“So you came out for business?” I asked then lifted a bottle of Corona to my lips.
“Yeah, my dad flew out with me. We had some negotiations with a distributor.” He didn’t elaborate and I was okay with that. There were people sitting around us and honestly, I didn’t want to know all of the details.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah. You heard about Giant, right?”
“I did. Grant told me. I’m sorry for your loss, Dom.” I reached across the picnic table to hold his hand when I saw the shadow of grief pass over his face. “I always liked Anthony.”
“We grew up together and he always had my six, ya know?” He sighed and squeezed my hand. “I’m going to make damn sure shit doesn’t go down like that again.” His jaw clenched and his eyes flashed. The moment of vulnerability had passed.
We finished our beers and headed back home. Dom yawned so hard that his jaw creaked.
“Tired, huh?” I asked.
“Yeah, I haven’t slept in close to two days,” he admitted.
“Dom! Should you even be driving? You need to take care of yourself!”
He turned and smiled at me. “I’m fine, baby, but I love it when you worry about me.” He winked before focusing on the road again.
Once we got back to my apartment, I grabbed spare sheets and a blanket from the linen closet in the bathroom. I didn’t have an extra pillow so I snagged one off of my bed. When I went to change the pillow case, Dom stopped me. “Your scent will ensure sweet dreams,” he said. “I refused to wash my sheets for the longest time after you left because your smell helped me sleep.”
“Well that’s not creepy at all,” I said with a laugh and tossed the pillow at him. “Okay, well good night and sweet dreams.” I turned to leave the living room, but Dom reached out for my hand, stopping me.
“Thank you for not throwing me out, Natalie. I’ve really missed you and hopefully one day we’ll share a bed again.” He lowered his head and his lips gently brushed against mine. When I didn’t pull away he pressed a little bit harder and I opened for him, allowing his tongue to slip inside. He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer. I moaned, slipping my hand into the back pocket of his jeans, feeling the firmness of his ass. It was just a kiss, but it held the promise of more. Our attraction to each other hadn’t faded with our time apart. Any reservations fell away the longer we kissed. I felt him grow hard, and increasing pressure against my stomach, and that was my sign that I needed to put some space between us. I broke off the kiss and stepped out on his embrace.
“Good night,” I said, the huskiness of my voice betraying my true feelings. Yes, I wanted him and still loved him, but needed time to consider a future with Dom.
Chapter 41
DOMINIC
I lay on the futon, listening to Natalie get ready for bed. The only light in the apartment came from her bedroom. Minutes later, she flipped the light off, sinking the apartment into total darkness, but I didn’t hear her close her door. Even though I was exhausted, my body was wide awake after our kiss. My dick throbbed with unfulfilled release, preventing sleep from claiming me. As quietly as possible, I grabbed my tee shirt off of the floor and lowered the blanket. I was only wearing my briefs, so I slid them down to my knees, freeing my erection. The air conditioning was cold against the heat of my skin, but the contrast in temperature only added to my arousal.
I didn’t need to imagine Natalie’s body against me or her mouth on me, just the scent of her shampoo on the pillow and the lingering taste of her on my lips was enough to get me off as I gripped my dick and stroked. A moan drifted down the hallway and I pictured Natalie touching herself too and that was all it took. My balls tightened up and I came hard into the soft cotton of my shirt. I lay there for a few seconds panting, my heart beating fast against my ribs. I pulled my briefs back up and turned to my side. Hugging the pillow close I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
A phone ringing woke me up and I rolled over to grab it out of my jeans. It wasn’t the burner phone ringing, but the one I used for personal and legitimate business. The number on display was from the Grabano Enterprises office. I wasn’t sure what time it was, but it was still dark outside.
“Hello?” I answered, clearing my throat when it came out croaky from sleep.
“Mr. Grabano! I’m sorry to wake you, but I don’t know what to do!” It was Estelle the assistant and I could hear the panic in her voice.
