by B. B. Hamel
Don Leone looked at me for a long moment. I could see a hint of surprise in his eyes as he sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. “Dante, Dante, Dante. You truly can’t control your temper, can you?”
I sat back, seething. “I feel strongly about this, Don Leone.”
“I know you do.” He smiled again and looked over his shoulder. “You can relax, Roberto. Nobody’s getting hurt today.”
Roberto shrugged and pulled his hand from his jacket. I felt a strange wave of relief rush over me. I was sure the Don was going to order my execution today, and suddenly I felt like I was getting a second chance at life.
“Thank you, Don.”
“But you are not in my good graces,” Don Leone said. “I am going to allow you to live, for now, because you truly are one of my most effective Capos. Your territory brings in twice as much money as any other, and you manage to do that while competing with Vlas all the time. It’s impressive, young Dante. But you’re impulsive and prone to making violent decisions without consulting me, which I cannot have. Do you understand me? You cannot go off without consulting me again, or there will be repercussions. Effective as you are, even a good god has to be put down if he endangers the family.”
I bowed my head toward him. “Thank you, Don. I won’t let you down.”
“Good. I know you mean well, Dante. I truly do. I know you’re loyal. But you need to learn restraint, young man. You did something too public, too dangerous today. In the future, have your lieutenant come speak with mine before you do something so visible.”
“I will, Don.”
“Good.” Don Leone pushed his chair back and got to his feet. He used the cane and leaned on it like he was tired. “Now, I have to deal with your fallout. I have the Jalisco to handle and Maksim is threatening open war now. Not to mention the police I’m going to have to bribe to ignore all those dead bodies.”
“I appreciate your position, Don.” I stood up and Aida joined me. I bowed slightly toward him. “If I can assist, please tell me.”
“You’ll pay me twice your normal tribute rate,” he said. “Send the money as soon as you can. And make sure it comes from your own pockets, Dante. Don’t make your soldiers pay for your mistakes.” The Don limped toward the hallway, and his three bodyguards followed without looking over at me.
I followed him to the entry and stood near the stairs. Aida lingered in the kitchen, watching down the hall.
Roberto opened the door for the Don and he paused before he left. He turned to me and stared into my eyes. I got another glimpse of that killer hiding deep inside the seemingly harmless old man, and it made my spine shiver.
“Think before you act again, Dante.” He smiled then and inclined his head toward me. “And well done killing so many of those Commie fucks. Nothing better than Russian blood on the soil.”
I grinned at him. “Thank you, sir.”
“Do something so stupid again, and it’ll be your blood mixing with theirs.” He turned and walked outside. Roberto shot me a look then followed his master, the two other bodyguards bringing up the rear. I watched them go down the steps then pile into a black sedan before I shut the door and locked it.
I turned to Aida and she came a few steps closer. “That was… intense.”
“I think we just got lucky,” I said.
“He seems so nice.” She bit her lip and put her hand flat against the wall, leaning up against it for support. “But then his mask dropped a little and I saw…”
“You saw the real Don,” I said. “A man like him doesn’t become Don without being a killer. And Don Leone is as bloody as they get.”
I walked to her and she closed the gap between us. She pressed herself against my chest and I hugged her tight, holding her for a long moment.
“How close did we just come?” she asked.
“Very close,” I admitted. “I think he planned on killing us, if I’m honest.”
She looked up at me, eyes wide, face pale. “Really?”
“Really. He wouldn’t have brought all three of his best guards if he didn’t mean violence. I think I might’ve changed his mind.”
“Shit,” she whispered.
“I’m sorry you saw that. I’m sorry I dragged you into this.”
“Don’t be sorry. I don’t blame you for doing what you did.”
I smiled and reached up to lace my fingers through her silky soft hair. I pulled it gently, tilting her chin toward me. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were starting to grow a bit of darkness yourself, my little Aida.”
“Maybe I’m starting to take after you.”
I snorted. “I hope not, for both our sakes. I need you to be level-headed.”
“Why, so you can run around doing whatever you want?”
“No. So you can tell me when I’m being impulsive and stupid.”
“I can try that.” She gasped as I pulled her hair tighter. “But I don’t think you’ll listen.”
“Probably not.” I kissed her gently, my heart racing. “But gods damned, nothing makes me starving more than coming inches away from death.”
“Starving for what?” she whispered.
I kissed her again, deeper this time, my tongue against hers. I didn’t bother answering. I just dragged her to the stairs and pulled her up behind me, heart racing the whole way. When I reached my bedroom, I threw her on the bed, slammed the door behind me, and approached her with lust in my eyes.
24
Dante
I took her clothes off first. I didn’t kiss her, didn’t touch her. I stripped off her tank top, threw it on the floor, took off her bra, then pulled off her pants. When she was wearing nothing but her skin, I took a step back and admired her.
“On your knees,” I said. “Stay on the bed.”
She tilted her head and obeyed. She knelt in front of me on top of the bed, her feet tucked under her ample ass. Her hips curved in a graceful arc and I felt my cock stiffen as my eyes took in every inch of her smooth, beautiful skin.
