#she would drink something strong like scotch or pure vodka and then dance on the bar to some obscure french pop song

[rosepompadour]

Anne was known to have a taste for the finer things in life. One of her favorite arguments in response to those who said such a love for materialism was incompatible with being a Christian was to quote a work of French theology, L'Ecclesiaste: “Should I say for all this that it is prohibited for to be merry and that Jesu Christ hath only chosen sturdy people: seeing that He Himself hath helped at feasts? No, surely!” - Gareth Russell

[movedyourchair505]

Napule Nights - sedici

I cannot even begin to express how happy I am that I got so many votes for NN, it means the absolute world! Also, Elana had to brianstorm this chapter with me exstensively so thank you, babe x

- chapter navigation -

x

Hour after hour and with each one that passed, Jade grew more sure that maybe with his threat Turner hadn't meant a particular action, but rather the lack of reaction. Despite him not having followed through on his impulsive threats after she'd disobeyed or disappointed him before, she had maybe now taken it too far, pushed him to finally deliver. And she dreaded to think that out of everything that she could have done, this was what had literally brought her to her knees.

And then, she was put out of her misery by a firm knock on the door. “Yeh're goin' to teh the club. Turner's orders.”

She knew better than to argue with Cook, better than to even look at him as she followed him up to the doors through the labyrinth the corridors still were to her – although she felt like she was beginning to figure it out – keeping her eyes straight, focused on something else entirely on her head. She was particularly pleased with how she looked, so much so that Cook not looking at her once had her completely unfazed, she knew she looked good, her body clad in a structured corset type dress, a hard black bodice fabric, paired with a pair of shiny black heels and she knew no matter if she'd see Turner or not, she'd feel confident doing whatever he wanted her to.

The fact that they didn't stop at Turner's office, nor did Cook give her any instructions passed on from him had her hoping that she would actually see him, be reassured that he hadn't just decided to cut her off completely but rather actually wanted to see her.

But as soon as she stepped outside, the darkness of the night a contrast to the dreadfully lit up halls at the headquarters, she grew painfully aware of something else. There was now a target on her back if she had understood everything correctly and she stayed closer to Cook than necessary, the beat of her heart increasing. She hadn't realised just how worried she'd be once Mancini would be out of the headquarters and she'd set foot outside, despite having known it was going to happen sooner or later. It wasn't like she didn't feel safe, but she definitely craved more to be on Turner's good side, knowing it would be an advantage when it came to how well-protected she'd feel and when Cook walked her to the door, she noticed the shift in his demeanor as well, he was more on guard, more careful, more aware of who he was protecting.

Once they stepped into the club, he blended in the background and Jade spotted Turner at the bar with Miles, the latter energetic as ever, calling for the barman to pour a round of shots as soon as he caught Jade's eyes. “Bicchierinos!”

Turner followed Miles' gaze, his jaw clenching and Jade observed the hard swallow that made his skin stretch below his chin, his neck tense, his features unchanged. “Jade.”

She gave a subtle smile when she reached them, surprised when Miles looped his arm around her and gave her a quick kiss on each cheek. “Mmm, bella! Buonasera!”

“Calmati, Miles.”

Jade's eyes went from Miles to Turner when she heard the deep drawl of his voice, effortless, almost annoyed. “At least someone's excited to see me” she shrugged, placing a kiss on Miles' cheek before winding out of his embrace to sit down on the high bar stool left empty between them. “Were you waiting for me?” She scolded herself before the question had even left her mouth halfway. This was no way to get on Turner's good side, especially not after what she'd dared to do lately.

“Called you 'ere, didn't 'e?” Miles smirked, his eyes glued to the liquor pouring into the series of shot glasses, picking up the first one to be filled, raising it into the air and nodding for Jade to pick one up as well, Turner doing so at the same time.

“Teh cuttin' off false allies” Turner stated, downing the contents of the glass, shifting to the side to rest his elbow on top of the bar, leaning back slightly to look at the other two. “Light meh a smoke, will yeh?”

Jade swallowed, the liquor burning down her throat deliciously and she placed the glass down quickly, grabbing the pack in front of her and fishing out a cigarette to place between Turner's lips when he parted them slightly before trapping it between them, watching her flick open the lighter, the flame dancing until she directed it towards the end of the cigarette, relaxing visibly once it was lit and he sat straighter to take a drag, blowing it to the side.

