Reno and Trina: In the Shadows of Love, Book 12

by Mallory Monroe

  Reno nodded. “Good. I’ll invite him to dinner tomorrow night, if he’s still in town. That’s the least I can do.”

  Quinn was pleased to hear it. She was going to figure out a way to wiggle herself an invitation too. Mick, understandably, didn’t want to bother with her tonight, but she would see to him bothering her tomorrow night. After dinner.

  “Anything else?” she asked her boss.

  “That’s it,” Reno said, and Quinn left.

  Less than five minutes later, while Reno was still trying to decompress, Trina walked through his office door in what he considered was her usual perfect timing. He felt a great sense of relief, when she walked in.

  Like Reno, she was casually dressed too, in a pair of cuffed shorts that highlighted her gorgeous brown legs, and a puce-colored tucked-in blouse. The little belly she developed after having Sophia was gone. Reno leaned back and smiled. “Hey, beautiful,” he said as she approached him.

  But Trina was like Reno: she didn’t play games either. She could see the stress all over his face. She walked behind his desk, stood beside his chair, and leaned against the desk edge. She folded her arms and crossed her legs at the ankle. Reno put a hand on her thigh.

  “What was it about?” she asked him.

  He ran a hand through his thick hair. Trina noticed how, once it dried, he didn’t bother to comb it. “They need help,” he said.

  Trina prayed he didn’t say yes. “And what did you tell them?”

  Reno exhaled. “To take a hike.”

  Good, Trina thought. “But they didn’t like your answer, did they?”

  Reno smiled. “To put it mildly. One of them, Palameri, called me a Patsy and a hen. He said I caught jungle fever and went all soft on him.”

  “That bastard. Was he able to walk when he left out of here?”

  “He could walk. Whether or not he could see? Questionable.”

  “He had some nerve. All you do for people around this town, but it’s never good enough for them. I say fuck’em.”

  “I’m beginning to say the same thing,” Reno agreed. “I was sitting here listening to them go on and on about what some big-shot mobster was doing to their small-time asses, and how badly they need my help, and all the while I’m wondering why do I do it. Why do I keep putting my neck out for assholes like them? They wouldn’t do it for me. Not one of those pricks would dream of helping me. And appreciation? Forget about it! Like you said, I help them out, then they come back for more and more and more of me. But the first time I don’t have anything left to give, they turn on me. Just like that. You’re right. Fuck’em!”

  “But don’t beat yourself up, Reno. You helped them all those times before because it wasn’t about them. It was all about the principle to you. You didn’t like the big guys trying to squash the little guys. You hate it. But most of those little guys you help, Reno, are stone-cold gangsters. I hate to say it, but most of them get what they deserve.”

  Reno smiled. “You sound like Mick.”

  Trina frowned. “Like who?”

  “Mick Sinatra.”

  “The guy in our Presidential suite?”

  “Right.”

  “The dignitary you didn’t bother to mention to me was paying us a visit?”

  Reno smiled. “Right,” he said. “And before I forget,” he added, “he may be coming to dinner tomorrow night.”

  Trina considered him. “You almost never invite non-family members to dinner. Not even the real dignitaries. What is it about this guy?”

  “Well, he is family in an off-hand way,” Reno said.

  This surprised Trina. “How so?”

  “He’s Sal and Tommy’s uncle on their mother’s side.”

  “Oh. The mother that hated their guts?”

  “Right.”

  “The mother that Sal had to take out before she took out Gemma?”

  Reno nodded. “Right.”

  Trina frowned. “Why would you want to cater to him? Are he and Sal close? I know he’s not close to Tommy. Tommy has always refused to have anything to do with that side of his family.”

  “And he doesn’t have, or want to have anything to do with them either. It’s not about that. I heard about him when I was a kid. He’s a legend where I come from.”

  “Just because he stood up to your father?”

  “And because of his toughness. But standing up to my father was a big-ass deal. Don’t minimize it. Remember now, he was a kid, he’s not that much older than I am, standing up to a major mob boss. That was like Dommi standing up to me.”

