Gemma smiled, and snuggled against him.
Sal didn’t intend to make love to her tonight. But that didn’t stop him from kissing her, and sucking her breasts, and massaging her pussy.
“Oh, to hell with it!” he finally said, after all of that foreplay. He got on top of her, put his dick in her, and fucked her too.
CHAPTER FIVE
Three days later, Gemma got out of her car in front of her storefront office in North Vegas feeling as if she was on top of the world. She grabbed her briefcase and handbag and made her way across the sidewalk. It still felt strange to her, as she looked at the three additional offices that made up the small office complex. Thanks to Sal she owned the entire building, including her own office. It was an amazing turn.
She entered her small office, which consisted of two rooms: her own office in the back and the main office/reception area in the front, complete with an adjacent restroom. And as soon as she entered, she was met with applause and a standing ovation by her two-person staff: Curtis Kane, her secretary, and Barbara Jiles, her paralegal. Both African-American, both attractive. One of them, Barbara, on the verge of plumpness; the other one, Curtis, almost too thin.
“What in the world is this about?” Gemma wanted to know.
“It’s about you, boss,” Barbara said. “Another victory under your belt. The verdict is in, after only five hours of deliberations, and James Mason is not guilty. And with every new victory, we’re getting new clients.”
“That is so true,” Curtis said. “My phone has been literally ringing off the hook lately.”
Gemma looked at him doubtfully. “Oh, really now?”
“Kind of, yeah,” Curtis replied. “Okay, let’s put it this way: it’s ringing more than it used to ring. How’s that?”
“It wasn’t ringing at all before,” Gemma said, “but I feel you. I get your point. And thanks, guys. None of those victories would have been possible without your help.” She began heading for her office.
“Does that mean a bonus for both of us?” Curtis asked, as they followed her. Barbara rolled her eyes.
“A bonus, no,” Gemma said as she entered her office. “But a raise? Yeah, I think so.”
Curtis and Barbara were so happy that they high-fived. “Are you for real, Gem?” Barbara asked her.
Gemma stood behind her desk, placing her briefcase and handbag on top. “You know I am,” she said. “Things are going really well now, so it’s only fair that I share the success with the two people who stood by me when I wasn’t hitting a lick with a stick, as my father would say.”
“Well we really appreciate it, boss,” Curtis said. “I can’t speak for Barb, but I need me some extra coins super bad.”
“And you shall have it.”
“So how much will we get?”
Barbara looked at him. “That is so inappropriate, Curtis. Even if it’s a penny more an hour, that’s a penny more than we used to get.”
“A penny?” Curtis asked, looking at his colleague askance. “Speak for yourself, girl.”
Gemma laughed. “We’ll work that out at a later date. But it’ll be more than a penny. How’s that?”
“That’ll work,” Barbara said, certain, because she was the senior staffer, that she would get the bigger raise.
“So how does it feel to be a winner?” Curtis asked his boss.
“What are you talking about?” Barbara asked him. “She was always a winner, for your information, so don’t even try that.”
“Oh, forget you,” Curtis said. “Does Mr. Sal know?” he asked Gemma.
Again, Barbara objected. “What do you know about Mister Sal?”
“I know he’s very good looking, very rich, and very white. And he happens to be the boss’s boyfriend. Or am I wrong about that too?”
“You aren’t wrong, Curt,” Gemma said with a smile. She sat down behind her desk. “And I’m sure he’s going to be very happy once I tell him.”
“You mean you didn’t call and give him the good news as soon as that verdict was read?”
“He’s a busy man, running a corporation the size of Gabrini, Inc. is a challenge in and of itself, and Sal has even more irons in the fire. So the answer is no. But we’ll talk.”
Curtis smiled. “That’s what I love about your relationship. Y’all don’t act like two teenagers in heat who have to talk to each other all day and night and who can’t get enough of each other, like some I know.”
If he only knew, Gemma thought. Sometimes when she and Sal were together, they were worse than teenagers in heat! But that wasn’t his business. “Thank-you, Curtis,” she said.
