Hold Fast - Part Twenty
This episode is part of a larger story, Soft Touch. If you haven’t yet, you can go back and read it from the beginning right here.
“This is a beautiful place, huh?” Kaden murmurs. “Really suits her.”
He’s strumming an acoustic guitar that he was allowed to borrow after a brief, friendly chat with one of the musicians. Playing a slow song on it as we sit together on one of the carved stone benches in the courtyard. This bench is close to where it all opens up to the grounds, so it’s not as noisy over here. A soft breeze rolls over us now and then, carrying some of his music towards the party.
He didn’t say he was talking about Maggie, but he didn’t have to. She’s disappeared back into the crowd, off to be introduced to more people by Francesco. It’s gotten later, but the deep, dusky night turning blacker has only made the party lights glow more beautifully. Every now and then they glitter on a flash of silver moving through the crowd.
I’m a little drunk, but not drunk enough to miss the strain of wistfulness in Kaden’s voice. I don’t quite understand it, though. He and Maggie have been together all night, practically since he got here. Much to Dameon’s obvious relief, because Maggie stopped running around as soon as she remembered that Kaden can’t really do that.
I gaze thoughtfully at Kaden, nibbling on a toasted crostini. Aiden very wisely filled up a large plate for me, him, Ralph, and Kaden, so no one from our bench has had to get up for a while.
“Are you worried about the prince?” I ask Kaden. “Is that it?”
He’s also been devotedly following Maggie around all night.
“Worried about him?” Kaden carefully keeps his eyes on the guitar. “Nah, why would I be? Seems like he’s doing fine. He’s – nice.”
Kaden adds this last part with some gloominess, like it may have been preferable that the guy turned out to be a jerk.
Aw, Kaden. I really don’t think he has much to worry about there. What I see Maggie feeling for the prince is instant friendship. What I see between her and Kaden is something else entirely. Francesco must think so, too. At one point tonight I gazed down the stone walkway of the western loggia and saw two silhouettes walking together, both with a cane. Francesco’s held between his laced-together fingers, Kaden’s clicking softly with his steps.
They were speaking quietly, and from what I could tell it seemed like Francesco was asking Kaden some casual questions about himself. But watching him very shrewdly, listening closely to his answers. I suspect he was trying to get a better idea of who Kaden is, being fully aware that this is where his niece’s attention has fallen.
The conversation must have gone okay, because Kaden has been in an unwaveringly bright mood tonight, one steadily growing brighter with each minute spent with Maggie. But now that he’s sitting back to watch her move through the crowd – laughing, smiling at guests she’s being introduced to, glowing in her silver dress – he’s suddenly looking at her differently. Like he just realized this is all hopeless.
“Hey,” I begin, trying to sound more sober than I am. “Why?”
He looks over at me in confusion, so to clear it up I gesture vaguely in the general direction of his face.
Somehow he seems to understand. He quickly drops his gaze back to the guitar, gives his shoulders a very slow shrug.
“Just… I don’t know, man. She probably wants someone more, um – more – dignified. And I… can’t… run after her, like other guys can.”
“Mmm…” I’m sure I’d be able to find a more articulate way to put this like two or three drinks ago, but as it is – well, I’ve still got to try. “Look, I haven’t known Maggie that long, but we both know that if she found you undignified she would tell you so right to your face. As for the other part… I really don’t thin – think that she-”
A splash of bright silver catches my eye before I can finish. Kaden and I both look back at the party, where Maggie just broke free from the crowd. She’s coming over towards us, the folds of her dress caught up in her hands.
Kaden immediately stops playing the song he was quietly working through before, and starts playing Wonderful Tonight instead. A song Maggie must be familiar with, because she stops, then lets out a flustered laugh, the blush in her cheeks growing darker.
“Oh, stop that!” she laughs breathlessly, coming to a stop before our bench. “Kaden – you will come dance with me for the next song, yes? The band is coming back from their break!”
Kaden blinks up at her in surprise, his fingers stopped on the strings of the guitar. The band has been on a trend of slow dances over the past two or three songs. All indications are the next one will be the same, and Maggie hasn’t danced with anyone yet.
“I – yeah, okay,” Kaden stammers.
“I’ll be right back!” Maggie tells him brightly, then darts back off towards the crowd.
Kaden holds perfectly still for a second. I give a startled jolt as he abruptly surges to his feet, sets aside the guitar, and hurriedly straightens out the collar of his dress shirt.
I hold his cane up to him, but he waves it away.
“Nah, I don’t want – it’s all covered in old band stickers, man. It looks so – out of place, here, and I don’t need it to dance for one song anyways. I’ll be fine.”
“What-?” I draw back in concern. “Are you s-?”
I cut myself short, anxiously biting my lip. Kaden knows his own limits better than anyone, so I don’t want to argue with him when he says he’ll be fine. But at the same time – I think he might be determinedly ignoring those limits right now.
“Okay, you don’t need it, but – won’t that hurt?” I try uncertainly. “Dancing without it?”
“Yeah, but it’s like I told you, sometimes it’s worth it-”
Kaden cuts himself off as Maggie darts up to us again, her hands behind her back. She looks faintly puzzled when she sees me holding Kaden’s cane out.
“¿Qué pasa?” she asks, glancing down at me.
“Kaden was just saying he doesn’t need this for the dance.”
“No, he doesn’t!” Maggie agrees brightly.
Kaden looks sharply at her, bewildered and taken aback. She smiles up at him, then reveals with a flourish what she had held behind her back.
“I had it made for you, Kaden! To thank you for helping me when I was in trouble. Also because I feel bad that you dented yours helping me onto the boat. C'est beau, non? By the same artist who made my uncle’s! I showed him the patches on your jacket for inspiration.”
