Lucien Read online

  Lucien

  The Marchesi Family 1

  Silvia Violet

  Lucien (Marchesi Family 1) by Silvia Violet

  Copyright © 2020 by Silvia Violet

  Edited by Susie Selva

  Cover Art by Cate Ashwood

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this eBook may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Published in the United States of America.

  Lucien is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are fictionalized. Any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Contents

  1. Peter

  2. Lucien

  3. Peter

  4. Lucien

  5. Peter

  6. Lucien

  7. Peter

  8. Lucien

  9. Peter

  10. Lucien

  11. Peter

  12. Lucien

  13. Peter

  14. Lucien

  15. Peter

  16. Lucien

  17. Peter

  18. Lucien

  19. Peter

  20. Lucien

  21. Peter

  22. Lucien

  23. Peter

  24. Lucien

  25. Peter

  26. Lucien

  27. Peter

  28. Lucien

  29. Peter

  30. Lucien

  31. Peter

  32. Lucien

  33. Peter

  34. Epilogue

  About the Author

  Also by Silvia Violet

  1

  Peter

  I sighed as I pulled open the heavy wooden door of my uncle’s bar. After I’d finished yet another day at yet another shit job the temp agency sent me to, I’d wandered aimlessly until I’d ended up there on D Street. Uncle Mac had taken me in at fifteen when my parents had died. He was several years older than my father, and his kids were long grown by then, but he’d done his best by me. I could always count on him for a word of encouragement when I started to doubt I’d ever find my place in the world.

  Uncle Mac was behind the bar as usual, busy with the after-work rush. He lifted his chin to acknowledge he’d seen me. I knew as soon as he got a chance he’d make his way down to the end of the bar where I’d settled myself. I wished I could become invisible while I waited. I couldn’t be more out of place at the bar in my dress clothes. The fact that I’d gotten them used and they’d seen better days made no difference. I didn’t fit in amongst the construction workers and factory linemen or really in South Boston at all.

  “Bad day?” My uncle’s question pulled me from my thoughts.

  “The worst. It’s no wonder the man I was working for can’t fill his assistant position. He treated me like something a roach would look down on and expected me to do the work of at least three people. Then the son of a bitch had the nerve to say he was going to report my bad attitude to the temp agency and refused to pay me for my day’s work.”

  “You need me to do something about that?” My uncle would literally go beat the man to a pulp for me if I asked him to, but I wouldn’t do that.

  “No, it’s fine. He’s just one more in the line of fucking assholes. From what I’ve heard they’ve had trouble with him at the agency before, so I don’t think they’ll pay attention to him. They’ll just send me to some new asshole tomorrow while they argue with him about my pay.”

  “You can always work here. You know that.”

  I nodded. “I know.”

  He clapped me on the shoulder. “Don’t go anywhere. It’s been too long since I’ve seen you, but I’ve got to serve these guys before they get rowdy.” He jerked his thumb toward a crowd of men who were lined up at the far end of the bar.

  Mac would hire me in a second or try to help me find a job working for some friend of his. But I’d never felt comfortable at the bar, and I was pretty sure most of his friends’ businesses were far less legal than his own. I’d had enough of trying to lay low, growing up with the parents I’d had. And I’d worked hard to do better for myself. I’d spent two years at community college and earned a scholarship that helped me transfer and finish out my four-year degree. I’d had a good, steady job as an office assistant for two years until the company I worked for downsized and laid me off. Since then, I’d tried to find another assistant position, but none of my temp jobs had developed into more than a few weeks working in shitty conditions. I was twenty-five but I looked younger, and it was hard to get anyone to take me seriously.

  Would working for Uncle Mac really be worse than rejection after rejection when I applied for jobs or the horror of the temp work I was assigned? I looked around at the men in the bar. Most of them wore jeans and flannel shirts. Some wore work overalls, and many were still covered with the dirt and dust of their day’s work. I had nothing against working hard. I’d taken jobs on a few construction crews, but when you’re as small and skinny as me and so obviously gay, that’s not a good environment. As a teenager, I’d worked in the back, washing dishes, and I’d been scared to come out front except when the place was nearly empty. I really didn’t belong in a Southie bar.

  No matter how good or bad any of them were individually, Uncle Mac’s regulars were a rough crowd. The more they drank, the louder their opinions got, and the more apt they were to use their fists to make sure everyone knew how right they were. Few of them would be happy being served by a skinny twink who didn’t need a rainbow flag to proclaim his orientation. And there were others who would want to shove me to my knees in the back alley and protest that they weren’t gay while they shoved their cocks down my throat. I’d only been stupid enough to be lured in by that kind of asshole once.

  “Still doing the temp thing?” I turned to see my cousin Jimmy standing behind me. He was the son of my father’s other brother, who drank himself to death several years ago. From what Uncle Mac told me about Jimmy’s drinking and drug use, he was headed in the same direction. Mac was the best of the lot. I’d been lucky to end up in his care.