Her gaze wandered from his heavily-jeweled fingers to his face to distract herself, the image of his hand colliding with her skin replaced by that of his dark eyes when he'd looked right back at her just before having bent her over his desk, it was too similar and she tried her hardest to hold his gaze, but to no avail. He won this one, well-aware of what he was doing. Their every encounter he used to toy with her, used every word he uttered, every move he made to his advantage, each strategically selected to torture her.

He was wearing a sheer blue suit, a light yellow shirt underneath which looked soft and rather comfortable, the suit on the other hand was well-fitted, tight in all the places he wanted to draw attention to and he did, she couldn't take her eyes off him for a moment before Miles snapped her out of it again.

“I 'eard you and Nick did a good job, eh?”

Jade smiled at him, nodding, watching Turner from the corner of her eye nonetheless. “If I may say so myself” she said confidently, flicking her hair back.

She waited, tensed.

He didn't disagree.

“Come on, bella” Miles chirped, another shot glass in each hand, holding one out to her.

She shook her head, couldn't stop herself from grimacing. As much as she could enjoy drinking, she wasn't going to lose control in front of Turner, especially not on some cheap shots. There was much better alcohol behind the bar, her eyes wandering along the wall behind the bartender, beautiful bottles of tequila lining the walls, old scotches and strong vodkas.

“Wha'?” Turner asked sharply, ever-observant, his tone challenging, almost mocking. “Not yehr fing?”

Jade raised her eyebrows at him, despite all her vows to herself to protect herself by not daring going too far with him, she wasn't going to let him walk all over her again. “Not really, to be honest.”

His expression was indecipherable, his eyes dark, inquisitive, watchful. It sent shivers down her spine. “Pick summat.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Prego?”

His eyes remained locked with hers as he gave a slight tilt of his head towards the bar, the shelf she'd just been eyeing. “Wha' would yeh like teh drink, pupa?”

Jade's heart leaped, her first instinct being that he was just playing with her, even at the bar she had worked behind for a while those bottles were merely a symbol of status, never to be used unless the owner showed up, only at his request, collecting dust that was always to be swept off. He wanted to test her, wanted to mock her somehow.

Alex watched her closely, her eyes breaking their connection with his, dancing repeatedly to a few bottles of cognac. He gave a snap of his fingers, gaining the bartender's undivided attention in an instant. “Weh'll 'ave the 'ennesseh.”

Her eyes widened, instantly on him again. He wasn't playing with her and as relieved as she was, she was surprised tenfold, more tense than if she'd predicted correctly and she watched the bartender draw the bottle from the shelf, the swift movement had her worried he would break it  but within a few seconds, a crystal glass filled with the outrageously high-cost spirit stood in front of her on the bar top. And she still wasn't sure if he was serious, scavenging his eyes for something to hold on too but she ended up empty-handed as always.

He picked up his own glass, tipping it slightly in opposite directions, watching the liquor dance in the glass balanced between his long fingers, one of his rings scratching against it slightly. He hummed. “Salute, Jade.”

She took a breath, her fingers slowly closing around the cool glass. She licked her lips, tearing her gaze from him only to make sure she had a firm grip around the glass. In her mind, the awareness of Turner's wealth was for a moment outweighed by the cost of even the smallest trickle she was about to consume. “Salute” she spoke, her voice steadier than she'd anticipated, hopeful he didn't notice the tremble of her lip.

He gave her a nod, lifted his glass for a brief moment, then brought it to his lips, focused on her more than the exquisite taste spreading on his tongue, the fullness of her luscious lips, painted a rich blush red colour that contrasted her tanned skin and didn't leave the hint of a stain on the glass as she placed it back down, swallowed, her eyes fluttering shut. He enjoyed the expression of pure appreciation and bliss that hushed across her features thoroughly, hungry for more. He was ready to give her anything she craved if it evoked that captivating reaction.

“Taste the weh yeh remember?”

Her eyes opened, too quick, he already missed the pleasure on her face that was now replaced by confusion. “What?”

The corner of his lip twitched upward, he chuckled, licking his lips. “Yeh've 'ad this before” he observed.