Kaden stares down blankly at the beautifully carved wooden cane in Maggie’s hands. Unlike Francesco’s it has a smooth, comfortable handle to lean on, but the carved figures begin just below it. I can see how the band patches on Kaden’s jacket inspired it. From afar it looks just like lovely carvings; from up close it’s all metal imagery, full of curved horns and mythic monsters, skulls, bat wings, flames.
“Holy shit,” Ralph blurts out.
Seriously. It’s incredible.
Maggie holds it out to Kaden’s other cane, comparing their heights, then smiles when they turn out to be about the same. She holds the gift out to Kaden again. He slowly takes it, then stares down at it silently.
“Wow, Maggie,” he murmurs, very softly. “This – this is-”
“Oh!” Maggie glances excitedly over her shoulder as the band begins to play again. “The song is starting! We’ll miss it!”
She catches his hand and pulls him off towards the other dancers. Kaden automatically starts using his new cane, which doesn’t seem to give him any trouble. The two of them join the crowd, enwrapped in a close slow dance.
I sit back in relief, look at Aiden and Ralph, and let out a sputter of indignation when I discover that all the crostinis are gone. The whole plate is empty of everything, in fact.
“Really?” I complain, as if anything could dampen my mood right now. “Do you guys want me to get too drunk? Because taking the bread away is a near-certain path to that.”
“Maybe,” Ralph says, finishing off the last crostini like a big huge jerk, a stupid terrible jerk. “It’s pretty funny when you’re drunk.”
Aiden sees me glaring at Ralph and huffs out a laugh.
“There’s more,” he reminds me, gesturing at the food tables. “There’s a whole lot of more and more. Francesco doesn’t seem to be sticking to your little pieces of rich food air people theory, Ralph.”
“I think some of those words were in the wrong order,” I tell Aiden, getting to my feet.
“You know what annoys me about him? Francesco?” Ralph frowns up at me as I go around him to start refilling our plate. “One of the things, anyways? That he should get to be so good at flirting. All those years I spent fighting for my life through every fuckin’ conversation I ever had with a girl, when if I’d had even a fraction of that skill level – but no, he gets to be good at that, too. He’s got you two blushing in the first five minutes of us being here. It’s beyond my ken.”
“He is really good at it,” I laugh helplessly.
“Seriously, why’s everything he says sound so sexual?” Ralph leans into the elbows he has propped behind him on the back of the bench, spreads his hands at me in bewilderment. “Reciprocate. Sounds normal when I say it, right? The way he says it to me, it sounds like a word you shouldn’t be allowed to say around kids. Sounds more than dirty, sounds – filthy.”
“Reciprocate,” I repeat experimentally.
Ralph breaks into an amused grin. “You are drunk.”
“Oh, whatever, Ralph, just because you’re not drinking for some reason, I can’t-?”
“Reciprocate,” Aiden tries, a little belatedly.
“And you’re making Aiden feel drunk, too, Keane.”
“My bad, babe! But look, all these crostinis.” I sit back down next to him, holding out the plate. “Wait, are you not supposed to all share from one plate at rich people parties? Is it against the etiquette?”
“I mean, they are all only out for themselves,” Ralph says uncertainly. “So maybe? Who gives a fuck, though? Hand me a crostini.”
“Hey, Francesco!” I call out, spotting him coming over to us. “How do rich people feel about plates?”
“Oh, strongly.” He drops down onto the bench beside Ralph, sweeps his dress to cascade dramatically over his legs, and rests one elbow on the bench behind him. “Some might say too strongly.”
He reaches across Ralph to take a crostini from the plate. Keeping his smiling eyes on Ralph’s eyes the whole time, even as he takes a little bite.
“Do you have all you… need?” he rasps softly. “Should I send someone to get you a drink?”
“He’s not drinking,” I answer.
Francesco blinks at me, then looks back at Ralph and rolls his eyes at him, as if to say – Really?
Ralph silently narrows his eyes in answer, like – I’m watching you.
“You should… relax, Warlord.” Francesco turns on his hip to sit facing him, smiling playfully. “If you need someone to show you how, I-”
Francesco glances up, noticing something from the corner of his eye. Dameon – who’s been replaced by Constantine on Maggie watch – is on his way over to us, taking swift, hurried strides. Francesco catches one glimpse of his expression and instantly gets to his feet.
Ralph stands up, too, in perfect tandem with him. Maybe he’s also familiar with that expression, from his Wolves. They’re all in the same business, after all. It certainly feels like he and Francesco both received the silent message that Dameon is broadcasting.
There’s a quick, quiet conversation, and then all three of them move off towards the eastern loggia, making for one of the sets of doors that have been left open.
Aiden and I watch them go for a minute, bewildered and alarmed.
“Should we, um…?” I murmur to Aiden.
“Yes.” He gets to his feet and pulls me up with him, his blue eyes full of concern. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I don’t want to lose track of Ralph.”
We follow after the little group, and stop in the doorway they went through.
Ralph is seated on one of the antique couches. Leaning back, his outstretched legs crossed at the ankle and his arms folded over his chest. Listening silently. Francesco is standing with his fingertips resting on a table, facing Dameon and Jade. There’s a frosty expression on his face, flames of anger burning in his eyes. Dameon and Jade are cowering beneath them.
“For god’s sake,” Francesco hisses softly, making both of them flinch. “I only told him to find out if there was local competition around… I certainly did not tell him to engage. On the night of Margarida’s party.”
“He didn’t engage, they jumped him. Sensed he was a competitor’s scout, but don’t realize how big of a hornet’s nest they’re kicking. He’s not exactly wearing the Caterina family crest, boss. They don’t know.”
“It’s not his fault!” Jade blurts out imploringly, unable to stop himself.
Francesco exhales a heavy sigh, tilting his head back. “Not his fault! He let himself be caught unawares by the likes of that!”
“We can put ‘em all on the run tomorrow, boss, but right now he’s there on his own. Pinned down. Denver’s been looking for him since they got split up, but he can’t find him.”
“Good,” Francesco snaps. “Let him take care of himself… he’ll learn to be more careful next time.”
