Love and War

by Jackie Chanel

  “But it’s the job,” Caprice argued. “I don’t want Aries.”

  “But you’ll fuck him if you have to.”

  Rocco’s words sucked the oxygen out of the room. Caprice felt sick to her stomach. She hadn’t given sleeping with Aries much thought. Until Rocco brought it up, she was confident that she’d be able to use her charm and intellect to get what she wanted out of the gang leader. She certainly didn’t want to spread her legs and let Aries have what belonged to Rocco. Deep down in her heart, she knew she would do whatever she had to do in order to protect the family name.

  “It’s not going to come down to that,” Caprice said. “I'll be in and out in a couple months. I don’t give it up that damn fast anyway. You know that.”

  “Yeah right,” was Rocco’s grave reply. “I remember what you said in the car about not waiting on me.”

  “What I’m about to do has nothing to do with you and me. I know you’re afraid of what my brother and father are going to say-”

  “Do,” Rocco interrupted. “We should be afraid of what your father and brother are going to do. I’ve been a part of this life since I was a kid. I’ve seen Domani and my dad ice men over a $100 gambling debt. What the fuck do you think he’s going to do to me when he finds out that I’ve been giving his daughter the pipe?”

  “He’ll be fine as long as he knows this is real and not some casual fuck in a seedy hotel in the Bronx. If Domani finds out,” she continued, “before I’m ready to tell him that we’re in a real relationship, we’re both screwed. If you don’t love me, that’s fine. Just don’t pretend. Don’t waste my time.”

  Rocco and Caprice had been playing the same cat and mouse game for nearly six months. Rocco knew his feelings for Caprice were very real and very strong. She had a way of taking his mind off the shit storm that was his life. It sounded cliché in his head, but the truth was, Rocco Comacchi was a made man. Like his father and his grandfather before him, he was an enforcer...a killer.

  He felt just as comfortable with his finger on the trigger of his Desert Eagle or his hand wrapped around his Louisville Slugger as he did with his arm around Caprice watching her favorite chick flick. Yeah, he loved her, but he had no say in matters her father authorized. Caprice was about to become exactly what he was and that changed everything.

  She had a job to do and he would not interfere.

  Caprice gazed at Rocco while he absently flipped through the hundreds of channels that Time Warner had to offer. She took the remote control out his hand and straddled his denim covered his thighs.

  “Is this our last night together?” she asked.

  “Depends,” Rocco replied.

  Caprice slid her hands under Rocco’s t-shirt and ran them over his pecs. “Then we better make it a night to remember.”

  Rocco’s large hand clasped the back of Caprice’s neck as he pressed his lips firmly against hers. She inhaled deeply, taking in his manly scent that made her tingle all over. When he parted her lips with his tongue, she clasped her hands around his neck and moaned. She started to grind and roll her hips against him until she could feel the bulge in his pants harden beneath her. This was the part that she liked.

  He was angry and frustrated with her, but he still wanted her. Caprice loved that she had that affect on Rocco; that she could break down his hard exterior so easily when she presented herself to him, when she allowed him to take what she wanted him to have.

  Caprice eased her lips away from Rocco’s and tilted her head back so he could have easy access to her spot. She shivered as Rocco’s tongue grazed up and down her neck and flicked her earlobe. With her eyes closed, she blindly fiddled with his belt until it was unbuckled and unfastened his jeans. Rocco lifted himself off the sofa just enough for Caprice to slide his jeans and boxers to his ankles.

  Sitting on the sofa, half naked, Rocco didn’t appear vulnerable. The fiery passion in his eyes could put the fear of God in anyone who looked his way. The entire Black Diamond Mafia gang could storm his apartment and Rocco wouldn’t flinch. He’d ice them all, with his pants around his ankles. That lack of fear was what attracted Caprice to him in the first place and kept her attention on him. No matter what happened with Aries, she would always find a way to get back to Rocco.

  “Take off your shorts,” Rocco commanded and Caprice did as she was told, revealing her black cotton thong. After six months of sleeping with Rocco, she knew exactly what turned him on, and it wasn’t the thousands of dollars worth of La Perla lingerie in her underwear drawer.

