Marcus and Phil were glad to be putting feet back down on the ground in the heart of the Motor City.

They disembarked Miss Byrne's private plane with eyes open and no delusions that being 'home' meant safety.  Their time with the girl had proven to be both interesting and a unique challenge compared to their old assignments under Don Mastrosimone.  First off was the need to be in nearly constant motion.  

Rora, as most people called her, was a runner for Don Byrne in Philadelphia and so she was often in Philly working for her crew.  This work frequently involved flights to any number of US cities.  There was often no prep time.  Just a word from the Don and then they had to be moving without any knowledge of what they might be landing in the middle of.  Granted, most of the time the visits were of the highest diplomatic order - and it was clear the girl was being given a fast track to leadership by her parents, but diplomats weren't always promised safety - even young and beautiful ones.

Marcus looked at the splint on his pinky finger, and the scabs on the rest of his knuckles, a badge of honor picked up at 'The One-Horse' bar out in Vegas.  Some little shit popped off at Miss Byrne when she was asking around for the guy she was supposed to meet with for her mother.  Young Miss Byrne gave just as good as she got in the smart mouth department.  It should have shut the bastard up, but when the kid heard the other older gangsters laughing at him... he lost his damn mind. 

Well, Marcus had his orders and he wasn't letting the guy get within a half-mile of Miss Byrne.  The bastard went down hard.  He was out cold, but his hand paid the price.  He suffered all through the damn meeting in silence before Rora could spare a moment to take him to a doc.  They said it was a boxer's fracture and his damn knuckle on his tiny finger might never be right again. 

Marcus smirked.  If breaking his damn hand on a man's face for looking sideways at his dame, didn't impress Don Mastrosimone then nothing would!  

Phil had avoided getting broken like Marcus, but he was run ragged none the less by the Don's girl.  Phil had, as a point of note, never slept so little in all his damn life working in the mob.  He'd also never made so much dough.  Don Mastrosimone was generous, that was for sure, but he hadn't expected to be getting a kickback out of the Philly Trust operation too.  Granted, he earned it, every damn penny.  The girl seemed to always have his name on the tip of her tongue when she needed something done.  Bags need to be carried?  Phil.  Door.  Phil.  Tell these nice people who the fuck I am and why the hell I'm about to shoot them if they don't let me in to do my damn job... yep, you guessed it, Phil again.

Maybe it was because he was prettier than Marcus?  He knew he definitely had better luck with the broads than his partner in crime.  Maybe the girl fancied him as the more charming of the two and so she used him frequently.  Or maybe she liked the name Phil?  He couldn't say, but he didn't think things would be changing soon and he couldn't bitch or moan about it to his boss neither.  He didn't suppose Don Billy would be sympathetic to him bitching about the drastic increase in physical labor as well as the mind-numbing hours of watching her read, study, or sit in classes.

Though Phil did find her business classes a little interesting and he supposed maybe he could use some of what he was learning alongside her, you know, if he ever got the chance to get out of this guard gig and become a real made man in Don Billy's operation.  He sure as hell didn't want to work for the bat-shit old broad they called Dragon.  He secretly hoped that eventually the Dragon would replace them and send both he and Marcus home... but after Marcus busted his fist, the old man they call Wolf - Mr. Byrne, decided he liked them both.  And that was it.  As soon as her father said one good word about the pair of them, Miss Byrne seemed as though she had no intention of asking her mother for new men.  

They were doomed.

Aurora smiled at Rebecca as she held open the door of the car which Billy had sent for her.  He'd known she was coming, they'd planned for it a day ago by phone.  Billy had a little free time and she had no classes today or tomorrow... her mother had approved the trip and so, it was done.  She was on her first official visit to Billy as 'his girl.'  

The Cosa Nostra was finally on notice that Billy Mastrosimone was off the market and Aurora Byrne had scooped him up.  This made the young woman smile brightly.  She didn't know how Billy had won over her mom while she was out in LA but she couldn't have been happier.  Between sending her to LA to help carry out a vendetta and now allowing her to date Billy - well, it was like her old mom had suddenly returned.  The mom of her childhood was back and Aurora was happier than she'd been in years.

The plan tonight was very simple.  They would visit a place called The Roma Cafe, which had been opened by the Marazza family back in the late 1800s as a boarding house & restaurant for Italian immigrants.  Rora had found out about it from the guys, it was one of the few places in town that locals knew they could get authentic Italian without cooking it at home.  She knew Billy liked home cooked Italian but the fact was... she didn't cook.  Not really.  She knew some things, but her mother was always the one who fancied the idea of being a part-time traditional Italian wife/mom.  Aurora had never had such ambitions and preferred to leave the cooking to the professionals.  This allowed them both to enjoy something fantastic for dinner without having to yet approach the topic that she was all thumbs in the kitchen.  

