I said to Vinnie to scope out his reaction.

“Gina is a diamond. You can trust her Chloe. She’s one of the good guys.”

The drinks were really flowing now and I was so in the party mood. I felt the music flowing through my veins and I couldn’t stop myself from getting into the party vibe. I was a dancer after all, and the beat of the music always brought out the sexy moves. Add in the alcohol and those moves came thick, fast and extra sexy. Most people had moved into the main living area from outside and with the low lighting and flashing colours you could imagine yourself in an exclusive intimate nightclub.

I started swaying to the music next to Vinnie as he joined me, wrapping his arms around my waist and then grabbing my hand to spin me around. I laughed, throwing my head back and feeling like the young carefree 22 year old I should be. I held my arms above my head as I slipped into stripper dance mode and closed my eyes, letting the beat take me away from everything except the feeling of now, here with Vinnie, with alcohol in my system giving me the freedom to let loose.

I swayed up and down, grinding against anyone who was around me, but mostly Vinnie. He didn’t seem to mind and I was too lost in my head to think anything more about the way his hands stroked my arms or the way he brushed my curls off my shoulders to whisper low into my ear over the music.

“I’ve never met anyone like you before Chloe. You’re so…wild but delicate at the same time. You really know how to fuck with a guy’s head don’t you.”

I was just about to tell Vinnie that I had no idea why he thought I was a head fuck when I spotted him. Pulling away from Vinnie I could see Luca dressed head to toe in black and standing at the door to the pool and terrace area outside. I guessed he must have been on the beach this whole time, maybe the party hadn’t been his idea after all and he’d escaped down there to get away from the hordes of people. Luca didn’t do big crowds and I knew for a fact he didn’t like socialising like this.

The way he stood still staring over at me made goose bumps erupt all over my body. The alcohol that had fed my carefree nature only minutes ago ran dry and left behind a flurry of butterflies flowing through my body, laced with fear. It felt as though there was no one else in the room only Luca and I, trapped in this vortex, tethered to each other by an invisible thread. His beauty took my breath away but his aura made me his slave. I didn’t even hear Vinnie as he chattered away next to me, all of my attention was focused on him.

Noticing my distraction Vinnie turned to follow my line of sight and when he saw Luca he muttered, “Shit” under his breath. Luca chose that moment to stalk towards us and I braced myself for storm force ten.

“Parties over Chloe, go to bed.”

Typical, he was treating me like the fifteen year old girl he’d left behind.