did it.
Nikki was on top, and Teddy had her wrapped in his arms as his cock pushed in and out of
her with strokes that went down so deep she felt the veins of his cock rubbing against her
narrow passage. Which only heightened the intensity.
They laid in that bed and made love with a fierce quietness that made both of them feel
constantly on the verge. Teddy kept pumping. He did not let up from the intensity. He placed
his hands on either side of Nikki’s face and began kissing her as his dick continued to pummeled
her. He kept going deeper inside of her. He couldn’t get enough of her. He kept screwing her
so hard that she could feel the fire to the roots of her hair. He kept putting his mark on her in
such a way that it had to remove all doubt. She was coming back to him no matter who tried to
change her mind. She was coming back to him!
And when they came, they both tightened their grip on each other until they could feel the
fullness of their cum. And then they held onto each other until they couldn’t feel anything at
all.
Except exhaustion. And the sweat on their skin. And their love.
But even after their lovemaking; even after they both showered and dressed and sat on the
side of the bed together, Teddy still couldn’t pull himself to leave her. He should have been off
of that plane an hour ago, but he was still lingering. It was obvious even to the crew members
on board why. They remembered Nikki from previous flights and they had assumed even then
she was somebody special to Teddy. But special enough to hold them up this long? A couple of
the stewardesses wondered if the pilot should say something.
But they weren’t that crazy. The plane belonged to Mick Sinatra which meant, for all
practical purposes, it belonged to Teddy Sinatra too. They weren’t about to rush the very hand
that fed them.
Teddy had his arm around Nikki as they sat on the bed, and looked at her. “I’d better get
going,” he said.
Nikki inwardly smiled. “You’ve said those very words about three different times already,
and you’re still here.”
She wore sunglasses on her face, and he lifted them onto her hair so that he could see her
beautiful eyes before he left. But Nikki wore shades over her eyes for a reason. She wore them
in case she couldn’t control her tears. Leaving him, even for a little while, was hard.
He didn’t see tears in her eyes, but he saw sadness there. “I wish I could go with you,” he
said.
“I know you do,” said Nikki. “But it can’t be helped. You’ve got to take care of whatever’s
going on here. Especially after what that fool did to Glo.”
Teddy exhaled. Fool was right. “That motherfucker doing something like that to my sister,”
Teddy agreed. “That’s some crazy-ass shit. He’s spooked out of his mind thinking he’ll get away
with that shit.”
“Why would he do it?” Nikki asked. “I don’t get it. Why would he feel it necessary?”
“So they could put the blame on Gio and keep him under their thumb. I know Milo Jalarni.
He figured Gio might break down to Pop eventually and admit he stole that shipment. But he
knew he’d never break down and admit he fucked up Gloria. That would be a crime, MJ knew,
that would be punishable by death.”
“But then MJ turned around and put that death sentence over his own head,” Nikki said. “I
don’t get that.”
“He’s an arrogant piece of shit. He figured he’d never get caught. They were going to
blame Gio, remember? He never dreamed we’d implicate Paulie in his shit and we’d get the
truth out of their asses. Craig got in Glo’s front door by pretending I sent him, and then he
invited MJ in. They didn’t even need Gio, because they knew Gloria would protect the family.
And Pop makes a good point. Whoever has MJ over a barrel probably told him to do it himself.
He wanted dirt on MJ should he decide to join forces with Pop to go after whoever’s got him
running scared.”
“And what about this mysterious advisor? Who is he?” Nikki asked.
But Teddy was shaking his head. “Not something we discuss, Nikki.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s not. Pop has to have somebody he can turn to if shit gets out of hand.
Somebody totally outside of the family and with no known connection to the family. Nobody
knows him but Pop and me. And we have to keep it that way.”
It seemed as if there were new layers of Teddy’s life she was discovering every day. And she
knew when to let up. “Anyway,” she said, “I’m worried about Gloria. She should have told
you. I know she was traumatized, but she should have told you what was happening.”
Teddy agreed. But what was done was done. Besides, he didn’t want Nikki worrying about
that shit now. Any of it. That was his problem. He was more concerned about her safe return.
“How long do you think you’ll be gone?” he asked her.
“I can’t say at this point. Could be just a couple days. Could be longer. It depends on
what’s going on.”
“Don’t get too involved in his shit, Nikki,” Teddy warned her. “His shit is his shit. You’re just
going to make sure he’s okay.”
Nikki was nodding. “I agree. And that’s what I intend to do.”
Teddy stared into her eyes. And no way he was going to let her go without telling her. “I
love you, Nicole,” he said.
Even to Nikki, when she heard him say those words, it felt as if the needle in their
relationship had suddenly moved. She stared at him.
“I need you to know that,” he said. “I love you.”
Nikki’s heart swelled with joy. “I know you do,” she said. “I love you too.” Then she smiled.