After dinner, she and he would go back to his place for a quiet evening of radio and, in a word, work.  She'd told him on the phone she wanted to take some time to really discuss their future and in her mind, this meant taking Integra's great advice.  They would simply hash out what was and was not acceptable in the framework of the relationship.  Aurora was positive if they both knew the rules of the game that she and Billy would be happier all in all and there would be much less second-guessing and awkward moments.

So, they would just have to sit down and outline what was and was not acceptable inside their relationship.  It might mean making some hard choices and setting some firm boundaries... but if it allowed them to know the score and keep their principles then it would be worth it in the end.  And if their list included not sleeping over with each other... well, she'd just fly home to New York late tonight.  It would be heart-breaking, she liked sleeping with Billy, but even she had to admit it was hard doing that and not foreseeing trouble somewhere down the line.  How long would they be okay with... look and touch but don't... yeah.  It wasn't realistic or fair.  Billy was nearly 30 years old.  She couldn't expect him to wait forever for her.

Rebecca was driving and Aurora's mind wandered.  She hadn't even noticed as the car pulled into the garage and Charlie came running up to open her car door.  

"Hello, Charlie."  She said to him brightly.

"Miss Byrne, so good to see you.  You look very nice today."

Charlie kissed her cheeks and then Aurora spun, letting her yellow dress flare outward for him to see.  "You think?  I stole it from my mother's old clothing she doesn't fit in anymore.  She wore this an age ago... but it was so cute I couldn't help but swipe it."

"A nice choice."  Charlie said, giving Phil and Marcus a nod as they climbed out of the car behind her.  "The Don is just up in his office, he's finishing up some things but expecting you.  You're not interrupting anything pressing, I promise, just knock."

"Fantastic.  I remember the way.  Thanks, Charlie."  Aurora told him.  With that, she and her men went up the stairs towards her boyfriend's office.  Aurora giggled to herself at the thought.

'My boyfriend's office...'

She knocked, waited to her Billy's invite to enter from within and then opened the door, peeking her head in coyly.  "Special delivery for Billy Mastrosimone... all the way from New York state!"

It had been quite the morning. Billy had been working on finding a few things to do with his money more recently. The night he spent with Bella revealed a couple of things. First, he wanted a house of his own. The problem with that was, there was nothing in the city that worked for him so he was going to have to buy a piece of land on the outskirts of town. Not a big deal, but it also meant hiring a construction crew to build the place. Billy both loved and hated the idea. He loved it for the fact that he was going to have a house built for him and Aurora and maybe one day other little Mastrosimone's. He hated the fact that men were going to die after this place was done.

The man he had met with was Elias Nicolades. If Billy was going to hire people to build his house and then kill them afterward, it might as well be people he already had a grudge with. The Greeks had messed with Billy and his men, but Billy realized they could be used in other ways pretty fast. They were still a relatively small organization and so when he took out their leader by carting him off to prison it meant a power struggle. Power struggle meant that there were folks who thought they could continue the work of the old boss. Enter Elias and his men.

Billy had made a deal with them to build a house on a plot of land that he bought. It was about 4 acres of land outside of the city, right on St Claire river on the other side of Anchor Bay. It was not quite Port Huron, but it was his. They would build his house out there, and then they would all be paid out and happy, and not get home. Freak accident that they all got drunk and wound up driving into the lake. Tragedy really. But at least Billy's safe room would be kept a secret.

He was just cleaning up the blueprints and closing the books on how much all of this was going to cost when there was a knock at the door. He was looking forward to this for the better part of a day now. Billy beamed from ear to ear as he looked up toward the door.

"Well come in then miss, you can just put your package right here on my desk and I'll open it up later."

He gave her a smile and leaned back in his chair waiting to see if she would do just that.

Aurora walked in, not closing the door behind her, and she hopped up onto the desk with a smirk that was similar to the one her father often wore.  In an over exaggerated motion, she threw one leg over the other, the barest hint of her tattoo could be seen through her silk stockings.  While her dress appeared to be vintage, her shoes were clearly brand new, a stunning leather creation which her Aunt Tara had sent her from Italy.  She was very proud of them, even if she supposed Billy would not appreciate that they were made by one of the premier fashion houses in the world.  She was going to be happy if he noticed her toenails were lacquered to match her fingernails!

