Not this time. This time I was really fucking done.
I drove my sister to Temptations, so she and Mikey could talk. She was torn between her attraction and feelings for Mikey and her loyalty to Rico. Nikki and Rico had been together for about a year and until Mikey showed up, my sister had always seemed happy. Sure, Rico was arrogant and a dick, but that was part of the package. He thought he was hot shit being a reputable disc jockey in New York and that’s where the cocky attitude stemmed from. At the end of the day, Nikki had found a guy who loved to have a good time as much as she did. He didn’t give two fucks about her last name or who her father was. That’s a big deal in our world because our whole lives people were intrigued by the Pastore girls because their daddy was a gangster.
It didn’t bother me as much as it did Nikki. Maybe that’s because half of my life I’ve been wrapped up in my own drama with Anthony that I rarely paid attention to anything else. I think that’s part of the reason Nikki is so torn because Rico provides her something she never had before. Our father’s shadow doesn’t lurk over her relationship with Rico like it does with mine and Anthony’s.
I glanced over at Nikki, watching as she stares out the window, her mind a million miles away.
“Hey…,” I say gently, taking my hand off the steering wheel and touching her arm. “You okay?”
She turns to me and plasters the fakest smile I had ever seen. “Peachy!”
“Do you know what you’re going to say to him?”
“I was thinking something along the lines of; ‘Hey Mikey, thanks for the phone sex. It was great and all and I bet the real thing would be fucking spectacular but I’m going to stop talking to you because I have this boyfriend I kind of, sort of, think I love,” she stated, cocking her head to the side. “How about that?”
I rolled up to a red light and turned my attention to her, looking at her with wide eyes.
Or how about “I don’t know what to do since Rico’s the first guy who I thought really cared about me and you’re the first guy I ever wanted to love,” she continued as she shook her head. “Definitely not that one, that’s too close to the truth.” She bit her lip, her eyes widening as an idea came to life in her head. “Or, you can turn this badass car around and we can go shopping and forget all about this stupid shit.”
I nodded. “You’re fucked.”
“Thanks sis.”
“It’s okay, I’ve been fucked for years…,” I replied, turning my eyes back to the road.
“You want to tell me why you went off the radar for two days?” Victor asks me before taking a sip of his espresso. He had sent Jimmy to my apartment to drag me to Temptations for a ‘talk’. I wasn’t in the mood for a lecture from him, especially after the last two days I had.
Jack and I had driven up to the prison that Jimmy had been visiting often but our trip hadn’t gone as planned. We got the visitors log, thanks to Jack’s connection, and found out that the inmate was a guy named Brent Rogers. The plan went astray when we tried to pay Mr. Rogers a visit, only to be quickly denied. He had an approved list of visitors, just the way I had when I was away. We weren’t on the list so we didn’t get in and there was nothing Jack’s connection could do about it.
We did some digging around and found out that Brent was doing twenty years in jail for a major drug bust that happened years ago. He tried to traffic thousands of dollars of drugs through the harbor and the docks that Victor controlled. I didn’t get a chance to connect all the dots, but I had been working on that for the last twenty-four hours. I tried to figure out why Jimmy would be visiting a man, they had sent away and if Victor even knew about it.
If Jimmy was going behind Vic’s back that might be my way out. Once I had all the facts, I’d go to Vic and give him an ultimatum. I’d hand him over the proof that Jimmy is working against him and in exchange he’d let me out of the organization. No questions asked.
I needed a little more time. Jack was going to ransack Jimmy’s apartment on opening night of the club. He needed to find something that tied Jimmy to Danny’s murder and to this thing with Roger’s.
“I had shit I had to take care of,” I explained as I narrowed my eyes at the boss. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t send that rat bastard to my house anymore.”
“Jimmy?” Victor raised an eyebrow. “That’s a harsh name choice for my underboss wouldn’t you agree?”
“Not really. If the shoe fits, who says it don’t?”