“But it does help to hear it sometimes.”
Teddy smiled, too, and then stood to his feet. “I’d better go,” he said again.
“For real this time?” Nikki asked with a smile as she stood up too.
Teddy laughed. “For real this time,” he said, and they began walking toward the bedroom
door.
“You tell all those Rico Suave Creole fuckers in New Orleans that your ass is already taken.
Literally and figuratively,” he added, slapping her on her ass.
Nikki laughed. “Yes, sir!”
“Don’t even smile in their direction, Nikki,” Teddy said seriously. “They like women with big
asses too. But not my woman, and not her big ass.”
“I got it, Teddy.”
“No male drama,” he said. “If you don’t start none--”
“There won’t be none, Teddy. I got it.”
“And I don’t wanna hear about any one thing led to another thing bullshit either.”
Was this man for real? Nikki stopped walking and looked at him. “You won’t hear anything
like that from me,” she said. “I’m not that girl. You know that.”
Teddy looked at her. He knew. But his face was frowned with worry. “In other words,” he
said, “I’m going to miss you.”
Nikki smiled. That was more like it! She placed her hand on the side of his face. “In other
words, same here,” she said.
They stared a little longer, and then Teddy kissed her, long and hard, on her lips. And then
he pulled her into his arms.
“Take care of yourself, Teddy,” she said to him.
Teddy smiled. She would be worried more about him
than about herself! “I will,” he said,
and then they stopped embracing. And then Teddy finally left the plane.
But as soon as the plane lifted off, and he got in his Corvette and sped away, he was on his
phone to his man in New Orleans.
“She’s in the air now, he said. “As soon as she lands, I want you and your crew on her.
Make sure she doesn’t know, but stay with her.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You lose her, or let anything happen to her, it’s your ass.”
“Don’t worry, sir. We’ll handle it.”
They’d better, Teddy thought, and ended the call. Not that he was expecting heat to follow
her to New Orleans. There shouldn’t be any issues there. But Nikki was fully and completely his
responsibility now. He wasn’t taking any chances.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Max and Dave led Paulie Bryce out of the safe house and placed him inside the SUV. Joey
got in behind him. Mick and Teddy were already inside. Joey looked at his father. He was
suited-up in his black turtleneck, black pants, and his long, white coat, which meant, Joey knew,
he had no intentions of playing nice, and he looked at his brother. Teddy, wearing jeans, a
black bomber jacket, and a skullcap, was ready to battle too. But Joey still felt uneasy about
this whole thing.
Teddy turned around and looked at Paulie. “Ready to do this?” he asked him.
Paulie nodded. “I’m ready,” he said.
“Fuck this up and you’ve got a problem,” Teddy said.
“But what problem?” Joey asked. “I know you and Pop came up with this plan, but I don’t
like the plan. What’s to stop Paulie from going into that house with MJ and fucking us over?
You and Pop will be sitting ducks. MJ has more men on his property than an army battalion.”
Mick, seated beside Teddy, was not concerned. “Paulie will do what he’s told,” he said.
“You say that, Pop,” Joey said. “Teddy says that too. But how can we be assured of that?
That’s what I wanna know. Teddy says Paulie’s got a problem if he fuck with us. I say what
problem?”
“That problem,” Teddy said and motioned toward a van that had just pulled up. Joey and
Paulie looked as the door to the van slid open, and a woman and two children stepped out.
Paulie’s heart dropped through his shoe when he saw his wife and kids. “What the fuck!” he
cried as he tried to rise to his feet, but Joey slammed him back down. Even Joey was shocked.
The Sinatras didn’t play that shit. They didn’t involve women and children!
The woman and children were led into the safe house by armed guards.
Paulie looked at Mick and Teddy with terror in his eyes. What are they doing? They didn’t
play dirty like that!
“Like I said,” Teddy said to Joey, “he fuck with us, and our men will fuck with everything he
holds dear.”
“But they ain’t got nothing to do with this!” Paulie cried.
“My sister didn’t have nothing to do with this either!” Teddy fired back, half rising out of his
seat with out-of-nowhere anger. “What the fuck did she have to do with this? But that didn’t
stop your asses from putting her in it. Now your family’s in this shit too. We’re at war,
motherfucker. Nothing’s off the table. Nobody’s off the table! There’s nothing fair in war.
Fucker that tries to play fair in war is the fucker that loses the war. We didn’t start this shit. We
are not going to lose this shit.”
Mick nodded his head. He could not have said it better.
Paulie saw the rage in Teddy’s eyes and settled back down. And it wasn’t because he was
no longer distressed. He was distressed beyond words. But he knew the Sinatras weren’t
playing. He knew all of those plans of escape he had in his head were squashed. Teddy had
outplayed his hand. Teddy had played the one trump card Paulie never dreamed he’d play.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
The cab stopped in front of the Spot nightclub nearly three hours after Nikki had arrived in
New Orleans. She’d already checked into the condo she was renting. She’d already phoned
Teddy and told him she made it safely in. Now she was about to meet up with her father.