  Trina laughed. “That’ll never happen.”

  But Reno didn’t agree. “Someday it will,” he said. “Jimmy’s tough like that too, but he’s coming around. I don’t think Dommi ever will. I’m going to have to go toe-to-toe with that kid one day. He’ll know who’s boss in the end, but it’s going to be a battle royal.”

  The idea of her precious little boy battling her precious husband was a thought Trina couldn’t begin to accept. But she knew Reno was right: Dommi was going to be a rough one.

  Reno could see the concern in her eyes. “Come here,” he said, and pulled her down onto his lap. He held her and kissed her on the lips. “I’ll have to set him straight one day,” he said, “but don’t worry. He’ll get out of it alive.”

  Trina smiled and shook her head. “Only a Gabrini,” she said, “would fix his mouth to say something like that.”

  Reno thought about it, realized how true she was, and then he laughed too.

  But when the laugher died into a peaceful co-existence, Reno found his fingers slipping into her panties and massaging her pussy. His mouth began ravaging her lips. Trina found herself running her fingers through his hair and lifting her blouse. She was getting that urge too.

  He lifted her bra and began sucking her breasts. Then soon, he was pulling down her shorts and panties and unzipping his jeans. And even with her sitting sideways on his lap, he took out his aroused big dick and put it inside of her tight, sweet place. That special place reserved for him, and him alone.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Amy Shumer sat in the small, interview room inside of Champagne’s, a high-end clothing store, and waited for Trina to get some free time. The store had been super busy when she first arrived and one of the salesladies had to escort her to this backroom off from the main floor to wait. And she waited and waited. After nearly half an hour of waiting, Trina found some free time. She walked in with a sheet of paper and a pair of eyeglasses in her hand.

  “Sorry about that, Aim,” she said as she took a seat at the small conference table across from Amy.

  “I understand completely,” Amy responded with a smile. “You’re very busy. Which, I’m sure, is a blessing.”

  “Oh, you wouldn’t believe. There was a time we were talking about shutting it all down we were struggling so much. Now both of our stores are doing fantastic. There’s a lot to be said for hanging in there.”

  “Amen.”

  “So,” Trina said, putting on the reading glasses she had in her hand and looking down at the paper in front of her, “I’ve had a chance to take a look at your resume.” She looked up. “I didn’t know you got your start in Atlantic City.”

  “Oh, yes. I worked there for several years before I came to Vegas.”

  “Why did you come to Vegas?” Trina asked her.

  “Reno,” Amy said. “He asked me to come. To work for him,” she quickly added.

  “And by all accounts, including mine, you did an excellent job for him.”

  “I did, Mrs. Gabrini,” Amy said with passion. “I worked my butt off for your husband, and for the PaLargio.”

  Trina considered her. “Why did he fire you?”

  A stormy look appeared in her big, blue eyes. It was still an open wound with her. “Quinn Chan, she was my assistant, started spreading all kinds of lies about me. She started sabotaging my work and getting others on staff to sabotage me too. And please don’t think I’m some paranoid talking cra
zy, because I’m not that girl. She really did a number on me. Reno stood by me, in the beginning, but he wouldn’t fire Quinn because there was no proof that she was behind any of it. He wouldn’t let me fire her, either.”

  But Trina knew her husband. “He wouldn’t fire Quinn,” she said, “because there was no proof. Yet he fired you. What was the proof that caused him to let you go?”

  “Quinn had slept with a couple of Reno’s business associates and got them to claim that I went behind his back and promised to float them details of negotiations they weren’t privy to if they paid me a certain amount of money. It was a pack of lies, but they backed Quinn when she told Reno about it, in essence backing Reno into a corner. He had no choice but to fire me.”

  Trina considered Amy. “And that was the only reason?”

  “Oh, yes, ma’am. Loyalty is everything to Reno. He’d rather you do anything to him than be disloyal. He thought I was disloyal. And fired me.”

  “Were you disloyal, Amy?” Trina asked her.

  Tears appeared in Amy’s big eyes. “No, ma’am. I was never disloyal to that man. Never.” She reached into her handbag for a napkin.