“Oh, before I forget,” Curtis said. “Mr. Frye paid us a visit this morning.”
This interested Gemma. Frye rented one of the office units. “What did he want?”
“He feels, since you’re his new landlady, that he should be able to renegotiate the terms of his lease, and to renegotiate with terms more favorable to him.”
This offended Gemma. “He must be joking,” she said.
“I know that’s right,” Barbara echoed.
“He’s serious as a heart attack,” Curtis said. “But that’s how some people are. You’re young, you’re black, he figures you should cut him some slack. Now when the white man owned all of this, he paid on time and never said a word. But now that a sister is in charge? He wants to make a deal.”
“Well, I can’t stop him from wanting what he wants, but that’s not going to happen. I’m not going to devalue this place. Besides, I looked at the books. His rent is lower than mine, which wasn’t fair to begin with since we have the exact same office space. But I’m going to abide by that. Until his lease is up.”
Curtis grinned. “Then you’re going to stick it to him like it’s nobody’s business, hun boss?”
“No,” Gemma said seriously. Business was never a laughing matter with her. “But I’m not going to give it away, either.”
“Good for you,” a voice said, and everybody, especially Gemma who recognized the voice, turned to the sound.
And when she realized it was indeed who she thought it was, her heart pounded against her chest. It was Donnell Lundy. Her ex.
Curtis, who was responsible for the front of the building, was particularly peeved by his unannounced presence. “May I help you?” he asked. “Because you don’t just come barging into somebody’s office like this. May I help you?”
Donnell, who was leaned against the doorjamb, grinned. “May he help me, Gemmanette?” he asked.
Gemma could never stand that grin of his. But she kept her cool and looked at her secretary. “I’ve got it, Curt,” she said. “Thanks. You and Barb can get back to work.”
“Sure you don’t need any assistance, boss?” Barbara asked. The man at the door, though good looking and well dressed, rubbed her the wrong way too. It was in his smile. More nasty than nice.
“No thanks, Barb,” Gemma said. “I can handle it.”
“Yes,” Donnell said as the staffers proceeded to leave. “She can handle me.”
Barbara wanted to roll her eyes. But she didn’t. She walked out, and Curtis walked out behind her. But neither closed the door.
Donnell did.
“What do you want?” Gemma asked him.
“That’s no way to greet the man you used to love with all your heart.” He began walking toward her desk. “Now is it?”
“What do you want, Donnell?”
He grinned again. “Listen to you. Calling me Donnell. Now you know I hate that name.” He sat down in the seat in front of her desk, and crossed his legs. The man who used to wear imports, now wore cheap rubber soles. His slickness was catching up with him. She could see it all over him. “The name’s Don,” he said. “Or Mister Don if you prefer.”
Gemma leaned back. She fell hard for him once upon a time. Now she couldn’t stand the sight of him.
Then he grinned once more. “You’re shocked, I know. Blast from the past. Ghosts in the closet and all of that. I know, baby. But I�
�m real.”
He was real all right, Gemma thought, as she stared at him. Still great looking. Still muscular and tight. Still as slick as oil. “Why did you waste your time to come here?” She was concerned, no doubt about that. But she would never let a man like him see her sweat.
“Aren’t you going to ask how I’ve been? You used to love asking about me. I remember the time when you would do anything for me. I remember the time when you did do anything for me.”
Still had buckets of charm too. He once could smile, just smile, and she felt as if she was the luckiest girl in the world. She was Don Lundy’s girl. And Donnell demanded respect back in the day. She was a brand new attorney, he was her brand new businessman boyfriend, she thought his future was as bright as hers. Until she found out about the dope-dealing and gun-running. “What do you want?” she asked him again.
“You want me to get to the point. Alright. I’ll get to the point. Two million,” he said bluntly. “That’s what I want.”
Gemma couldn’t believe it. “Then you woke up,” she said.
