SLICK

by Peavey Marshall

  Callista heard his father the first time he had told her. But she couldn't let go. "He's not dead. I know it.

  "Why are you so hung up on him?" Her father inquired, eyeing his daughter with keen curiosity.

  "He saved me." Caly's slender fingers tightened on the edge of the table. "I owe him, Daddy. I should, at least, thank him."

  Caesar pinched the bridge of his nose, breathing softly. "Alright. I'll ask my contacts again."

  "Thank you."

  ~~~~

  Vincent Ferrer got out from his Chevrolet, traipsing the steps towards Castor's mansion. He opened the door to Ethan and Dos. The British guy was murmuring under his breath while Dos observed him from afar. The latter had his arms crossed, lips set in a grim line.

  Castor had greatly reduced his bodyguards whenever he was in Manhattan. He had heard from the older Luciano that Cas had begged for it. The reason? Because Callista didn't like it.

  Of fucking course.

  It had been a running joke in the family that Callista was actually their boss.

  Vince didn't know whether their boss was fearless or stupid. It was common knowledge that Callista Genovese holds Castor Luciano's heart in her hands. And Vince was fucking scared of what that would entail.

  "Are you worshipping devils, Ethan?" He slumped next to him, placing a tattooed arm around the younger boy's shoulders.

  "I have something to tell Cas. About her majesty," he mumbled, throwing his cellphone to him.

  Vince frowned and tapped at the lock screen, which directed him to a video. His mouth dropped in shock. "Are you fucking crazy? Why will you show him this?"

  "But... he deserves to know," Ethan replied meekly.

  "I told you so." Dos inserted into their conversation. "You know how he is with her."

  Vince cursed and tapped the delete button.

  "I have another copy."

  "Don't you dare!"

  "I have our boss's best interest in mind, mate. He should know about this." Ethan Ainsley was usually calm and complacent. His attributes fit his tech skills. But he was quite protective of their boss after what happened in the Pentagon.

  "What should I know about?" Castor's gruff voice echoed in the spacious mansion. He came down from the staircase, green eyes flitting between the three guys in the room. "Dos?"

  Dos visibly swallowed. He stood straight, mouth moving for a response. "Uhm, well. Ethan has something to tell you!"

  Ethan gulped. "Uhm. It's—"

  "It's about the Gallo's debt, Cas." Vince stood up. He appeared nonchalant, hiding his shaking fingers behind his back. "It's their due tomorrow, so I'm going to meet Delilah's father."

  Castor lifted an eyebrow. "And?"

  "I want Ethan to come with me."

  "What?" The younger boy shot up from the white couch. He gulped, fidgeting his fingers.

  "He told me he wants to have a girlfriend," Dos added, lips stretching into a pesky smile.

  "Really?" Castor snorted.

  "Yes. That's why we're going to practice his social skills." Vince rejoiced the web of lies they spun that his anxiousness flipped into anticipation. "And to get milkshakes."

  "For real?" Ethan squeaked before he wiped at the imaginary sweat on his forehead. He yanked at his bonnet, lips pressed tight. "Yes. I'll go with Vince.”

  "Alright. I received your report anyway, so you can go." Castor disappeared to the kitchen, probably for another late breakfast. Vince had never been more thankful.

  "You better not do this again. Trust me. You don't know wanna see Castor angry." Vince gritted his teeth, eyes blazing at the British boy. "Do you hear me?"

  "How many milkshakes do I get?”

  "For the love of—”

  "Five, right?"

  ***

  CHAPTER 18

  The pounding in his ears continued in time with the blaring basses of the bar. It was unnecessarily loud that Castor Luciano was tempted to throw a grenade. He sighed and opted to pour another glass of bourbon. The amber liquid sloshed against the block of ice he had placed before.

  The drink burned his throat, ripping his attention away from the speakers. Castor loved parties. The heart-pumping music, the rush of alcohol in the blood, and the people getting loose without a care in the world. It made him forget his problems. Everything goes away at parties.

  But lately, Castor hadn't been satisfied. The parties were repetitive. The alcohol was bland. The noise was irritating.

  What he wanted to do was go home, have dinner, insult Vince a little bit, and curl up in his Egyptian sheets. Something he needed every time he came home with blood on his hands.

  Castor wasn't complaining about his family. He had a great one even if they were walking on a precipitous ledge. But what he desired was a partner. Someone who understood him but wasn't afraid to reprimand him. Someone like Callista.