  “It’s okay,” Trina said

  “I didn’t mean to cry,” Amy said as she wiped her eyes quickly, to preserve the little makeup she did have on. “It’s just that it’s been so hard to be shunned like this.” She looked at Trina. “And you’re the only person who ever asked me what happened. You’re the only person who gave me a chance to explain.”

  “I would have given you a chance right away, if you would have returned my calls, or showed up for our scheduled meeting.”

  Amy shook her head. “That’s a long story, too, ma’am,” was all she would say about that.

  Trina leaned back. She looked at Amy’s impressive resume, then she looked at Amy. “I don’t know if you went behind Reno’s back with his business associates, I don’t know if you did that or not. And I will be looking into it, I assure you. And if it turns out that what you’re telling me is a bunch of bullshit, I’ll personally make sure that you won’t be able to get a waitress job in this city.”

  Amy nodded her head. She heard that Trina, as a boss, could be as ruthless as Reno. “I’m telling you the truth, Mrs. Gabrini,” she said. “I didn’t go behind Reno’s back. I wouldn’t have ever done something like that to him.”

  “Then you’ll be fine. But I can’t put you back at the PaLargio.”

  Amy looked at her. “You can’t?”

  “No,” Trina said bluntly. “Reno’s not going to let me. And yes, I said that. I help run that company, that’s the truth. But at the end of the day Reno has the final say. And he’s not going to say yes to your return. Once he shuts that door on you, it’s closed forever. But I do need a person like you here, at Champagne’s. You can start as an assistant manager so that I can see what you’re made of, and if you can handle that, we’ll see.”

  Amy stared at Trina. “Does that mean . . . Are you saying that you’re hiring me?”

  Trina smiled. “That’s what I’m saying,” she said, and before she could finish, Amy had jumped from her seat and was hugging Trina’s neck.

  Then she backed off. “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Gabrini.” She was in tears again. “It’s just that it’s been such a hard road, and I didn’t know how I was going to make it.”

  Trina stood up. “Well you’ve made it now,” she said, removing her glasses. Then she pointed those same glasses at Amy. “But don’t fuck with me,” she said, “or you’ll regret the day you ever stepped foot into this store.”

  “I won’t let you down, ma’am. I promise.”

  Trina wasn’t sure about that either. But she had to give her a shot. Because she knew that sometimes people were sabotaged. And sometimes conspiracies did exist. Sometimes people did follow paranoid people.

  “I’ve got to get back on the floor,” she said. “I’ll get one of the ladies to bring you the hiring packet for you to fill out and complete. Bring it to me when you’re done.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Amy said with a grand smile. “And thank-you so much. You won’t regret it.”

  Trina looked at Amy. “Maybe, maybe not. We’re see.”

  Shaun’s Lexus parked at the curb a few car lengths down from Champagne’s front entrance, and he stepped out. He knew there was a second Champagne’s store inside the PaLargio, because he went there first. But she wasn’t there. He wanted to ask about her, to save himself another blank trip, but he didn’t dare. He’d heard about her husband and how overprotective he could be about her. If he ever wanted to get her attention, he knew he had to play this just right. Like Monty told him yesterday, he couldn’t come at a woman like her any kind of way. His plan: hang around, be that fly on the wall, until she needed an ear to listen, or a shoulder to cry on. And then, when she was at her most vulnerable, he would stake his claim. He needed a new sugar mama. His last one ran out of funds too quickly. And no funds, no fun. He left her ass.

  Trina, he thought as he buttoned his suit coat and headed for the entrance, was exactly what he needed right now. Her funds would never dry up. Because he knew these rich ladies. He knew Trina would never tell a man like Reno Gabrini, and she would never let him know, that she was tipping out on him.

  When Shaun walked inside, he could see Trina in the back of the store, behind the customer service counter, ringing up an order. He removed his shades and began to peruse a rack of lingerie. He wasn’t going to approach her. That wasn’t his style. He would peruse and wait for her to approach him.

