know what his issued warning to Tony meant, and to be honest, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
Looking like she’d just sucked on a lemon, Candice flounced off in a huff. Yes, flounced. I’d never seen someone do it in real life, but Candice had executed the move to perfection.
“Ignore her,” Lucca said. “She’s jealous. For years she’s tried to capture Marco’s attention.”
“She’s a cunt,” Marco growled. “I don’t know how you can stand to be around her.”
Lucca chuckled. “A very talented cunt in bed, but, yes, I know what you mean.”
I didn’t care for the topic of discussion, so I turned to Vince. “Show me the way to the bar.”
Vince looked to Marco for permission.
“Bring her to Lucca’s office in ten minutes,” Marco ordered. He brushed his thumb over one of my nipples, making it pebble on contact. His nostrils flared slightly at my body’s reaction to his touch. “So receptive.” He brushed the opposite nipple until it peaked before releasing me. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
When I pulled my attention away from Marco, I noticed Vince and Lucca openly staring at my breast. Good grief. “Bar?” I reminded Vince.
With a sharp nod, Vince took up position in front of me to clear the partygoers from my path. I couldn’t help but notice the open hostility that radiated from quite a few women as I wove my way through the crowd. I assumed they had either been fucked by Marco in the past or wanted to be fucked by him and weren’t happy he’d brought me to the celebration.
Reaching the bar, Vince turned to me. “Another champagne?”
I tipped my glass back and drained my flute. “Might as well get two because I don’t relish the thought of walking that gauntlet again.”
Vince scanned our surroundings. “Did someone say something?”
I shook my head. “They didn’t need to. By their expressions, I know exactly what they’d like to do to me.”
“You’re a very sexy woman,” Vince replied as he continued his survey of the room.
I giggled. “It’s not the men I’m worried about.” I accepted two flutes from the bartender.
The corner of Vince’s lip quirked up. “Ignore them. Mr. Carducci is happier than I’ve ever seen him.”
I stared up at the intimidating bodyguard. I knew Marco considered him a trusted friend, but before that moment, I’d thought Vince was disgusted by my relationship with his boss. “Thank you.”
Vince glanced at his watch. “Do you need to use the restroom? We still have five minutes before I take you to Mr. Carducci.”
I smiled. I knew from overhearing conversations between them that Vince called Marco by his first name when they were in private, but the bodyguard always referred to Marco as Mr. Carducci when someone else was around.
“How long have you known Marco?” I asked, moving away from the bar.
“We grew up together. My mother used to cook for the Carducci family.”
I gestured to an empty corner of the room before walking toward it. “What was Marco like as a boy?”
Vince stood with his back to the wall, his eyes on the crowd, as he seemed to search for an answer to my question. “My mother started bringing me to work with her because she said the boys were lonely. Things were…different when their father headed the family. Lucca and Marco weren’t allowed out of the house unless surrounded by armed guards, which meant they had private tutors. When Marco turned sixteen, he was expected to learn the business, so he spent most of his time in his father’s office. We drifted apart for a few years…”
Vince’s voice trailed off, and I knew there was more to the story that he wasn’t planning to tell me. “I shouldn’t have told you that,” he murmured. “Mr. Carducci is a private man.”
“He’s also your friend, isn’t he?” I asked. I wanted to know more, but I knew better than to put Vince on the spot any more than I already had.
“Yes. He and Lucca are my friends,” he
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