“Calm down and tell me what’s going on?” I stood up and went into the kitchen to talk so I wouldn’t disturb Natalie.
“There are FBI agents here and they have a warrant to search the office. What should I do?”
I knew this was a possibility and had made preparations. “Let them search, but call my attorney and let him know what’s happening.”
“Oh,” she sounded surprised. “Okay, I will do that.”
“And Estelle?”
“Yes?”
“You were right in calling me. Feel free to leave early today.”
“Thank you, Sir,” she said and hung up.
The clock on the microwave showed it wasn’t even six in the morning. That meant the Feds hit the office first thing. I fetched my burner phone out of my bag and called Dante. He answered after four rings.
“Yo Dom, what’s up?” he asked, and I heard the rustle of sheets in the background as well as a female voice. I filled him in on the warrant and told him to keep an eye on the situation. “I will, man,” he said. “How’d things go yesterday?”
“Good. We have one more chance. Dad was there with me.”
Dante was quiet on the other end. “Yeah, sorry about telling him, it just kind of happened. Don’t be pissed at him, though, be pissed at me.”
“Good thing I love ya, cuz. Dad doesn’t need to know everything. Remember that for next time.”
“I will…and how are things going with Natalie?”
“Good, better than I expected.” I leaned against the kitchen counter and rested my head back against a cabinet. The cool surfaces felt good. “I wish I could stay longer, but in light of the search warrant, I’ll be heading back tonight as planned.”
“I hear ya. Alright, well if anything happens between now and then, I’ll call ya.”
“Thanks, bro,” I said and ended the call. It was early, but there was no way I’d be falling asleep. I crept down the hallway to use the bathroom. Natalie must have heard me anyway as she was waiting in the hall.
“I heard your phone ring. Everything okay?” she asked as she passed by me to enter the bathroom. She looked adorable in her little sleep shorts. Her hair stuck out in all directions and that wasn’t the only think sticking out, I noticed her nipples were hard underneath the white tank top she was wearing.
“Yeah, all good,” I answered, making an effort to look up and meet her eyes.
She gave me a sleepy smile before yawning and closing the door. I wandered back to the living room and laid down on the futon, stretching out across the mattress and staring up at the ceiling. The room had grown lighter and I saw glimpses of dawn through the blinds. Natalie came out and sat down next to me. I felt heat radiating off of her body and instinctively rolled towards her so I lay on my side.
“Can’t sleep?”
“Nah, I’m up now. Don’t let me keep you awake, though.”
“I’m good. Want to go for a run?” she asked.
Yeah, I did. That was the perfect distraction from her sitting so close and from whatever the fuck was going on in Philly. We quickly changed and after a brief internal debate, I left both phones sitting on the kitchen counter.
I let Natalie take the lead so I could watch her ass as she ran in front of me. I admired her long legs and the flex of her calf muscles with each stride. She looked over her shoulder at me and caught me looking.
“Come on, you pervert, run alongside me,” she said.
“Pervert?” I caught up to her and smacked her ass, which made her squeal with laughter.
She put me through the paces and by the third mile I was sweating so much that I stripped my shirt off and tucked it in the waist band of my shorts. It was her turn to ogle me. “Who’s the pervert now?” I asked, puffing out my chest. Natalie giggled and blushed, quickly turning her attention away from my abs. We teased and goofed off on the return trip, my stomach hurt from laughing and I collapsed, panting on the bottom of the stairs that led to her apartment. She sat down next to me, panting just as hard.
“God, I needed that,” I said, leaning back on my elbows and stretching my legs out.
“Me too.”
We sat there for a few minutes, catching our breath and enjoying the light breeze. I heard Natalie’s stomach growl and grinned. “Let’s go feed your beast, Ross. Got anything to eat?” I asked.
She blushed and looked away. “No, I have to go grocery shopping.” I narrowed my eyes at her embarrassment, knowing she wasn’t telling me everything.