Her face mirrored his now, amused. “And how would you know that, Turner?”

He almost flinched but she noticed how he glossed over her using his last name, something he'd told her not to do, but she certainly was not done with it yet. “Yeh wouldn't 'ave eyed it tha' weh 'ad yeh not known 'ow it tastes.”

His sudden shift in behaviour, the charm, the edge, it had her confident enough to strike back. “Believe it or not, you're not the first gentleman that tried to woo me with it.”

His jaw clenched, the playfulness freezing on his face and he bit down on his lip. He didn't like not being first, didn't like not being the best. And she knew that. And she was fighting fire with fire.

Slowly but surely, she was mastering his own game without even breaking the rules.

“Are you jealous, Alexander?”

He chuckled. “I dun't get jealous.” His attention was drawn from her to one of the strippers now stood beside him, her hand placed on his shoulder, her eyes suggestive and before Jade could grasp the irony of the situation, found herself with a coiling, growing sense of possessiveness, he extinguished the feeling with a shake of his head, his lips forming a single word. “Grazie.”

He sent the gorgeous dancer away, leaning back in his seat, restoring Jade's mood.

“Wha'?” Miles questioned, eyeing his friend with an expression of utter confusion before following the girl with his eyes. “Al, yeh luv Miella.”

Alex graced him with merely a glare, then looked back at Jade.

“Alreyht” Miles shrugged. “I'll 'ave it.” He finished another shot, then pushed himself off his seat, following her. “Wait for meh, luv.”

Turner didn't allow her a comment on his response, holding her gaze nonetheless while he spoke. “I were reyht” he stated, not leaving it a question. He knew he'd figured her out pretty well, not even waiting for her confirmation. “When?”

She raised an eyebrow, pausing before deciding to tell him without once again pretending she didn't know what he meant to win some time. “Well, I used to work for Vittorio.” She hadn't planned on telling him, but simply for the reaction, the choice had come easy.

“Yeh was … well, why woo yeh if they're payin'?” He asked, his initial confusion making room for apparent indifference.

Jade laughed. She knew he out of all people would certainly not judge her, so it was worth the look on his face, even if it was just a split second. “I think I'm worth it, don't you?”

He pressed his lips together, moving his head slightly, not quite nodding and taking a sip of his drink.

“Turner?”

He turned, she turned, both looking at the man interrupting their exchange, Alex instantly giving a real nod. “Reyht, reyht” he said, then turning back to Jade. “I'm gunna beh reyht back.”

She was surprised he even bothered, kept up the appearance that she was unfazed by the simple comment, smiling to herself only once him and the man had taken a few steps away, talking quietly between the bar and the dancing area, not noticing her eyes on them as she sipped some more on the gorgeous drink.

She certainly had not expected this when Cook had come to pick her up, no job, no mockery, no need to prove herself. Instead it was like he was finally warming up to her, in his own way but nevertheless, something certainly was different and especially due to what happened, she found herself completely taken aback by it. But she adored it.

“È caldo qui, o sei?”

She rolled her eyes without even seeing the owner of the ridiculous line uttered, sighing when the face matched the words. She eyed the stranger up and down, a man that had just been sitting at the other end of the bar for a while. She was almost impressed with the nerve, assuming he'd just been waiting for Turner to leave.

Before she could even say a word, Helders appeared next to her, she hadn't even seen him with Turner, but he beat her to it, his eyes cold as he addressed the man. “I will escort yeh out.”

“What?” The man asked, furrowing his brows. “Why?”

“Turner said so” Helders stated, his voice indicating that he would answer this question and this question exclusively, giving a nod for the man to follow him.

Jade's gaze wandered to where she'd previously seen Turner, but he was already by her side, making her jump, her fingers gripping on to the edge of the bar in an attempt to hide that he'd startled her. It took her a brief moment to figure it out.

“Come wif meh” he said before she could even voice her observation, the authority in his voice tenfold that of Helders just moments prior, not to be questioned.

“O-Oh” she said as she slid off the stool, watching him closely. “So you are jealous?” The realisation hit her hard, the smile impossible to wipe off her face.

He gave her a single look, a split second, then he turned his head to gaze forward, his hand on the small of her back to guide her. “Jade” he drawled. “Dun't tempt meh.”