Lucifer: A Mafia Bad Boy Romance (Sinsations Book 1) (3 page)

Squaring my shoulders and taking a deep breath, I walked back into Sinsations. If I was going to do this, I needed to get the ball rolling before I chickened out. I waved at one of the servers to get her attention. She walked up with a big smile on her face. “Hi, welcome to Sinsations.”

“Hi, I hate to bug you but I was wondering who I’d need to talk to about getting a job as a server.”

She pointed towards the back of the casino. “All the way back and to the left. You’ll see a door marked ‘Employees Only.’ Hit the buzzer, let them know you want to apply for a job, and they’ll buzz you in.”

I nodded. “Thanks.”

“Good luck,” she said, heading towards an older man sitting at a slot machine waving an empty glass in his hand.

I walked past the spot where the fight had happened, remembering the rage I saw on Lucifer’s face as he snapped that guy’s arm. My steps faltered. I stopped. Could I really do this? Could I work for a man like that?

Get a grip, Kris. You’re going to be working for him. Not fucking him. Not anymore. This isn’t even remotely close to the shit you left behind.

I nodded to myself and started walking again. It wasn’t a matter of if I
could
do this. I
needed
to do this.

I climbed the stairs back up to the second floor, adrenaline still racing through my veins. Damn it! Who did that little prick think he was messing with? All I had wanted to do was walk around my casino, enjoying what I had built from the ground up. Sinsations was one of the hottest spots on the Strip, and it was mine. I deserved to enjoy it. I also deserved to enjoy sexy Krista again, but that plan got blown to hell. Too bad my cock didn’t realize that. I was still sporting wood thinking about that fine ass in those tight jeans.

I got to the top of the stairs and headed for my office, walking past Olivia’s desk. “Hold my calls. No visitors. I need a drink.”

“Luc,” she said quickly, “there’s –”

I was already inside with the door closed when I realized she was trying to tell me someone was in my office. Fuck me. I did not need this right now.

A heavyset man with gray curly hair that was going thin on top was sitting behind my desk. He had already helped himself to some of my scotch, too. Any other man would be within minutes of losing his life. This was not any other man, though. I slapped on a smile that I really didn’t feel like making. “Uncle Vinny, what brings you to Vegas?”

Uncle Vinny, known to non-relatives as Vincent Libonati, my father’s brother… and the Consigliere for the Libonati family, rose to his feet and came around my desk, the glass of scotch still clutched firmly in his hand. He gave me a one-armed hug, smiling at me. He nodded towards the door. “Saw a bit of the action down there. You still got it, kid.”

“That was nothing. Just a punk who thought he was tough.” I walked to the bar, poured myself a glass of scotch, and then went to my desk and reclaimed my chair before my uncle could get too comfortable in it.

He grinned at me, noticing the move, and sat on the leather sofa, looking around the office. “You got a nice place here, Lucky.”

“I don’t go by that name anymore.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Luc still okay?”

I nodded.

“Well,
Luc
, you got a nice place here.”

“Thank you,” I said, trying – and failing – to keep the pride out of my voice. When it came to my family, you never let them know what was close to your heart. They had a habit of using what you had against you. It’s one of the reasons I was here instead of back home in Chicago.

Uncle Vinny sat back, crossing his legs as he sipped his scotch. He looked relaxed. He was smiling. Everything seemed peachy. But his eyes were hard. “You know how you got this nice place, Luc?”

I took a drink of scotch, matching his stare. “I built it. With my money.”

Vinny shook his head. “No. With
our
money. With family money.”

I leaned forward. “No. With
my
money. Money I earned taking care of family business.”

Vinny waved my statement away. “Fine, it’s not really about the money. You remember the little talk you had with your dad before hauling ass to Vegas?”

Fuck. I knew this day would come. Guess it was better now than later. I sighed. “Yeah. Nobody really leaves the family. Blood is blood.” I recited the words my father had spoken to me. “He understood what I was going through.” Although he really didn’t. “He’d make a special exception in my case. I could leave… but it would cost me. I’d owe a debt. A debt that could be called at any time.”

Vinny nodded. “That time is now.”

“Fine. Tell me how much. I’ll have the cash for you tomorrow.” I kept over five grand in my safe, but I knew that wouldn’t be enough. Not with my family.