Francesco starts to turn away, then catches the frown Ralph is silently giving him from the couch. He pauses, tapping his fingers on the table, then lets out another heavy sigh and turns back to Dameon.
“How far?”
“Half an hour, at the speed we’d be driving,” Dameon says hopefully. “Empty roads, maybe a little less.”
“For god’s sake,” Francesco mutters again, turning to an ornate cabinet. He unlocks it with a key handed to him by Jade, then sweeps it open. “You’re a… bad influence, Warlord. Some of us believe in… discipline.”
Ralph lets out a scoffing sound as Francesco draws a handgun from the cabinet and checks to see that it’s loaded. “Yeah, right. You’d go regardless of what I said. You love being in the action.”
Francesco flashes Ralph a smile over his shoulder. “As if you don’t, Ralph…”
He trails off, blinking like some thought just struck him. He straightens up, gazing thoughtfully at Ralph, then holds out the gun to him, grip-first.
“Come with me?” he purrs softly.
Ralph draws back, his eyebrows arching up high, then dropping low in disbelief. “Seriously?”
“Oh, yes.”
Ralph shakes his head, incredulous. “Man. It’s not just Maggie. All you Caterinas like to play with fire, huh?”
“You know you want to,” Francesco rasps, smiling down at him through his lashes. “After all, it could be… dangerous.”
Ralph sits there for a moment, silently staring up at Francesco through narrowed eyes.
Without warning, he uncrosses his arms and gets to his feet, taking the gun from Francesco’s hand on his way up.
“There he is,” Francesco laughs softly, breaking into a grin, helping himself to a much larger gun.
“Wait a second, what?” I stammer, my eyes widening with alarm. “Ralph? Are you, um – are you sure-?”
“Yeah, whatever,” he says, checking his clip. “Why not? I’ll be back in like an hour and a half.”
“I’m with you?” Dameon asks Francesco hopefully, as the cabinet is swiftly locked up again.
“You and Jade. Everyone else stays here… understood?” Francesco checks his own weapon, then looks up at Jade, tossing his hair out of his eyes. “Tell them all to watch Margarida. On the off chance it’s a trap… I want everyone around her. And no one tell her about this… I want her to enjoy her party.”
This gets immediate nods from Jade and Dameon. They both look so deeply relieved to hear that rescue is being arranged for their fellow Seven Arms men that I’m starting to wonder if maybe there’s more affection between the members of Francesco’s hunk collection than I realized.
“Should we stop Ralph from doing this?” I whisper to Aiden, watching the squad form up in front of us.
“How do you suggest we do that?” he whispers back.
Good point, yeah, given that we’re armed with exactly one crostini and nothing else and one of us is a little drunk and making the other one feel the same way, so. Yeah. Yeah. True.
The four of them automatically fall into formation as they set off down the hallway. Ralph and Francesco leading the way, flanked on either side by Dameon and Jade. Ralph glances over at Francesco, arching an eyebrow at the dress swirling around his legs with each purposeful stride.
“That what you’re wearing?” he asks, nodding down at the dress and stilettos. “For this?”
“Alas, no time to change…” Francesco shrugs his shoulders, unconcerned. “Ah, well, no matter. I do believe in… sending a strong message.”
Ralph breathes out a laugh, once again unable to stop himself from sounding a little impressed. “Yeah, a dress and a MAC-10 will do that.”
Francesco grins at him, gives him a wink.
I press my fingers to my cheeks as I watch them go, noting with disbelief that they both seem to be in excellent spirits over this whole situation.
“Be careful!” I call after them, unable to stop myself.
“Hour and a half!” Ralph calls back.
It’s actually slightly less than an hour and a half, all told. Aiden and I are the first to see them come back, since we were waiting anxiously near the side door where they went out. All of a sudden it bursts open to let Denver through into the hall, rumpled up but unhurt, supporting someone else. Aiden rushes forward to help him.
My eyes widen in horror at the big splash of crimson I see on the sleeve of the second man, but he’s putting pressure on it himself. And he’s awake, if leaning very heavily into Denver.
Denver and Aiden sit him down on the nearest chair as Dameon steps into the house, followed shortly by Jade. Both of them are grinning with relief, but my anxious heart doesn’t ease up until Ralph and Francesco walk through the door, following their troops inside.
Both of them are sparkling with the glow of a good time, grinning irrepressibly.
“You owe me some ammo,” Francesco is saying to Ralph.
“Yeah, right.” Ralph slaps his borrowed gun back into Francesco’s hand, still grinning. “I’m not paying for bullets I spent covering you.”
“Oh, I was fine,” Francesco says lightly, then pouts a little. “But I think one of them… went through the hem of my dress.”
“This party is finally starting to get kind of fun,” Ralph whispers to us, as the Seven Arms men cluster around their bleeding comrade.
Aiden and I stare at Ralph incredulously, then turn back to the man they rescued. The injury to his arm appears to be the only problem, thank god. He leans back in the chair to reveal he’s yet another hunk training camp graduate, even with his face pale and screwed up in pain.
“I’m s-so sorry,” he pants, as Francesco comes over to stand before him. “Don’t know how I – got jumped like that-”
“You should know better, Khoa,” Francesco cuts in frostily. “I thought about… leaving you to sort it out yourself. I should have.”
Khoa gazes up at Francesco with huge, adoring eyes. “But you didn’t. You came for me.”
Francesco leans down, his emerald eyes narrowed, and takes Khoa by the chin. Quite clearly not being gentle.
“I don’t want you… in danger for no reason… ever again, soldier. Understood?”
Khoa nods meekly, gazing up at Francesco with dazzled reverence, his arm temporarily forgotten. Francesco nods once, brushes a kiss onto Khoa’s mouth, and releases his chin. Khoa beams up at Francesco, suddenly looking like he’s having a very good night after all.
