by LaQuette
* * * *
Dante walked out of the judge’s chambers and breathed a sigh of relief. It was done. He was a free man. He strode with purpose toward the elevator. The sooner it came, the sooner he’d be on a plane back to his life in Brooklyn.
He was just about to turn and make his way to the stairs when the elevator dinged and the metal door slid open. He pressed the lobby button repeatedly, hoping it would make the doors close faster.
Just as they began to slide closed, a blur of white linen entered the car. “I hope you’re happy. You’ve destroyed everything we’ve built,” Tomassa spat.
“Well then, seems that we’re even, considering you destroyed everything I ever cared about.”
She stepped back against the wall of the elevator car as if she were remembering he was aware of just how completely she’d betrayed him.
“It wasn’t personal, Dante. If my father would have given me what was rightfully mine, I would never have needed to…”
Her words drifted off when he stepped closer to her. He leaned down, getting as close to her as his stomach could tolerate. “You are fortunate we are in a courthouse with lots of cameras,” he hissed. “You’re also very fortunate that I have enough respect for your father not to kill his only child. Trust me,” he added through his clamped jaw. “I could give a fuck about the fact that you’re a female. I want to see your blood color the streets. But no father should have to bury his daughter. So I’ll spare you, so long as you heed my mandate. You come for me and mine, and I’ll end you.”
The ding of the elevator splintered the silence in the car. He stepped away from her and exited the elevator without looking back. It was done and he was free. Getting to hold Sanai and his son mattered more than the vengeance his soul wanted to visit upon Tomassa. So he pulled his sunglasses from his jacket pocket and stepped out into the sun, grateful to see what life had in store for him.
* * * *
Tomassa tapped an impatient fingernail against her phone as she stood in the lobby of the courthouse.
Two rings in, and her call was met with a gruff, “Hello.”
“He’s getting away with it. He’s taking everything I ever worked for and just cut me out of it completely. I don’t have anything to hold over him any longer,” she complained.
There was a long pause on the other end of the call, forcing her to pull the phone away from her ear long enough to see if the call had been dropped.
“You might not have anything to make him come to our way of thinking, but I certainly do. Leave it to me; let me handle things my way.”
* * * *
Sanai stood in the PEDs ER asthma booth looking around her. Each chair against the three-walled space was filled with a parent, a patient, or a patient sitting on a parent. At this point she was assessing vitals and medicating patients on a loop. She looked around for the resident who was supposed to be paired with her and came up with nothing. Yet again this dude was ghost.
If she could get him to discharge some of these patients, maybe the room wouldn’t be so crowded. She had a fix for his ass, though. Her break was coming up in the next thirty minutes, and he was going to sink or swim in the booth alone.
Payback is an evil, greedy bitch.
A new rush of patients came in and pushed her ever-elusive break time farther away. When she was able to see above the aerosolized cloud of asthma meds in the air it was nearly forty-five minutes beyond her scheduled break.
“That is it,” she muttered as she documented the last set of vitals and walked over to the nurse’s station looking for the charge nurse.
“Hey, Tee,” Sanai called out. The butterscotch beauty with long dark lashes and a bow-shaped smile waved Sanai over.
“Woman, I was just about to come get you.”
“Why?” Sanai asked.
“There is a fine dark-haired man at the registration desk asking for you,” Tee answered.
Sanai laughed quietly. “Is that your professional opinion on the matter?” Sanai walked around the counter and headed for the locked door that separated the registration area from the inside of the ER.
Sanai couldn’t help the smile climbing on her face at the thought of who that fine dark-haired man might be. She hoped it was the one who’d left her spent and wonderfully shattered in bed this morning. If it was, her day had just become infinitely better.
“Hey, Tee,” she called out before opening the door. “If that trifling ass Dr. Lewis shows up, let him know I went on my break. I’ll be in the nurse’s lounge if you need me.”
“Honey, as fine as that man is, you’re the one who might be calling for a medical professional.”
Girl, if you only knew. She smiled as the naughty thought danced across her mind. She pushed through the door and felt the eyes of the registration staff on her. Even knowing their eyes were locked on her, she couldn’t find enough concern to slow her steps or diminish her smile once she saw Dante’s profile in the acrylic window.
She tried for all of a hot minute to keep her professionalism intact, but the truth was being near Dante made her happy, visibly so.
Agreeing to have another baby with Dante was a necessity. Or at least that was the lie she told herself. When they’d made that agreement, her heart refused to hope for more than co-parenting. When you’d had perfection, it was almost impossible to believe you’d experience that kind of all-consuming love again in the same lifetime.
Walking away from Dante all those years ago had broken her—almost beyond repair. Even imagining a reality where they loved one another again made her soul ache at the possibility of losing it.
But Dante.
His name alone evoked such power over her heart, made her want for things she’d sworn to never reach for.
But Dante made all her fears of losing his love fade away. His broad smile, his protective arms, the way he said her name—hell, the way that man made love to her was enough to keep her sprung for the rest of her life. His dick game aside, what made her love him was the way he adored their son.
