Marie was chastising herself for not being more aware of her surroundings.  That lack of wherewithall where the mafia was concerned usually lead to finding oneself 6 feet under somewhere.  Roman had already fired a shot before Marie had pulled her gun out of her thigh holster.  Quickly she leveled her gun and fired just as Roman was picking her up and throw her over his shoulder.  She screamed out her protest, but he either did not hear her over the gunfire, or he simply did not care.  Either way Marie went back to firing, a feat that was so much harder when you had no ability to stable her gun arm.  When one of the bullets almost hits Lucky and instead hit the table he had flipped over for protection, she decided that this was probably not the smartest of things to be doing.

When Roman sat her down outside she could have slapped him, but he was still her Godfather.  One did not simply slap their Godfather no matter  they had done to them.  She would speak of this later with him when they were alone.  Right now she was thankful he had given her a moment with Lucky.  He did care about her.  She knew this.

"Yes I am.  Are you?" 

Lucky gave himself a once look over and flashed her a grin, "Don't see any new bullet holes." 

Marie nodded, "Look, I am so sorry for tonight.  I am going to Chicago tomorrow.  We can talk more then.  Right now make sure that Serena gets away safely from here."  With her orders given she goes off to get into Roman's car.  She noticed that some of Lucky's men were moving to follow her.  Marie got Rand's attention and motioned for him to take care of them.  Lucky was only thinking of her safety, but the gesture would be disrespectful to Roman and she would not allow a member of her crew to do that.  She got into the car with Roman knowing that her men would take care of the situation.  

I closed her door as she entered the car, I quickly made my way across the front of the car making it into my seat. I shut my door quickly and turned the ignition letting the engine roar. Without thinking twice I dropped a gear and took off away from the casino and into the nights lights of downtown Brooklyn. It was quiet in the car, but it was to be expected after the night we had. I ran my hand across her forearm and rested it on her hand giving her a moment to soak in the events of the evening.

"I apologize for picking you up back there in the bar, this is the first time I have been with someone who is a leader of a crime family themselves. My instincts kicked in right away and your safety was priority number one. I will do what I can to make up for this and make sure this is still a night to remember."

If this is what happened when I took her out for a night on the town I didn't know how many nights she would let me have from here on out. I was too loyal and too focused the lose it at the moment. She was miss independent and she was owning it siting there in the passenger seat. If she only knew what I had in store for her from here.

After a quick drive through downtown evading a few police that couldn't keep up with the v12 we pulled into the Sugar Hill Hotel. I knew she had probably had enough of the excitement and didn't even mess around when I ditched the boys in blue. Leaving the keys in the ignition I didn't even turn it off I was done playing around for the night. I walked around and opened the door for her holding my hand out to help her up. The valet walked up and I threw him a roll of cash that put a huge smile on his face. I felt like being generous after the night I had already. 

I opened the front door to the Sugar Hill Hotel and walked toward the front counter to pick up the keys. The person behind the counter welcomed us and appreciated me for reserving the suite on the top floor. When it came to her there was no expense I wasn't willing to cover to make sure she knew she was worth it. Our bags were already up in the room, I grabbed her hand and headed for the elevator. 

Marie was quiet on the car ride to the hotel.  Having learned her lesson back at the bar, she made sure she stayed alert to their surroundings even as Roman traveled at a high rate of speed.  She accepted his apology about picking her up and she really did not blame him.  He had just reacted and she could not fault him for it.  However, his stated reason for doing it was a little lacking.  After all she had not been the only other female leader of a crime family that had been there.  Yet he did not pick Serana up and throw her over his shoulder.  Still he was trying and she gave him credit for the effort.  

When they arrived at the hotel she realized how draining the whole evening had been.  She felt tired and worn, but at least she would be able to let her guard down once they were in the room.  In the elevator she told him, "Well this night sure has not gone according to anyone's plans.  I hope you don't regret any of it."  She laced her fingers with his as she held his hand and leaned back against the wall.

If it didn't go down this way it might not of been a night you'd remember. I can't be having you think I am like all of those other guys. 

I was exhausted from the events of the day and was ready to unwind and get cozy with Marie. This was the part of the night I was looking forward to the most. I had gone out of my way to make sure this room was available for tonight. As she leaned back against the wall of the elevator holding my hand I took her by the other and pressed them up against the wall. Kissing her starting on the neck slowly going up as we made our way to the top of the elevator. 

Getting her to laugh was something I cherished, it meant she was enjoying herself. I wanted her to forget about what had been going on and to remember our time here was short. I figured the events of tonight showed more about me then a deep conversation so she would know what to expect if she wanted me to be in the picture more permanently. 

As the elevator doors opened I released one of her arms moving out of the way for her to see the trail of roses that led from the elevator door. We had special access to the top floor suite where only ours keys would grant access to the top floor. The roses led down the hall way and around the bend to where our room doors were located.

We had the entire top floor to ourselves, I unlocked the door and let her into our personal paradise for the night. I was even taken back as I looked around this place was almost as beautiful as she was but there was no matching that. I went straight for the sliding door and took her outside to a breathtaking view of the entire city structure of New York. The air was cold at the elevation so I took my jacket off and placed it over her shoulders as we looked out into the night.

Marie shivered a bit in the cold and thanked Roman for the coat.  The sight of the city and the night air helped to restore some energy.  "This is so beautiful Roman.  Thank you for all this.  Whenever did your find the time to get all this done?" She walked over to the railing and leaned against it and when he came to join her she slipped an arm around him and laid her head against his shoulder -- enjoying the view and being alone with him.

"I have been thinking about this moment for so long.  Fantasizing about it.  Dreaming about it."  She smiled and turned her head to kiss his shoulder.

I couldn't help but laugh after I picked her up again sweeping her off her feet. The view was great but she was the one I was there to enjoy. Taking her back inside I lightly tossed her onto the bed watching her bounce. I had ordered some imported red wine from the room service and had it already sitting ready to serve. I poured us both a glass of wine and joined her on the king size bed. 

Stretching out next to her with the view of the cities skyscraper out our window I hit my glass against hers and took a drink. Taking a deep breathe I couldn't help but take in the moment. 

I know tonight wasn't perfect, but you certainly are. I appreciate all of the time we have gotten to spend together and even though it has only been one night I feel like we have gotten a lot closer. It is gonna be a cold reality when I wake up tomorrow and you are headed for Chicago while I am due west for California. I know you have a lot to think about I just hope most of it is me.

I was a man of few words and at this point in the night I didn't have many hours left before we would have to be back to our normal day to days. I put my wine glass down after another drink and began to massage Maries shoulders to help her relax. Continuing to rub her shoulders I bent down and bit her on the neck to get a reaction out of her. She grabbed my hands and moved them down her waistline. I took her wine glass from her hand and turned out the lights.