Page 30 of Paolo DeLuca
“And when she does, that bitch is mine,” Paolo promised.
Chills ran through Lyric’s body. This was the Paolo he asked her to run from, the one her grandfather warned her about, and the side of him she hadn’t seen. The ruthlessness and conviction in his words had Lyric believing whoever Cali was, she wouldn’t make it out of this situation intact.
Paolo sidled up next to her and pulled her into an embrace. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise. Let’s get to the club.” He kissed her lightly, then made his way toward the door, her hand gathered in his. “We’ve got work to do.”
As usual, Night Shade was packed. It took her no time to run stock for the VIP bar, which was way less work than stocking the main bar. It even afforded her the time for Franco to drive her home so she could shower and change.
“When Rodriguez gets here, make sure you serve him a beer. The VIP is off limits tonight, so it’s just going to be us,” Paolo informed her.
Lyric nodded her understanding. “Is there anything else?”
“Yeah, don’t go anywhere without one of us. Franco, Dante, and Gino will be on the floor tonight. I don’t care if you have to piss. Don’t go without one of them.” He kissed her again in front of the entire staff. Lyric could’ve melted into the floor, but instead, she melted into Paolo’s hard chest to further her embarrassment.
She broke their kiss. “I know you’ll protect me.”
And she believed it. His eyes were determined, along with her unending belief that he would do what was needed.
“Good girl, il mio cuero batte. I’ll be right here.”
Paolo grabbed the beer she held and slammed the top down on the bar underneath his palm, opening the bottle. Lyric watched as he made his way to the couch sitting near the railing, overlooking the main floor.
About an hour into her shift, Gino joined Paolo on the dais. Lyric couldn’t hear what they discussed over the thump of the music, but she figured it out when she saw Dante leading a man with long hair past his shoulders and tattoos on his neck up the stairs and onto the dais. There were four other men with him. Two followed him and stood in various corners while the other two guarded the steps on the floor leading to the platform. Paolo caught her eye and nodded. That was the signal for her to serve drinks. She grabbed several beers and peddled over to them, handing each man a beer, then returning to her station. Lyric made herself busy trying not to pay attention to the many women trying to make their way up to the group of men.
Was it always like this?
She’d never paid it much attention before. She guessed it was because she was so busy on the floor. Lyric liked the steadiness of the main bar. She was wiping and cleaning the same spots over and over again. She was going to speak with Gino to see if he would be willing to convince Paolo to move her back to the main floor. If she stayed. Before last night, she was convinced this would be her last night at Night Shade, but now she wasn’t quite sure. She didn’t know if she’d be able to handle working for someone she was sleeping with just yet. Hopefully, she’d get a chance to mull over it later.
Dante stalked up to the bar while she was counting the beer she had left. “Let’s get another round.” His voice was gruff, like he’d been smoking.
She wondered if he was a DeLuca as he waited for her to give him the beers. Lyric tried to study his features without him noticing. He was handsome, but his icy blue eyes gave him away. No, he wasn’t a DeLuca. He didn’t have the warm browns and the coal-black hair Paolo and Gino had.
“What?” he practically growled at her.
Lyric’s eyes widened in surprise; he’d caught her staring. But she might as well be honest.
“Nothing.” She shrugged, putting the beers down on the bar in front of him. “I was just wondering if you were a DeLuca too.”
He shook his head. “No, we grew up together.”
“Ah,” she said, handing him the last beer.
“What does that supposed to mean?” His eyes narrowed on her.
“Nothing.” She threw her hands up. “I didn’t think so. It’s the eyes.”
Dante gathered the beers and turned from her without another word.
“Damn,” she muttered, wondering if all the men in that family and those associated with them were brooding. She was beginning to see a different side to Paolo. When he wasn’t running his empire with ruthlessness, he truly was a sweet guy.
Lyric wiped down the bar again. She needed to restock the beer Paolo and his guests had been drinking all night. Briefly dipping under the bar, she rummaged through the stock. She was distracted when Paolo and the man he’d been speaking with for the past two hours stood. He followed Paolo toward the stairs, and then Paolo stopped momentarily to come behind the bar and pull her into a small embrace. He kissed her gently, leaving her in a slight daze when he broke it.
“We are going to my office. Franco is on the floor,” he informed her, then they moved down the stairs. Gino threw a smile and a wave over his shoulder before disappearing down the hall.
Lyric scanned the floor, looking for Franco. She knew Paolo didn’t want her leaving the VIP section without someone knowing, but she was only going to the main floor. If they were in the office, then she had no reason to stay up on the dais. She could be more useful on the floor. They were swamped down there. She continued to scan the floor until she saw Franco’s bald head towering above the crowd.
“Ah, there he is,” she mumbled when she saw him leaning against the far wall, smoking a cigarette. She threw up her hand and waved as she moved from behind the bar, hoping to get Franco’s attention. “Shit, he doesn’t see me.”
Lyric continued down the stairs and onto the floor. The crowd immediately swallowed her up. She tried to push her way through, but the horde of people were particularly rowdy tonight, and she’d gotten more than one dirty look.
