Hard Earned Cash: A Dark Mafia Romance

by K. L. Hiers

  “Might I make a few suggestions?” Charlie asked, suddenly appearing between them with a sweet smile. “I actually have a playlist I put together for you and Mr. Legrand—”

  “A playlist? Really?”

  “I’m still your wedding planner!” Charlie defended, thrusting his phone in Jimmy’s hand. “Just take a look, see if anything tickles your fancy. I can absolutely have sound equipment set up if you want to sing a song for your vows. Nice touch, by the way, Dario.”

  “I know,” Dario sighed, glancing skyward. “I have the heart of a hopeless romantic and the sweet fuzzy butt of an Ewok.”

  Jimmy chose to make no comment about Dario’s butt, and he focused on flipping through the songs. He paused as a particular tune he hadn’t heard in a while grabbed his attention. He frowned, trying to recall the lyrics.

  As the words rolled through his mind, he happened to glance up and catch Cold’s eye as he and Tamerlane walked back in. He blushed as they shared a warm smile, his heart skipping a few beats. He swore it was thumping in time to the music in his head, and it was all too perfect.

  This was it.

  “I know what song I’m going to sing tomorrow,” Jimmy said triumphantly.

  Charlie and Dario stared at him expectantly.

  “What?”

  “Well?” Charlie grunted. “If you want me and Dario to help you, you have to tell us what it is!”

  “Oh! Right!” Jimmy handed Charlie back his phone, pointing at the song title. “This one.”

  “Awesome!” Dario exclaimed. “Cold will fuckin’ love it!”

  “There! Was that so bloody hard?” Charlie sighed dramatically. “I’ll be over the bloody moon when this wedding is over.”

  “Not gonna keep planning weddings?” Jimmy asked carefully, unsure if Charlie was wired still or not.

  “No,” Charlie snorted, glancing over to where Jerry was eating his dessert. “Everyone deserves a happy ending, Mr. Poe.”

  Jerry paused, seeming to sense that someone was looking at him, catching Charlie’s smile and quickly wiping whipped cream off his mouth.

  “You’ve got yours,” Charlie said casually, “and I’m gonna go for mine.”

  “Happy ending,” Jimmy echoed softly, smiling when Cold leaned down to kiss his forehead on his way back to his chair.

  It wasn’t a fairy tale conclusion by any means, falling in with a family of criminals, but Jimmy wouldn’t trade this life for anything else in the world.

  His father was here, he had new and exciting friends, and a dangerous man loved him with an incomparable passion. Maybe it wouldn’t be everyone’s idea of a happily ever after, but for Jimmy?

  It was perfect.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  When Jimmy woke up the next morning, he was alone. That wasn’t so unusual as Cold was often awake hours before Jimmy ever was, but what made this particular absence exciting was that this was their wedding day. He wouldn’t see Cold again until he was walking down the aisle to meet him at the altar.

  He sat up, finding a small card waiting for him on the bedside table. It instantly reminded him of the little cards Cold used to leave him when they first started seeing each other, and he smiled as he read it.

  Our bags are packed, and your tuxedo is waiting for you at the Pacofsky Spa. Enjoy your pampering, and I’ll see you soon. Please trust me. I’m going to give you the wedding of your dreams.

  All my love,

  —RL

  Though Jimmy appreciated the sweet closing, he didn’t understand the note. He read the cryptic message a few more times before setting the card down. His dream wedding was barefoot at the beach, and he didn’t get how Cold was going to deliver that with their current plans.

  He took a deep breath, reminding himself to trust Cold.

  Whatever he was up to, the gangster knew what he was doing.

  Jimmy stumbled out of bed to get ready, singing loudly in the shower as he rehearsed the song he had chosen for today. The more he sang it, the more confident he felt about his selection. The words poured right out of his heart, and he couldn’t wait to actually sing it to his husband.

  He sped through getting dressed and hurried downstairs, skidding to a stop when he found Jerry in the kitchen.

  That was normal.

  Grinding against Charlie on top of the counter and sucking on his tongue was not.

  “Oh! Sorry!” Jimmy squeaked, turning red and quickly averting his gaze.

  “Shit!” Charlie snapped, quickly jumping up to fix his rumpled clothes as he and Jerry worked to make themselves decent. “Apologies, Mr. Poe! Wasn’t expecting you up just yet!”