  The three years he had spent without her was torture. It made him realize that he couldn't live without her. It was the first reason he confessed his feelings. The second one being that Franco Castellano hovered around her.

  For thirteen years, he had stayed as Callista's best friend. And they were the best years of his life. But not anymore. He wanted more. So much more.

  So Castor decided to put everything on the line. Even their friendship. He was willing to ruin everything they have for a chance of a lifetime with her. It's All in.

  Callista strolled in as he looked up. His best friend was wearing an emerald spaghetti strap dress with a deep v on the front, emphasizing her ample cleavage. Castor felt his blood ignite.

  Their eyes met, and Caly blinked. She bit her lip before she sauntered towards him. Her long gold tassel earrings swaying against her straight raven locks. She sat to his left. One foot away from him in the dark corner as she placed her purse on the table.

  "You look gorgeous, your majesty," he muttered. Cas was thankful that she didn't turn away despite his fervid stare. "What do you wanna drink?"

  "Whatever you're having." She smiled, grey eyes scanning her best friend's form. He was wearing a black turtleneck, dark pants, and maroon blazer. "You look good, too, so why are you in this lonely corner?"

  "Where am I supposed to be?" He slid a glass towards her.

  "In a VIP room." Caly sipped at her drink, her tongue darting out to lick the excess from her red lips. "Getting blow jobs."

  Cas' laughter echoed in their small corner. "I'm not in the mood." He tilted his head, green eyes twinkling as his thumb stroked his bottom lip. "Unless, of course, you're offering?”

  Caly arched a perfect eyebrow. "In your dreams."

  "Yes. In my dreams, in my room every time I wake up, and in my hands every time I take a shower." The deep blush that peppered over Caly's neck, even with the colored lights, wasn't missed by Castor's eyes. His heart thrummed at their easy banter.

  Callista crossed her slender legs, giving Cas a playful flutter of her thick eyelashes. "So, do you want me to?"

  "To what?"

  "Give you blowjobs.”

  Castor Luciano bit the inside of his cheek from the provocative images that bombarded his mind. He felt his pants tightened. Getting horny in the middle of a job was too much of an amateur move. So he shifted his thoughts into wrinkly skin and saggy tits. And Marcus getting sliced into cubes and Ethan turning it into milkshakes.

  Fuck. He had gotten too far.

  He cleared his throat, looking at Callista's pesky smirk. With his libido at bay, he noticed the cross pendant on Caly's skin. Castor knew she would wear that whenever she felt uneasy. It meant she did something for the family.

  Based on what he had heard from Vince, her plan was reaching its end. Cas tapped the space next to him. "Come here."

  Caly chewed at her lip before she lost the fight and seek out Castor's heat. She wrapped her arms around his body, hiding her face at the crook of his neck.

  Cas placed his left arm around her, a calloused hand touching her exposed back. "If you give me blow jobs, it will be because you
want it, not because you want to forget.”

  "I'm sorry," she murmured.

  "I know you too much to be angry." Cas traced circles on her skin, kissing the top of her hair. The fragrance of roses and vanilla drifted off her that he buried his nose on her ebony locks.

  "I'll be okay." Her grasp on him tightened along with a small sniffle. "Are you smelling me?"

  He straightened. "Of course not."

  "Do you want me to give you my shampoo?”

  Castor shushed her as he drank his bourbon to the last drop. His arm pressed the girl closer to him. He felt useless. He had known what Caly truly felt about the family business, and he had tried everything to ease her into it. But it would always come back to this. Her crying in his arms. Merda!

  His thoughts ceased as his eyes settled on a newcomer. The woman had stringlike hair, smiling widely at the other customers. Cas caught his men's attention, gesturing his head towards the girl.

  Caly raised her head at him. "You can go."

  "Caly."

  Callista extracted herself from his arms. "Do I need to repeat myself?"

  "Are you sure you're okay?" His right knuckles caressed her left cheek, emerald eyes gleaming with concern.

  "Yes." She caught his hand on hers, squeezing it. "Mal and Tori should be here any minute. I'll be fine."

  He pressed a kiss to her hand. "I'll be here if you need me.”

  ~~~~

  The full moon appeared on the night sky as Castor Luciano met his men at the back of the bar. He trudged to the circle they had made. As they saw the Luciano heir coming, they pushed the quivering woman to the front.

  Teary brown eyes met Castor's gaze. She was tall and slim. He put a finger under her chin, elevating her eyes to his. "Do you know who I am?"

