A biz associate asked for an intro. Tomorrow good?
Luciano gritted his teeth. His cousin was high maintenance, but he was family, so Luciano accepted him. It was born out of a promise to Willie Boy’s father before he went to prison.
Rather than get into it by text, he called his cousin.
“Heyo, Lulu,” Willie boy answered. “When you comin’ by?”
“Who is he and what does he want?” Luciano asked as the car gained speed on the beltway toward Great Falls.
“His name is Dante. Known the dude for years. He’s lookin’ to grow his business.”
Luciano slid his gaze out the window. “How?”
“Lulu, he asked for a meeting. Come by the restaurant. Spend ten minutes with him. Decide for yourself.”
“So, you don’t know?” Luciano shook his head in frustration.
“He didn’t get into deets.”
“Monday at six. Ten minutes.”
“Thanks, bud.” The line went dead.
Luciano called his chef.
“Yes, sir,” Louis answered.
“Dinner for two on my yacht tonight. No red meat. I’ll take the meal with me.”
“What time?”
“Six-thirty,” Luciano replied.
“It’ll be ready.”
“Thank you, Louis.”
“Of course, sir.”
As Stuart drove him to Great Falls, Luciano worked. There was always something that needed his approval, a new clothing line to review, a virtual meeting to jump in on. In such a creative industry, the only one he was competing against was himself. What could he improve upon? How many new collections could he add in the coming year? And how could he hone his work environment so his employeeslovedtheir jobs?
He returned home, headed into the kitchen.
“I was already preparing Coq au Vin with mushrooms,” said his chef. “One of your favorites.”
“Perfect, Louis.”
“I’m pairing it with roasted baby potatoes and my kale salad.”
“Very nice,” Luciano said before trotting up the winding staircase and down the long hall to his bedroom.
The house was too large for one person, but it was a perfect place to seek refuge when his life had blown up around him. Over time, he’d hired Chef Louis, who lived there with his wife, Therese, an in-house attorney at Santini International. Luciano had the lower level redesigned into their living space. Mitus had used it for kink shows, but when Luciano moved in, sex was the last thing on his mind.
After showering, he dressed in black pants, a tailored white shirt, and a black sport coat. All his clothes were handmade by his personal tailor at Santini International.
Forty-five minutes later, he was back in the sedan, being driven toward Simone’s. This time darkness blanketed the evening sky.
As he was climbing the steps to her porch, the front door opened. She exited wearing a black, pleated jumpsuit with V-neck. An ordinary garment that hugged her like a second skin. She would look stunning in one ofhisjumpsuits from their newly-developed ladies’ collection.
