by J. L. Leslie
“Go get your sisters and come eat.”
Seth does as he’s told, but instead of going down the hall to get them, he hollers for them from the sofa. I stifle a laugh.
“It was a misunderstanding. The trip to Italy.”
“So, you weren’t flying to Italy?”
“I was, but not to get married. I thought I was going on a business trip. I left a message asking Frankie to come with me.”
I fill the glasses with the soda from the grocery bag and put them on the table for the kids. If Kyle thinks what I’m doing is strange, he doesn’t say a word. He’s probably happy for the help.
“You really chose Frankie?” he asks, and I nod.
“You seem surprised.”
“I am,” he replies. “Not because Frankie isn’t good enough for you, but because I didn’t think you would realize that.”
I laugh at this. “She’s too good for me, and I noticed that the very first moment I saw her.”
Fifty-Three
Frankie
I refuse to beat myself up too much about this. Anneliese was very convincing. After all, she posted on social media and no one lies on social media, right? I almost laugh out loud at that thought.
As soon as I can reach Julian, I’ll explain everything. Why I wasn’t taking his calls. Why I didn’t get his messages.
That is, of course, if he’ll take my calls now. He hasn’t answered a single one yet. I can’t say that I blame him. He wanted to take me to Italy with him and I blew him off.
“Kyle sent me a message that he has pizza waiting. I told him to break out a bottle of wine,” Claire says as we drop Erin off back at her car. “Everything is going to be fine.”
We ride in silence. Okay, I’m silent, and Claire is doing her best to cheer me up. She tells me if he is gone away on business, he’ll return, and we can talk this out. That he’s probably on the plane and can’t answer his phone. I’ve rationalized these exact same things, so I let her make an attempt while I try to think of how I’m going to make this right.
When we get to the apartment, I have a plan in mind. I’ll talk to Daysha tomorrow and find out where exactly he’s gone to on business. I’ll go there. If I have to max out all of my credit cards and take out a loan, I’ll go to him.
“At least we have pizza tonight,” Claire says, nudging my side when we get to the door. “Pizza makes everything better. Well, pizza and beer. Chocolate, too.”
She opens the door, and we step inside. I hear laughter, more than just Kyle and the kids, and my heart pitter-patters in my chest when I see Julian seated at the table with my family. Rory is feeding him a piece of pepperoni that she’s pulled off of her pizza and the cheese is hanging off his chin.
When he sees me, he quickly chews it up and wipes the cheese and sauce from his mouth. He leans down and whispers something in Rory’s ear and then gets up from the table, walking over to me.
“You missed your trip to Italy,” I say.
“Italy can wait.”
Swoon. I almost literally swoon at his words. He smiles as if reading my mind and I feel myself blushing.
“It took you forever to get here,” he says, smirking.
“I was looking for you at the airport,” I confess. “I thought you were leaving. I thought you were marrying Anneliese, but I realized how stupid that was.”
“Can we talk in private?”
I nod and take his hand, leading him to my room. I hear the kids making the “ooh” sound as we walk. I close the door behind me and watch him as he takes a survey of my room.
It’s simple because I don’t need much. Bed, chair, nightstand, and dresser. I have three pictures on my nightstand. A picture of my parents, me and Claire, and the kids. The most important people in my life.
“I should’ve checked my voicemail,” I blurt out as he picks up the picture of the kids. “Anneliese showed up at F&C’s and said the two of you were eloping. That you were flying to Italy to have a small ceremony and she wanted us to cater the event. I just stood there and took her order down because I didn’t know what to say. Then, Claire came in and punched her ― and I was so upset and ―”
Julian silences me with a kiss. I wrap my arms around his neck and open my mouth to his, eagerly returning his kiss. His tongue grazes mine and my nipples harden in my bra, anxious for more.
“She deserved it,” he says, breaking the kiss but still holding me in his arms.
“Yes, she did. We thought she would have a black eye in your wedding photos.”
He laughs at this and then admits, “My father wanted a wedding. The trip to Italy was his way of forcing me to marry Anneliese.”
“But it didn’t work?”
“I’m here, aren’t I?” he smirks.
“You’re here,” I confirm and then giggle. “In my bedroom. At my sister’s apartment.”
“You’ll eventually get your own place.”
“I will. I am going to get my own place,” I reply.
“If you say so.”
Fifty-Four
Havoc
It would be easy to forget everyone outside of these four walls, but the fact that Frankie’s nieces and nephew are right down the hall is what stops me from fucking her right now.
I feared the worst earlier when I couldn’t reach her, and it pisses me off that I’ve caused the distrust in our relationship. Had I been honest with her from the start, she wouldn’t have believed Anneliese. Of course, if I had been honest with her from the start, I wouldn’t have her now.
“I do say so,” Frankie says. “I don’t know exactly when, but I will.”
I smile and tuck her hair behind her ear. “We should get back out there before your family thinks we’re doing more than talking.”
“You’re right. These walls are thin, and you’re very vocal.”
I burst out laughing. “I’m pretty sure it’s you who does the screaming.”