"Now see, this is why we need to sit down and make this list tonight."  She put her hands down behind her so she could recline a little in front of him, her long black hair sway as she chuckled. 

"You speak without thinking - why, a girl might have thought you were implying a desire to undress me if I hadn't brought this with me..."

As Phil and Marcus came into the room behind her and stood near the wall waiting for instructions, she dug into her purse and pulled out a gift wrapped item that was easily supposed to be a book by its shape and size. 

"An actual package for you to open... from New York."  She handed it over to him and encouraged, "Open it.  The guys were with me when I bought it... so it's nothing too embarrassing."

Billy pulled back the paper to reveal a brown leather cover embossed with a stylized 'M'.  Inside was a small inscription from Aurora, 'Time for a new story.  Let's make it one worth reading. Love Always, -Roar.'

"It's good to look back and get advice but... you know, I was thinking now that you're a Don, maybe it's time for you to have one of your own?  I saw it in a shop window and, well, I'm afraid that I just had to get it for you.  I hope you don't mind?"

Billy pointed at the men standing along the wall.

"You two."

He opened a drawer, pulled out a box of cigars and two envelopes.

"You have the rest of the night off, enjoy these. Here is an envelope for each of you with a thank you bonus. Oh and when you go home, tell your wife and girlfriend she is welcome for the flowers you've been sending her every day since you've been gone. Now get the fuck out because when I punch people I don't break myself I break them."

He smiled at Marcus specifically in that moment and watched as the two men left slowly.

"As for you my dear. It's no coincidence what I said, I very well might still have that very intention. Just, certainly not in this office."

He picked up the book again and looked at it, running his hand slowly down the spine. He placed it gingerly on the edge of his desk and then put his arm around Auroar's waist and laid a kiss on her that he'd been holding back since he last saw her.

"So I understand you had somewhere we were supposed to go tonight?"

"It's this little place called The Roma Cafe, right here in Corktown.  Phil and Marcus are the ones who told me about it.  I just wanted to go somewhere that made descent authentic Italian the way my mom does, I know how much you like a good meal and they said this place is tops."

She looked down at his hand on her hip.  She smirked and leaned in to kiss him again and just become their lips touched...

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Aurora about lept off the desk in terror.  Startled by the loud noise or perhaps the intimacy of the moment, interrupted.  She laughed at herself as Billy called out, "Come in!"

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Rebecca said coming in with a bottle of wine in her hand.  "This just arrived from one of Godmother Ferrari's runners.  Considering the nature of it, I didn't think you'd want this to wait."

Rebecca carried the ancient looking bottle carefully to Billy and placed upon the desk as if laying down the holy grail itself.  The bottle was dark and stamped with the initials Th.J., the cork so old that one might fear it could fall apart while being pulled.  A small card was attached to the neck of the bottle with a bit of red ribbon.  Opening the card revealed a bit of information about the wine as well as a personal note from Rebecca Ferrari within.

"Thank you for all you have done for Corktown and the Liagambi Family."  @Rebecca_Ferrari

I hope that you enjoy this Chateau Lafite, 1787 it was bottled for American President Thomas Jefferson when he served as the ambassador of the newly minted United States to the country of France.  He was said to be one of the foremost oenophiles in the world and I trust his tastes will meet your and your lovely lady's approval.

"Wine? A bottle of wine?"

Billy watched Rebecca nod and he shrugged.

"Well thanks Becks."

He smiled as he brought her back to the door and then turned back to Aurora.

"I guess we have wine for later then. Do you know anything about wine? I was never a big wine guy. You think that's any good. It said something about the President in 1787 on the note, is it that old?"

Billy walked over to the desk again and sat down in the chair across from Aurora.

"Do we have reservations? Or are we just heading over there? Of thanks by the way for arranging everything, things have been a bit busy lately."

He gestured to the papers that were stacked on the side of his desk.

"Do I know anything about..."  She sighed.  "Let me see that - wait, did you say President?"

Aurora picked up the card, read the note, and gasped.

"Oh Billy..."  She said dreamily.  "This is ... this is just too much.  Yes, it's that old and it's going to be amazing.  Good Lord this must have cost a fortune!  This is a priceless bottle of wine from a historical standpoint."  

She lept the desk.

"We'll have to be careful.  This stuff is gonna be strong, and we won't even notice it.  It should be sweet and barely noticeable but ... wow, we'll be three sheets after just a glass or two.  I'd be willing to bet you couldn't get a glass of this for less than a quarter of a million dollars, Billy.  There's probably so few of these bottles on the planet that you can count them on one hand!"