  “Yep. I just spent a day working for another fucking asshole.”

  “And you don’t even have a drink yet?”

  I shook my head. I’d learned early that drinking your problems away was a terrible idea. “I just came by to see Mac.”

  Jimmy managed to slither his way in between the stool I’d claimed and the large man sitting on the one next to me. The man glared, and Jimmy glared back.

  “I’ve got a proposition for you,” Jimmy said.

  I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Jimmy’s propositions usually involved us getting high together or me going in on a moneymaking scheme anyone with common sense would know wasn’t going to work. “What is it this time?”

  “Jesus, don’t look at me like that. I’ve got a job for you. A nice one. In an office. Working for some rich guy.”

  “If this job is so good, why don’t you take it for yourself?”

  “I was supposed to, but I got a better offer.”

  I frowned. “You got a better offer than a steady paying office job?”

  “Yeah, from a friend of my dad. He’s in sales. If you know what I mean.” He winked, and I did roll my eyes then.

  “So you’re working for a dealer now?”

  “Jesus, don’t tell the whole bar.”

  “Jimmy, you’re going to get yourself killed.”

  “No, I’m going to get myself rich.”

  How could he be so stupid? “What is this job you’re talking about, really?”

  He fiddled with his phone, not meeting my eyes. “It’s just a job. I heard about it through a friend.”

  “What
kind of friend?”

  “He owed me a favor, but that doesn’t matter. It’s exactly the kind of thing you’ve been looking for.”

  I knew better than to get my hopes up, but I was fucking desperate. “Is this job legitimate? Tell me the truth.”

  “It’s perfectly legitimate. It’s a real company.”

  I knew better than to believe him, but I couldn’t let it go without finding out more. “What would I be doing exactly?”

  “You’d be like a secretary”

  “An office assistant?”

  “Yeah,” he waved away my correction. “Whatever the fuck they call it now. Or maybe it was a receptionist. Something like that.”

  Either position would be way better than my current prospects. “You want me to believe someone offered you this job, and you think they’ll just take me instead?”

  “Maybe. Maybe not, but if you’re willing to do the work, you’ve at least got a chance.”

  “When and where were you supposed to show up?” I couldn’t believe I was actually considering this.

  “Tomorrow morning at nine o’clock. Here.” He reached into his jacket, extracted a business card, and handed it to me. “The address is on there.”

  I pulled out my phone and looked up the company name, Distinguished Properties. They had a nice website, but that didn’t mean anything.

  “What are you not telling me?” With Jimmy there were always more layers to everything he said.

  “Nothing. You’re such a suspicious fuck these days.”

  “I’m suspicious because I know you.”

  “Look, sometimes I’ve misrepresented things in the past, but this is a real job. I’m serious.”

  I wanted to believe that. I wanted it so much I was tempted to show up and see what happened. I probably would if I were braver, but I was a coward. I hadn’t even had the nerve to try and save my parents. When I had the choice of fight or flight, I chose flight every time. I’d learned it was best to keep my head down. I liked how small I was because it was easier for me to stay off people’s radars.

  “If you really don’t like the idea…” It took me a few moments to realize Jimmy was speaking to me again. “…pretty gay boy like you. I could probably find you a sugar daddy, I know a couple of men who—”

  “No, Jimmy. Absolutely not.” I shuddered at the thought of the kind of men he knew and what they’d expect of me.

  “So you’ll take the job?”

  I shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “I need to know Petey.”

  I hated when he called me that. “Why? What does it matter to you if you don’t want the job?”

  “I just feel bad. They’re expecting me to show up, and I’d hate for them to be left in the lurch, ya know?”

  There was definitely something Jimmy wasn’t telling me. “Why don’t you just call and say no thank you. Let them know you found something else.”

  “My other offer came up last minute, and I didn’t want to disappoint the friend who owed me the favor.”

  “Jimmy, this is—”

  “I swear to you. It’s a real honest-to-God paying job in an office. Just go.”

  “If this job is so good—”

  “Sorry, got to go. He’s a little put out with me right now.” He tilted his head toward Mac who was heading our way. When I turned back to say something else to Jimmy, he was gone. I caught a glimpse of him as he disappeared into the crowd.

  Mac scowled at Jimmy’s retreating back. “That son of a bitch hasn’t paid his tab in months, yet he keeps getting the other bartenders to give him drinks.”

  “If he didn’t know how to be charming, he’d probably be dead by now.”

  Mac huffed. “Fucking asshole.”

  I started to tell Mac about the job Jimmy wanted me to take, but I thought better of it. Mac would tell me to forget about it and try to convince me to work for him again. I didn’t feel like arguing with anyone else. It had been a really long day.

  I stepped outside with Mac and talked to him while he took his smoke break, then I gave him a hug and said good night.