“Well, let me take you out for breakfast then,” I said and got to my feet.
“Okay,” she agreed and stood up with me. Her apartment was cool and it felt great on my sweaty skin. I let Natalie shower first and while she was showering, took a look through her kitchen to see if there were enough ingredients to make her breakfast. I loved to cook, but rarely did unless I had someone to cook for. I was shocked to see how empty her refrigerator was. There was a single bagel, a small tub of store brand cream cheese, a quart of skim milk and two apples. Her cabinets were just as empty containing a couple packets of ramen, a box of rice and a jar of store brand peanut butter. What the hell did my girl eat? I asked myself. This explained her reaction, though. The eviction notice and lack of food were all signs that Natalie wasn’t having an easy time of things and she was too stubborn to ask for help. Fuck, I didn’t like to think of her struggling and wanted to make sure she never wanted for anything, but I knew she’d never accept that.
Natalie was still in the shower, the water rushing through the pipes hidden in the wall that separated the kitchen and bathroom, when my personal phone rang. Recognizing my attorney’s number, I answered right away and frowned when he revealed the reason behind the search warrant.
“An anonymous tip came in that I was storing heroin there?” I asked; making sure I’d heard him right the first time.
“Yes. It was reason enough for them to get a warrant.”
“Obviously they didn’t find anything.”
“No and Special Agent Phillips is quite irate. He’s going to keep sniffing around,” Seth said.
“Let him. Shit’s buttoned up. I’m more concerned over who this fucking tipster is. Someone wants my ass to burn from all of this heat.”
“That I can’t help you with, but legally they don’t have anything on you or the business.”
“Thanks,” I said and hung up. Picking up my burner phone, I called Dante and relayed the information. I told him to have Johnny do some digging, see if he could uncover the identity of our anonymous tipster.
I was just finishing up the call when I heard the water shut off. Minutes later Natalie appeared; her face glowing from being freshly scrubbed and her hair up in a towel. She wore a yellow sundress that accented her tan and the diamond pendant I gave her for her college graduation present.
“The shower is all yours,” she said and disappeared back into her bedroom.
I stepped into the steamy bathroom that smelled like Natalie’s coconut and lime body wash. God, I missed sharing a bathroom with her, I thought to myself as I shaved and showered. She had left a small bottle of Ralph Lauren body wash on the edge of the tub for me. It wasn’t my usual fragrance and had more of a citrus tang. I shrugged and used it any way, not really wanting to know who it might have belonged to. Probably Jason and with that thought, I squeezed the bottle so hard half of the soap spilled out.
Throwing on jeans and a black tee shirt, I ran a comb through my wet hair and brushed my teeth. Natalie was in the living room waiting for me. She had righted the futon so it was no longer a bed and folded my sheets and blanket. My shirt from the night before sat on top of my bag and I smirked at the idea of her discovering its last function.
“Ready to go?” I asked, sticking a phone in each pocket and tucking the gun in the waistband of my jeans. The cool metal against the small of my back was a reassurance. “You pick the place.”
Once again I drove Natalie’s BMW and we had the top down. The sun was shining through a smog bank, causing the temperature to rise, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Natalie hooked up her phone to stream her iTunes and Royal Blood blasted through the speakers. It was so freeing being away from the pressures of Philadelphia and driving down unfamiliar streets with my favorite girl by my side. For the first time in months I felt at peace.
We ate a small café that specialized in omelets and had amazing homemade corned beef hash. It pleased me to see Natalie clean her plate. Now that I had a chance to really take her in, I could tell she had lost some weight.
“So, how’ve you been, Nat?”
She set her fork down and took a sip of coffee. “Okay, I guess. I’ve been busy working.”
“That’s what Victor said. He’s been wanting to take you shooting.”
“Yeah, my hours have been crazy. Need to pay the bills, ya know? Speaking of which, I will pay you back for the rent.”