Aurora's amber eyes beam up at Billy, clearly enamored by him utterly. 

"Whatever you've done for the Ligambi operation - it was fucking huge.  Sweetie, this is the sort of gift that most men work their whole life trying to get from a Godfather."

She stepped closer to Billy and put her hands on his tie, playing with it as she purred, "If you don't take me to the restaurant right now..."

Billy lowered his voice and growled back.

"Don't threaten me with a good time little lady."

He leaned in and smelled the air around her. She was wearing that same perfume again, the one he liked. He, in exchange, made sure to wear a new cologne.

"Let's get out of here then, I'll have Rebecca go to the apartment and put the wine on ice for us for later."

He opened the office door.

"Rebecca, do you mind bringing that to my apartment and putting it on ice? We've got a dinner to go to. Charlie, Oscar, you guys ready?"

As the two men stood up off of their chairs and make their way downstairs Billy turned to Aurora.

"So Roar, you said this place is in Corktown? I've never been before. Anything I should know about this place?"

Aurora walked down the stairs to the car and slid into the backseat next to Billy.  She placed her hand into his and smiled. 

"Well, the place is owned by the Marazza family.  They allow recent immigrants to lodge in the apartments upstairs and work in the back of the kitchen.  The owners have passed down recipes from the old country from the first generation to the current one.  Phil says that the head chef is actually an 80-some-year-old great-grandmother and she spends most of her time beating her son with a spoon cause he still doesn't make everything quite the way she would.  BUT, that being said, the customers don't complain.  They have quite a huge fanbase.  Apparently, they are one of the most popular hole-in-the-wall restaurants in the city.  A real hidden treasure right here in Corktown."

As the car pulled out onto the street and began heading towards The Roma Cafe, she leaned her head close to Billy and said, "This cologne is new.  I think I like the other one better.  I mean, this is nice, but the other one smells... like you."  She chuckled.

"I'm sure it'll grow on me though.  If it doesn't we can always go back to your place and you can take a shower... of course, maybe we should work on our list first.  I wouldn't want to make any dire missteps concerning what is and is not allowed regarding bathrooms."

She smirked.  

"I spent a good deal of time cleaning up breakfast, before Integra arrived, wondering how you would have reacted if I came into wash your back."  Aurora giggled mischievously.  "You did say you liked it when I flirted with you where you couldn't do anything about it?"  

She winked at him.

"You know the whole reason we're not getting take-out tonight is just so I can make you squirm a bit before you set down any rules regarding fair play."  She stuck out her tongue at him playfully, clearly amused at the small amount of power she had for the moment.

"Admit it though, if I had come into the bathroom while you were in the shower, you would have screamed like a girl."  She laughed.  

Billy glared at Aurora playfully.

"Not like a girl. Probably would have yelled in surprise sure, but not like a little girl."

He smiled and squeezed her hand.

"I do like it when we flirt with each other though. It's fun, and it makes the night go by so much faster than just talking about boring stuff. Do you not like it? I can stop if you want. Just get straight to the point if that's more your style. Tear open the wrapping paper instead of opening it at the seems sort of approach."

He was really running with this package analogy. He hoped she didn't mind so much. He was enjoying it.

He watched out the window as they drove. It was a nice night. Not a cloud in the sky, so no worry of rain. If the place was as crowded as she said, they would probably be waiting outside for a bit. Aurora never did mention anything about a reservation, and by the sounds of the place, there was no way to make one anyway.

"Hundred bucks."

Billy said with a sly grin.

Aurora laughed.

"I like the gentle care you take... most of the time.  However, there's something to be said for ripping the package open at the right moment.  I always had a soft spot in my heart for being treated like a lady, but between you and I - confidentially speaking - I also like knowing just how much you like special deliveries.  Your enthusiasm for tearing through packaging sure is one hell of a way to show it."

"As for the other... lets up the stakes and make tonight's game really interesting... since we're meeting to set down truths about us and what we want it only makes sense that we REALLY discourage dodging.  What do you say to $1,000 - payable at a later date, I don't suspect you typically carry a grand or more on you in cash after all."

"If you're alright with a g-note then I'll pick truth to start us off."

Billy nodded. Ever since he had become a Don it was, in fact, a rare day when he had less than a thousand dollars on his person at any given time. Money was just easier to get at when it was already in your pocket.

"I am fine with that number, but I don't want to get too serious straight away. I want to enjoy ourselves a bit. This isn't supposed to be all business right? So, let's start with something simple. What color?"