  Rocco pulled her back to him and pushed her thong aside. He ran his finger up and down her slit until she began to pant breathlessly. She was soaking wet as he slid a finger inside of her, spreading her just a little. The first time Rocco had fingered Caprice, he was surprised that she was so tight. He was even more surprised that she was a virgin.

  Caprice wasn’t waiting on marriage, like her mother had suggested. She was waiting on the right guy, and most guys bored her. She’d never been interested in the boys at her private high school. The boys at NYU were average, even though they all thought that they weren’t. Then Rocco came along and changed everything.

  From the first day she, Rocco, and Nico worked out together at the boxing gym, Caprice had been trying to get Rocco’s attention. Six months ago, she succeeded. There wasn’t anything she would not do for Rocco, including losing her virginity in the bathroom of a club after trying X for the first time. It was the only time that Rocco had ever given her drugs. He promised it would be the last.

  Caprice eased off Rocco’s thick finger and positioned her opening over his dick. She slid down his pole and rotated her hips. When she threw her head back and groaned at the sensation of being filled completely, Rocco firmly grabbed her ass. He leaned back against the sofa while Caprice bounced on his dick.

  Rocco turned off the television and grinned at Caprice. She opened her eyes and returned the smile, only hers was full of arrogance and satisfaction. With the television off, the only sounds in the apartment was skin smacking against skin, their heavy breathing, and loud moans.

  Caprice used every muscle in her legs and hips to fuck her man hard and fast. Rocco gripped her tightly as she bucked wildly. One of his thumbs rubbed her clit. She tightened and clenched around him until he leaned forward and whispered the command she’d been waiting for.

  “Cum for me. Now.”

  Caprice felt like he was speaking directly to every nerve ending in her body as they jumped to life. Waves of sensation flooded her body. Every muscle she had tightened as they squeezed the pleasure from her body. She was so overwhelmed by her own orgasm that she barely noticed Rocco pumping furiously inside her until he stiffened and pulled out of her. His dick began to throb and squirt hot spurts of cum on her thighs. Caprice hopped off of him and frowned at the thick semen running down her thigh.

  “I’m on the pill, you know. You don’t have to do that.”

  “I know,” Rocco sneered. “Payback is a bitch.”

  “Payback? What did I do?”

  “Figure it out,” Rocco said with a smirk. “Go shower. I’ll order dinner. I gotta get you home soon.”

  “Caprice smiled. “Yeah right. Don’t try to rush me out of here. I’m spending the night.”

  Rocco frowned. “You can’t.”

  “I can and I am,” Caprice stated. “Maria will cover for me. If this is our last night together, we gotta make it a night to remember, right?”

  Rocco watched Caprice turn and walk down the hall to the bathroom. Arguing with her was useless. She was stubborn, like every member of the Bonatelli family that he had ever met. Still, he couldn’t help but love everything about her. If Aries and the Black Diamond Mafia didn’t kill her, he was going to speak to the Boss. He would ask her father for her hand, even if Domani wacked him for it. She was worth it.

  Chapter Four

  Caprice pulled her Lexus in front of her friend Keisha’s house and leaned on the horn. She hadn’t spent much time in Queens, but
she knew that she had to get used to it. She had a six month lease on a two bedroom apartment and no time to waste. She needed to meet Aries and get the job done. She wanted to get back to her old life as soon as possible. Her old life didn’t include hanging out with girls like Keisha.

  Keisha was a basic bitch and utterly obsessed with finding a dude who drove a Range Rover and wore diamonds like 2Chainz. Like all basic bitches, she was perfectly happy going down to Canal Street and spending her student loan money on knockoff bags and shoes to impress the members of Black Diamond Mafia.

  Caprice didn’t have the heart to tell the girl that anybody with a decent eye could spot a knockoff in a heartbeat. Besides, if things went according to Caprice’s plan, the guys she wanted to get with would be broke in a few months. The only reason Caprice forced herself to become close friends with the girl was because Aries was her cousin. Keisha served a purpose.

  “Why you look so Plain Jane?” Keisha grumbled when she got in the car. “You know Aries is gonna be at the cookout, right? Shit, he’s the one who throws this thing every year.”