“Nope. I won’t accept any money from you. It was a gift.” She narrowed her hazel eyes at me and I laughed. “I wanted to help and I did. Deal with it, Ross.”
“Fine,” she finally said.
I paid the bill for breakfast and Natalie watched, chewing pensively on her lip the entire time. “What?” I asked.
“Thanks, Dom. It’s been hard lately and I’m trying to do things on my own. It’s stressful and everything costs so damn much out here.”
“Hey, you ever need anything, just call me. I’ve got your back.”
I held the door for her and we left the restaurant. “What time is your flight?” she asked.
“8:00. I figured I’d leave for the airport by five so I can return the rental. Do you have to work today?”
“No, I actually have the day off. It’s my first one off in two weeks.”
“Lucky me,” I said and smiled at her. Traffic was light and on the way back to her apartment I pulled into a strip mall that had a grocery store. “Come on, let’s get you stocked up. Your cabinets are bare.”
The protest was immediate. “Dom, no, you’ve done enough.”
“Do you want Aunt Gloria to find out I left you living on crumbs? I’d never hear the end of it. Grant is going to want a full report on how you’re doing too. My hands are tied. Now let’s go.” I walked beside her with my hand on the small of her back into the store, but stepped away to grab a cart. When she put a store brand item in the cart, I replaced it with a name brand, but she wasn’t having it so I backed off. At least she was buying food.
I paid the cashier and loaded the groceries into Natalie’s car. She was silent on the drive back to her place. “It’s okay to accept help every once in a while,” I told her.
“I know, it’s hard to accept though,” she paused and looked at me. “Thank you.” She leaned over and kissed my cheek.
We reached her apartment complex and unloaded the groceries. “I’m cooking dinner tonight before I leave.”
“You don’t have to, Dom.”
“I want to. I like cooking for you and I bought ingredients for chicken parmesan.”
“Oh my God! Keep it up and I’m going to kidnap you and make you my kitchen slave.”
“Don’t threaten me with a good time,” I teased and she laughed.
The rest of the day we relaxed by the pool then around three we went back to her apartment so I could start cooking. I opened a bottle of red wine and poured two glasses. Natalie helped with prep and we worked side by side, talking and laughing. Once the dish was in the oven baking, we sat on the futon and finished the rest of the bottle.
“Do you have to leave?” Na
talie asked. She shifted so her body leaned against my side and I put an arm around her shoulders, curling her in closer. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too, babe. More than you know. I wish I didn’t have to go back.” I kissed the top of her head.
We sat there in silence, both lost in our thoughts, which were disrupted when my burner phone started ringing. Natalie moved so I could get up to answer it.
“Dante, this better be important,” I said.
“Yeah, it fucking is. Special Agent Phillips is dead.”
“WHAT?”
“He was shot while stopped at a light. I don’t know who the fuck did it, but the blowback is on us right now. Please tell me you’re still in L.A.?”
“Yeah, I’m still here.”
“Good. This gives you a solid alibi. I know it wasn’t us. You gave the order not to put the drop on Phillips. You should stay out there a few days until the fucking shit storm dies down.”
I was pacing the length of the apartment at this point, from the tiled entry way by the front door down the hall to Natalie’s bedroom and back again. “Yeah, I’ll lay low, but you need to keep me up to date on everything. I want all eyes and ears on this. We can’t afford any blowback and need to find out if Phillips’ death is connected in any way to us. Grill Demetrius. Egan, Chan and Ji. Do Grant and Miranda know what happened?”
“Yeah, Grant has already called all of the soldiers in for an emergency meeting.”
“Okay, good. I’ll call my dad and have him hang here for a few days too. He was flying back with me tonight.”
“Good. Don’t worry, Dom, we’ll handle this.”
I continued to pace after the call ended. I was tempted to throw my phone against the wall, but knew that would be counterproductive.
Endings & Beginnings: Book Three of The New Mafia Trilogy Page 28
