Entangled With The Mafia

Chapter 13: Discussion

Damien

Damien is balls deep into Elizabeth when the phone rings.

He's been expecting this phone call all day. He feels it in his gut that it's Oliveira confirming the meeting. He grabs her by the hips and thrusts harder and faster, just the way she likes it. Her moans are saturated with the kind of pleasure only he can give her, and he knows it.

She wraps her legs around him, pulling him closer. Her long nails dig into the soft flesh of his tattooed back. She throws her head back in pure ecstasy, and all the while the phone keeps ringing. And ringing.

He fists her soft, velvety hair. He buries his face in her fragrant neck. She groans, but doesn't complain. Her walls clench around his hard c**k and she shudders. He spills inside of her with a guttural sound. She sucks his bottom lip and he shoves his tongue in her warm mouth. His grip on her thighs will definitely leave a bruise. The phone never stops f*****g ringing.

"I've got to take this," he says to her. He picks up the phone just as she's helping him into his shirt. "Damien Keller."

"Mr. Keller. We'd like to confirm the meeting." This pleases him immensely. He runs a hand through his ruffled hair. "I'll direct the call to my secretary. She'll take it from there."

"We're looking forward to making business with you, Mr. Keller."

"Likewise."

He hangs up and plops down on his chair. Elizabeth is sitting on his desk and lighting one of his cigars for him. "Good news?"

He takes it from her. "The best." Now that the meeting has been confirmed, he needs to speak to Ethan. He'll be going in his place, they discussed it the day before. They already anticipated their response. The offer was a good one; there was no way they'd refuse it. And he was right, as always.

He gives Nora some time to organize everything with the mediator, then calls her. "Tell Ethan to come here."

Sure enough, Ethan knocks twice and enters. Elizabeth gets up from his desk. They stare at each other down, then Elizabeth sits on the sofa by the door.

"Ethan," Damien begins. "The meeting has been arranged."

He nods. "I'll call Theo."

"No," Damien shakes his head. He remembers what she said that day, and Theo always meant what she said. "Not Theo. She said she won't be a part of this anymore. Get someone else to do it."

Ethan frowns. "But Theo's always at the meetings. She's their favorite. No one could possibly replace her."

Damien takes a long drag of his cigar. He inhales it deep into his lungs. He feels the beginnings of a headache, the cigar isn't working. "Find a way, Ethan. She doesn't want to do it anymore. I won't force her. You know how Theo can be."

Ethan exhales sharply. "There's no one else. You know that as well as I do. There's just Nora and Sabrina, and they're both too old. They won't want to look at their saggy shit."

Elizabeth interjects. "What about that new girl you send on errands? The one whose cousin died. She isn't old," Elizabeth points out. She rarely looks at the girl, but she's seen enough. The truth is, there's something about her that's very cynical. She doesn't buy the politeness. Something there smells fishy, but Damien disagrees. That's what bothers her most.

Ethan shakes his head. "Out of the question. And what are you still doing here, Elizabeth? Don't you have someplace else to be?"

"She's too naive," Damien agrees. "She can be trusted with the letters, but not this. She'll f**k it up."

Elizabeth grimaces. "So you're willing to send your sister to w***e for you, but not this girl?"

Ethan shakes his head in disapproval. "I thought you said you didn't want Elizabeth involved in business? Get it through your thick skull," he turns to Elizabeth. "It's all business. What Theo does is strictly professional. It's not whoring."

"Has it ever occurred to you that she might not want to do it?" Elizabeth stands and glares at them. "You think it's easy for a woman, to have to do what she does? You're insensitive, cruel bastards. You never take her feelings into consideration."

"f**k off, Elizabeth." Ethan glowers. "This is family business. No one asked for your opinion."

"And I'm not family?"

"Not yet."

She grabs her bag. "I'll wait outside, baby." She crinkles her nose. "I'll wait for him to leave."

She walks past him and slams the door on her way out. Damien puts his cigar down. He gives Ethan a pointed look. "Never speak to my fiancée that way again. Understood?"