  Caprice looked down at her jeans and tank top. Keisha was too stupid to realize that Caprice’s pants cost more than the last three outfits she’d worn to the club. Hell, Caprice had paid more for her custom Swarovski crystal jeweled case for her iPhone than Keisha had spent on the outfit she was currently wearing. Caprice couldn’t help but wonder how Keisha maintained a 3.8 GPA at NYU.

  “I told you I wanted to meet Aries privately,” Caprice replied testily instead of saying what she really wanted to say. “Why are we going to a Black Diamond cookout with a million people around?

  Keisha shrugged. “Well, my cousin doesn’t have private meetings with people he don’t know. Are you sure you don’t want to go in the house and change? Aries likes girls who show a little skin. How do you plan on getting his attention by looking like you goin’ on a family picnic?”

  “Watch and learn.” Caprice smiled with confidence.

  Her plan did not include being one of the girls at the cookout baring too much tits and ass. She wanted to get Aries’ attention and hold it. The only way that would happen was if she stood out from the girls looking like they were in the Pop That video. Keisha wouldn’t understand the art of seduction, which was why her skirt barely covered her ass and she was wearing hooker heels to a barbecue.

  When Caprice pulled onto 170th Street, the music was blaring, and the entire block was full people. The mouthwatering smell of barbecued ribs and chicken made Caprice’s stomach rumble.

  “Which house is it?” Caprice asked.

  “The white one on the corner with the blue shutters.” Keisha pouted. “Ain’t no parking spots on this street. Try the next street over.”

  Caprice circled the block four times before a spot close to the house opened up. Despite her friend’s complaints, she would have kept circling and waiting for the perfect spot. Her 2012 Lexus was a gift from her father. There was no way she was taking her eyes off of it while it was parked on the street in South Jamaica, Queens. From the fenced backyard of the corner house, she’d be able to see her car and pick off anyone who messed with her baby with the .9mm tucked away in her purse.

  Caprice cut the engine and picked up her bag from the backseat. Her chrome .22 that was tucked in the back of her jeans shifted. She waited until Keisha was out of the car before she adjusted it. Judging by the host of the cookout and the look of the partygoers, Caprice knew she wasn’t the only one packing heat.

  Caprice followed behind Keisha, observing her surroundings and making mental notes in her head. She paid attention to every female giving her the side eye as she passed. She was new and they didn’t know who she was. Caprice recognized the look of contempt on their faces. She could practically read their minds. If they only knew how cute she really thought she was.

  She paid more attention to the members of the Black Diamond Mafia sitting around card tables smoking and drinking. Fuck the jealous females. The men were her real enemies.

  “Come on girl,” Keisha urged. “I’ll introduce you to my cousin. He’s over there.”

  Keisha pointed to a dark skinned dude wearing a black BDM basketball jersey and matching fitted cap. He was laughing, and even from twenty feet away, Caprice noticed his dimples. She wasn’t expecting Aries to be so handsome, but, damn, he was fine!

  Well, that makes my job easier, Caprice thought to herself. At least she wouldn’t have to spend time with someone who looked liked Shrek.

  Keisha pushed past half a dozen scantily clad girls who were practically drooling over the gang leader and pulled Caprice to the front of the pack.

  “What’s up cuz,” she said to her cousin.

  “Hey cuz. Didn’t think you were gonna make it this year. Don’t you have to study for finals or somethin’?”

  A shiver went through Caprice when Aries spoke. His voice was deep and smooth like Billy D’s. She wanted to kick herself for being attracted to him. Maybe this wasn’t going to be as easy as she thought.

  “I do, but we couldn’t miss the pre-summer cookout.”

  Aries stood up to hug his cousin. Caprice expected Aries to be tall, but not as tall as he actually was. He towered almost an entire foot over her and she was 5’9” in her flats.

  “Who do we have here?” Aries stared over his cousin’s shoulder at Caprice. He’d never seen her before so she stood out like a sore thumb. She didn’t even look like she belonged on the Southside at all.

  “This is my friend I told you about. The one who goes to NYU with me.”