  She nodded abruptly, biting her lips to stop the whimpers.

  Castor pulled out the picture that Ethan had captured from a surveillance camera. He brought it up to the girl's eyes. "Is this you?"

  His men pulled at the girl's curls, forcing her to look up. "Y-yes!"

  "Do you know you can't sell in my territory without my permission?"

  The girl's small eyes went eclectic. She got down on her knees. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I was desperate!"

  Castor Luciano moved back. "Desperate?"

  He had initially thought that the girl's boss didn't know the rules, but as he listened to her excuses, he concluded that she worked alone. "Where did you get the drugs?"

  The girl didn't get up. Her button nose touching the filthy cement. "There was a form online saying I can earn thousands in one month. I thought it was a joke. But a package arrived at my apartment. And I was desperate."

  Castor scoffed, and his men yanked the girl upwards. "So, you don't know?"

  "N-no! I don't know!" She struggled, and a scream tore out from her throat. One of the men placed a hand on her mouth, but the girl bit him. "No!"

  "Shut up." Castor's fiery gaze halted her movements and his men's complaints. "What's your name?"

  "L-Lisa." With the boss' pointed look, she added. "Elizabeth Chu."

  "Well, Lisa." His hand disappeared on his vest, yanking out a small card. Castor inserted it between her breasts squeezed together by her tight gold dress. "You work for me now."

  "W-what?" She blinked her tears away.

  "Go to that address. Find Marcus. He'll tell you what to do." Castor leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "And if you run away, I will find you, and I will kill you."

  "B-but—"

  "Do you understand?" Castor's vehement tone had no room for anything but a positive answer.

  "Y-yes."

  Castor nodded to his men before he traipsed the way to the bar. There was no problem with selling drugs, but the fact that it was a secret was disconcerting. There must be a reason.

  He pulled out one cigarette, setting it between his lips. Castor clicked his lighter when someone stepped on his view.

  Delilah Gallo crossed her arms. Her eyes glinted with restless fury. "I think you should know something."

  ***

  CHAPTER 19

  Callista Genovese was on her third glass of bourbon. It had been a few minutes since Castor left, and that meant she was alone with her thoughts for 16 minutes now.

  The raging music of the club couldn't silence her guilt. This party was supposed to be her way of giving gratitude, but she didn't feel thankful at all. She couldn't forget Delilah's dejected face. She had destroyed their blossoming friendship because of what again? Caly wanted to laugh and cry, mostly laugh. She felt horrible. She didn't even know Delilah that well, and she had broken her heart.

  She downed another glass, surveying the pack of grinding bodies. Vincent was dancing with two women, an enormous grin on his face.

  At least someone's happy.

  "Caly!" Mallorie pushed past the crowd and reached her corner. Her brown locks were in a bun, stray hair dangling over her forehead.

  "Hey." She smiled as Mal kissed her cheek. "Where's Tori?"

  "What do you think?" Mal gestured for a waiter and ordered tequila for both of them. It arrived, and Caly gulped it immediately. "I knew something bothered you."

  "Really?" She smirked and took another shot.

  "I know you." Mallorie gripped her own shot glass. "You love being the center of attention, Caly. You should be in that crowd right now."

  Callista blew out a gush of air, carding her fingers through her midnight tresses. "I don't know. It's not fun anymore."

  "And what is fun?"

  She shrugged, slumping against the red leather cushion. Caly's silver eyes settled on Mal. "How about you?"

  "What?"

  "You're usually at that spot." Callista pointed to the bar counter. "Flirting with the bartender.”

  "Hey! It's research!" Mallorie chuckled, sipping at her drink. Her smile widened as she began to talk. "I finally have enough money to open my bar. I'll show you the place some time."

  "Really? Congratulations, Mal." She clasped her friend's hand. She was overjoyed that her friend had begun to reach for her dreams. But Caly also realized how her accomplishment failed in comparison. She took another tequila shot before excitedly saying, "How about we go now?"

  "Hey, this is your party." Mal grabbed her couch as Callista tugged at her arm. They laughed when they stumbled a few times before the frigid air hit their faces. "In a rush, much?"

  "Come on. We can have our own exclusive party!" Caly replied. She trudged the path towards the parking lot as she rummaged for a cigarette in her purse. Her emotions were about to spill.

  "Is that...?" Mal's voice trailed off, causing the other girl to look up, eyes narrowing at the reason.