Page 44 of A Wife's Duty

This was not helping Boone. It pissed him off.

“Enjoy.”

Lucia took a bite of her burger. “I will. Can you believe we got through that?”

“Yes.”

“My dad looked like he wanted to kill me with the way I was dressed.”

He’d felt how tense she was, but now she was laughing.

“And they served me alcohol. I mean, that is crazy. We’re not allowed to drink, like at all.”

“You’ve never had a drink?” he asked.

“No, never.”

He shook his head, turned the car over and put it in gear, heading toward one of the nightclubs that was now closed. It didn’t take him long, parking his car and climbing out. Lucia was already getting out of the passenger side.

His men had followed him, and he nodded to them, that everything was okay. Taking her hand, he walked toward his nightclub, pulled out his key, and let them in, with all the security locks. Once inside, he turned on the light for the bar, along with the dance floor.

“Wow,” Lucia said.

“What?” he asked.

“It’s so quiet.”

“It’s late, and we don’t open past eleven on a Sunday. At least, this bar doesn’t.”

He grabbed one of the bottles of scotch from behind the bar, grabbed two glasses, and poured them both a generous amount.

“What are you doing?” Lucia asked.

“Simple. You have never had a drink, and I think it is only fair that I let you ... live a little.”

She giggled. “That’s crazy. Are you really encouraging me to have a drink?”

“I’m encouraging you to have a good time, when there is no one else around to judge you. There’s just me, and you know I am going to take care of you.”

“Okay, then, here goes.” She picked up the glass, tilted it against her lips, and took a swig. The moment she swallowed, she gasped and scrunched up her face. “That is horrible.”

He laughed and knocked back his drink.

She wrinkled her nose, but that didn’t stop her from finishing the drink. “Why do people drink that?”

“Because it helps for a little while to take away your troubles. It is only a short fix, but it is deadly. Do you want another?”

Her nose was scrunched up, but she did take another one. He watched as she stepped away from the bar and walked toward the dance floor.

“Tell me what you’re thinking about right now?” he asked.

“I don’t know. Stupid stuff, I guess. You know when you brought me to one of your nightclubs last time?”

He nodded.

“I watched some of the women on the dance floor, just ... dancing.” She held her hands out, and spun just once. “They were free to do that. I wonder if they even realized how free they were.”

“No one is truly free, Lucia.”

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