Author's Note: Today is carolinagirl919's birthday! CG has been a great beta and an even better friend to me. You may remember in my previous story Wait For Me I mentioned that Elias had been wining and dining Carter when he had a tip for her on one of her cases, and CG asked me to write about one of their "dinner dates." Since she ships Carter with Elias I thought I would write her this little fic as a present.

Thanks to nicdvdmaker for the beta.

Happy Birthday CG!

Detective Jocelyn Carter got out of the taxi and paused for a moment on the sidewalk as she examined the restaurant in front of her. Casini's was a small but elegant family-run bistro that ratings websites had rated at five stars across the board. Every review she had read raved about the food. The Casini family never sought the limelight, but quietly made some of the best Italian food outside of Tuscany. The place had a reputation among local foodies nationally famous chefs would kill for.

Just the kind of place Elias would love, thought Joss. Great food, great wine list and relative anonymity. At least he's sticking to his end of the bargain and keeping a low profile.

Joss frowned as she wondered why Elias had called her this time. Since she had saved him from HR he had become her best informant. Virtually no criminal activity happened in the city without Elias knowing about it somehow, and he was more than happy to pass tidbits of information along to his favorite detective. Joss wasn't naïve enough to think he was doing it purely out of altruistic motives, there was a healthy dose of self-interest in the mix too. He had cheerfully helped her arrest several of his competitors already, but at least when he took over their operations; he did so cleanly with little bloodshed and no injury to any innocents. His sense of honor demanded that he keep to his agreement with Joss to keep a low profile and not kill any civilians.

She pursed her lips in annoyance. She had been a cop for a long time on the streets of the most populous city in the USA, she knew criminal organizations could not be eradicated completely, the best she could hope for was someone like Elias who ran his mob with quiet, clinical efficiency. She'd resented the fact that she'd had to make a deal with the devil, but at least she had chosen a devil with a sense of loyalty and clear distaste for making any more mess than was absolutely necessary. She had made her choice, and Elias had rewarded her with his unwavering admiration and loyalty.

Despite the fact that Elias faithfully fulfilled his commitments to her to the letter, she knew better than to actually trust him. After all, he did once try to have her killed and kidnapped her son in an attempt to force her to turn over the old Mafia Dons she was protecting. She had no illusions as to Carl Elias's true nature. She fully intended to just have a quick drink with the crime lord, get the information, and get the hell out. He may be better than his competition, but he was still a crook.

Suddenly Anthony Marconi materialized at her elbow, nearly making her jump with his sudden appearance. "Hey Detective. Boss is waiting for you inside. Come on." Tony's low, soft purr made it sound like dirty bedroom talk. His cocky grin and wink let her know that it was entirely on purpose.

She shot him an annoyed look and rolled her eyes as she took his arm to be led into the restaurant. His cheerful grin did not dissipate in the least; it got bigger. To top it off, he made no secret of the fact that he was ogling her trim figure.

Marconi led her through the restaurant to the back and into a small private banquet room. The room was empty except for a table for two set in the center where Carl Elias sat patiently waiting for his "date." As soon as he saw her he leaped to his feet and approached her with a huge smile on his face. "Jocelyn, it's so good to see you! You look incredible tonight!"

Despite her resolve to not let this man's animal magnetism get to her, Joss had to smile. She had dressed to blend into her surroundings at the white table cloth restaurant and was wearing an emerald green tank dress with a V-neck that showed just a hint of cleavage. It was cinched with a jeweled belt at her tiny waist showing off her figure. She did look good and she knew it.

She had to admit Elias looked good too. He was wearing slate gray pants, an impeccably tailored black suit coat over a burgundy dress shirt and black tie. While Elias was not what you would call classically handsome like say, John Reese, he oozed charisma and masculinity out of every pore.

Mentally Joss gave herself a healthy slap. She was a cop, he was a criminal, and she should not be thinking that he looked awfully good in burgundy and black, even if he did look really, really good.

Elias led her back to the table and pulled out a chair for her. She sat down and he took the other seat. He poured her a glass of wine from the bottle that was already sitting on the table. "This is one of my favorite Chiantis, I hope you like it."

Joss sipped it and closed her eyes in appreciation. It was smooth and fruity and she was tempted to grab the bottle and guzzle it down. But she just took another sip. "It's lovely. I can see why it's one of your favorites."

Elias beamed at her like a kid who brought home a good report card. A waiter entered the room and left a plate piled high with calamari on the table. Joss eyed it warily, "You ordered dinner?"

So much for her plan to get out as quickly as possible.

Elias grinned at her again, "This is just the antipasti. They make the most wonderful Calamari Fritti here and I know you love seafood."

Joss arched an eyebrow at him. "Should I be creeped out by the fact that you know that?"