She reaches down between us and massages my rock-hard dick with her hand. “Will you make me scream, Julian?”
“Yes,” I manage, my voice strained.
“Promise me.”
“I promise to make you scream,” I reply. “And I’ll make you spaghetti afterward since I promised you spaghetti for life, too.”
I cover her mouth with mine once more and she begins to unbuckle my pants. I shake my head.
“Not here. Let me take you home.”
She ignores me, dropping to her knees and pulling my pants and boxers down with her. “I can’t wait,” she says urgently.
I fist my hands in her hair when she takes me in her mouth, licking the precum from my tip and drawing me in. I stifle a groan and she hums against the head of my dick as it hits the back of her throat.
“Fuck, Frankie,” I whisper.
She brings me to the edge after only a few minutes, but before I come in her mouth, I push her back and pull her to her feet. Her eyes are heavy with desire, lips swollen. She turns and reaches beneath her dress, sliding her panties down before she bends over the edge of the bed.
With a bite of her bottom lip, she lifts her dress and exposes her perfect ass to me. I place my hands on her hips and she spreads her legs.
“You sure?” I ask.
“God, yes.”
I take my dick in one hand and rub it up and down her slit, wetting it with her juices, and then I glide inside her, filling her with one deep thrust. She moans and I shush her.
“You can scream later for me,” I say. “But right now, I don’t want you to make a sound while I fuck you.”
She nods, and I begin to move. She wants to scream, moan, make noise, but she simply bites her bottom lip to hold it in as I thrust inside her over and over. The only sound in the room is our breathing and the slapping of our skin. I even worry for a split second that even that sound is too noisy, but I couldn’t stop now if I tried. Not with Frankie pushing back to meet my thrusts.
She’s close, so I reach down and rub my thumb over her clit, gathering moisture.
Then, I stroke my finger over her puckered hole. She tenses a moment but then relaxes and I slip the tip of my finger inside her ass. This sends her over the edge, and she muffles her cries against the mattress. I fall over right after her, shooting my hot seed inside her.
Her legs are trembling when I withdraw, and I watch as my cum leaks out of her and down her thighs. She raises up and I wrap my arms around her waist, kissing her neck.
I know she needs to be cleaned up, but I don’t really want to walk out of her room with my dick out, so I open one of her drawers and grab a t-shirt. She blushes while I wipe her clean and then pulls her panties back up. I shove my semi-hard dick back in my pants and button them up.
Frankie looks in the mirror and smooths her hair down, I assume to get rid of the just-fucked look. It helps a little and once she’s ready we go back out to the kitchen.
The apartment is empty and there’s a note on the counter. Frankie laughs when she reads it.
“Claire and Kyle took the kids down to the park across the street. Said they didn’t want them being subjected to whatever sounds we might be making in my room.”
She rolls her eyes and I chuckle. “I appreciate that.”
“We can be quiet. They’re the ones who aren’t quiet,” she argues.
“We weren’t that quiet.”
“Quiet enough.”
“It’s settled, then,” I say. “You have to get your own place.”
She takes a bite of pizza and grins. “I will.”
Fifty-Five
Frankie
Julian places his hand at my lower back and leads me through Matteo’s, a restaurant not far from F&C’s. I’m not entirely certain why he picked this place, but I know the owner and the food is excellent, even if the restaurant is struggling a bit. It’s not easy being in the food business in New York.
“We will show your other guests to the table once they arrive,” the hostess informs us.
“Are we expecting someone else?” I ask.
“As a matter of fact, we are. We’re celebrating tonight.”
“I thought we celebrated last night,” I say.
“Oh, la mia fiamma, we will celebrate like that every night. Tonight, is a different type of celebration.”
“Did your new attorney get Anneliese to take down those slanderous posts?” I inquire, my eyebrow arched.
“Cameron is working on it. He’ll get them down. He’s a great attorney. Please, don’t worry about them.”
Julian has begged me not to stress about the posts Anneliese put on social media after Julian called things off. She accused him of multiple accounts of infidelity and even eluded that her black eye was from domestic abuse. Most of the comments are in favor of Julian, stating Anneliese has cheated on him several times and that he was right to call off the wedding, but it still makes me mad.
“She’s lying to everyone,” I argue my point.
“She means nothing,” he says pointedly.
I smile at that, and then my smile widens when I see Soraya and Graham being shown to our table. The tips of her hair are blue again, so I suppose that means she’s happy.
“Graham. Soraya,” Julian greets them, but I stand and give them both a hug.
“I had no idea you would be here,” I tell Soraya.
“That’s my doing,” Julian says. “I wanted you to be here when this became official. This wouldn’t be happening if it weren’t for you.”
Julian motions for the waiter and orders a bottle of champagne. Once it’s brought to our table, he reaches into his pocket and produces an envelope that he hands over to Graham. I watch as Graham opens it and gives Julian a slight nod before reaching into his own pocket and getting an envelope.
“What’s happening?” I whisper to Soraya.
“Best laid plans in action,” she says with a wink.