Francesco turns to Denver, who’s standing just behind him. “Go to the front doors, the doctor should be here soon-”
Francesco breaks off in surprise as Denver leans in and steals a kiss from him. He draws back grinning, hastily takes a few steps backward. Wisely, as it turns out, because Francesco immediately swipes at him with his cane.
“All this misbehaving!” Francesco sputters. “Did I say that you… deserved a reward?”
Denver is already safely out of cane reach, and Jade decides to seize the opportunity to plant a kiss on Francesco’s neck from behind. Francesco turns to grab him, and he takes off after Denver, who’s already rushing off towards the front doors. Francesco stares after them in disbelief, half-laughing.
“Does everyone… think they can get away with everything… just because I am in a good mood?” he complains.
“They think they can get away with anything because they’re in a good mood,” Ralph snickers quietly, from behind Francesco.
Francesco snickers, too, turning to answer him, then pauses as a figure appears at the far end of the hallway. The sparkling silver of her dress captures everyone’s attention at once. We all freeze to the spot, busted.
“There you are, Uncle!” Maggie calls, bounding over to us, holding two handfuls of her dress. “I was wondering where you-”
She stops short, her eyes going very wide as they land on the bleeding man in the chair.
“Khoa!” she gasps, darting over to him, staring at his bleeding arm. “O que aconteceu?”
“I’m fine,” he promises, gritting his teeth but trying to smile. “Don’t worry about me, kiddo, it’s your party! I don’t want to spoil it.”
“He took a little injury during work, darling,” Francesco says softly from behind her.
Maggie brightens up immediately. “Oh! Was there a fight? How exciting! But you will be okay, yes, Khoa?”
He raggedly gives her a thumbs up, then breaks into a fond smile when she gives him a hug, being careful to avoid his arm.
“But… mwen pa komprann… why no one has fixed his arm?” She casts a reproachful eye around at us. “Why is no one helping?”
“The doctor should be here any minute,” Francesco assures her.
She spreads her hands at him, one eyebrow arched up high. “And we are waiting around in the hallway for this doctor? Will she see Khoa right here? Or should we not take him upstairs, so he can lay down where she will actually help him? No one has thought of this?”
We all look around at each other, and Maggie lets out an incredulous laugh.
“Dameon, you will take him upstairs,” she decides briskly, “And tell Jade to have some ice water sent up for him, and clean towels to put his arm on.”
Dameon helps Khoa out of the chair, getting an arm around his waist. He starts to lead him past us, then stops, turning his head to look at Francesco. Francesco arches an inquiring eyebrow at him, catching the hopeful expression on his face.
“Everyone got one but me,” Dameon says meekly, pleading with his eyes.
Francesco blinks, then breathes out a laugh. He leans over and brushes a kiss onto Dameon’s lips. Dameon beams happily, then turns to take Khoa upstairs. Maggie goes with them, since she’s evidently in charge of this whole operation now. She has a few more orders to issue, from what I’m hearing.
Francesco watches her go, then laughs softly again, catching Ralph’s eye.
He flutters his ringed fingers in Maggie’s direction. “And here I feared this would… upset her.”
“Please,” Ralph snickers. “She’s a Caterina.”
Francesco grins back at him. “Should we get a drink?”
“I think we’ve earned one,” Ralph agrees, falling into step beside him.
“Oh, okay.” I let out a helpless laugh, taking Aiden’s hand as we all set off together back down the hall towards the party. “Now he’s in party mode.”
“Welcome, from those of us who have been here for a while,” Aiden laughs, obviously full of relief to see Ralph unhurt.
“Yeah, yeah.” Ralph casts a frown at us over his shoulder. “You two just behave yourselves. Word on these parties of Francesco’s is that they start off all peaceful and elegant, then end up getting pretty fuckin’ wild by the end.”
Francesco lets out his hissing laugh. “As usual, I am… guilty as charged. But I must implore you both not to come to my house intending to… behave yourselves. A Caterina villa is hardly the place for that.”
“Ralph telling us to behave ourselves after he probably just committed like a handful of felonies,” Aiden complains, reaching forward to ruffle Ralph’s blonde hair. “Sounds like the usual.”
Francesco casts an amused glance at Aiden as we stop in the loggia. “I learn so much about you… from the presence of your brother, Ralph.”
“Oh, yeah?” Ralph looks down as Maggie comes out through the doors behind us, having just caught up. “Hey Maggie, you want to dance with me for this next song? I’d love to hear all about how it is living with your uncle. You can tell me everything.”
“Okay!” Maggie says brightly, accepting the hand he held out to her.
Ralph shoots Francesco a little smirk over the top of her head, leading her down the steps to the courtyard. Francesco’s mouth drops open in indignation, but then closes tightly, holding back a laugh.
“He’ll have his hands full… with her,” he informs us.
“Oh, we know,” Aiden laughs.
Francesco closes his eyes, listening to the deep rumble of Aiden’s voice, then opens them again, his blown-out pupils nearly eclipsing the emerald green.
“Mmm… what a lovely evening this is turning out to be,” he sighs, then casts a smile at me and Aiden. “Let’s get that drink… shall we? I’ll have one ready for the Warlord… for when he’s finished doing something so shamelessly reprehensible as… trying to use my own family… to gain information on me.”
“Exactly what you did to him earlier,” I laugh, following Francesco down the stairs.
“Yes, I’ve often told him we’re well-matched,” Francesco answers very seriously.
Aiden and I both laugh again, but it’s almost lost in all the noise of the party. Ralph was right, the mood is starting to shift. The older attendees are starting to filter out, leaving behind people crowding around the bar or dancing to the increasingly upbeat music. There’s a burst of champagne from somewhere in the crowd, followed by a burst of tipsy laughter. Puffs of smoke climb into the air from various places. The overall noise and movement of the crowd is beginning to swell. People swirl past us, all part of the dance.
It’s starting to feel like the wild party Ralph said it would be, and it’s easy to get swept up.