I unbuttoned my shirt, took it off, dropped it down. I loved the way she looked at my body, at my muscles and my tattoos. I took off my pants, let them fall. Then I finally took off my boxer briefs, taking my massive cock in one hand and slowly stroked myself.
“On all fours,” I said, stepping closer. She obeyed and I took her head, gently guiding her mouth toward my cock. She opened her lips and took me, sliding my tip along her tongue, licking around in circles. I let out a little groan as I slid my cock deeper and deeper into her mouth. She stayed on all fours and took me, gagged, pulled back with a gasp. I slid into her mouth again and fucked her face like that, holding her hair in my fist.
She was beautiful, lean, and incredible. The long curve of her spine made my blood boil and the smooth, round turn of her ass made me want to spank her until she begged my name. I pulled her head back, making her gasp as a long string of spit slipped from her lips to the tip of my cock. I pushed her back down my length, up and down, bobbing her body, her round shoulders, her plump lips. I reached her breasts with my free hand as I slid my cock deeper into her throat, making her take it, making her mind.
I pulled her back and turned her around. I pushed her face into the comforter and looked at her gorgeous, glistening pussy. I spread her ass and licked her from behind, tasting every inch. I teased her with my fingers and spread her lips, rolling the tips of my fingers along her clit. She shivered, shook her ass, and moaned.
“More,” she said.
That one word lit me on fire, sent tingles along my veins.
“More,” she said again, begging now.
“Say my name.”
“More, Dante. Please.”
“Good girl,” I crooned, pressing the tip of my cock against her gaping, soaked pussy. “Very good girl.”
I plunged myself deep. She gasped, tensed, threw her head back. I grabbed her hair, gathered it all in my hand. I held her like that, using her hair to make her move faster or slower. I make her ride my cock,
watching her back muscles work, her leg muscles tense, her ass clap up and down my shaft. I growled with delight as sweat dribbled down her skin in long curving descents, tracing glorious lines along her skin. I licked some off then spanked her ass hard.
I wanted to leave my mark. I spanked it again, harder, and again. I growled with delight when she moaned the last time, and I made her take my cock down to the hilt. I filled her, pulled her apart, made her stay like that. I felt her shiver and convulse.
“Look at you,” I whispered as she began to move back and forth again, using her legs and arms as leverage. “Riding the cock of a killer. And loving it so much. When did you get so filthy, Aida? When did I corrupt you?”
“I always was,” she moaned. “Oh, god, I think I always was.”
“You were waiting for a man like me then,” I said. I spanked her ass hard and she gasped with delight. “You were waiting for a man that could control you, own you, dominate you. Give you the pleasure and the pain you need.”
“Yes,” she gasped. “Spank me again.”
I hit her hard, flat on her ass. She laughed and groaned with pleasure. “Fuck, Dante,” she whispered. “You feel so good. I could take your cock all day. I just… I don’t know what’s happening to me.”
“I do.” I leaned over her, cock buried inside, and pulled her back against me. I let my hands explore her flat, tight stomach, her round breasts, her hard pink nipples. I tweaked them with my fingers as I kissed her neck. She turned and found my lips, kissing me with pure and utter desire.
“You’re just becoming yourself,” I whispered in her ear. “This dirty girl has always been inside of you, waiting to come out. You were born to ride the cock of a killer, girl. You were born to take me deep between your beautiful legs.”
“Dante,” she whispered, wiggling her hips, then moved down again without me telling her to. She began to work her hips faster, then started pushing back against me.
She rode me like that with wild abandon. I let her do her thing, holding on to her hair as she slapped forward and back, panting and moaning the whole time. I let out growls of delight and enjoyed the show of her body, her muscles tensing and working, the form of her skin driving me wild with need.
I couldn’t take it for long. I pushed her down after one hard stroke then fucked her hard. I took over, unleashing the animal rage that had been growing inside of me. I unleashed it all on her tight pussy, fucking her without mercy, grabbing her hair and wrist to pull her against me. She screamed my name in pure lust and threw her head back hard as her pussy clenched down. I felt the desire, the need building between us, and finally sweat began to tickle down my own back.
I knew I was close, didn’t care. I kept going, kept pushing into her, kept pushing her body to new levels. I growled her name once, twice, and reached around to rub her clit. She gasped and shivered, her body tensed again, as I filled her up to the brim. She was close to overflowing, and I growled my pleasure and consent. “Come for me,” I whispered. “Come for your killer. Come on my thick cock. Come and make me your man.”
She moaned my name as she came. Her pussy clenched tight along my shaft with every stroke and her body shook as she lost all control. She turned into a mess of begging, moaning, panting, sweating. It was one of the sexiest things I’d ever seen in my life, and I couldn’t stop myself as I came deep inside her tight cunt. We climaxed together, my seed filling her deep, her pussy tight around my thick shaft.
When we finished, I collapsed into bed. She rolled into my arms and I held her tight against my chest. She sighed and nuzzled tight, her cheek against my chest, her breasts warm and soft against my side.
“I should still hate you,” she said with a smile.
“Maybe you should,” I said. “Use some of that hate the next time I fuck you.”