“My attorney will file the appropriate paperwork in the morning,” Julian says to Graham and then looks over at me. “It’s over.”
I shake my head. “I still don’t know what’s happened.”
“Your guy here is now the proud owner of Deviline Hotels,” Graham announces.
I gulp. “You bought the hotel chain?”
“Yes, I did. I’m open to changing the name.”
“I don’t…how did this happen?”
“With Graham’s help,” Julian answers. “I couldn’t do a hostile takeover myself.”
“But I could. No havoc created,” Graham states with a smirk.
“Like I said, best-laid plans,” Soraya says.
“That’s definitely something to celebrate.”
Epilogue
Havoc
Changing the name of the hotel chain was the first action I performed as the new owner. I named the chain after my mother. Deviline Hotels officially became Alessa Hotels three months ago, and the chain has continued to thrive under my leadership, despite the fact that I did not go into business with my father. HLS and Alessa Hotels are two separate entities and will remain that way.
My father is highly pissed and continues to make attempts to join forces, but the day he tried to force me into marrying Anneliese was the last day I did his bidding. I left HLS, bringing Daysha with me, and haven’t looked back.
“Mr. Havoc, your four o’clock is here,” Daysha announces.
“Send him in.”
Michelini Matteo walks into my office, his head held high despite the circumstances. He sits down and immediately launches what I’m sure is a rehearsed speech.
“Mr. Havoc, you gave me one year to show you an increase in revenue. Now, I’ve received notification from HLS that my contract is being dissolved early. They won’t honor our deal. I thought you were a man of your word. My family will not give up the restaurant!”
“I have a business proposition for you,” I state, ignoring his rant. “I have recently acquired a hotel chain and I’m making some changes to them. One of them being the addition of a restaurant at each location. I’ve reviewed the hotel locations, space, and evaluated the cost to make this change. I want it done and I want to put your restaurant in Alessa Hotels.”
He blinks a few times, as if my words are registering. “You want Matteo’s to be in your hotels?”
“Yes.”
He blows out a sigh. “I thought I was going to lose my restaurant.”
“That location will need to be closed. Matteo’s will be exclusive to Alessa Hotels.” I hand him a contract to review. “My attorney’s paralegal drew that up. If you agree, we’ll sign and make it official.”
“What about HLS?”
“Let them buy your building, but you retain the name and the rights. My father will agree to it. Make no mention of this agreement,” I instruct.
“I will run this by my family, but I believe we have a deal, Mr. Havoc.” Michelini stands and extends his hand to me. “Can I ask what made you decide to do this?”
“You were recommended to me by someone whose opinion I hold in high regard,” I answer honestly. “Also, I ate your food.”
I don’t mention that my first choice turned me down. I wanted F&C’s, but Frankie didn’t want to mix business with pleasure. Said she didn’t want to take advantage of me. The fact that she put our relationship first is the reason I didn’t push.
Besides, F&C’s has grown considerably since our relationship was made public. Anneliese tried her damnedest to slander me, but it didn’t work. Even her own friends supported me and blasted her for her infidelity. Her father passed away and the last I heard, she moved to Los Angeles.
“Do you need anything else today?” Daysha asks, sticking her head inside the door.
“No. I’m leaving in a few minutes. You can go ahead and go if you like.”
“Can I say something?” she asks but doesn’t wait on my permission. “I like this version of you better. The ruthless and heartless businessman you were at HLS didn’t suit you. This does. I know I have Frankie to thank for that. She’s wonderful.”
“Thank you.”
She closes my door and I shut my computer down, heading out right after. I call Frankie as I drive.
“How’s moving going?” I ask.
“I’m completely unpacked,” she says, sounding a bit tired. “Told you I didn’t have much.”
“Do you want me to bring you dinner?”
“I would rather you make your mother’s spaghetti,” she admits, and I can hear the smile in her tone.
“I can do that.”
“I have a bit of a mess here, but I’ll get it cleaned up. It already feels like home.”
“It is your home.”
I arrive a little while later, ingredients for the spaghetti in hand. I open the door and go inside. There are a few empty boxes littering my living room, but I don’t mind. It took me long enough to convince Frankie to move in with me. She can put whatever she wants in my living room.
“I decided we could have dessert first,” Frankie says when I find her in the kitchen.
She’s lying on my counter, strawberries lined down her stomach and chocolate syrup drizzled all over her bare skin. I drop the bag I’m holding and saunter over to her.
“I’m going to love having you in my house,” I say as I strip off my shirt. My eyes go to the diamond ring I put on her hand. “And you having my last name.” I flick my tongue over her, licking some chocolate syrup off of her slightly swollen belly. “And seeing you pregnant with my daughter.”
“Why are you so certain it’s a girl?” she asks.
“Rory told me it has to be a girl,” I answer. “I promised her it would be, so if this one’s a boy, we’ll just have to have another until we get a girl.”
“And what if we just keep having boys? What if we don’t have a girl?”
“We will,” I say adamantly. “It’s in the cards for us, la mia fiamma.”
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