He laughed. That was his style. Laugh at everything, and then go in for the kill. “Yeah, I guess it doesn’t sound realistic. The idea that I would ask you to provide me with that much money. But no, my friend, I kid you not. You asked me what I wanted. I told you. Two million. And you have exactly one week to give it to me. Two million. That’s what I want.”
“You can want it all day long, but it’s still ridiculous. I can barely make my mortgage, yet I’m going to give your ass two million dollars? Yeah right. And shit don’t stank.”
He smiled. “Yours never did. Best pussy I ever ate.” Gemma’s jaw tightened. But Donnell kept on. “You got it Gemma Jones. You’ve got it in spades. And your black ass knows it.” Then he leaned forward, all smiles gone. “That’s why that rich, Italian stallion loves to hang around you so much. He knows what good pussy tastes like too. And he’s hooked on it. He’s so hooked that I’m willing to bet he would get you out of this jam and produce the cash easily. And it is a jam, Gemma. I have proof. It’s one hell of a jam.”
Gemma’s heart began to race. Donnell Lundy was never a fool. He wouldn’t demand that kind of cash unless he had some serious collateral. “What kind of proof could you possibly have?” she decided to ask him.
He smiled yet again. “I don’t play games. You know that.”
“That’s not what I asked you.”
“At least you haven’t dismissed me outright, because you’ve never been dumb, have you, Gem? You know I wouldn’t be here, wasting my time as you put it, unless I had a powerful reason to come. I have two million powerful reasons.”
“And no proof of anything,” she said, fishing.
Donnell hesitated, and Gemma immediately knew it wasn’t because he was indecisive about showing her the proof, but he wanted to see her sweat. When that little tactic didn’t work, Gemma was too well trained as a show-no-panic attorney, he got on with it. He pulled out his small, digital camera, pressed the Play button, and held the phone’s screen in front of her. And there she was, with Donnell, nearly eight years ago, plotting what would become the biggest mistake of her life.
Stunned witless, she jumped straight up from her chair. And looked at him. “How did you . . . How could you . . . You recorded it? You actually recorded it?”
He nodded, smiling.
“Why, you sick, perverted piece of shit!”
“Yeah,” he said, standing too and removing his camera from her desk. “You’re right. I am a perverted piece of shit. I’m that and so much more.” Then he held up his camera. “But I’m not stupid.”
He placed the camera in his pocket. His look was serious now. He had her. He knew he had her unlike he’d ever had anybody before. “So you see, Gemma Jones, Don didn’t come here to lose. I need that money, and you’re going to give it to me.”
Her mind was going a mile a minute. She was thinking so hard her head was beginning to ache. If that video got into the right hands, she was done for. There was no ands, ifs, or buts about it. She was done.
She looked at him. She knew she couldn’t reason with a man like him. She knew she couldn’t beg him to respond to his better nature. He had no better nature.
She, instead, turned to the very law she once obstructed. “Why would you incriminate yourself?” she decided to ask. “You’re on that tape too. If you turn it over to authorities, it’s your ass too. Getting somebody to lie under oath is suborning perjury, and suborning perjury is just as bad as perjury itself.”
“So you’re saying we’ll go down together? Okay fine. Let’s do that. I have nothing to lose. And I mean nothing. But you, on the other hand?” He smiled. “You’re in trouble, girl. Unless you get me that money and get it to me within the week, you are going to be disbarred and lose your license to practice law anywhere in this world. There’s no doubt about it. And, oh yeah, did I mention prison? You’ll be going there too, while you’re at it. Wow. Talk about a reversal of fortune. That’s some deep shit.” Then he smiled yet again. “One week. Two mill. I’ll be in touch.”
“Oh, and by the way, I told you I was no fool. There is such a thing as a statute of limitation. You know it, but you didn’t think I did. So jail may be spared. But disbarment? Not on your life.”
And then, as quickly as he had arrived, he was gone.
Gemma sat back down and just sat there. She was beyond stunned. It was as if her worse nightmare had just played out before her very eyes. And there was nothing she could do about it. She was in trouble. She needed help.