Elias looked a tiny bit sheepish. "I considered you an enemy at the time and I wanted to know my enemy." He paused, smiled shyly and his eyes twinkled at her. "I have since seen the error of my ways. Please, indulge."

Joss sighed in defeat and popped a calamari into her mouth. It was exquisite and she could not help but let out a small moan of pleasure. "Oh that is good!"

Elias popped a calamari in his mouth and leaned back in his seat with a very satisfied expression on his face. He chewed carefully, savoring the food. He swallowed with a blissful expression. "Calamari is one of those foods that many restaurants have on their menu, but few can really prepare properly. Mama Casini prepares it like no other. I am fortunate to count the Casinis among my friends."

Joss paused reaching for more calamari and glared at him with narrowed eyes. "Are they really friends, or did you force them to become your friends?"

Elias looked at her sadly. "I cannot blame you for asking, knowing what you know of my...activities. But I assure you Detective that they gave me their friendship willingly. Don Caparelli was extorting a rather outrageous amount of protection money. Enough that the restaurant would no longer be a viable business if they paid. Of course if they didn't pay, they would have been hurt and the restaurant destroyed. I put a stop to that and they feel they owe me debt, similar to the one I owe you."

"Since then they are quite happy to loan me this room whenever I need to, shall we say, get out. Rest assured I will leave a generous tip. Please eat." He refilled her wine glass and pushed the plate towards her with a nod.

Joss decided he was probably telling the truth. Knowing what she knew about Caparelli's operation and what she knew of the man currently sitting across from her, the story sounded entirely plausible. Caparelli was one of the most vicious of the Mafia Dons, and rumor had it he had gotten very greedy towards the end of his life before Elias had put him out of everyone's misery. Joss could easily see him harassing a family run place like this. Besides, Elias had never lied to her, even when he was holding her son hostage.

Joss popped another deep fried cephalopod into her mouth and closed her eyes in pure bliss. Elias was right, she'd had calamari in restaurants all over the city and it had never tasted this good. They were fried to perfection, not hard little bits of rubber like she'd had in other places. The breading was also perfection; light, crispy, slightly spicy without even a hint of oiliness. The tomato sauce that accompanied the calamari was obviously made with fresh tomatoes and had the perfect amount of spice. Joss was in heaven. "Mmmmmm," she purred happily as she devoured another piece.

Elias never took his eyes off her, even when he was eating. He was enjoying watching her take pleasure in her food. He never trusted anyone who didn't enjoy eating. He had dated women who had only ordered salads in some of the best restaurants in the city and he considered that a tragedy. He much preferred women like Joss, who ate heartily and with gusto.

"I find good food, lovingly prepared by good people to be one of the most sensual and pleasurable of experiences," Elias said softly as he watched her eat.

Joss swallowed the last bite of the calamari and took another sip of the Chianti. "Well that certainly was some of the best calamari I have ever had. Now, about the reason you wanted me to meet you here…"

But Joss was cut off by the arrival of the waiter. "How was the calamari, Mr. Elias?"

Elias smiled at the young man, "Delicious as always, Vincent. We're ready for the next course now."

"Sure thing Mr. Elias." Vincent scurried off with the empty calamari plate and a smile.

Joss arched an eyebrow and folded her arms. "The next course? This is not a date Elias, you said you had information for me!"

Elias was unruffled by Carter's ire; of course nothing much ruffled the crime boss. He leaned forward and gently placed a hand on Joss's arm. "Jocelyn, please. I only wanted to share this delicious fare with the lovely lady who saved my life. I am in your debt and I do pay my debts."

Joss pulled her arm away, ignoring the thrill that ran through her body at the contact. She managed to keep her expression stern and she stared back at her dinner partner with a reproachful air.

Elias's smile never faltered and he chuckled at her irritation. He had been expecting this, he knew her well enough to be prepared for her to be angry with him for basically tricking her into having dinner with him, but she was worth it.

Elias had never met anyone like Jocelyn Carter before and she intrigued him. Truth be told, he was much more comfortable with her self-appointed guardian angel John Reese. John was like him, a man used to the Dark, a man used to killing, a man used to living outside of society. They were both attracted to the Light that was Jocelyn Carter. She was tough, she was beautiful, she was fearless and she was smart. Someone who did not know her would never guess by looking at her right now, as she sat there in her feminine dress, high heels and flawless makeup that she had easily taken out two much larger and brutal men to save him. She hadn't even broken a sweat.

Unlike Reese, however, Elias had no desire to change. Reese was trying to redeem himself by doing good deeds and had enlisted Joss in his crusade. Elias, on the other hand, knew there was no redemption, not that he would be interested in it if there was; he had an empire to rebuild. But some reason he could not get the morally incorruptible detective out of his mind. If there was anything that could possibly get him to change, it would be for the chance to be near Joss Carter. He was fully aware the detective didn't like him much, but he liked her quite a lot and he looked forward to these occasions he could help her with her cases and spend a few minutes in her orbit.