Billy gestured downward only with his eyes then and waited with a wolfish grin on his face. It was not a look he put on regularly, but he wanted to start the game out with a bit of fun like he said.

"I don't know, that's a pretty serious question... I mean, how would you react if I told you that I like to breathe in a skirt?"

She smirked and then broke into a guffaw.

"White!  I'm wearing white panties but if you want to know material or pattern those are other questions ... good lord man.  You really are in a good mood tonight!"

She slowed her laugh.

"Truth or Dare?"

Billy'e eyes went wide when she mentioned the idea of not having a color to describe.

"Before I answer that, let me just say. I'm fine with that if you like, but I would never let you jump up on my desk again in a skirt."

He laughed along side her then for a moment before both of their laughs died down.

"Alright, um dare I think. Since I'm in such the good mood tonight."

He smiled a bit then and looked right at his girl waiting to see what insanity she could come up with for the moment.

Aurora thought about it for a long moment before nodding to herself.

"Pull the car over, Oscar."  She instructed.

Oscar looked at Billy in the mirror, Billy nodded and the car pulled to the curb slowly.

"Now, both of you, please step outside the car and keep watch and DO NOT look back into the car."  Aurora placed a very hard emphasis on 'do not' making it very clear she would not appreciate them disobeying.  Once again, Oscar and Charlie gave Billy a quick glance before doing as they were told.  As soon as the car doors shut and the men's backs were turned, Aurora smirked.

"I dare you to lean in close to me - maybe an inch apart from my body, but do not touch me.  You must keep your body away from mine... no seeking comfort or affection or assistance in any way, while I talk to you for the next two minutes.  Do you accept my dare?"

Billy scooted his way closer to Aurora taking caution not to touch her at all. He leaned in so that he could see her eyes, and very little else.

"Like this?"

This would be easy. Or so he thought. She was attractive in every sense of the physical. She had a dancers body and she already knew how to use it, but her eyes. Her eyes were all at once cold and calculating, and warm and inviting. On the surface they were the right kind of glossy, and deeper withing they were piercing. It was going to be easy to just stare into her eyes rather than stare at her legs for once.

"Yes."  She said so softly that he had to strain to hear her over the ambient traffic outside.  For a moment she looked around, and then back into Billy's eyes.

"The first time I saw you, getting out of the car at Hollowood, flanked by your people I thought..."  She smirked.  "Now, there's the kind of guy I want to be with!"

She smiled, not saying a word for many long seconds, just looking into his eyes and allowing him to look into hers for longer than they normally would have reason to do.  There was a different kind of nakedness to this sort of thing, Aurora had read about it in a book a few years ago.  And now, in this moment, she was convinced that everything the doctor had said was certainly true.  There was a way of connecting just from looking at a person, and having them REALLY look at you, that she hadn't given much thought to before.  

"You have this ... air about you, this way of making people feel at ease, like you're one of them.  Yet, I see so much more than that.  There's always this sense that under the velvet glove is a heavy steel gauntlet and I know that whenever I'm with you ... I'm with the most powerful man in the room."

Her amber eye bore into his, looking at him with longing and adoration.  And yet, true to her word, she made no move towards him.

"That no force on earth could prevent you from getting what you want, once you've made up your mind to have it."

She paused.  Another long few seconds.  Time eeking by so slowly, finally breathing more than speaking the words. 

"And I want to be who you want, Billy.  That's what tonight is about, it's about getting past all the awkwardness of this thing between us and getting to the heart of what it is we want... not just outlining what we don't want.  I have wants... things I'd like to do with you..."  she added, "To you.  For you."

She let that hang a moment before going on, "But... that talk will have to wait until after dinner because I think your two minutes is up."

She chuckled pulling back, allowing her eyes to finally break away from his.

Billy had to pick his jaw up off the floor of the car. He had forgotten how good she was with words. It wasn't all looks. She was her mother behind those eyes too. Aurora was the scariest woman Billy had ever known for one reason and one reason only. He knew she could get him to do whatever she wanted and all she had to do was... well, exactly what she did do.

"Uh... So. Later, then?" 

He looked out the window behind Aurora and nodded his head.

"Do we need to get them back in now? Are we gonna be late for dinner?"

Billy readjusted himself in his seat. He didn't realize how uncomfortable he had just gotten. A tailored suit is mighty fine, right up until you feel like a teenager with shorts in gym class all over again.

"I think it's your turn by the way."

He said as he tapped on the window to have the guys return.