Luca Changretta × fem! reader.
A/N: a quick note to remind you all that I DO NOT ROMANTICIZE ANY OF THIS! This is just a fanfic, everything is fictional, and I do not support anything in this! This story revolves around the Peaky Blinders' character. That's it. If you wanna scroll, go ahead.
The last rays of sunshine, less charged than the morning ones, hit the beautiful villa overlooking the Gulf of Naples. In that villa, precisely in the most beautiful hall that Don Antonio owned, there were strong notes of tobacco, mixed with the sweat and laughter of the guests. Jazz music was played by a small band, with a fast pace to speed up the dancing. Naples was not an easy city, much less being the granddaughter of a crime boss. Even more so, trying to detach oneself from that environment, to live a life marked by the tranquility... that was difficult to achieve at that moment.
Y/N sat with one leg huddled at the table closest to her uncle, surrounded by her parents. It wasn't hot yet, but every now and then she would move her fan to cool off, or perhaps to chase away the feeling that something was going to happen at any moment.
As if she had predicted it, her uncle approached her, beaming whenever he saw his niece. The man was average in height, with black hair that was quite bushy. Even with this physicality, he managed to wear the best suits in Naples, exceeding everyone's expectations: he never looked unkempt.
“Nipote mia! Come here, bella de' zio.” His large hands rested affectionately on her cheeks, pinching her. Y/N turned up her nose slightly and smiled. He may have been the most feared man in Naples, but he was always her uncle, and he never let anything go. And he had never treated her with contempt.
“Now, I want to introduce you to a really important guest. I'll steal her from you for a second,” so he turned to the girl's parents, who couldn't help but smile with a hint of fear on their lips. Y/N and his uncle crossed, under their arms, the packed hall. Y/N felt a little uncomfortable: the current environment wasn't made for her, but she had to show up those few times to please her uncle.
Many gave her drawn smiles, a sign of respect; others, fleeting greetings.
“Who should you introduce me to, uncle?” she asked, in a low voice.
“He came from America the other day, a man of respect. It's all particular, chist cca…”
“Eh. He has some business to do in Naples, and a deal that he and I have to close,” he laughed, “but don't worry, it's our business! Come, come, that's it!”
On a more secluded side of the room was a table. They sat, like black knights, four well-dressed men, their hats resting on the beautiful tablecloth. They smoked and talked among themselves while sipping liquor in crystal glasses.
“Luca, sorry if I'm coming here another time. I hope you enjoy lunch”.
The man in question, Luca, smiled politely. “All good, Don Antonio”.
“Good, good… Let me introduce you to my niece, the one I was telling you about before. My jewel! Come on, Y/N, he won't eat ya!”
The girl was struck by the man's beauty and elegance. Slowly, he rose from his chair and put his hand to his heart, studying it with satisfaction. Luca was a man in his forties, of ancient beauty. The kind of man you get attracted to as soon as you come across him. He wore the most refined tailored suit she had ever seen, his shoes well-polished, and her black hair pulled back. “Ma che bedda picciotta…” Luca said, without taking his eyes off her. A bejeweled hand took Y/N's, leaving her a hand kiss, without ever breaking eye contact.
She felt overwhelmed: a mysterious energy embraced the man. Dangerous energy, which left curiosity. “A real pleasure to meet you, miss. I'm Luca Changretta”.
“Y/N…" Luca tilted his head to one side. “What an elegant name”. His face was crossed by a grin.
“And my greatest joy. She studies, writes, draws… she's about to graduate too! Bella de’ zio!” He left her a kiss on her cheek, which Y/N couldn't help but smile at in embarrassment. Her gaze fell on the marble floor. “My uncle flatters me too much. He exaggerates”
“But what an exaggeration and exaggeration! The girl is just shy!”
“Your uncle is right, miss. With a girl like that in the family…” Luca interfered, letting his eyes slide across Y/N's face.
“Let's leave Mr. Changretta to his bourbon.”
Before the niece-uncle couple left, Luca took a confident step forward. “If you allow me…I would like to ask permission to treat myself to a dance. With her” His eyes scanned the old man.
Upon hearing those words, young Y/N vented. She tried to figure out if the man was serious, then remembered the context she was in. No jokes. Don Antonio did not have time to react because Luca took the woman's waist with a delicacy that did not seem to belong to him. He guided her to the center of the hall, letting the music guide them in their dance. The man's firm grip made her heart race. It wasn't a love story and never would have been. Luca was not a tragic hero in her novels. Then she wondered if that was the beginning of something that would lead to an escapade.
Y/N shook his tattooed hand, and together they twirled to the sound of the music.
“I had never seen Vesuvius so closely”, Luca interrupted the young woman's thoughts, their hands still firm, their bodies almost touching each other. She could smell the pungent smell of his colony, “and the sea… the sea reminds me of home. My beloved Sicily. However, if I must say…none of this surpasses the beauty in my hands”.
His compliments made the girl blush immediately; she tried to hide her face so as not to show it to her. He noticed him and gave her a mocking smile. “You flatter me.”
“I don't flatter those I don't have to.”
“Then you do it out of respect.”
Luca remained silent, leaving the question hanging in the air. He scanned her face: impassive, he was absentmindedly looking around. Then he brought his eyes back to the woman's, and continued: “Intuitive, I like it. I wouldn't have had any interest if I didn't want to.”
“Cut it short”, she pressed.
Luca smiled mockingly. She felt his hand slide lightly down her entire back, as if he was not paying attention to the glances of others, to how her uncle would, without any problem, stick a bullet between his limbs. Luca brought his lips closer to Y/N's ear, tickling her. The close range made her shiver. “You are very beautiful. And you have class. Anyone who knows how to appreciate it notices it immediately, picciotta. Does it make you sad to dance with me?”
Y/N looked him straight in the eye, unable to hold back a smile. Was she smiling because that man's dangerousness attracted her or because he had been the first to show her interest after all these years?
“Good. It would be a shame if ypu refused a walk along the pier tomorrow. Matteo and Federico, my men, will also be present. Don't blame him for it. They are required to protect me, but they will remain at a safe distance”.
Y/N turned her head towards her uncle, who was still watching them from the nicest table set, puffing on his cigar. Fear ran through her, unwittingly squeezing her fingers around Luca's arm. He understood the instant. The eyes moved equally towards the heavy man.
“Don't think uselessly. Ci parlo iu cu Don Antonio.” She sensed a veiled threat in the last sentence. He doesn't know what would have happened if he had refused. She accepted, leaving Luca with the satisfaction of smiling genuinely.
The two finished their dance shortly after. The Sicilian escorted the girl back to her uncle with a sure step. It was at that very moment that he took his leave, returning to his hitmen. Y/N wondered if she should start digging her own grave. In that world, you don't accept rejections: it can be worth your life. The consequences would, in any case, have been disastrous. She went through the room again and again, not knowing who she was looking for. She looked at her parents' table, now empty-who knows if they were on the terrace smoking-and she felt sorry.
Their little girl had been captured by the claws of a real predator, and the escape route would not be easy.