She looked up at me and I grinned then kissed her. She laughed and put her head back down.
I felt good. Fucking good. I’d survived and hit my enemies hard. Don Leone was angry, but fuck it. I did a good thing today, even if I’d taken it too far.
And I had my Aida. That was all I needed in the end. I had my girl, my gun, and my family.
I was going to be okay.
25
Aida
I fell asleep in his arms, drenched in sweat, a sweet ache between my legs.
When I was on all fours on the bed, his cock sliding down into my throat, or when I turned around and rode him, pleasure wracking my body, my muscles tired and aching from the work, I realized something about myself.
It wasn’t pleasant and it wasn’t nice. It didn’t match up with what I’d always thought of as the core of my person.
In my mind, in my dreams, I believed I was good.
Even that night, sleeping soundless, content and floating, I still thought it in some quiet part of my soul. Even though I’d been shown the truth, I still couldn’t quite accept it.
I was bad.
I was rotten.
There was something broken inside of me, something twisted and jagged, a piece that was missing.
I never noticed before. Not when I was living a relatively normal life, despite my junkie asshole thief father. I thought I was good because I wasn’t like him, but taking Dante in my mouth, in my throat, between my legs, and loving every single second of it made me realize the truth.
I wasn’t good. I wasn’t even decent.
I was selfish and bad.
But I didn’t care.
It didn’t matter to me anymore. I was ready to let go of my old life and move on to something else. I didn’t know what kind of person I was going to become, or if I was just starting to open to my eyes to the kind of person that I’ve always been. But either way, I was ready to embrace it all.
I was ready to let sweat drop down my naked skin as Dante used my body however he liked, because I knew I’d always love it, always love riding his cock or letting him fuck me senseless. If he wanted me, if he needed me, then I wanted to give him everything.
Every inch of me, no matter how wrecked and useless, because he wanted it.
That was what made me realize. He wanted me, despite being ruined. He wanted me because he saw that blemish, that mark on my soul, and wanted me anyway, not despite my flaws but because of them. He liked my darkness, liked that I had more of my father inside of me than I wanted to admit. He liked that I was seduced by a killer.
We were made for each other. As wrong and as fucked up as that was, it just didn’t matter anymore.
I woke up and rolled onto my side. The clock on Dante’s bedside table said it was just after six in the morning. I rolled over again, but Dante wasn’t in the bed anymore, and his pillow was cold.
I got up and found a pair of gym shorts. I pulled them on, found an old t-shirt, and slipped it over my head. I put my hair up using the black hair tie on my wrist and walked into the bathroom. I brushed my teeth using his toothbrush then headed downstairs. I could smell coffee in the pot, and I found Dante standing near the back window, looking outside. I paused just inside the kitchen as Gino looked up from the table.
“Morning,” I said to him, a little surprised.
“Morning,” he grunted, and looked back down at his phone.
I got a cup of coffee then walked over to Dante. I joined him, feeling strange and tentative, like a baby fawn crossing the road for the first time. The day before still lingered in my mind.
Dante wore a tight white t-shirt and long, slim black sweats. He had on running shoes, like he was about to work out, but he wasn’t sweaty yet. He nodded to me as I joined him by the window.
“Gino’s here,” I said.
“I noticed.”
“I thought we’d have some alone time.” I frowned up at him. “Since the Don told you not to do anything for a little while.”
He smiled at me and touched my cheek. “Gino’s just here for protection. Don’t worry about him.” He dropped his hand and stared out the window again.
“What are you looking at?”
I asked.
He hesitated then nodded toward the back door. “Come here. I’ll show you.”
I followed him out the back, down the short concrete steps, and onto the back patio. It was a concrete slab with simple metal outdoor furniture and an umbrella lying on its side on the ground. The small patch of grass was cut short, and there was only one plant, a tree with a skinny trunk and leaves in long teardrop shapes arranged almost like a palm tree.
He walked over to the tree and looked at it, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Do you know what this is?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Looks like an overgrown weed.”
He laughed. “That’s exactly right. It’s called a Tree of Heaven. Fancy name, right?”
“Sure.” I tilted my head and shrugged. “What about it?”
“It’s an invasive species,” he said. “Incredibly resilient. It can grow anywhere, especially in the city. Thrives in just about any climate and it’s incredibly hard to kill. You have to destroy the root system or it’ll grow up again somewhere else, like whack-a-mole.”
I walked over and reached out to touch it, but he stopped me. I frowned at him and he smiled.
“I wouldn’t,” he said. “Some people have a reaction to it.”
I snorted. “So it’s invasive and poisonous?”
“I’m not sure I’d call it poisonous, but something like that.”
“Are you thinking about doing some yardwork today?”
“No,” he said with a little laugh. “No, I was just thinking about this tree. It’s all over the city, you know. I bet that if we dug down deep enough and followed all their roots, we’d find that all the Trees of Heaven in this whole city are really just one giant organism.”
“Oh, sure,” I said, smiling. “I bet it is.”
“It’s a noxious plant. Its roots kill anything they come into contact with, can even damage pipes. But it’s always there, always growing, aggressive and unstoppable.”