“I do, actually. I say it don’t.”
“Then you need to open your fucking eyes,” I retorted angrily.
“Excuse me,” Mike interrupted, clearing his throat. I hadn’t even noticed him walk over to us, too focused on how much of a prick Vic was. “Can I speak to you for a moment?” He asked me.
“I’m kind of in the middle of something, Mike,” I said, keeping my eyes on Victor.
“No, we’re done here,” Vic, said curtly, dismissing me and why not? The motherfucker always had the last word. He turned on his expensive shoes and walked away from me.
I dragged my fingers through my hair, frustrated with myself for letting him get under my skin and let out a stream of expletives under my breath.
“I need fucking air,” I said annoyed, heading for the door with Mike following close behind. If the kid had any sense, he’d stay the fuck away from me. I wanted out so badly that I could taste it but there was one thing or another standing in my way. I started to get discouraged, started to believe I was never going to break free and that this all was a fucking pipe dream.
The cold breeze smacked me in the face and I could feel Mike staring at me nervously. I turned around and pierced him with a cold stare.
“What is it Mike?”
“If now isn’t a good time…” he started.
It’s never a good time. Time is my biggest demon, always fucking with me.
“Just say what you want to say,” I demanded. For his sake, I hope it wasn’t some stupid shit he wanted to discuss, like what fucking color suit he should wear opening night.
“All right, fine,” he crossed his arms.
“What do you know about Rico?”
I rolled my eyes. It was worse than ‘what color suit’. Instead, jealous Mike emerged, eager to get into Nikki’s panties. If this little shit broke her heart, I’d break his legs. Plain and simple. Mike was my friend but Nikki was right up there with my sister.
“Are you fucking kidding me? I told you to leave it alone Mike. No good can come from you getting involved with Nikki.”
I entertained his questions for about five minutes. I explained how Nikki had met the D.J. and how I had checked him out when she first started seeing him and that he was clean. I informed him how long she had been dating him and that he seemed to make her happy. I left it at that and hoped that he did the right thing when it came to Nikki.
Adrianna’s car pulled up right in front of Temptations, distracting both of us and ending the conversation at the same time.
“Fucking great,” I mumbled. I hadn’t seen her since I left with Jack. I promised her I’d fix this shit between us I was working on it and promised I’d give her a call. I never fucking called. She was pissed off that morning when I had to leave, lord knows how fucking mad she was now that I hadn’t followed through with my promise. I was notorious for breaking promises when it came to her, made me wonder why she even gave two fucks about me.
I clenched my fists and walked around her car as Nikki climbed out of the passenger seat, ready to face the music, or otherwise known as the wrath of Adrianna. Her window was rolled up, and she stared out the passenger window ignoring me. I tapped my hand against the roof of her car to get her attention even though I knew she sensed I was right next to her.
“Roll down your window,” I shouted calmly. She was going to test me, she always did, but this time I knew I deserved it, which made me even angrier. I blew out a breath and bent my knees making myself eye-level with her tinted windows. She probably flipped me the fing
er behind the blackened glass.
“Open the damn window, Adrianna!” I shouted. So much for trying to stay calm.
She lowered the window about an inch and I saw her eyes. “Fuck you,” she said, before rolling the window back up.
“Would you stop acting like a fucking child and hear me out,” I roared through clenched teeth.
The window lowered again. “There’s nothing you could say that I want to hear anymore.” She closed the window again.
“Not now, Reese’s. I’m not in the mood to play games,” I said to the dark glass.
“Come on, baby, open the window.” I struggled to remain calm, not open the fucking door, and push her over the console and carjack her, taking her far the fuck away from here. The idea of running away, starting a new life, set me off and broke any restraint I had left. I tried the door but the slick little thing she was hit the lock button just as my hand reached for the handle.
“Open the fucking door, A!”
That didn’t work because she revved her engine and peeled out of the spot nearly running me over as her tires screeched against the pavement. And so here, we were…again.