He treasured—no, worshipped—their child, or children as he constantly corrected her. Even the babe that slept in her womb held his heart prisoner. It was evident in the way he planted a gentle kiss on her belly each morning and whispered quiet secrets to the child he’d named Salvatore.
And if it was a boy, his name would be Salvatore. Thinking of the look of bliss Dante wore every time he spoke the name was all the convincing she needed on the matter.
“What are you doing here?” she asked as she reached up for a hug. He surrounded her in his arms and gave her a firm squeeze. She lingered in his arms for a moment longer. She never tired of being in Dante’s arms. He kissed her briefly on her lips with no care or concern for where they stood. It was his way. He always greeted her this way. She secretly hoped he never stopped.
“Ciao bella.” He kissed her again. “Come è il nostro bambino?” he whispered in her ear as he pulled her in for another hug.
“What are you doing here? I thought you were finishing up things in Florida.”
“I was and I did. I signed the last of the papers. I’m officially free to start my life here with you and Naz. I called Mrs. Rossi when I landed. She said you’d already left for your night shift and Naz was already in bed sleeping. I decided to pick up some food from Giuseppe’s for you and your crew tonight.”
She glanced behind him and saw Big Tony and a familiar-looking teenaged boy she was having a hard time identifying weighed down with armfuls of large aluminum platters.
“You know, just because this baby is half Italian doesn’t mean that’s the only thing I’m going to eat during this pregnancy.”
He shrugged and lifted a white paper bag in front of her face. “Oh, so does that mean you don’t want this slice of tiramisu?”
She squinted and snatched the bag from his hand. Her usual would have been to come up with a smart-assed crack to shut him up. However, being a woman who was four months into her pregnancy meant turning down
a delicacy like tiramisu wasn’t happening.
She waved her hand at Dante’s friend. “Big Tony, long time no see,” she quipped. She glanced back at the teenager, noticing the familiar lines of his jaw and nose when a thought clicked into her head. “Is this…?”
Big Tony nodded. “This is my boy, Anthony Jr. When he found out I was meeting his godfather to help out with the load, he asked to drop by.”
Sanai stepped out of Dante’s arms and walked over to the boy. The last time she’d seen him, he was a broken bag of bones fighting for his life in the PICU. Now, the not-so-little teen stood nearly as tall as Dante with an inviting smile that made her want to hug him.
“Ms. Ward?” He dipped his head as he stepped closer to her, lifting his hand slightly in front of him. She took it slowly, shook it gently, and gave him a confident smile.
“Yeah, but you can call me Sanai,” she answered. “How are you, Anthony Jr.? You look so much better than the last time I saw you.”
“I feel much better too. Thanks for taking such good care of me,” he said in rush, dropping his gaze back to his sneakers, letting his mousy brown curls fall into his eyes.
“There’s an entire team that was responsible for your care,” she replied. It was one of the many reasons she loved working at Saint Jared’s Memorial—her ability to be a valued member of the medical team.
She remembered seeing respiratory therapists treated as less than human by the rest of the medical team in other hospitals when she was an intern. The RRT’s role was simplified to ventilator delivery person. Drop the vent off, hook the patient up, and wait to be summoned and told what to do. That didn’t happen at Saint J’s. Here, the respiratory department was an autonomous body that worked in concert with the doctors and nurses and various members of the medical team to provide optimal patient care.
“Come, those platters look heavy. Let me take you to the lounge.” She swiped her access card and ushered them inside the expansive ER. As soon as they stepped inside they were halted by what Sanai recognized as Tee’s “read ’em” voice.
“…and another thing,” she bellowed. “You need to realize that no one on this staff works for you. We are all employed by the hospital. This is a team effort. You treat the team right, and it will treat you right. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself hung out to dry all by your lonesome.” She pointed her finger to the near-overflowing asthma booth and dismissed the absentee Dr. Lewis to his post before turning and giving Sanai a knowing wink.
“Giuseppe’s for the staff. You in?”
Tee nodded. “Give me a sec. I’ll let the staff know.”
They watched as Tee walked over to the asthma booth, picking up her conversation with the now sulking Dr. Lewis.
“Who’s that?” Dante asked.
She laughed. “That is what we call a learning opportunity. He’s a man who only ever looks out for self instead of looking out for the family. As a result, Sweet Tee just cut off his balls and handed them to him.”
Dante nudged her arm. “You throwin’ subliminals?”
“Nope,” she answered quickly as she opened the door to the lounge. “No need to. You, unlike Dr. Lewis, always put my needs first. It’s one of the reasons I keep you around.”
Chapter Seventeen
Sanai ran her finger lightly down Dante’s carved jaw, the prick of dark morning stubble scraping against her fingertips. He grabbed her hand and brought it to his warm lips.
“There are nicer things to play with than my unshaven face,” he moaned.
She looked down at his face. Eyes still closed, skin still lightly flushed from the warmth of slumber. She shook her head and smiled. This man’s sexual appetite never seemed to wane. “I would love to discover what things you’re referring to specifically. Would you mind giving me a little hint?”
“I can give you a hint.” He lazed there in languid comfort with an equally lazy smile on his face as he took her hand and slowly pulled it down the length of his chest, his scarce hair tickling her palm.
