Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 80715 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 404(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80715 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 404(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
“I’ll tell you anything you want to know,” he said. “So, I’m sure you already know that President Barsetti is the head of state of Italy and oversees the laws that govern this country. And I’m sure you also know that Pope Zephyrinus is the leader of the Catholic Church, the head of the Vatican. So you have the president.” He raised one finger. “And then you have the pope.” He raised a second finger. “But there’s another ruler in Rome—and that’s the emperor.”
I felt a shiver down my spine, straight from my neck to my ass. It was ice cold and terrifying.
“And that’s me.” He raised a third finger. “Emperor Constantine. Leader of the Roman Republic, ruler of Italy. We all have very different roles in this country and abide by our own rules.”
It was the first time in my life I’d been stunned into complete silence.
“Like it was for the emperors after Christ and the death of Julius Caesar, it’s my job to protect this country, not just from enemies outside our lands, but from those within. To protect the civilians who call this place home. Some have called my tactics ruthless and savage, but I take that as a compliment.”
I did not expect to get into this at lunch. But I did ask . . .
“I police the criminals operating within this country, make them adhere to humanitarian practices that keep people like you out of harm’s way. I make sure that whatever drugs hit the streets are not laced with fentanyl. I won’t judge anyone who wants to take a hit, but I’ll make sure people aren’t dying needlessly because the dealer wanted to maximize his profits. Trafficking has been outlawed under my rulership. I won’t put up with that shit. Anyone working in a gang has to be at least twenty-one. No kids. I do that sort of thing.” As if he’d said something insignificant, he took another drink of his wine.
I was still stunned. “How—how do you enforce all that?”
“With the men I employ under my rule. I have four barons who work with me, ones that I trust the most to enforce my laws. It’s a large network of people. I also leverage resources from President Barsetti. My job is to focus on the crime aspect of the city, to protect the country from terrorism, and President Barsetti is more concerned with nonviolent legal matters. Like tax fraud and tax evasion, city and building codes, petty crimes, arson, stuff like that. The really violent assholes are my responsibility. And the pope . . . he brings me back to God when I stray too far.”
“You know Pope Zephyrinus?”
He nodded. “I know him well.”
This was the part where I should stand up and get the hell out of there. But I stayed. The part where I assumed he was a pathological liar. But I believed him. “How did you get into that?”
“It’s a long story. But I basically worked my way up to the position and was elected based on my pedigree.”
“Your pedigree?”
“I’m a descendant of the first emperor, Augustus.” He said it with a straight face—like this was all true.
Now, my appetite was long gone. I realized I didn’t know the man I’d been sleeping with. I had been too blinded by his handsome smile and eyes that were so confident they were borderline arrogant.
He studied me for a while.
I felt the heat flush my face. It was a warm day, but I felt unnecessary sweat start to collect at the back of my neck.
“You’re scared.” He didn’t say it triumphantly, but with defeat.
“I—I’m not sure what I am.”
“You’re scared,” he repeated. “But I’m the last man in the world you should be scared of.”
Every breath didn’t feel like enough. I felt the scream in my lungs.
“And I believe you.” And that’s what elevated me from scared to utterly terrified. I’d suspected he was in the Mafia or some other organized crime, but this was much, much worse. I felt like I’d stepped two thousand years into the past of ancient Rome, and now I sat beside Emperor Augustus himself.
He was quiet for a long time, just staring at me.
I wasn’t sure if he was waiting for me to say something or was just giving me time to process it all.
The waiter brought our dishes, then departed.
Neither of us touched our food.
Constantine’s attention remained laser focused on me. “Nothing has changed, sweetheart. I’m still the man you met in Taormina. But I’m not going to sugarcoat what I am and what I do. As I told you before, I’ll never lie to keep a woman, no matter how much I want her.”
“Has this been a problem for other women?”
“No. But like I said, I haven’t been in a relationship in nine years. Most of the women I’ve slept with knew exactly what I was, and it only turned them on more.”