Dinner Excuse

Zane opted to take Juliet to a place no more than fifteen minutes away from where the meeting with his father was. The restaurant choice was purposely made known the older man would not come near it.

Zane reassured Juliet that she could eat anything on the menu. The woman's uncertainty did not appear to decrease following this comment. The young mafioso took note on more than one occasion his effect on people. More so in situations where his father was involved. People came away not knowing who was safe to trust or how to interact with either of them.

Zane wasn't anywhere near as vindictive as the current mafia boss. Bernard ruled with an iron first no matter the level of loyalty or sacrifice men under him gave. It was a difficult conundrum for people working with Bernard. They were well taken care of but what would set the older man off was a mystery to almost all. A rather toxic but somehow stable relationship.

Zane's preference on the other hand was benevolent ruling. Respect was always a must but fear, not so. Fear was only to come from those who knew what wrong they did.

"If you're not going to choose, then I'll pick something I think both of us will enjoy." Zane motioned the waiter over to give their orders. The young mafioso settled on chicken Alfredo, Cesar salad, and garlic knots along with a decent bottle of wine. The alcohol would be good considering the turn the day had taken.

"You know I do have the means to pay for my own meal." Juliet fiddled with her napkin, speaking up only after the waiter was gone.

"Is that response out of offense for me taking your order or fear that you'll have to repay me for this?" Zane slid the packet of cigarettes out of his breast pocket, ignoring the look on the other's face at the sight of them. The restaurant was not a no-smoking zone thus Zane was free to smoke.

"I don't think of you as an easy girl if that's your concern." Juliet was watching the other as the cigarette was lit.

"Consider it an apology for my father's behavior. He has a bad habit of doing things on his own. I take this was arranged as a debt repayment agreement or as a good political move for your family?" The moment the woman averted her gaze, The answer was clear. How typical of his father.

"Hmm. How about I make you a deal of my own? One that would benefit you but that my father doesn't have to know anything about?" There was no time for answering the question before the food was delivered.

Zane took little notice of the food, bypassing it in favor of the wine once his glass had been filled. He made sure to hold the cigarette carefully so as to avoid blowing smoke in the young lady's face as he took a drink.

"What kind of deal?" There was a hint of wariness in Juliet's tone as she began to cut up the food with her fork.

"One you can take some time to think about if you need it." Pulling a pen out of his pocket, Zane jotted his phone number down one of the restaurant's rather fancy napkins before sliding it over to the other.

"I will give my proposal and you can have a week to think it over before replying." Juliet glanced at the number before turning her attention back to the young mafioso.

"All I want from you is information and in exchange for that, I'll pay off anything you owe without expecting anything else in return."

"You can't honestly expect to believe a deal as simple as that." Juliet hid the napkin in her purse before turning her attention back to the food once more.

"Why? Because you're used to dealing with people who are more sly like my father? Always wanting something a little extra that isn't mentioned upfront?" Zane questioned before taking a bite of his salad.

"That but also because it doesn't seem like you're going to be getting much benefit out of what you're requesting from me." an amused looked passed over Zane's face at her reply.

"That's because you haven't heard the exact details of what I am expecting in terms of information." He pointed as he took another bite. The salad was better than he expected it to be. For once, the lettuce wasn't as wilty as he was used to it being.

"What exactly are you expecting from me then?" Juliet was certainly more of a straightforward person than he had expected her to be now that she was getting more comfortable talking with him.

Pity that she really wasn't his type otherwise they might have actually worked out well together. She was exactly the kind of person. She was exactly the kind of person who would be able to stand well next to him in the kind of work he did.

Still, it meant that she would at least be a reliable ally and contact if she agreed to do go along with what he wanted.

"We might want to go somewhere else after this to talk about that. Perhaps someplace a little fun that would allow you to breathe for a while longer before going back to your normal stuffy life?" He suggested.

He also wasn't quite ready either to go back and deal with this father. He was certain that some lecture or other would be waiting for him in regard to his behavior.

Zane had heard it already a thousand times over from Bernard. Despite that, the older man didn't seem to get it through his thick head that his eldest son wasn't going to change his behavior no matter how many times the other scolded him.

He was no longer a child that his father could control. He was a man now. One that knew what path he wanted to take in his life.

She gave him a rather uncertain look in response to this question. Zane was certain though that it was a place that both of them would enjoy.