  “Obviously,” Jimmy mumbled.

  “I meant no offense, monsieur!” Jerry chimed in. “We had been talking and perhaps got a little carried away.”

  “I just came by to, to...” Charlie stammered for a reason.

  “Wedding,” Jerry mumbled.

  “Right!” Charlie was visibly relieved, smoothing his clothes as he explained, “I’ll be going with you to the spa and helping you prepare for the ceremony. Your father and Mr. Martine are meeting us there, and afterwards we should have time for at least one quick rehearsal.”

  “I can make you breakfast, monsieur,” Jerry offered humbly.

  Jimmy glanced at the debauched counter and shook his head, laughing, “I’m good, thank you. I’m ready to get going now.”

  “Right!” Charlie clapped his hands together. “Just let me pop off to the loo and we’ll be all set.”

  Jimmy waited for Charlie to leave the kitchen before asking Jerry, “So! You and Charlie? Is that... new?”

  “Hardly, monsieur,” Jerry replied with a twinkle in his eye. “Things happened, ahem, rather quickly. Monsieur Swenson is a very passionate man.”

  “Oh! I had no idea... uhm...” Jimmy grinned sheepishly. “I mean, I kinda knew? But I didn’t think... Uh.” He didn’t know how to say it without sounding rude.

  Jerry smiled knowingly, teasing, “Ah, because of my infatuation with Mademoiselle Queen, you didn’t think I liked boys as well?”

  Face blushing furiously, Jimmy stammered out, “I just... eh... There is no good answer here.”

  “Monsieur,” Jerry said gently, resting a firm hand on Jimmy’s shoulder. “I believe that love has no gender. Love has no face. Love is fickle and fleeting, it is but a spirit that guides us to another soul. When we find it, however one does, it is a treasure.”

  Jimmy smiled softly, his thoughts filled with Cold as he agreed, “It is definitely a treasure.”

  “Man, woman, those who are neither or those who might be both? Love is love, monsieur.” Jerry shrugged, winking as he added, “Even with whips and chains.”

  “Oh, God,” Jimmy squeaked as more blood zoomed up to color his cheeks. “You know, uh, we don’t actually, uh, use a whip...”

  “Worry not, monsieur,” Jerry assured him. “I’m only teasing. Discretion is part of my job.”

  “I’m very glad that it is,” Jimmy mumbled, scrubbing the back of his neck anxiously.

  “Ready?” Charlie chirped, popping back in the kitchen doorway. “A luxurious day of pampering and preening awaits you, Mr. Poe.”

  “Let’s go!”

  Jerry drove them over to the spa while Charlie reviewed last-minute details for the wedding. It was another hurricane of excited noise, and Jimmy did his best to keep up.

  David was waiting outside and waved excitedly when he saw the limo pull up. Maury was with him and looked much less enthused.

  “Hey, slugger!” David greeted Jimmy as he got out of the limo, wrapping him up in a big hug. “Getting nervous yet?”

  “Well, not until you just asked me!” Jimmy laughed, turning to hug Maury. “Hey, Maury!”

  “Heya, kid,” Maury grumbled, patting Jimmy’s back. “You better know how much I fuckin’ love you for lettin’ you guys talk me into comin’ to this froufrou place.”

  “Froufrou?” David snorted.

  “They’re g
onna rub us with weird smellin’ stuff and extrapolate our skin!” Maury protested. “Ugh!”

  “Come on, Maury,” Jimmy chuckled. “You might actually like it!”

  “Fuckin’ doubtful.”

  “Your treatments should conclude just before noon,” Charlie said, standing beside the limo with Jerry. “We need to be at the Graham-Wynne House by twelve-thirty sharp to make sure you have time to rehearse with Dario and get dressed. You’ll have just over two hours to make yourself ready. The ceremony begins at three o’clock.”

  “Got it!” Jimmy nodded firmly, rubbing his hands together and grinning at his father and Maury. “Let’s go get extrapolated!”

  “God fuckin’ help me!” Maury moaned.

  * * *

  Pampered and refreshed from a long massage, Jimmy felt like he was floating on the drive over to the venue. Maury hadn’t complained as much as predicted, and they all had a lovely time. David even said that if Cold ever wanted to send them on another spa trip, he wouldn’t mind one bit.

