Just then, the security man, Ray, knocked on the door.
'Boss wants to know why you aren't back, ladies. Let's go.' he said, sounding apologetic.
Murmuring something unladylike under her breath, Daniela stormed out and we followed at a more sedate pace, the men flanking us protectively as we went.
My mind was churning as I waddled along, the panic building up although my heart was soaring. My husband loved me.
Lucien
He swore as the minutes ticked by and his wife did not appear.
Lucien tossed his head back and gulped down another drink as his anxiety grew. He wanted to be back in the confines of his home in the suburbs, with the woman he cared for in his arms. Raking his hands through his vibrant grey hair, he thought again about how she had become so important to him.
'Damn,', he thought, scowling, he was totally smitten by her. The way her brown eyes lit up when they saw him, the way she still blushed when he fu*ked her and said things to her that made her cry out in protest...The way her pus*y tightened around his shaft when he was hammering into her, her muscles squeezing him...
But it was more than that, he acknowledged, he wanted to keep her happy, to see her smile.
He could not imagine a life without her.
*
His shoulders tightened. Yes, he had behaved like a boor, forgetting the fact that she had needed to sit down, and had not had a fruit drink, the only damn thing she drank, anyway, he recalled, lips twisting in a smile.
But the updates from the house, the fact that an intruder had been sighted on the grounds -but of course, had been taken down- had made him uneasy. His children, little Ria and Piers...
And of course, the sight of the men in the room, openly lusting after his wife had driven him mad.
*
He knew in his heart, that it was wrong to blame her for her unconscious sexual signals, the ones that seemed to reach out to every male in her periphery. The truth was that she was not a beauty in the classical sense but the innocent sexuality she carried around made men lust after her. It was like a halo, a glow that attracted men to her, the sway of her wide hips, the thrust of her large breasts, her slow smile that reached her eyes, promising such pleasure...
The taste of her pus*y ...but only he had savoured that, he thought, aware that he was heading for a hard-on if he continued to think of taking her.
Facing the door through which his wife had left, Lucien stood glaring, his hand tightening around the crystal tumbler. "Where was the damn woman?' he thought angrily, for the hundredth time.
***
As he moved forward, his men tailing him alertly, snatches of a conversation reached his ears.
'...got his little slut knocked up again. Lucky old ba*tard'
"Yeah' the other voice was slurred but the envy in it was evident. "The Boss has it all.'
He knew instantly that the men were discussing him when he caught the words 'old man' and Boss'
There were many who resented his authority but no one had the guts to challenge him. Although they kept polite, grinning faces when they were before him he was not unaware of the deep hatred he inspired in some of the people he moved with.
"Man, with a body like that, I would keep breeding her permanently.'
A coarse chuckle. Another voice, Ramos, he realised in growing anger, was holding court. He had itched to slam the man's face when he saw him kissing Proserpina's hand. Now the words carried clearly as Ramos continued,
'He used to share his women earlier. This one, Delano only keeps to himself.'
Loud laughter. They were unaware that he stood on the other side of the plants which created an artificial wall between them.
"
Another man, probably Khan, the dealer from Pakistan spoke up. Eager, greedy.
'Think he'll be game to share? I always had a thing for fu*king mommies-to-be. Milky teats...'
Another round of coarse chuckles and risqué comments.
Lucien moved forward, He had heard enough. His men exchanged anxious glances. They knew when Lucien became enraged, it meant danger.
Oblivious to the seething Don who was approaching him with determination, Ramos was speaking,
" I think Schwartz might get a piece of that mommy-pussy tonight. Lake houses don't come free. Those tits...'
A vulgar sound of sucking and the voices erupted in ribald laughter. The Mafia Don felt his fists clench. His drink-fuelled brain took over and he strode over to the men.
Before they knew what was happening, he had spun Ramos about, grabbed him by his silk shirt collar and punched him full in the face. Taken by surprise, the man howled and threw up his hands to defend himself but Lucien was in a blind rage. He punched the man about the head repeatedly, mercilessly, till Ramos fell in a forlorn heap onto the floor. The overweight Spaniard was no match for Lucien who had grown up beating men for survival. He still practised his boxing skills in the basement gym with his men. He had a name for being a mean fighter. Today, egged on by his fury, he was cruel.
The entire hall was silent as they watched, frozen, while Ramos was brutally thrashed by the man they knew as The Boss.
No one stepped forward to intervene. They valued their lives.
Shark pushed through the crowd and stood, waiting for Lucien's fury to abate, a strange expression on his thin sallow face. Schwartz turned his handsome head and watched the door, determined to see that Proserpina did not get to see the extreme violence her husband was capable of inflicting.
The plump Spaniard made to get up, kneeling, holding onto his nose which was bleeding profusely. But Lucien was having none of it. He pulled Ramos's head up, jerking him by the roots of his hair, a thrill of satisfaction coursing through him as he heard the yowl of pain even as the sound of bone breaking echoed through the silent room when Lucien's fist connected with Ramos's jaw. Then he kicked him viciously, deliberately, in the ribs, taking an insane pleasure in the howls of pain that erupted from the prone figure at his feet.
Turning to his wingmen who were silently watching him, their faces as unreadable as ever, he snarled, breathing heavily,
"Get this sh*t out of my club.'
His knuckles were throbbing but he turned to look at the people who were staring at him in a mixture of horror and delight.
The very perverted set of people there tonight was more fascinated at having watched a fight at their high-end party. As far as they were concerned, it had only added to the drama of the party.
His lips twisting in an ugly grimace, he said in a gruff, commanding voice,
'Get on with it, Show's over. We're having a party, folks...'
The guests turned away, afraid. They had seen first-hand how he dealt with people who annoyed him and no one was about to contradict him.
He met the eyes of the men who had been with Ramos. They began to slink away, terror on their faces. Lucien was aware that he had created a very real enemy in Ramos who was being carried away, moaning loudly. But he could not care.
And then, Lucien turned and met the eyes of his woman, who was standing in the doorway, flanked by Danielle and her Grace.
Her brown eyes, soft and mocha coloured, were round and full of horror as she looked at him.