Vinny laughed. “Look at my suit. Brunello Cucinelli. Seven-thousand bucks. Does it look like money is an issue?”

I waited, sipping my scotch, acting unbothered by the direction this conversation was going. But I was bothered. Bothered shitless. If my father didn’t want money, what did he want? And would I be willing to pay?

“Times are changing,” Vinny said. “We have to change with them. Adapt. Grow.” He took another drink, met my gaze. “Your father wants to join the family with another to become a more… competitive presence, and you know what that means.”

Fuck! I knew exactly what that meant. Damn it all to hell. I offered him a weak smile. “You’re getting married?”

Vinny laughed, slapping his knee. “That’s rich, kid. No, I’m not sure how your aunt would handle an idea like that.” He pointed a finger at me. “You’re getting married… to the daughter of the other family’s patriarch.”

I shook my head. “No, I’m not.”

Vinny glared at me. “
Morte prima del disonore
, Luc. Death before dishonor. The family motto… and they’re not just words. You know this.”

“I’m not getting married for some twisted business arrangement.”

Vinny stood up, walked over to my desk, and slammed his empty glass down. “It’s not up for debate. You owe a debt. Unless you’re already married or engaged to be married, it’s basically a done deal.”

That was it. My last chance at remaining free, of not getting sucked back into my family’s world of blood and shadows. “That’s it,” I said. “I can’t get married because I’m already engaged.”

Vinny narrowed his eyes. He wasn’t an idiot. It would take a miracle to make this work. “You’re engaged.”

I nodded.

“Why is this the first I’ve heard of it?”

I shrugged. “I was just waiting for the perfect time to tell Mom and Dad.”

“Like now. When the debt is called.”

I held my hands up. “That’s just a coincidence.”

Vinny grinned, nodding. “Okay, you’re engaged. I’d like to meet her.”

“She’s out of town.”

Vinny’s grin grew wider. “There’s this wonderful thing I’ve heard of called Skype. You can talk to anyone, and see them, anywhere in the world.”

Fuck! Who knew technology could be such a pain in the ass? “I meant she was out of town. She’s coming back tonight. She should be on the plane right now.” I shrugged. “She probably doesn’t have her laptop with her.”

Vinny nodded, the grin still on his face. He knew I was bullshitting him. In his mind, we were playing some type of twisted game. “I’ll tell you what, Luc. I’m going to go for now. Tomorrow, I want to meet this fiancée… and by that, I mean if I don’t meet her tomorrow, you’ll need to turn the management of this place over to someone else because you’ll be going home to get married.”

I finished off my scotch with one final gulp. “No problem.”

Vinny nodded, heading for the door. He glanced back over his shoulder at me. “I meant what I said about you looking good down there. Good moves. It’ll be nice to have you back.” He flashed me a grin and walked out the door.

Son of a bitch. I was screwed.

I ran my hands through my hair, trying to figure a way out of this mess. Vinny wasn’t lying. If I didn’t have a fiancée for him to meet tomorrow, he’d have my ass on a plane tomorrow night.

Olivia peeked inside, concern on her face. “You okay?”

I nodded, offering a weak smile. “Just peachy.”

“I’m sorry about him being in your office. I tried to stop him, but –”

“Don’t worry about,” I said. “He’s not the type of guy who does well with being told no.”

She looked at me, tilting her head. “You sure you’re okay?”

I leaned my head back against my chair. “Oh, I’m just perfect. All I need to do is find a fiancée by tomorrow morning.”

Olivia chuckled. “Is that all? Shouldn’t be too hard.” She gestured out the door. “There’s a whole casino of women out there who would love to be your fiancée.”

I sat up, a smile spreading slowly across my face. “You’re right.” I stood up and had to resist the urge to kiss her as I headed out the door.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“To find a fiancée.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.” With any luck, a certain curvy blonde would still be down there somewhere, because having an excuse to spend more time with Krista would make the whole pretend-engagement thing bearable.

Crap! Crap! Double crap! How hard could it be to do a job that consisted primarily of showing your boobs and butt while delivering drinks? Apparently, it was a lot harder than I had anticipated. As soon as the HR manager heard me say I didn’t have at least a year’s experience as a server, the conversation was basically over, with her pointing out that as one of Vegas’ premiere destination spots, Sinsations wasn’t in the habit of hiring people without experience.