She paid the cabdriver and got out. The club was huge, nearly a block long, and Nikki was
surprised how different, and far more expansive it looked from how it was when she last saw it.
But when she walked across the sidewalk and up to the club’s entrance, she stood there
momentarily. She had dressed smartly while on the plane, she felt, in a form-fitting black dress
and heels. She ran her hands down the sides of her dress, to ensure a seamless fit, rubbed her
fingers through her long, straight hair, placed her clutch purse under her arm, and then pulled
open the heavy entrance door. Because she was seeing her father for the first time in seven
years, and although it was dark inside, she kept on her shades.
When she entered the club and saw her father sitting at the bar, with his back to her, she
could feel her knees buckling. But she kept on walking. He asked her to come. She came.
Turning back was not an option.
But he continued to sit at the bar and count receipts. He had to know somebody had
entered the club. But, as usual, he opted to ignore her presence.
But she kept on walking.
“Dad?” she finally said when she was right beside him.
Ralph “Tosh” Baker, a tall African-American man known for his great looks and equally great
business skills, legal and illegal, slowly turned toward her. When he saw her, he stared at her.
She would have appreciated a smile. “Hey,” he said. “You made it.”
She could feel his eyes following her every move as she sat on the bar stool beside him. As
she sat her purse and phone on the counter in front of them. As she exhaled, and then looked
at him too.
“How you been, Baby girl?”
“Good. You?”
“That’s an obvious answer or you wouldn’t be here, would you? I’m not doing great, that’s
for damn sure.” But he kept staring at her. “I like the hair. Last time I saw you it was kind of
curly-like. But you’re still looking good. It’s in the genes. Mine!”
“Mom says I need to lose a little weight.”
He frowned. “Please! She’s skinny as hell, and since she figures she’s God’s gift to man she
thinks everybody else should be skinny like her. What does she know? She thought she
needed to divorce me. Who in their right mind would have divorced me?”
Nikki smiled. She couldn’t help it. She forgot how he always used to make her smile.
His cell phone rang. As he answered it, Nikki looked around. It was a big, impressive club:
opening nightly at 7. It was always popular, even when he was in prison and one of his
associates ran it. Now he’d expanded.
When he ended his call, she commented on it. “Nice place, Dad. It’s bigger now.”
“Yeah, I don’t know a lot, but I know how to make things happen. I know how to run a club.
That I do know.”
“I’m surprised you kept your liquor license. Given the conviction, I mean.”
“Ah, Baby girl, give me a break! With the right contacts there’s no law that can’t be
managed. And that’s what I do. I manage things. I’m good at that.”
Nikki didn’t come all the way to New Orleans to hear him sing his praises. She heard enough
for a reason.”
Tosh picked up a lit cigarette he had in on an ashtray on the table. He took a puff and then
sat it back down. Then he looked at Nikki. “I need some money, Nikki,” he said bluntly.
Nikki couldn’t believe it. “Money? From who?”
“You’re the one I called.”
“Me? Dad, I literally don’t have two dollars to rub back to back. Literally. And you need
money from me? You called me all the way to Louisiana to get money from me?”
“You don’t have it,” Tosh said, “I know your ass ain’t got it. But I’ll bet cha that white boy
you’re dating sure does.”
Nikki stared at him. “His money is his money. That has nothing to do with me.”
“I’m in trouble, Baby girl. It has got to have everything to do with you.”
Nikki was a little taken aback. She had never seen his eyes look so frightened.
“If I don’t get the money up,” he continued, “I’m a dead man. You hear what I’m saying,
Nikki? I’m a motherfucking dead man! No ands, ifs, or buts about it. These people don’t play.”
“Who do you owe?” Nikki asked him.
“That’s none of your business,” Tosh said. “Your business is that I owe them. Period.”
Same old dad, Nikki thought. “How much do you need?” she asked, although she knew she
was in no position to supply him any cash.
And the fact that he hesitated before answering, didn’t make her feel any better. “I need at
least two,” he said. “That’ll keep the dogs away for a few weeks maybe.”
Nikki dreaded to ask. But she knew she had to. “Two what?” she asked. “Thousand?”
“You know I’m talking millions,” he said. “Come on, girl! Two million will at least give me
some time.”
Nikki couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You need two million dollars,” she said, “and
that’s not all you owe?”
He nodded. Picked up his cigarette again. “You got it,” he said and puffed hard.
“Dad, how in the world could you owe somebody that much money? What have you
done?”
“See? There you go again! Always figuring I’m up to shit.”
Nikki gave him a sidelong look.
Her Protector Page 15