Chapter Twenty-Six
2015
The grand opening of Temptations was in full swing, a no holds barred party, an elaborate display of a gangster’s illegitimate money being hidden to fund a legit establishment. The nightclub was packed to capacity, the liquor flowing and the music blaring. The Pastore family was also celebrating Nikki’s twenty-first birthday. Vic made a big show of that by roping off a special area of the club for her and her friends. He ordered her one of those fancy birthday cakes that probably cost an easy grand. I stood in the corner of the main bar, nursing my drink, welcoming the burn of the liquid down my throat.
I didn’t want to be here, I wasn’t in the mood to party or even have a good time, but then again, no one asked me to lay back and enjoy myself. I was there to work, to make sure no one fucked with Vic, his family, or his crew on a night he, the boss, celebrated. I stared across the bar at him, watching as he held his wife’s hand and laughed along with his posse at some story Jimmy was telling. I couldn’t ignore the foul taste I had in my mouth by watching their phoniness.
My phone vibrated inside my pocket and I pulled it out, accepting the call as I walked towards the bathrooms where I could try to hear the caller but it was no use. I looked down at the caller I.D. and saw it was Jack.
“I can’t hear you, text me,” I shouted into the phone over the music ending the call as I leaned against the wall. I waited for him to text me whatever he was trying to tell me. I finished my drink and walked back towards the bar, placing the empty glass on the wooden surface and signaled for another. I glanced down and opened the message from Jack.
Just about to head out, everything cool there?
The plan was for him to break into Jimmy’s apartment while everyone was here playing nice, celebrating and all that good shit. Jack and the Satan’s Knights were on call to aid in protection should anyone try to dampen Vic’s grand opening. Everything was going fine, the mobster and his clan were well protected by the associates that flocked from all the boroughs just to be here tonight. My eyes diverted across the bar, towards all their unsuspecting, smiling faces and zeroed in on Jimmy, watching on as the no-good bastard clinked shot glasses with Victor. I’m coming for you motherfucker.
All good.
I replied then deleted the messages from my phone and shoved it back into my pocket. I took my freshly filled glass and made my way through the crowd of people, my eyes scanning the faces until I found the one I was looking for.
I caught a glimpse of her dancing behind the ropes that separated the area that had been closed for Nikki’s birthday celebration from the rest of the club. My mouth watered as I took her in from head to toe. She wore some one-piece pant outfit that was cut so low the curves of her breasts were exposed. I imagine it would be fun to peel her out of that thing but I didn’t even know where to begin.
She turned around, snatching Rico’s drink from his hand and I caught sight of her bare back. The only thing holding that outfit to her body was the thin straps of fabric that tied around her neck. I made a mental note to start there, to untie that perfect bow and let the fabric fall from her body granting me access to the most perfect set of tits I had ever seen.
She was definitely coming home with me tonight.
She led Nikki towards the dance floor, moving her body to the music as she brushed past the people that stood in her way. Her smile was intoxicating, a rare occurrence these days, but nonetheless mesmerizing, a reminder of the girl I had fallen in love with. The girl she was before I broke her.
It was Nikki’s sweet sixteen. Despite the fact our relationship was unwelcomed by her father, there wasn’t much he could say that would keep us apart. He had started to give me more and more responsibilities within his organization but I knew the truth behind each order. Vic just wanted to keep me away from Adrianna, so any chance he got he pulled me away from her. He threw me to the drug dealers, bookies and whatever other lowlife he was dealing with.
Adrianna tore up the dance floor with Nikki and her friends, being the perfect older sister that everyone wished they had. Her eyes found mine, her smile widened as she crooked her finger, summoning me to join her.