  They arrived at the Graham-Wynne House right on time, the monstrous and beautiful Victorian home towering over them as they got out. Charlie quickly whisked Jimmy over into the Strassen Springs Botanical Gardens where hundreds of chairs had been set up and a small stage had been erected. There was a grand arch in the middle of the stage with dozens of flowers, and Jimmy actually had to stop to catch his breath.

  Everything looked absolutely amazing. Jimmy couldn’t believe that in just a few short hours, he and Cold would be up on that stage together. Dario was waiting by a piano and a microphone that had been brought in and set next to the stage, waving at him excitedly.

  It reminded Jimmy of the first time he had met Dario in Cold’s club, and he smiled warmly as the memory washed over him. So much had changed since that day, and Jimmy really couldn’t imagine his life any other way now. He embraced Dario as he said, “Hey! Thank you so much for doing this!”

  “Duh,” Dario laughed. “You just remember how I helped you out when I decide to pop the question to Rowena. You know, help protect me from Big Boss Cold.”

  “Absolutely,” Jimmy chuckled affectionately.

  “Chit-chat later!” Charlie scolded, glancing at his watch. “You’ve already wasted three minutes that you could be using for practice! Come on! Chop chop!”

  Dario rolled his eyes but took his seat at the piano, smirking playfully. “Ready, Jimmy?”

  “So ready,” Jimmy confirmed, reaching for the microphone.

  They ran through the song a few times, and Dario gave Jimmy a solid thumbs up and a full finger gun salute. Satisfied that he was comfortable with the song, Charlie led Jimmy from the gardens into the house, rapidly explaining, “You’ll be staying in the east wing with your groomsmen until I call for you.”

  “Where’s Rod?” Jimmy asked immediately.

  “He’s here,” Charlie replied. “You can’t see him yet! Don’t you know that’s bad luck? Ugh. I swear. Now, he’ll already be waiting in the garden when I come to get you. Maury will walk with Rowena down the aisle, and then you and your father will go down together. Yes?”

  “Yes. Got it.”

  “Good! The priest will say his piece and when he asks you to recite your vows, that’s your cue to take the microphone and blow everyone’s little socks off.”

  “Okay. I got this!” Jimmy cheered, taking a deep breath as he tried to mentally prepare himself for the big event ahead of him. He was grateful to see his father and Maury waiting for him in a large bedroom, both of them already changed into their new tuxedos. “Wow! Hey! You guys look great!”

  Maury had already undone his bowtie and was pouting in a chair, huffing, “I look like ten pounds of shit in a five pound shit bag, and I smell like a fuckin’ whorehouse.”

  “Oh, hush,” David chided. “You look fine.” He hugged Jimmy close, kissing his cheek warmly. “We still have some time if you’re not ready to get dressed yet.”

  “Me? Oh, I’m fine!” Jimmy blinked. “Why? What’s wrong?”

  “You’re sweating.”

  “Oh, crap,” Jimmy groaned, wiping his forehead off with the back of his hand. He grinned sheepishly, stammering, “Okay, maybe, m-maybe I am getting some last-minute jitters.”

  “Here,” David said, motioning to the chair beside Maury. “Sit down. Relax, son. Roderick isn’t going anywhere. There’s no need to rush.”

  “Tiny bit of a need to rush,” Charlie mumbled, looking again at his watch.

  David gave him a stern glare and Charlie sighed, retreating out of the room to give them some space. “Don’t worry about him. Just take some deep breaths and relax, slugger.”

  Jimmy melted into the plush chair, stretching out his legs as he said, “I just can’t believe it. I mean, I can believe it because it’s already, like, happened? But this just makes it feel a hundred times more real, and I think I’m freaking out a little bit.”

  “Come a long fuckin’ way from pimpin’ yourself out,” Maury said sagely.

  “Maury!” Jimmy hissed frantically.

  “What?” Maury scoffed, shrugging and pointing at David. “He ain’t stupid, you know.”

  Jimmy’s face went through several different shades of red. “But it’s not like that, it’s not, uh, it’s...”

  David held up his hand, smiling fondly at his son. “Jimmy, however you two started doesn’t matter to me. Unconventional as it might be, you really found someone that loves you. That’s a hell of a thing, son. And I couldn’t be more happy for you and Roderick both.”

  “Really?” Jimmy gulped, blinking wide-eyed at his father.

  “Really,” David said with a wink.