  Aries’ eyebrows shot up. “This is the girl you told me about?”

  Keisha was offended. She hadn’t exaggerated when she told Aries Caprice was a “bad bitch”. Just because Caprice chose to wear jeans and a tank top and hardly any makeup, he didn’t have to look at her friend like she had the cooties.

  “Yes,” Keisha snapped.

  Aries chuckled. “Yeah, okay,” he said. “Why don’t you take your friend and go get something to eat.” He sat back down and resumed his card game.

  “That was rude as hell,” Keisha muttered as she and Caprice headed over to the food table. “That nigga act like he couldn’t even speak. I told you to change!”

  Caprice rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry about it.”

  She didn’t have to wear a short skirt and four inch heels to know that Aries was watching her walk away. She could feel his eyes on her denim covered ass.

  She piled her plate with macaroni and cheese, greens, potato salad, ribs, and chicken, and grabbed a Corona out of the beer cooler before finding an open spot at one of the many folding tables in the back yard. She looked around the party and watched the continuous flow of girls flock over to the tables where the BDM boys were sitting. Some of them were incredibly gorgeous with bodies that could easily grace the cover of any men’s magazine. Still, Caprice didn’t consider any of them as competition. Instead, she wondered how many of them would attend Aries’ funeral.

  “What is Aries goin’ to think if he sees you eatin’ all that food? He’s going to think that you’re a fat girl trapped inside a skinny girl’s body. Nigga’s ain’t checkin’ for that,” Keisha warned. “I thought you liked him.”

  “I don’t know him,” Caprice stated. “I just said I wanted to meet him. I’m hungry…not thirsty.”

  Keisha glared at Caprice. “I ain’t thirsty either. All these bitches in here tryin’ to get Aries to fuck ‘em are the thirsty ones. But you gotta admit that his friend, Diesel, is a cool drink of water right there! You eat. I’m going to talk to him.”

  That makes you thirsty, Caprice thought while she watched the girl walk over to the table and plop down right next to the light-skinned boy sitting across from Aries’ empty chair.

  “Somebody ought to teach that girl some tact,” Caprice mumbled and focused on her food.

  “Which girl are you talking about?” a deep voice said from above her. “There are too many tactless broads here. You’re going to have
to narrow it down some.”

  Caprice looked up, rolled her eyes at Aries, and resumed eating. “Oh yeah?” she asked around a forkful of greens. “You could say there are enough men here who are equally tacky to balance it out. Can I help you with something?”

  “What’s your name?”

  With her eyes on two individuals admiring her car, Caprice answered coolly, “Seems like you could have asked that when your cousin tried to introduce us. You didn’t want to know then, so why should I tell you now?”

  “Did I hurt your feelings?”

  Caprice glanced at Aries and snickered. “There is nothing you could do to hurt my feelings.”

  She leaned back in her chair and felt the small handgun press against her back. A vision of Nico’s three inch scar on his face flashed before her eyes. She was tempted to shoot Aries right then and there. Only the obvious fact that she wouldn’t make it to the front door alive if she did shoot him stopped her

  “You can’t fight with emotion, Caprice,” her trainer, Angelo, always told her. “Bury those feelings before you swing.”

  Caprice took a deep breath and resumed her cool composure. “Since you didn’t have anything to say a few minutes ago, what can I help you with?”

  “You’re keeping an awful close eye on that Lex. That must be your baby. A present for Daddy’s princess, I suppose?”

  Caprice stared straight ahead. Inside, she was losing it. If Aries knew who she was, she had a slim chance of leaving without a fight. Under the table, she reached into her purse and flipped off the safety on her gun. She measured the height of the fence. She had never hopped a fence before, but it was the quickest way to get to her car. Thank God she had worn flats.

  “What are you talking about?” she asked.

  “You got that private school look to you. You’re rockin’ a real Valentino bag and $200 jeans. You aren’t from around here because these public school bitches ain’t droppin’ seventy-five bucks on an Alexander Wang tank top. And,” Aries continued with a smirk. “You go to NYU but you’re not on financial aid like Keisha. That kind of money doesn’t grow on trees. You must be a daddy’s girl.”