  As I walked home, I felt weighed down. It was all I could do to lift my feet and keep going. Maybe I should do what Jimmy suggested. I didn’t know for sure that he was lying. What if this was my big break? I knew better than to get my hopes up. Most likely, I wouldn’t even have the nerve to show up at Distinguished Properties. The best thing to do was head back to the temp agency and hope to be sent someplace where the people were just incompetent rather than vicious.

  I sank onto my bed, not even bothering to take my clothes off. Maybe I’d just stay there under the covers. I was so fucking tired. I’d been supporting myself since I was eighteen. There had been some lean times, but I’d always pulled through without having to ask for help. I was proud of that, but sometimes, I wished I had someone who would take care of me or, better yet, a fairy tale prince who would rescue me from the endless day-to-day struggle of trying to find a job and a little respect.

  2

  Lucien

  I straightened my tie and gave myself one final look in the mirror. Satisfied with the cut of my new suit and assured I’d exerted my usual level of control over my wavy hair, I went in search of my brother and my cousin. They weren’t passed out half-naked in the foyer again, which was something at least. I heard a sound from the dining room, but when I walked in, it was only one of the maids bringing in a chafing dish.

  I didn’t know why I’d thought Angelo and Devil would be eating at this hour. When I was especially bad as a kid, our mother would send me to wake up Angelo. It was one of my least favorite punishments. And Devil’s idea of breakfast was a whiskey and a blow job.

  I already wasn’t looking forward to this day, and now I had to track down those assholes if I was going to have their backing for a meeting with our allies. I read through some unpleasant messages while enjoying one of the chocolate croissants our housekeeper made especially for me and taking in enough caffeine to face the day. Then I went in search of Angelo and Devil.

  I heard laughter coming from Angelo’s room and opened the door without knocking. “What the fuck are you two doing in here?”

  Angelo was lying sideways across the bed, and Devil was stretched out on the sofa in the sitting area.

  The only response I got to my question was more laughter. They were the only people who would dare show me so little respect. “Have you been to bed at all?”

  Devil frowned. “I don’t think so. Angel, did we go to bed last night?” I still used my brother’s full name, but the two of them had been known as Angel and Devil since they were little kids.

  Angelo shook his head, then groaned and rolled to his stomach.

  “If you’re going to puke, get the fuck into the bathroom,” I said.

  Angelo held up a hand. “I’m good.”

  “No, you’re fucking not. You’re both supposed to be ready to go downtown. We’ve got business to attend to today.”

  Devil huffed. “You mean Damian Ricci coming after you? That’s not business. That’s pest control.”

  “If he were working alone, that’s all it would be, and I would’ve taken care of it without even involving you two idiots, but he’s been putting feelers out to anyone with a grudge against us. It’s like he’s finally realized he needs some strength behind him if he’s going to make any kind of move.”

  “Who would listen to him? He’s weak as fuck.” Angelo sat up and ran a hand through his disheveled hair. “And he’s a fucking moron.”

  “Ugly as sin too,” Devil added.

  “While I don’t disagree with either of you, he’s saying something that’s making people listen. We’re going to find out what it is, then we’re going to track down everyone who’s listening to his bullshit and make them sorry.”

  “Do I get to do the making them sorry part?” Devil asked.

  “Possibly, but you need to prove you can follow the rules this time.”

  “We haven’t gotten where we a
re by being reckless,” Angelo said in a voice that was clearly meant to mock my own. “Come on, Luce. What’s the point of all this power if we can’t have a little fun with it?”

  I started to speak but Devil held up his hand. “Wait. I’ve got this. If we have too much fun, we’ll lose all our power.”

  “If you two keep joking around, you will lose it right fucking now.” I’d thought I was ready to take over the reins of the family business when my father said it was time for him to retire, but at times like this, when the only two men whose loyalty I’ve never doubted acted like fucking toddlers, I wanted to call my dad back from his months-long vacation and walk the fuck away.

  “You know we love you, right, Luce?” Angelo said.

  “I know I hate when you call me that. If you two assholes don’t sober up and get downtown in the next hour, I’ll call Nonna and tell her we just had an interesting chat, and you two are ready to find some nice girls and settle down with them.”

  Angelo’s eyes went wide, and his mouth fell open. “You wouldn’t!”

  Devil started laughing so hard he fell off the couch. Technically, he was our cousin on my mother’s side, and Nonna—my father’s mother—wasn’t his grandmother, but that hadn’t ever stopped her from treating him like her own son. Devil’s mother was disinterested at best, malicious at worst. Fortunately, she spent most of her time on another continent. A lot of people mistook Angelo and Devil—whose real name was more or less a family secret—for twins. They were gorgeous and charming and much too used to getting anything they wanted. As far as I was concerned, they were a lot of fucking trouble, but I loved them. If anybody else said a word against them in my presence, they never made that mistake again.