One more shot with Ralph and Francesco, the night transforms into a blur of activity. Dancing with Aiden, then Francesco, then Aiden again. Stumbling over to join Ralph and Francesco’s conversation, which was happening over Cuban cigars. The band closing up and leaving, and the music switched to something with a beat Noah would approve of.
Dancing with a laughing Maggie, then handing her off to Kaden, who was eager to spend another song with her. Maggie and the prince attempting to run off with a full bottle of Dom, fleeing under hot pursuit from both Constantine and the shouting bartender.
Aiden and me trying to count up all of Francesco’s hunks, repeatedly losing track. A brief visit upstairs with Maggie to check on Khoa, now neatly bandaged up and half-asleep in bed, but still appreciative of the snacks we brought him.
Back to the bar, back to the dance floor, back to more food, then a sudden moment of very peaceful quiet as I find myself gazing up at one of the lovely framed paintings in the dining room of the villa. Francesco telling me and Aiden about the beautiful little figures in the beautiful little scene of Venice. Then back outside again, where I share a joint with Ralph and a drink with Francesco and another dance with Aiden.
Things get more blurry after that, a general swirl in which I’m thinking mostly fun, fun, this is fun! and not too much else.
But I do have a few moments of very sharp clarity.
Francesco reclining on an outdoor daybed on the loggia, watching the party from slightly above. On the luxurious pillows heaped near him, several of his bodyguards, clustered adoringly around him. Dameon with his eyes closed in utter bliss as Francesco, without breaking his gaze away from the party, slowly strokes his jaw with a fingertip.
Me, sitting down on the edge of the daybed, watching Aiden talk to a few of Francesco’s admiring friends while Francesco sits right behind me. Leaning over my shoulder to speak softly in my ear. Whispering slowly in his sultry voice, telling me everything he finds sexy about Aiden, how he imagines he’d be in bed, what he’d like to do to him.
A situation which should make me crazy with jealousy.
Instead it makes me stare at Aiden with wide, rapt eyes, a blazing blush burning across my cheeks, my heartbeat flying. Francesco’s playful voice, with a purr of sex beneath every word he says, whispering phrases like willing body… spread thighs… heaving with pleasure… make him strain and moan until he begs and begs… all while my gaze is resting on Aiden’s sweet smile, his head tilting back as he laughs at something someone said to him. His powerful body relaxing against the bar, his hand running over his rich beard.
I just sit there listening, panting, barely able to control myself.
The next thing I’m aware of is pushing my way through the crowd towards Aiden, slowed down but undeterred by my drunken stumbles, my avid, hungry eyes locked on his face. Catching such a hard, tight fistful of his shirt when I reach him that I accidentally untuck it a little. He blinks down at me in smiling surprise, quickly puts an arm around my waist to steady me out. The mere feeling of his body heat through his shirt sets my blood on fire.
The next crystal clear thought I have comes when my cheek is snuggled against a very soft pillow, my body sprawled across a deliciously comfy bed. Aiden’s arm is flung across my chest, and my fingers are curled around it.
That was so fun, I think to myself, letting out a blissful sigh. I hope Ralph won’t be mad… that may have counted as not behaving ourselves…
It’s the last thought to go through my head before I slip off to sleep.
~~~~
Distant birdsongs drift through my dreams, slowly drawing me awake. A gentle breeze blows across my back, stirring my hair. Fragrant and sweet, air from deep in the country.
I take a deep breath of it, stirring slowly against my pillow, my hand automatically reaching out to feel for Aiden. My fingers land on the firm, slow-breathing warmth of his bare chest. I open my eyes, and find his just drowsily blinking open, too.
He looks beautiful. Stretched out naked on the bed with one leg curled, his chestnut hair in a sexy tumble on the pillow. For a moment we just smile into each other’s eyes, slowly waking up, wrapped up together in intimate silence.
Then, at the exact same moment, we both notice the hand-painted silk bedspread beneath us.
We stare at it, baffled, then simultaneously sit up, looking around to figure out where the hell we are.
The answer is that we’re in a huge, stately bed. One spread with spotlessly beautiful silk and velvet, in shades of cream and crimson. The bed is framed on all four sides with matching silk hangings, which have been knotted back to the bedposts, affording us a clear view of a spacious, airy bedroom. The breeze I felt is coming in from a terrace that seems to face the courtyard, although I think we must be on a higher floor. The doors of the terrace have been left wide open, and the plants growing over the stone wall of the terrace are swaying softly in the rosy morning light.
Aiden and I stare around in amazement. Our eyes meet in complete confusion, then open very wide as someone lets out a soft, sleepy sigh from behind Aiden.
Francesco drowsily sits up in the bed, smoothing his hair back from his face. Naked, just like we are.
“Mmm… good morning,” he purrs, then leans down and brushes a kiss onto Aiden’s neck, softly caressing his shoulder.
Oh, my god. What the fuck, what in the fucking fuck?
White fireworks burst across my vision, and my heart goes off like an explosion with stunned, disbelieving outrage. But before it can even really hit me, Francesco leans over Aiden and kisses my cheek, just as intimately, his fingertips trailing the line of my collarbone. He draws back to smile into my astonished, bewildered eyes.
“Last night was… wonderful,” he sighs blissfully. “I should really… have you both to my parties… more often.”
Aiden and I stare at him, then look at each other in blank shock.
I swallow hard, struggling to find my voice. “The – the three of us-?”
“Not quite. That may be how it started, but… when I saw what you two were like with each other…” Francesco smiles dreamily at both of us, as if swimming in a beautiful memory. “I have to say… it’s not often that I’m inspired to just sit back and… watch.”
My hands fly up to my mouth. Aiden looks sharply at me, his blue eyes as wide and round as they go. Francesco strokes the side of Aiden’s thigh, then gently pinches my cheek.
“You two have something… very special, you know?” he tells us earnestly, glancing back and forth between our faces. “A real… connection.”
