Beautifully Damaged (Beautifully Damaged series) by L.A. Fiore (23)

Lucien had gotten us invites for the opening of a very trendy nightclub. The guest list was pretty swanky, so I wondered how he managed it. We were in a cab on the way to the club when I turned to Trace and asked, “How did Lucien swing these invites?”

Trace’s head turned to mine and I saw as his mind shifted gears from whatever he was thinking about to focus on me. A slight smile touched his lips before he offered, “Lucien Black is a bit of a gangster.”

“What?”

“Yeah, most of his businesses are legit now but they didn’t start out that way. Because of his colorful background he’s made contacts all around the city.

“Really?”

“Yeah, but that’s his story to tell.”

He turned to look out the window. I knew he had a lot on his mind, including that he still believed himself somehow responsible for his father’s actions. I wished that there was some way I could take that burden from him, but I knew that he’d never truly be free of it until he realized, finally, that he was nothing like his father.

It had been several weeks since the idea formed about starting a cooking school for Trace. I hoped to pull Lucien aside that evening so I could pick his brain about starting one up, since I didn’t have a clue where to begin.

The cab pulled up in front of the club and Trace climbed out before helping me out. He paid the cabbie before reaching for my hand and leading us inside. The place was fairly packed, but as soon as we entered, a pretty blond approached us.

“Are you Trace and Ember?”

“Yes,” I said.

“Please, this way.” She led us deeper into the club until we reached a table that was in a prime location. Lucien was already seated, but as soon as he saw us, he stood. We stopped just in front of the table as Lucien walked around and reached for my hand to lift to his lips.

“It’s lovely to see you again.”

“Hi, Lucien, likewise.”

He was grinning when he released my hand and turned to Trace.

When we settled at the table I asked, “How did you get these invites?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” he teased before he added, “I have friends who have friends.”

What Trace had shared with me about Lucien was still rolling around in my head. It was amazing to me that someone who started out with nothing could have accomplished so much. Before I truly knew my intention, I heard myself asking, “If it’s too personal, I’m sorry, but how long did you live in the orphanage?”

He immediately sobered and I retracted my question. “Sorry, never mind.”

“No, it’s fine. I was around two when I was dropped there and seventeen when Sister Anne died. After she was gone there was no point in staying there.”

“You miss her?”

“Yeah, for a time she was the only family I had. If not for her, I wouldn’t be here. I’d have died in a gang fight or gotten hooked on drugs and overdosed. She was a friend but strict.” An absent smile touched his lips as he remembered, “She never hit but she didn’t need to. She had the power to make you feel guilty with just a look. She should have been married with kids of her own, but she always said, why bring more children into the world when there are so many already looking for love? She was taken too damn young but that’s the bitch of cancer. No one is immune.”

He grew silent so I said, “I bet she would be proud of you.”

He shrugged. “Maybe now but there was a time, after she died, that I walked the wrong side of the law. I think I was spiting her for dying. Luckily for me I didn’t get myself in too deep with the wrong people.”

“That’s sounds ominous,” I said.

Lucien changed the subject and asked Trace, “So when are you fighting again?”

I got Lucien alone later in the evening when Trace excused himself from the table.

“How would someone go about starting up a cooking school?”

He looked at me and I saw he was confused by the question. “Why? We’ve got some really outstanding schools already in the city.”

“It’s a dream.”

“Ah, well, you’d want to do a cost-benefit analysis to justify that the investment is both sound and feasible. After that you’d need to find a location, write a business proposal, find investors, instructors, create a curriculum, go through the steps to get accredited…”

My shoulders slumped, because though I already knew it was going to be a lot of work, hearing the steps required was overwhelming. Lucien, being so intuitive, seemed to realize where my thoughts were when he offered, “The other option would be to create a different kind of cooking school, one where people pay for a week or two of hands-on training. For that you’d only need a large enough space with multiple kitchens to accommodate your pupils.”

My spirits immediately soared, making Lucien say, “You are very easy to read.”

“I know.”

“This is for Trace, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“I’d like to help you set it up.”

“Are you sure?”

“He’s my friend and he deserves to have some good come his way.”

“I agree.”

Lucien looked past me. “Here he comes. I’ll call you tomorrow and we can set something up.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s my pleasure, Ember, it truly is.”

That night, Trace and I were in bed when he asked, “What were you and Lucien fraternizing about earlier?”

“Nothing.”

“Liar.”

And then his mouth came down on mine as he rolled to pin me under him. His fingers gently touched my face before running lightly down my throat. He ran kisses down my neck and lower still to the valley between my breasts before he worked his way back up to settle his mouth over mine again. My arms wrapped around him so I could trail my fingertips up and down his spine. His mouth pulled away as he lifted his head so he could look at me. He didn’t say anything, but then he didn’t need to.