Ethan scoffs. "She's a bitch."

"Who are we sending?" Damien asks. Ethan and Elizabeth's bickering bothers him immensely. He hates it. Yet, there's not much he can do about it. On one side, there's the woman he wants to share a life with and on the other is the man he can't live without, his right hand, his brother in arms. His empire would turn to ash without Ethan and everyone knows it. He can't take sides. They'll have to learn to endure each other, it's the only way.

He scratches his jaw. "Our best option is Huxley at the moment. I have to agree with that airhead fiancée of yours. There just isn't enough time to find someone else."

Damien picks up his cigar. He inhales deeply. He thinks of the girl, with her friendly disposition and eagerness to please. Jason's cousin. At first, he was hesitant about employing her. She truly was a walking disaster and a little slow. But after the shooting, his opinion changed, though he would never tell anyone that. Because they were so short-staffed, he had no choice but to send her to deliver the letters. Nora was too old for that task, but Huxley wasn't. Plus, she was Jason's cousin, and Jason was one of his best men. Loyal to a fault, also eager to please. Never asked questions. Yet, whenever he looked at her, he felt uncertainty.

Why would a girl like her want to work as a bartender? She never went to college, but that didn't mean she wasn't smart. She was attentive, almost a little too much, and there was something else he couldn't place. They hadn't had any trouble with spies in a while, but he wondered...

"You're right," Damien says. "If she truly is loyal to us, she'll do it. Jason never said no. He was down to do anything."

"She won't say no," Ethan says with certainty. "But I guarantee you, she's not going to like it one bit."

"Theo has been doing it for years. She'll handle it. She's smart enough." He leans closer. "We've got to find out if she can really be trusted, you know what I mean?"

"I do," Ethan nods. "Sometimes I wonder if she's trustworthy. We've come too far to put our fate in the hands of a girl we've only known for a couple of weeks. She's too involved. If she doesn't do this, we let her go."

Damien is pleased with this plan. Finding people he can trust is getting harder. No one is loyal, everyone has a price. There are the Browns and whoever else trying to infiltrate their group. They have to be extra careful. Perhaps they entrusted too much too soon. Now is the time to test her, push her to her limits. See how far she'll bend.

Theo barges in. "I heard there's a meeting with that d**k Pascual. I'm reminding you that I won't be going."

"We won't send you."

She shrugs. "Good."

"Is Elizabeth still outside?" Damien asks.

Theo nods. "I just spoke to her. She's waiting for Ethan to leave."

"Go to the bar, and ask that Huxley girl to get us some drinks." Damien leans back in his chair. "Now f**k off, both of you. And tell Elizabeth to come inside on your way out, Ethan."

Elizabeth smiles as she enters. "So you're sending the girl?"

"Yes, it's been decided."

Elizabeth sits on his lap. She caresses his face and looks into his eyes "I'm glad you took my advice. Theo will thank you for it. She's your sister, Damien. She deserves more respect."

"We don't discuss business, Elizabeth. You know that."

She smiles, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes. She kisses his lips tenderly, then his neck. The door opens. The Huxley girl enters with two drinks, a scotch and a glass of white wine, Elizabeth's favorite drink. She places it on the table.

"Huxley, there's something for you to do this afternoon."

Her eyes meet his. He can tell that she's really thinking about an answer. Then, she says, "Of course."

Damien gulps half of his drink down. Ethan was right when he said she was too naive. She is different from all the other girls that worked for them before. Yes, he's uncertain about her loyalty, but the truth is that there's something very curious about her. He can't place it, but it's fascinating. "Ethan will come get you. Be ready by four."

As she turns to leave, he stares at her body. Yes, she will do. She has the body, and the looks. She doesn't have the personality, but that's something that can easily be overlooked. When the door closes behind her, Elizabeth clears her throat. "I'm sitting here, Damien. Not over there."

He smiles, then showers her with the attention she craves so much.