  “I love you, Dad,” Jimmy said earnestly, smiling despite the raging heat still burning all over his face. “Thank you.”

  “I love you, too,” David said with a warm smile. “Now, if you think you’re done sweating bullets, how about we get you all dolled up, huh?”

  “Let’s do it,” Jimmy said, hopping up out of the chair and reaching for his garment bag. He excused himself to the bathroom to change, emerging to get help with his bowtie. Only Maury could tie one, Jimmy having to bend over so he could reach him. David helped adjust his jacket, and they both pronounced him fit to be wed.

  Jimmy got a glimpse of himself in a large mirror hanging in the bedroom, grinning bashfully. The tuxedo fit perfectly and after making a quick adjustment to his hair, he looked like he had just come from a photo shoot. He couldn’t wait to see Cold.

  “Time to go, gentlemen!” Charlie’s voice called out, knocking on the door and opening it wide. He gestured for them to follow, saying urgently, “Mr. Legrand is already waiting at the altar and Rowena is on standby. Let’s go, let’s go!”

  Heart pounding, Jimmy and the others followed Charlie to the conservatory. The glass doors were opened up into the garden, and the chairs created the perfect walkway to the stage. Before Jimmy could step too far and steal a glimpse of Cold, Charlie pushed him back and grunted, “Not yet!”

  “Jimmy!” Rowena squealed, rushing over to give him a giant hug. “Agh! You look amazing!”

  Jimmy beamed happily, admiring Rowena in her golden bridesmaid dress. “So do you! Are you sure I’m the one getting married today?”

  “Ha!” Rowena snorted, winking slyly. “Sweet talker.”

  Jimmy’s ears perked up when he heard Dario starting to play something jazzy and light on the piano. “What’s that?”

  “My cue!” Rowena exclaimed, reaching over to grab Maury’s arm. “Come on, sweetie. It’s time for us to look absolutely gorgeous and make everyone eat it.”

  “Whatever,” Maury grumbled hopelessly, starting down the aisle with Rowena on his arm.

  Jimmy, realizing his hands were shaking, anxiously reached for his father. “Shit. Shit. This is really happening. Like, right now.”

  “You’re going to be fine,” David soothed, linking their arms together. “You’ve got this, slugger.”

  “Okay,” Charlie bark
ed, pointing at the door. “Time to start walking... now!”

  Jimmy hiccupped frantically, and David had to drag him the first few steps to get him moving. The formerly empty chairs were all occupied by a huge crowd of people that Jimmy didn’t recognize, and every single one of them was staring at him. But then he saw Cold.

  Cold was standing up on the stage with the priest, and he had the most beautiful look of awe on his face.

  Jimmy’s heart tumbled against the walls of his ribs when their eyes met. Grinning from ear to ear, the rest of the venue vanished after that, and he looked only to Cold and basked in the warmth of his loving gaze.

  Cold’s initial stunned expression faded to something more familiar, casual and firm, but he couldn’t hide the tender little smile curling his lips.

  Jimmy barely heard the priest and his father speak when they reached the end of the aisle, his trembling fingers tangling with Cold’s as he helped him up on the stage. He instinctively leaned up for a kiss, fussing when Cold gently nudged him away.

  “Not yet,” Cold chuckled under his breath, clearing his throat and looking to the priest.

  “Welcome, friends and family,” the priest announced, speaking through a small mic clipped onto his robes. “Welcome to the wedding of Roderick Legrand and James Poe. Love is a glorious and wondrous thing, and we are all so happy that you’ve joined us to bear witness to this union today. Let us pray.”

  Jimmy bowed his head as the priest led a brief but heartfelt prayer, smiling when Cold gave his hands a gentle squeeze.

  “Amen,” the priest concluded, smiling warmly at Jimmy. “I believe that Mr. Poe has prepared a song for his vows, yes?”

  “Y-yes,” Jimmy said, frozen to the spot. He forgot what he was supposed to do, and he was stuck staring up at Cold helplessly. He felt a nudge at his side, exhaling gratefully when he saw it was Dario handing him the microphone.

  “You got this,” Dario whispered, quickly returning to his place at the piano.

  “This, this is a song about how much I love you,” Jimmy said, smiling nervously. “It’s called ‘Stay With You’ by John Legend. It’s, uhm... well... It’s perfect.” He turned his head to nod at Dario, taking a deep breath as the first few notes began to play.