  At first, one of her salesladies approached him. She was a looker too. But undoubtedly as broke as he was. He told her he was fine, but thanks. And he continued to peruse and take sly peeps at Trina.

  She was gorgeous, he thought, as he watched her work. She wore a stunning periwinkle pantsuit with a tan, long-sleeve blouse. A Zac Posen design, if he had to guess. Gabrini had very good taste. From her dark brown skin and big hazel eyes, to her high-maintenance hair and exquisite clothing, she dressed beautifully and carried herself with equal grace. But it would be several more minutes of his perusing and peeping before Trina even realized he was in her store.

  She was on the floor, checking her inventory list against the stock on display, when she saw him. And, as he had planned, she walked over to him. “Well, hello,” she said, when she realized it was him. “Mr. Connors, correct?”

  Shaun played it cool. He turned toward her cautiously, as if she was trying to pick him up. And then, as if suddenly realizing it was Trina, he smiled. “Hey,” he said jovially. “It’s you again. What are you doing here?”

  “I work here. What are you doing here?”

  Rich married women, he’d come to realize, preferred to fool around with married men. That way, they figured the man had just as much to lose as they did. “My anniversary is coming up,” he said. “My wife loves nice, dainty lingerie, but . . .” He smiled and threw up his hands. “I don’t know where to start!”

  Trina smiled. “Let me help you,” she said, and sat her clipboard on a nearby table.

  Outside of the store, Reno parked his Porsche just behind Shaun’s Lexus and stepped out. He was dressed in a double-breasted suit and wore shades himself, and although he was trying his best to look otherwise pristine, his hair was already windblown and his suit was already wrinkling. He looked at his reflection through the plate glass window across the sidewalk and shook his head. Although he wore clothes by top designers from around the world, he was no fashion plate. He had nothing on Sal and Tommy, who knew how to dress for success with the best of them. Oh well, he thought. He couldn’t out-dress them, but he’d bet he could kick both their asses. And then he smiled at the thought, and headed toward the store.

  “What colors do she mainly like?” Trina was asking Shaun when Reno walked in.

  “Blues and pinks, I think,” Shaun responded.

  “Okay.” Trina was going through the rack. “And what type of lingerie you want to get her?”

 
“A bra, a pair of briefs, or should I say panties? Sleepwear. All matching. I think she likes her panties to match with her bra.”

  He looked at Trina when he named those items, to see if such words would provoke some rise out of her. Reno, seeing the two of them together, was looking at Shaun.

  But Trina was all business. “What size is your wife?” she asked him.

  “Good question. But one I do not know the answer to.”

  Trina was surprised. “Okay,” she said, looking at him. That was unusual to her. Reno knew every size she wore, down to her panties, and often purchased exactly the lingerie he wanted her to wear. Except for any nightgowns. Reno didn’t see the point in wearing clothes to bed. “Is she small, medium, or large, would you say?” she asked Shaun.

  Shaun removed his glasses and looked Trina up and down. “I would say she’s just about your size. So smallish?”

  But the very fact that he was looking Trina up and down, assessing her body, in Reno’s opinion, was too much. He interrupted the twosome. He made his presence known.

  “Hey,” Trina said with a smile as he approached them. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

  Reno kissed her on the lips and placed his hand around her waist. Territorial, Shaun thought.

  “Thought I’d take you to lunch,” Reno said, although he was staring at Shaun.

  “Sounds good,” Trina said. But when she realized Reno wasn’t about to break his stare down of Shaun, she spoke up. “This is Mr. Connors, Reno,” she said. “And this is my husband.”

  “Mr. Gabrini,” Shaun said jovially as the two men shook hands. “It is quite an honor to meet you, sir.”

  “How are you?” Reno asked.

  “I’m good. Pretty awful when it comes to buying clothes for my wife, but other than that: A-okay.”

  “He and his wife stayed at the PaLargio a few months back,” Trina informed Reno. “They didn’t get topnotch service, apparently, and---”

  Reno frowned and interrupted Trina. “What do you mean they didn’t get good service?”

  “We were treated rudely,” Shaun said. “To put it politely.”