The only helpful thing she did was point me towards a couple of other casinos that didn’t require experience. She also pointed out that they were off the Strip and older, which would be reflected in the pay. On the bright side, I’d qualify to work at Sinsations in a year. On the not-so-bright side, I’d probably be homeless before the year was up. Living in Vegas wasn’t cheap, and even if I resorted to only eating one meal every other day, I wouldn’t be able to make my meager savings stretch that far.

For just a split-second, I considered looking for Lucifer. He seemed interested in seeing me dressed as one of his angels – well, actually he seemed interested in seeing me naked – but maybe he could get me hired here without the experience. He had seemed to imply that hiring me wouldn’t be a big deal, or maybe that was just a line to try and get into my pants again.

Ugh! As lovely as the idea was, I knew I’d hate myself if I slept my way into a job, and then there was the whole issue with him being bad news. I shook my head. No. Best to walk out of this place and never come back. There were plenty of casinos to choose from.

“Well hey there, my sexy angel. I thought I might have lost you for good.”

Crap! How’s that old saying go? Speak of the devil and up he jumps? Turns out it’s true. I turned towards the voice behind me, intending to slap on a fake smile, but the fake smile became the real thing when my eyes fell upon his tall frame in that elegant suit. Damn! He looked good enough to eat with a spoon, his suit jacket hugging his broad shoulders and biceps, the first two buttons of his white dress shirt unbuttoned, showing just a hint of chest hair. I guess you didn’t have to bother with ties when you were the boss.

“Hi,” I said, my cheeks growing warm as his eyes followed my curves from head to toe and back again, lingering over my breasts. I swear if those sexy emerald eyes had been able to, they would’ve burned a hole right through my shirt and bra. I couldn’t help the shiver that ran down my spine from the intensity of his gaze. Finally, after what seemed like forever, his eyes rose and met mine. It didn’t make things any better. My stomach suddenly felt like it had a hundred butterflies in it, with all of them taking off and flying at once.

“You still interested in working for me?”

I swallowed, my mouth suddenly going dry. Here it was. Temptation in the flesh. I knew what he’d want in return for employment. I knew I’d feel bad about it. But I also knew there was no way I could say no to him if he led me up to his office and had his wicked way with me. “Yes,” I said, barely above a whisper.

He smiled, that crooked, sly-looking grin that had me automatically squeezing my thighs together as a surge of heat radiated out from my core. “Good, because I need someone for the ultimate job. From now until tomorrow night, you’re going to be my fiancée.”

I blinked, stunned. I had to have misheard him. I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry, but I think I misheard you.”

He laughed, a warm genuine sound that almost made me forget about what had happened earlier. “No, you heard me right. My uncle is in town for a little while and I need a fiancée until he leaves.”

“Which is when?”

He shrugged. “He didn’t say but he delivered the message he needed to deliver so I’m guessing he’ll leave some time tomorrow.” He glanced over my shoulder and quickly stepped closer to me, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me close. Before I could do or say anything, his lips were on mine.

I pushed against him out of reflex but trying to push him away was like trying to push a brick wall away. And then I didn’t want to push him away anymore. His warm, soft lips coaxed mine open and his tongue slid inside my mouth, teasing my tongue. I moaned into his mouth, pressing my nails against his rock-hard chest, feeling something deliciously hard and thick pressing against my stomach. A flame of pure lust shot through me as I imagined him sliding into me. A hand slid down and grabbed my ass cheek possessively, squeezing hard before he broke away and stepped back.

I stood there gasping, heat slamming through me, every nerve alive. He looked at me with undisguised lust in his eyes, that panty-melting smile sliding back into place. “Sorry about that,” he said, in a tone that hinted he really wasn’t. “I thought I saw my uncle walking by. Had to make it look real.”

I nodded, still breathless. “That seemed pretty real.”

His grin grew wider. “Just wait until I give you a goodnight kiss tonight.”

My mind froze. “Tonight?”

He nodded. “I told my uncle I was engaged. I don’t think he believes me and I wouldn’t put it past him to show up late tonight or really early to see if my beloved is with me.” He shrugged. “I had to think fast. Told him she – you – were out of town but that you were coming back tonight.” His eyes dropped down to my breasts again before popping back up to my eyes. “I can’t wait to tuck you in.”