"Men might make suits, but in the end it is the suit that makes the man," That was what Nico's old tailor had told him once. Being five years old at the time, Nico had not really understood, his mind on the ice cream he had been promised if he behaved himself.
But now, with decades between that moment and the present Nico knew the power of a suit. A shabby, too big suit with wrinkles on it meant an office grunt. Someone doing all the work for less than half the profit.
Ill fitting suits meant either a slob or someone who did not care what they looked like.
A well cut suit on the other, meant someone who could make or break you with a single glance. Someone who wore power like a crown and wielded it like a sharp, long reaching blade. Nico had been groomed from childhood for power, and as such wearing a powerful suit gave him a great sense of pleasure.
But in all his years of getting his suits tailored, this was the first time he took pleasure in the process of being measured.
He had brought up his desire for a new suit, but had also shared his distaste for the whole process.
"Since I was a boy, I had the same tailor. But Mario died a few years ago. I have been struggling to find someone whose work I am satisfied with. I still were the suits he made, but every few months I visit a random tailor to see if I like their style. I have yet to meet anyone who satisfies me," A good tailor was like a good barber. They were hard to find but living without them was very uncomfortable.
Seeing as it was something he had said off hand, he had not expected more to come from it. But apparently Gianna had taken it to heart.
Now here he stood, not a scrap of clothing on him, with an equally naked Gianna before him, her measuring tape out.
Her eyes were professional, detached, but her touch was the exact opposite. Everywhere the tape touched, her fingers followed. Smoothing over his skin, tracing veins and muscle. Skimming lightly over his scars. The touch soothing, not invasive.
It felt like a dance, like a declaration. From his neck to his ankles she moved. Stopping from time to time to take notes. One pencil in her hair and the other between her lips. No one had any right to be that cute when fully naked, but Gianna managed it.
When she was done, she straightened, looking him in the eye. It was the most natural thing in the world to draw her in for a kiss. Their mouths opened against one another, hers granting his tongue access. Allowing him to lick and suck at her. Her tongue gliding alongside his, never yielding. Pressing back when he gave an inch, invading his mouth in turn. Their bodies pressed together.
The unmistakable buzz of his phone reached him, and Nico ignored it. Burying his fingers in her hair he deepened the kiss.
She pulled back, catching her breath as she rubbed her nose against his.
"Your phone is ringing," She breathed, dodging his mouth when he tried to resume the kiss.
"Let it ring," He argued and she leaned up, pecking him on the tip of his nose.
"If they are calling this early it must be important," He should have been worried that she had been around long enough to be able tell the difference between his calls. But all it did was send a thrill through him.
"You are too understanding," He told her, finally managing to bring their lips together. He stole a brief kiss before letting her go. Going over to the bed to answer the call. It was a number he did not recognize and that instantly put him on edge.
"Don Bianchi," The voice on the other end was unfamiliar, young, and terrified.
Great, this would not be good news.
"Speaking," He said, his tone cold, most likely he would not like what was coming. So his mood might as well start off caustic.
"Sir…um…Mr Don sir. This is Lenny, I an errand boy over at fifth street. I…um-" Nico sighed, fifth street was an unmarked borderline, a road marking where the Bianchi territory ended and that of the bratva began. Since Sergei had taken over there had been a few brawls there. But still, a brawl was not reason enough for such a low ranking underling to have his number. Whomever had given this snot nosed brat his contacts had some explaining to do.
"Does this phone call have a point, Lenny?" He asked, watching as Gianna gathered up her things.
"Andre Russo gave me this number," Now that had Nico's attention. He shifted, all his attention now on the conversation. His consigliere would never just willingly give away his number.
"He said to tell you that he found rats in the store house. There were more than anticipated and he had to use the dogs to hunt down the ones that were in hiding, "
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Nico counted backwards from ten.
The bratva was really becoming a problem. So far, he had tolerated Sergei's inexperience, letting him make a few mistakes here and there. But now Sergei'd had his people break into the one of the Bianchi family warehouses. According to the message Andre and his guards had managed to stop them. But there had been casualties.
Casualties meant an escalation. To defuse the situation before it blew up, Nico was going to have to do a lot of smooth talking. Taking credit for the killings, and stating the reason why without coming off as too arrogant.
It was one thing to kill someone from a rival faction. It was a whole different beast to kill a member from a rival faction and be seen gloating about it. Bodies lined the streets quick over a few crass jokes. Nico did not want to lose people in unnecessary bloodshed.
The bratva had been on his territory, the Bianchis were well within their rights. But it would still be enough of a headache to keep him tied up for the foreseeable future.
"Where are you now Lenny?" He asked.
"At a payphone on the other side of town, Mr Russo told me to get as far as possible before calling you," Good. The call was being made far from the location of the crime. No one would be able to successfully make a connection between the killings and the call.
"Stay there, I will come for you," He disconnected the call.
"I take it this is goodbye for now," Nico had not forgotten Gianna was there, but he still jumped slightly at the sound of her voice.
"I am sorry, cara mia," He apologized, not really having anything else to say.
She shrugged, during his talk with Lenny she had gotten dressed and was now pulling her hair into a neat bun.
"Duty calls, we have lives outside of each other," She told him, moving closer to plant a kiss on his cheek.
"Stay safe Nico, see you when I see you," She left after that, looking so composed and unbothered, that Nico actually bought the act for a few seconds. At least until he looked down and realized she had forgotten the notebook with his measurements.
"Silly woman, always acting tough,"
Smiling softly, he picked it up. Placing it in the drawer with custody agreement beneath.
Knowing that she was as affected by their sudden parting as he was, made Nico feel a bit better. And as he braced for the difficult negotiations ahead, he did not feel as weighed down as before.