And without hesitation she rummaged through her handbag, pulled out her cell phone, and didn’t hesitate. Not for a second of reflection. Even though he could hate her for what she’d done. Even though his view of her could change dramatically. Even though he just might realize she wasn’t as special as he had thought and leave her ass, she still didn’t hesitate. She was in trouble, she needed help, she needed Sal.
She called Sal.
CHAPTER SIX
“I’m going to be blunt with you,” Sal said to the three men after touring their glass company. They were on the rooftop, in St. Louis, on a windy day. “You’re asking too much from us. You want us to throw you a lifeline, when we figure you’ll be better off drowning.”
“But we can turn this company around, Sal,” the company’s CEO implored. “I beg you to see our side of this. We just need the Gabrini Corporation to provide us with a revenue stream, a bailout if you will, and within a couple years we’ll be back on our feet again. We believe it with everything within us.”
“I’m sure you do,” Sal responded. “But you weren’t so filled with belief when it was your money. You weren’t so filled with self-assurance when it was your revenue stream. Now you want our money. You want our revenue stream. With your own money you couldn’t keep this place afloat to save your life. It was bleeding like a carotid artery. Why would we give you our money to bleed?”
Coker, the chairman of the board, exhaled. “So what are you willing to do?”
“We’re willing to take it off your hands.”
“Outright buy?”
“Outright buy,” Sal said.
“Buy it? Come on, Gabrini! You don’t want to buy this place, you want to steal it from us. And then sell it for a profit.”
“We will make it healthy again, and then, yes, sell it for a profit. What do you think we’re in business for? To lose money? We flip businesses. That’s what we do. We aren’t trying to be your freaking friend here. We’re trying to make money. Now you can be stubborn and refuse to sell, and go down with the ship. Or you can take this life jacket, cover your ass, and get out with your dignity and a little dough. But it’s up to you.”
“It’s robbery, that’s what it is!” the CFO said. “You aren’t trying to help us, you’re trying to take advantage of us!”
“Then don’t sell it. Keep this shithole. Because I’m through fucking with y’all! I’ve got a plane to catch, I’ve got business in New York
. I gave you the terms. Those are the terms. They will not be changing. You want to sell, give me a call. You want to continue to act as if you didn’t run this business into the ground, then fine. Act that way. But not with me.”
And Sal turned, and got out of there.
He wasn’t in his limousine two minutes, on his way to the airstrip, when the call came in. They wanted to sell. Sal remained calm, told them his people would get in touch with their people, and hung up the phone. Then he fist-bumped the air. “Yes!” he said. “Yes!”
He relished in the victory, and was about to call Tommy to notify him of the win, but another call came in. When he looked at his Caller ID and saw that it was Gemma, he quickly answered. She rarely called him when he was on the road. “What’s wrong?” he asked her.
Gemma was still seated behind her desk in her law office. She was still in a state of shock. She was still in deep trouble. “Every time I call you, you ask me that.”
Sal leaned back in the cushiony leather of his limo seat and crossed his legs. He smiled. “So you’re saying nothing’s wrong?” he asked her. “Everything’s okay? That’s good. I’m glad to hear it.”
Then he realized he hadn’t heard it. At least not from her. “Gem?”
Then he heard her sniffle. Sal uncrossed his legs and leaned forward. His smile was gone. “Babe, what’s wrong? Gemma, what’s wrong?”
“I’m okay.” She waited before finishing. “There’s nothing physically wrong,” she finally said. “But . . .”
“But what?”
Silence.
“But what, babe?”
“Can you come?” she asked him. “I need you.”
Sal’s heart fell through his shoe. This much he knew for sure: Gemma never exaggerated. Gemma never asked for help unless it couldn’t be helped.
“I know you’re in St. Louis,” she went on, “and I know you’re supposed to go to New York. But do you think, after you finish your business I mean, do you think you can come and see me?”
“Can I come? Of course I can come! I’m on my way,” he said.
Sal Gabrini 3: Hard Love Page 6