I laughed loudly, shaking my head and watched her lips contort into a frown, her eyes shining with mischief. I wasn’t much of a dancer, I could count on one hand how many times I had danced in my life. She put her hands together in a mock plea only for me to shake my head again adamantly. She made a face, one that meant to say ‘suit yourself but you’re not going to stop me’ but I saw beneath the façade and recognized the disappointment in her eyes. I silently vowed to make it up to her. Maybe even dance with her when we were alone, but one way or another I’d erase the disappointment from her eyes.
That night was the last time Adrianna ever asked me to dance with her and unfortunately, I had never made good on my promise. It was the little things, like just one dance, that made me realize just how many mistakes I had made when I had her in my life. I should’ve danced with her when she asked. I should’ve listened to her more. I should’ve run away from here with her. I should never have broken a promise; instead, I broke them all.
I couldn’t peel my eyes away from her, enthralled by her as she moved through the crowd and before I realized it, I was walking towards her. The sisters found a spot on the dance floor, claimed it as their own and started to dance. Adrianna was always a great dancer; a part of me never took her up on her offers to dance because I didn’t think I could keep up with her. Tonight, I didn’t care if I stepped all over her feet or if I made a complete fool out of myself, I was going to dance with her and make good on my promise. So, what if it’s a few years late, better late than never.
She lifted her head smiling and my whole body was affected by that one simple expression. Her eyes found mine, her body went still just as I stopped right behind Nikki. I placed my hand on her shoulder as I kept my eyes on Adrianna’s gorgeous face.
Nikki glanced over her shoulder at me and I forced myself looking at her.
“Happy birthday kid,” I said, leaning in to kiss her cheek.
“Thank you,” she shouted over the music. I tore my eyes back to Adrianna, the two of us lost in one another, completely forgetting about Nikki or the people that surrounded us.
“A,” I said, with a small nod before my gaze dipped lower taking her all in, every single inch of her. I licked my lips, pushing down my desire to drag her away and push her up against the wall.
Stay focused, I reminded myself. Give her what she deserves.
She stared at me waiting for me to make my move, determined not to give me a free pass this time.
That’s okay Reese’s I’ll work for it.
I reached for her hand, pulled her body against mine, and wrapped my other hand around her, laying my palm on the small of her back. She lifted her head to look at me and I sm
iled down at her before leaning close and murmuring against her ear.
“Dance with me Reese’s,” I pulled back and searched her eyes, as she remained silent. She leaned into me and I started to lead her away from the people that danced around us, towards a quiet corner of the dance floor. I turned her towards me, placing one hand on her hip and the other secure in my hand. I nudged her legs apart with my knee and stepped between them, feeling her wrap her free arm around my neck. The tip of her nose touched mine, her hand cupping the back of my neck as she nuzzled my nose, her sweet perfume engulfing me.
I forced my hips to sway from side to side, front to back, pressing against her before tearing my body away. Her body moved in sync with mine but then again it always did. My hand slid up her naked back, my thumb trailing up her spine and as if on cue, she arched her back, her pelvis grinding into mine. She cocked her head back slightly, her eyes found mine, and she continued to move against me watching my every reaction to her body. I wasn’t sure if she could see into the depths of my eyes. How every goddamn thing she did affected me, but I’m sure she could feel what she couldn’t see pressed against her thigh. I was harder than a slab of cement, my balls ached, and I wondered why the fuck I had ever waited so long to dance with her.
Our bodies mimicked things we had done to one another, things we would do when this night was over. It was fucking bliss but also agony knowing I couldn’t just untie her little outfit and pull her onto my cock.
She turned around, pressing her ass against my dick as she shimmied her hips. Adrianna was always one to entice, to tease, to give you a glimpse of what you were getting. I was always the type to play it off like I could hold off, that I was patient. My patience snapped, and I grabbed her hips, pulling her against me rotating my hips and holding her steady as I pushed against her. She wore her hair in a ponytail, leaving her neck bare. I gave into temptation and ran my lips along the side of her neck, reaching her ear and taking her earlobe between my teeth.
The Tempted Series: Collectors Edition Page 52