He moved her hand lower still until it rested over his semi-hard-on. She curved her palm around it reflexively. With that much length and girth in her hand, there was no way she could resist caressing his flesh. She circled her fingers around him and gave one long, slow stroke down his length before she leaned over and swallowed him whole in one pass. The taste and feel of him was so good, her mouth watered and she released a sexy moan.
She loved doing this, loved tasting him, bearing the fat weight of his cock against her tongue. Loved the inevitable moaning and hissing Dante couldn’t control when his balls were smacking against her chin.
This simple act made her feel so powerful, in control. Dante was forever the aggressor in most things in life. It was one of the things she loved about him. His ability to take charge always made her feel taken care of. But having the ability to make the mighty beast stumble was intoxicating.
She increased her pace, finding the rhythm he loved, the one that made him spill his seed quicker than anything else she had in her sexual arsenal. His hips began to buck, matching her speed, begging for more of what her mouth offered.
“Get up here. Otherwise this is ending very soon,” he barked.
She took one long delicious lick of his glistening cock. Making certain to dip her tongue into his slit, she scooped out the pearl of precum sparkling there. Eager to share her bounty, she released his cock then slowly crawled up his body, sharing a deep kiss with him when she could finally reach his lips.
“God, the taste of me on you…”
He gently turned her on her back and carefully braced himself above her on his elbows. She only had a tiny baby bump now, but she’d complained that the slightest pressure felt uncomfortable for her. The care he took in keeping her comfortable was evident in the way he was handling her.
He placed two fingers inside her, the way already made easy by the slickness of her walls. Being near Dante kept her in a constant state of arousal. She was always dripping for him. She couldn’t tell if he was just that damn sexy or if it was the shift in her hormones. Either way, the more she could get the dick, the happier she was.
She squeezed and rode his fingers, her breath hitching when he added a third and scraped across her G-spot in the most sensual way. She could feel her orgasm building, her hole so hungry to be filled with more than his nimble digits.
He twisted them inside her, crooked them again, and she broke apart around them. Her hips bucked erratically, chasing the ride his fingers were taking her on. She clawed at the sheets, unable to do anything but fall prey to his will.
Before the spasms subsided, she felt him push into her, fill her with that delicious cock she loved worshiping so much. She was ready for it. Between Dante’s fingers stretching her and her orgasm relaxing her walls, she was more than able to accommodate him.
He pushed and pulled himself in and out of her, stoking the remnants of her previous orgasm into a second, more powerful one. He pulled her legs over his shoulders and continued the sweet pounding. She grabbed at his powerful thighs, using them as her anchor. He let her legs fall to the mattress, splaying them out to the sides, holding her wide as he looked down at their bodies joining.
She couldn’t blame him. Watching his thick-veined cock slide in and out of her, covered with her juices, made her cunt twitch and her clit throb. The agony was just too much to bear. She slid her fingers down between her wet folds to ease the ache. She massaged her clit in quick, circular movements as Dante picked up the pace, his thrusts pushing her up the length of the bed, his balls slapping against the sensitive skin of her ass.
She bit her lip every time his heavy sac smacked the delicate skin of her pucker. They hadn’t tried it yet, but the way Dante was always finding different ways to touch her there, she knew it wouldn’t be long before he owned that forbidden hole too. Just the thought of it was sending fire through her veins. She sped up her movements, her orgasm just within reach. He switched his angle, digging deeper, thrusting harder,
and just when she thought the breath she was holding was going to make her lungs collapse, her orgasm slammed into her.
Dante didn’t stop ramming his stiff cock into her. He kept hitting her spot until it triggered his own orgasm, his cum tickling her insides, extending her little death even more.
He fell beside her and pulled her into his embrace, her head resting on his chest. She snuggled into the warmth of his embrace and smiled at the rapid tattoo of his heartbeat.
“Can we lay here and do that all day?” he asked between each hard breath.
“Would love to, but we can’t,” she answered.
“Naz have an appointment?”
“Nope, he’s already in school. I dropped him off a few minutes ago. I slipped out, took him to school, and snuck back in bed with you to help you get ready for my plans.”
He rose up on his elbows and lifted a brow in question. “Going anyplace in particular?”
She shook her head again. “I’m not telling. You’ll just have to get up, get dressed, and see.”
Twenty minutes later they were in her car, on their way. Dante didn’t begin getting suspicious until she took the familiar exit 3W off the Hutchinson River Parkway North.
“You have an appointment today, or is this work related?”
She parked the car, and before she unbuckled her seatbelt Dante was opening her door for her. At five months, her belly had finally developed that distinct pregnancy roundness. It wasn’t huge, but it was there for the world to notice.
They walked into the facility and up the escalator, and then toward the elevator bank that would take them to their destination.
“What are we doing here, Sanai? This isn’t your OB-GYN’s office.”
“I promise you, everything’s fine,” she answered. “Just sit down while I register.” He regarded her carefully, then did as she asked and sat down in the waiting area. She’d only joined him for a few moments when her name was called and they were being ushered into a darkened patient room.
Dante pointed at the large machine on the opposite side of the examination table and asked, “Is that what I think it is?”