I put my fingertips to my temples, half-hiding behind my hands as Aiden answers, very unsteadily – “Oh, that’s – thank – thank you.”
“I mean it,” Francesco murmurs, smiling at us. “You know how I feel about… beautiful things… and what you have with each other… that’s… quite a beautiful thing.”
Aiden and I just sit there, speechless. Even blank with shock as I am, I’m suddenly having to fight down a laugh at the expression on Aiden’s face, and he’s looking at me like I’m doing the exact same thing to him.
Francesco gets out of bed and languidly stretches out his arms, still so very naked, wearing only the golden coin around his neck. I blush vividly as he crosses to the closet and finds himself a pair of boxer briefs to put on.
Aiden and I stare at him for a second, then both lean over the foot of the bed. His, mine, and Francesco’s clothes are scattered on the floor, dropped in a clear pathway from the bedroom doors to the bed.
It all comes back to me in a lightning flash, in one fast rush of moaning, panting, pleasure-filled memories. I remember gazing into a pair of dilated emerald eyes, which were locked on mine as I bit into the bedding, while Aiden bit into my shoulder…
I bite my lip and look at Aiden, my cheeks absolutely crimson. I think the sight of our clothes jolted him into remembering, too, because he blushes just as violently as me, then stumbles out of the bed to grab our clothes. We hurriedly start to get dressed, both of us still at a complete loss for what to say.
Francesco puts on a loose silk robe, cream-colored, with brushed strokes of soft orange and deep green.
He leaves it open, puts on nothing else, and turns to face the door as someone knocks softly. “Come in.”
I’m still reaching for my shirt as Jade comes in with a heavily laden breakfast tray. He shoots me and Aiden a look of such pure suffering that both of us wince in guilty dismay.
Jade sets the tray down on one of the antique wooden tables somewhat forcefully, his jaw tensed, his face burning with jealousy.
“Good morning, Jade.” Francesco takes a cup of coffee and a small stack of mail from the tray, apparently not noticing anything amiss. “Quite the party… wasn’t it? You looked very handsome… good enough to eat.”
Jade’s miserable expression brightens up considerably.
“No further incidents last night,” he reports. “Khoa’s still asleep, but he seems okay. Maggie’s in her room. Kaden fell asleep on the floor in the hallway last night, so Dameon put him in the guest room.”
“Asleep… in the hallway? I knew those two snuck off with some champagne. I suspect they had the prince… issue a royal order to the poor bartender.”
Jade shrugs his powerful shoulders. “Teenagers.”
“Mm. I suppose so.” Francesco takes a sip of his coffee, sinking down to lounge on the side of the bed. “And the Warlord?”
“Slept in the blue guest room,” Jade answers, collecting Francesco’s dress from the floor and reverently draping it on the end of the bed. “Woke up early, had his breakfast in there, made a few work calls. He wants to know where these two are. I brought him up, do you want to see him?”
Before Francesco can answer, Ralph leans through the half-open doors.
“Francesco,” he calls. “You seen Aiden and J-?”
He breaks off, staring at us.
I just got the last of my rumpled clothes back on, and Aiden just finished buttoning up his shirt, but it doesn’t matter. The situation couldn’t be more obvious. Ralph’s eyebrows shoot up, and his mouth drops open.
“Holy shit,” he laughs, his sage eyes perfectly round. “No fuckin’ way, are you two serious?”
“It’s not – not exactly what you’re thinking!” I blurt out desperately, pushing a flustered hand through my hair. “We – there was-”
Aiden clamps a hand over my mouth and yanks me back against his chest. “Do not try to explain, Jamie!”
Ralph steps into the room, shaking his head, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter. “You have no shame at all.”
He directs that to Francesco, who shrugs his shoulders at him, like: yeah.
Jade lets himself out of the bedroom, moving aside to let through Maggie, who was on her way in. She’s in a light blue sundress this morning, her long hair swept up into a ponytail. If she’s exhausted from last night, it doesn’t show in the slightest.
“Bonjou, Uncle!” She bounds across his room and up onto the bed next to him, beaming happily. “The party went very well, yes? I did well, meeting all the people?”
“You were… a star, Margarida,” he tells her.
She gives him a sparkling smile. “I think you are very kind, to throw me such a nice party.”
“No, sweetheart,” he sighs. “You shouldn’t think that. I’m really… very heartless. Anyone will… tell you so.”
“And I will not believe them,” she says firmly, then kisses his cheek.
Francesco’s lips twitch in a held-back smile as Maggie springs up from the bed, straightening out her dress. She smiles in surprise when she spots us.
“Oh, Aiden, Jamie, Ralph! Good morning!”
“Hey, Maggie,” I stammer, twisting the malachite necklace in my fingers. “We were just, um-”
“My uncle’s room is very nice, yes? It’s worth coming up to see it!” She touches an admiring hand to the bed hangings. “The vintage Genoa velvet! This house…” She sighs lovingly, gazing around at it. “And the grounds are beautiful, too. I wanted to take Kaden to see them, once he has breakfast? If his knee does not hurt?”
She turns hopefully to Francesco, who gestures with his coffee cup to say it’s fine.
“Take Constantine with you.”
Maggie beams at him before she goes bounding out of the room. Francesco watches her go with deep fondness in his eyes, then glances over at the terrace. Ralph has just drifted over there to look out at the view.
He turns to me and Aiden, his eyes still full of amusement at the sight of our rumpled, stunned selves. “You two ready to go?”
“Let them have some coffee and food first,” Francesco says, fluttering his fingers at the tray that Jade brought in. “I know it’s a… long drive home.”
I automatically take a cup of coffee and a pastry, still too dazed to make any moves that aren’t on autopilot. Ralph shrugs his shoulders, then goes out onto the terrace to look out at the courtyard and the grounds.
Francesco takes a pastry from the tray and follows him out there. He hops up lightly to sit on the terrace wall beside Ralph. Ralph snickers, having caught sight of the tiny, airy little croissant Francesco chose for himself.