Besides, she was awfully damn sexy when she was annoyed.

Their stalemate was broken when the eager young waiter returned with two plates and placed them before the diners. Reluctantly, Elias tore his eyes from the object of his affections. "Thank you, Vincent. This looks wonderful."

Vincent visibly puffed up with pride. "Mama's been working on it all day. But she says you're worth it."

Elias smiled fondly at Vincent. "Your mother is too kind."

As Vincent left the room, Elias noticed Joss looking curiously at her food. "I take it you have not had Lasagne Verdi alla Bolognese before?"

Joss shook her head, her previous annoyance now replaced with curiosity. "No, but it looks and smells divine."

"Oh it is," Elias agreed. "Ten layers of homemade spinach pasta, laced with a Bolognese meat ragu and béchamel sauce. Very labor intensive and time consuming to make. This is love on a plate, Jocelyn, prepared by a true master."

Joss picked up her fork and dug in. The first bite literally melted in her mouth. She had thought nothing could top the calamari, but she was wrong. The lasagna made her want to cry it was so good.

Elias's voice dropped in a low hypnotic tone. "Feel the velvety softness of the sauce on your tongue. Feel how the pasta melts in your mouth."

Joss let herself get carried away by the food. She knew she should not be sitting here eating five star Italian food with a crime lord, but damn this was good stuff. Before she knew it she had finished the whole thing.

"You appreciate good food," Elias stated with a fond smile.

Joss sighed, "I won't appreciate it tomorrow. If I ever want to wear this dress again, I'll have to run for an hour in the morning and then do another hour of kickboxing in the gym after my shift."

Elias's smile only got bigger, "Well then please do so. It would be a tragedy if you were not able to wear that dress again."

Joss stared at him wide-eyed for a moment. Did he just compliment me? She thought in shock. Elias simply smiled cheerfully back at her, giving no sign that he was aware of her momentary discomfort.

Joss was saved by Vincent's return. "Would you like more wine, Mr. Elias?"

"Yes, please Vincent."

Vincent snagged the empty lasagna plates and left the room.

"So, um, Elias…" Joss started to say before she was cut off.

"Please, call me Carl," the crime lord requested gently.

"Ok, Carl. I was wondering why you asked me here. I don't think it's just because you don't like to eat alone."

Elias inclined his head slightly. "I don't like eating alone, that much is true. But you are correct; I do have some information for you on the Kyriakakis murder."

Joss leaned forward; Elias had her complete attention now. Dimitrios Kyriakakis had been a wealthy real estate developer who had been found dead of a gunshot wound to the head in Central Park in broad daylight during his morning jog. His wallet and wedding ring were missing, leading many to assume the motive was simple robbery, but Joss and her partner Fusco had felt there was more to it. They had been very unimpressed by the crocodile tears of the window, Maria. She stood to inherit many millions of dollars and reportedly had more than one lover on the side. However, despite their guts telling them Maria was as guilty as the day was long, they had been unable to prove anything. "What do you know?" she asked eagerly, her eyes shining.

Elias was quite happy to see her reaction. He did love pleasing her, be it via food or information. "Suppose I told you where you could get some security camera footage of Maria Kyriakakis meeting with a known hit man?" He reached into a briefcase that had been sitting on the floor next to his chair and produced an envelope that he handed to her.

Joss took the envelope and pulled out a picture. It was grainy, obviously from a security camera, but the woman in the picture was easily identifiable as Maria Kyriakakis. Joss did not know the man with her, but his face was also quite clear.

"That was taken by the security camera in the parking lot at the Federal First Bank in Newark. You probably don't recognize the hit man, his name is Gerry O'Connor. He used to work for George Massey as a low level enforcer, now he's a freelancer."

Joss nodded her cheerful mood gone. She recalled the shootout that killed George Massey, boss of the Irish mafia, his top triggerman Riley Cavanaugh, and several of Massey's thugs. It had been a close call for John, and she really did not like being reminded that she could lose him at any time.

Vincent glided into the room with the requested bottle of wine. He refilled both of their glasses and withdrew.

Joss leaned back in her seat, sipping her wine and looking at the picture, lost in thought. "Fusco and I knew there was more to the Kyriakakis case and we were pretty sure Maria was behind it."

"You were right Joss," Elias raised his glass in a small salute to her. "You were right."

Joss looked at him over the edge of her glass. "How much was the contract?"

Elias looked down into his glass as he swished the wine around. "100,000. Half up front, half when the job was done, standard terms."

Joss raised an eyebrow. "And you know all this because….?"

"Maria Kyriakakis contacted me before she called Mr. O'Connor." Elias gave her a sly smile. "However my organization does not do that kind of work anymore in deference to our agreement."

Joss leaned forward in her seat, her eyes flashing. "Why didn't you call me before Kyriakakis died if you knew his wife was shopping for a hit man?" Joss snarled at her host. "We could have stopped this."

Elias looked hurt and he gently touched her hand. "The initial contact was handled anonymously. I promise you Jocelyn, I did not know who the intended victim was until after Kyriakakis was dead."

Mollified, Joss leaned back in her seat and looked at the picture again. "Well I should thank you for cracking this case for me. This picture is enough to get us warrants to look at bank accounts and get the surveillance video."

Elias resumed his serene smile, pleased he had once again helped his favorite detective.

Vincent returned again this time carrying two plates of Zuccotto Fiorentino, a chocolate coated, dome shaped, rum scented pound cake filled with whipped cream, chocolate, almonds and hazelnuts. Joss's eyes grew wide at the sight of the rather generous portions.

"Good lord, I can't eat that!" She exclaimed.

Vincent smirked at her. "We hear that a lot but most people find a way to manage. Mama makes the best Zuccotto Fiorentino in the city!" Vincent was quite proud.

Joss laughed and Elias could not help but think that it was a wonderful sound. "I'll do my best to uphold your Mama's honor Vincent," she said with a smile.

Vincent beamed at her and left the room.

Joss put the picture back into the envelope, put the envelope under her purse on the table next to her and dived into her dessert. It was as delicious as the rest of the meal and she soon polished it off.

"That was heavenly," she declared as she swallowed the last bite. She took a sip of her coffee. "Even the coffee is divine."

The door to the room opened and Joss looked up expecting to see Vincent again, but instead a short, stout Italian grandmother came toddling into the room. Despite her tiny stature, the women carried herself with great dignity and pride. Her iron gray hair was done in a neat bun at the nape of her neck and she was dressed in black from head to toe. The only trace of color was a large gold cross that hung around her neck.

Elias leaped to his feet and hustled over to greet the newcomer. "Luisa!" he said with true affection in his voice and kissed her cheek.

The old woman beamed with pleasure. "It is good to see you," she said in heavily accented English. "I have missed you." Luisa Casini looked around Elias at Joss. "Is she the one?" she asked.

Elias led Mama Casini over to Joss. "Luisa, may I present Detective Jocelyn Carter of the NYPD. She is the woman to whom I owe my life. Jocelyn, meet Luisa Casini, matriarch of the Casisni family and the owner of this fine establishment."

Joss was amused to note that she was nearly as tall sitting down as Mama Casini was standing up. Mrs. Casini held out her hands and Joss dutifully took them in her own with a huge smile. Joss was a bit surprised to see tears pooling in the older woman's eyes.

Luisa tilted her head to one side as she regarded Joss for a few seconds and then kissed Joss's cheek. "So beautiful as well as brave. Thank you for saving our Carl. He saved our business and we consider him family. We are honored by your presence here."

"The honor was mine," Joss replied. "Your food was marvelous and Vincent was the perfect host."

"I am pleased to hear that. Please come again."

Joss smiled fondly at the tiny woman in front of her. "I shall."

Luisa smiled with satisfaction and stepped back. She looked up at Elias with a scolding look and she shook her finger at the crime boss. "Do not wait so long between visits next time Carl. I will leave you to your companion now." Luisa blew a kiss at Joss and left the room.

Joss giggled. "She's adorable, but I'm guessing she would make a very bad enemy. You had better do as she says."

Elias took his seat and rolled his eyes. "Not even Tony could save me from her wrath if I don't obey."

Joss snickered at the thought of Carl Elias and Tony "Scarface" Marconi both cowed by a little old lady while Elias chuckled along with her.

Joss glanced at her watch. "Well Carl, I must say this has been the most unusual, and delicious, meeting I have ever had with a CI, but it's time for me to head home. I do have work in the morning and, thanks to you, I have a very busy day ahead of me." She gathered her purse and the envelope and stood up.

Elias stood up too and took her hand, kissing the knuckles almost reverently. "Thank you for a wonderful evening Jocelyn. I'll have Tony call you a cab."

There was a tingle in her skin where Carl's lips had touched her. Joss felt warm inside and swallowed, even though she managed to maintain her cool on the outside. "Thank you for dinner," she said with dignity.

She left the room, pausing at the door to look at him and smile. Then she was gone.

Elias picked up his wine glass and took another sip. "Until next time, il mio amore."

Outside, Joss settled in the seat in the cab with a sigh. She could not believe she was looking forward to the next tip from Carl Elias. "It was just dinner," she scolded herself firmly.

Then why did she feel a little giddy?