Francesco pauses in confusion. “What?”
Ralph shakes his head, leaning his elbows on the top of the overgrown terrace wall. “Nothing.”
Dameon comes into the bedroom with some papers for Francesco. He leaves them on the dresser and starts talking to Aiden, but I find myself edging a little closer to the terrace, quietly listening to the conversation happening out there.
“I hope that what happened last night didn’t harm my… chances of… getting you into my bed,” Francesco is saying softly to Ralph. He runs a hand over his beard, suddenly troubled. “I should have… thought of that.”
“Right, as if that would’ve stopped you,” Ralph snickers.
Francesco remains silent, his lower lip caught between his teeth. Ralph blinks at him in surprise, his eyebrows slowly furrowing.
“What…?” he begins, in a much more serious tone. “Are you being real? You know I’m not like that. D’you think you’re gonna change my mind?”
Francesco’s sultry smile comes back onto his face. He leans closer to Ralph, playfully tilting his head to the side.
“Not change your mind, but…” He hesitates, then slowly touches a fingertip to Ralph’s chest. “If there’s anything in you waiting to be… awakened… I believe I’m just the man to… do it.”
Ralph freezes, dropping his gaze to the finger on his chest. He blinks hard, then breathes out a quiet laugh, shaking his head as he lifts his gaze back to Francesco’s.
“Sorry, but there’s definitely not. And, I…” He hesitates, deciding whether or not to finish his sentence. “I have a girlfriend.”
“Oh.” Francesco holds still for a second, then slowly takes his hand back. “That news had not yet… reached me.”
“I wasn’t sure if I should let it.” Ralph’s voice turns to a threatening growl. “I’m not gonna let anybody use her for anything, Francesco-”
“Call me Chesko, won’t you? All my… friends do.”
Ralph directs a frown of irritation at him. “I’m not gonna let her get hurt, Francesco. Especially not on my account. That’s not gonna happen, can’t happen.”
“Oh, and it’s serious with her,” Francesco observes. He sits back and lets out a long breath, some realization breaking over his face. “So… this is why you want some ensured peace and stability for you and your Wolves? Plans for… a family, Warlord?”
Ralph gives his shoulders a slow shrug. “Plans for – the future.”
There’s a brief silence. Francesco lapses into silent thought, tapping a fingertip on the stone wall.
“Anyways, what are you scheming at?” Ralph shoots Francesco a suspicious, sidelong glance. “Either you seriously do want me, or you want something from me. Which is it? Because I have a feeling it’s the second one.”
“So wrong, Warlord. It would either be the first… or both.” Francesco runs a hand over his beard. “I’ll admit I had… more than one aim in mind. I suppose I thought it best to… approach you about it in the way that tends to work best for me… and that way have the fun of taking you to my bed, too.”
“You and your word games,” Ralph growls irritably, making Francesco smile. “C’mon, man. Maybe you’d like to sleep with me, but you don’t actually want to date me. You and I both know that you’re perfectly happy with your rotation of – what is it, like fifteen of your men?”
“Surely you don’t intend to begrudge me that,” Francesco protests, pouting at him. “This job is hard. Am I not entitled to… a little fun?”
“Sure you are, but I think it’s about more than just fun.”
Francesco pauses, thrown off. “Meaning?”
“Well, first of all, I think you like all of them a lot more than you let on.”
Francesco rolls his eyes, almost convincingly. “If you say so. Second of all?”
Ralph hesitates again, then drops his gaze to the brutal scar running halfway across Francesco’s throat.
“That happened to you when you were asleep, right? You woke up to it? And you were just a teenager at the time.”
Francesco blinks at him, suddenly frozen.
“Must’ve been terrifying,” Ralph says, watching his face. “And now you’ve got it arranged so that there’s always someone in bed with you, all night. Every night. Someone sworn to protect you.”
Francesco stares silently at Ralph for a long moment. He unconsciously touches his fingers to his scar, then quickly drops them again, clearing his throat.
“Well, it’s… dangerous work, isn’t it? What we do?” He’s speaking very slowly, looking very seriously into Ralph’s eyes. “That’s exactly why it would be good for you, Warlord… to have more than just allies in this business. To have – friends. A real friend, someone sincerely in your corner, who truly likes you and respects you… not simply tied to you by something so… impersonal as an alliance.”
He looks meaningfully into Ralph’s eyes. “Someone on your side.”
Ralph stares at him, his sage eyes narrowed.
“My father had friends like that,” Francesco goes on, choosing his words carefully. “He told me… those friends were why… he lived through our bloody business long enough to know he would die old and grey. He said you need someone you can always count on… and he said that they will always tell you… the truth. When it matters.” He looks hopefully into Ralph’s eyes. “You might give his advice some thought, Ralph, especially as you make your… plans for the future. I’ve given it a lot of thought… myself. A friend like that would be… invaluable, I think.”
Ralph absorbs that in contemplative silence, then nods, once.
“Alright,” he says, straightening up from the terrace wall. “I’ll keep it in mind.”
He turns and comes back in from the terrace, leaving Francesco sitting alone on the overgrown wall. Francesco gazes after him, then suddenly drops his head, his expression crumpling. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen him look so genuinely upset. His face is full of agonized frustration and crestfallen disappointment.
“Hey.” Ralph swats my arm, tossing his hair out of his eyes. “Ready to go?”
“Jesus Christ, Ralph!” I blurt out, startling him considerably. I seize his elbow and drag him a few steps aside, speaking in an urgent whisper. “God, Aiden is right, you are so bad at being able to tell when – look, Francesco is talking about you, when he’s talking about a real friend in this business – he means you! That’s what he wants from you, dude!”
Ralph blinks at me, taken aback, then gives me a skeptical frown. “Pretty sure he has friends all over the whole world in our business, Jamie-”
“The kind of friends he’s talking about?” I whisper back heatedly. “Are you sure? Are you really sure about that? A guy like Francesco, in this business? Do you think it’s easy for him?”
Ralph stares at me, his eyebrows furrowed.
“Besides, then why did he say his father had friends like that, not that he does? Why’s he telling you what his father told him about it, not what he knows from experiencing it himself?”
“So he comes to me?” Ralph asks incredulously. “Of all fuckin’ people, are you joking? Do I really seem like the guy who Francesco-?”
“Yes! And I see why he feels that way, it’s – look, there’s – a lot of different ways I can tell, man, and I’d be happy to walk you through all of them later, but for now just please trust me on this!”
Ralph falls silent, contemplating that, then looks up as Francesco comes back in from the terrace, his relaxed expression carefully back in place.
“Are you leaving, Warlord?” he asks, with the faintest hint of strain in his voice. “So soon?”
“Got to pick up my wolf from the pet sitter,” he answers, to a hiss of laughter from Francesco.
“Dameon, see to it their car is brought around… and send Jade to me, won’t you? Tell him I’m feeling…” Francesco casts a lingering glance at me and Aiden, smiling dreamily. “Mmm… inspired.”
Dameon slips out of the room, leaving me and Aiden blushing painfully again.
“Thanks for – for – having us,” I manage, then wince deeply at my own choice of phrasing. “It was a really nice, um – party! We had a lovely time. I hope Khoa is alright, and please tell Maggie we’ll see her at the bakery, just as soon as it’s up and running! I’m sure it’ll be beautiful, if your house is any indication.”
Francesco smiles at me and Aiden through his lashes, blinking slowly.
“Come back to my house… any time.” He turns to Ralph, who just tossed Aiden his jacket. “You too, of course, Ralph. We’re not so far apart now, are we?”
“Nope, I guess not.” Ralph hesitates, then adds - “Guess that’s good news. Should make it easier for me to come see you if I feel like having a cigar. Don’t know anyone else who will smoke one of those with me.”
Francesco, who had started to turn away, stops where he is and stares at Ralph in startled silence.
He blinks a few times, then comes over to accompany us to the doors of the bedroom. He catches my arm when we step out through them.
“Seriously,” he purrs at me and Aiden. “Anytime. And Warlord… you know the same offer extends to you. I do have some very good cigars.”
Ralph gives him a nod. “Sounds good. See you, Chesko.”
Francesco stops still, blinking hard. He watches us head off down the hallway for a moment before he closes the bedroom doors after us. I catch his expression in one of the gilt-framed mirrors, and quietly beam to myself.
Then I look sheepishly up at Aiden. He looks down at me, blushing just as hard. Both of us are remembering more of our stumbling journey up here last night. A powerful reminder of everything we did.
“Oh my god,” I stammer, dropping my burning face into my hands. “I can’t believe us. I can’t believe we did that. Aiden, you – you big slut!”
“Me? You’re the one responsible for that piece of flawless decision-making, Jamie! I think you might remember coming up to me last night and saying, hey, you know what we should do?”
“You’re both sluts, but again, who cares?” Ralph asks, leading the way down the hallway. “Do whatever you want, man. Who’s gonna stop you, the government? Fuck ‘em.”
“Oh, my god,” I stammer again, rubbing my eyes in disbelief. “So, we both wanted to know what Francesco was like in bed-”
“And we both had the opportunity to find out,” Aiden continues.
“-and we slept with each other instead,” I finish.
Ralph lets out a little snicker of laughter, then dodges out of the way as Aiden swats at his shoulder.
“Shut up, Ralph!”
“That’s just very, um – you guys,” Ralph laughs.
Aiden and I look at each other, blushing wildly, both of us trying not to dissolve into helpless laughter. I slump against Aiden, officially losing that battle. He wraps an arm around my shoulders and stamps a kiss onto my forehead, tickling me with a soft huff of laughter.
“It was hot, though,” Aiden blurts out suddenly. “You can’t pretend it wasn’t, Keane. I, for one, had a blast.”
“Aiden!” I sputter desperately, flashing a blushing look at Ralph. “I know it was! Do we have to discuss it right now?”
“Needed to be said,” Aiden answers firmly, making me bury my face in my hands. “When it’s as good as that, it needs to be said.”
“Okay, both of you please shut up,” Ralph groans. “Let’s get the hell out of here, yeah? Before anything else ridiculous can happen.”
As it turns out there’s one more ridiculous thing to happen before we make it to the front doors. Right as we step down from the staircase, Jade appears in the hall, practically sprinting. His hair is wet, his skin damp from what must have been a very quick shower. He goes eagerly rushing past without even seeming to notice us, headed straight for Francesco’s room.
“Guess he received the summons,” Aiden laughs helplessly.
“Jesus Christ,” Ralph sputters, pulling open the front door. “Place is like a goddamn carnival.”
I let out a gasp of appreciation the instant I see the lovely landscaping that was all hidden in the darkness last night. I can’t help trailing my eyes over it as we walk down the curved path. It’s a beautiful sight, graceful avenues of trees and thick clusters of blossoming fall flowers, splashing fountains hidden here and there.
Just before we reach the gate, I spot something in all the greenery I’m running my admiring eyes over. Far off to one side, in the shade of a lime tree, there’s Kaden and Maggie. Sitting together on a stone bench, beside a forgotten breakfast tray, talking in confidential whispers. So wrapped up in each other that they don’t notice us going past.
Constantine is sitting nearby on the grass, tired out from the party, leaning back against a tree with his eyes closed. Maggie giggles at something Kaden said, then steals a swift glance at Constantine.
“Tino?” she calls softly, experimentally. “Are you awake?”
Constantine doesn’t answer. Maggie smiles, then turns back to Kaden. He blinks hard and fast, his cheeks picking up a burning glow as she puts her hand on his neck, leaning in closer.
That’s the last thing I see before we step out through the gates, and they gently sweep shut behind us.
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