by Amy Rachiele
Chapter 4
Don: Head boss, family leader
Megan:
I sense a hand on my thigh. Sleep has settled so deeply that I barely register being touched. Whisper light kisses feather across my ear and temple. I feel a heaviness in the bed in addition to my own. Familiar hands brush against my neck. I open my eyes, but I can’t see. The room is in pure darkness.
“Antonio?” I sigh.
“Yes,” he says softly. ”Who else would it be?”
“Oh, you know, any number of boyfriends I’ve accumulated over the past few weeks,” I giggle, sleepily.
“Really?” he asks with a smile in his voice as he tickles me.
I laugh, happy to have his hands on me. I relish in his closeness.
“Well, I’m going to make you forget all about them...right now.” His voice is so seductive and needy that my breath catches.
He pulls the covers off me slowly. I am in a tank and boy shorts. Antonio runs his hands over me, and I involuntarily buck off the bed.
“I missed you so much,” he whispers against my lips.
“I missed you too.”
His hand slides in between my thighs and parts my legs. He shifts his body and drapes it over mine. I wrap my legs around his hips. He feels so good I could cry. I want to stay like this forever. His weight is welcome. It is comforting and protective. He caresses and holds me as I kiss him. He pulls away. I feel his breath against my face.
“I love you,” he says, and draws lazy circles on my shoulders with his fingers.
“I love you, too.”
I take his face in my hands and kiss him hard. He parts my mouth with his tongue. My belly tightens deliciously, anticipating what is to come. I run my hands down his back and feel his muscles tense and contract with urgency. He lifts my shirt and I am gone - lost in a haze of passion.
*****
Megan:
The next morning I wake up tangled up in sheets and Antonio. It is a marvelous feeling. It's been so long. I love this man so much, and he feels absolutely wonderful.
The sun is streaming in through the windows. I feel it's warmth on my face, even though I know it's bitterly cold outside. I snuggle closer into Antonio's chest. I see his body, his chest is scattered with bruises. I probe farther up, and I look at his face...cuts and scratches, a huge one across his forehead near his hairline. His eyes are shadowed black and blue.
“Oh my gosh!” I cry out.
Antonio’s eyes open lazily. He looks down at me and grins. It's the most attractive thing I've ever seen. Even with bruises, cuts, and scrapes, he's the most amazing man I've ever seen.
His voice is rough when he says, “I missed you so much.” He leans over and kisses me.
“What happened to you?!”
“Nothing too bad. Do we have to talk about this now?” he sighs.
I sit up and stare at him incredulously, the sheet barely covering me. I need to hear what happened. I give him the tell-me-or-else look.
“Okay. I had to fight this dude last night.”
“What do you mean you had to? Oh my gosh! I have never seen you like this.”
“It’s for the alliance. Don’t worry about it. It’s done.”
I exhale and rest my head on his chest again relishing in his closeness. I feel that pain again in my heart, it’s from knowing that he's been hurt. Last night’s party comes back to me...I’m partying, he is being beaten to a pulp.
“Did you win?” I ask softly.
“Yes,” he says. I can hear his answer vibrate in his chest.
“Thank you so much for the harp,” I whisper after a few moments, wanting to change the subject to forget his bruises. “It’s gorgeous. I have never seen anything like it in my life. It looks like it belongs in a museum.”
“I'm glad you like it,” his voice is raspy. “Anything to make you happy, Megan. Will you play it for me today?”
“You're staying!” I ask excitedly. ”I'm so happy to get you for the whole day.”
“You get me for the whole weekend.”
“Why is that? What happened?”
“We're forming a new alliance with the Furlotti family. So we are taking a few days off, regrouping.”
Antonio rolls us so that I'm beneath him. His breathing becomes uneven and his hands more urgently skim over my body. My stomach involuntarily squeezes delectably as he moves. He presses soft kisses on my neck as his hand works its way up. He uses his knee to push my legs apart and he settles in deeper between them.
The daylight reveals the mars on his skin which make me starved for him. My hunger flares with how much love him. I want to make his hurt go away.
*****
I wake up alone. Antonio isn't here. I throw on a robe and push my feet into pink fuzzy slippers. I walk out into the suite kitchen area.
Antonio is sitting at the table with a bowl of cereal. Sprawled out on the table is a target. My target. The target that I shot at the night before with Joey.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he says with heated eyes.
I walk straight to him and give him a kiss. He pushes back his chair as he pulls me into his lap and kisses me deeper. Erin’s door opens across the room.
“Give it a rest already,” she mutters.
Antonio and I break from our kiss.
“Happy birthday!” I say.
“Happy birthday,” Antonio calls out too.
Without warning, Vito gets up from the couch. He must've slept there last night. I didn't know. He startled me.
Vito’s sweatpants lay low on his hips, and he is bare-chested as he stretches with a mild roar and drags his feet to the bathroom. His hair is tousled from sleeping.
“So, my girl’s a hell of a shot,” Antonio says squeezing me.
I turn to him; our faces are close my body thrilled to be in his lap.
“I guess so. Joey seems to think so,” I respond modestly.
The bathroom door reopens, and Vito comes out. Erin is by the counter listening to us. Vito walks straight towards Erin and grabs her by the waist. He picks her up and plops her by the table so she is no longer blocking the coffee area.
“Hey! Do you mind? Standing here!” Erin huffs, then, as though she thinks better of further comment, she ignores him. It is so good to see my sister slowly coming back to her old self. ”What do you mean she's a good shot?”
Antonio holds the target up for Erin.
“Wow, Meg, you are a good shot.”
Vito scratches himself, sips his coffee, and walks over to see what we’re all looking at. He hovers over Antonio’s shoulder before glancing at me. “Hey, you did that?”
I nod. “Yeah, I did it last night,” I say.
“Cool. We could really use you,” Vito says. Antonio shoots him an ugly stare. ”Dude, I’m just sayin’. She’s good.”
I got a really good look at Antonio's face during this exchange, the swollen skin and bruising. He doesn’t seem to mind though. He drinks his coffee and eats his cereal like nothing happened last night.
There is a knock on the suite door and it opens. Doc Howie walks in.
“Good morning,” he says with a smile. ”And happy birthday, Erin.” Doc Howie plops down his medical bag then rifles through it, pulling out a stethoscope.
“Thank you,” she says.
“And how is the injured party this morning,” he asks.
Antonio says, “I'm fine.”
Doc begins taking out a stethoscope, some ointment, and gauze from his bag. I get up from Antonio's lap and shift to a chair.
The doc listens to Antonio's heart and dresses some of his face wounds. He tips Antonio’s head back and forth examining him and tells him to take his shirt off.
Antonio swiftly removes his t-shirt and his bruises are defined against his olive skin.
“You got some doozies,” Doc says.
“Yeah, Demetrius got in a few good ones.”
Vito snorts.
“A few good ones,” Vito comments sarcastical
ly. “He got a lot of good ones in.”
“Who's Demetrius?” I ask.
Antonio and Vito look at each other, it is clear that they don't want to answer me.
“He's just another guy in the Furlotti family,” says Antonio.
“He's a Furlotti?” I ask.
“Well, no, he's not a Furlotti, but he’s in that family.”
I shake my head disgusted. I'll never understand all the connections and mob talk.
Doc Howie interjects, “You’re staying in today right, Antonio? You need to rest.”
“Yeah, I want to hang with my girl today. And we’re going to celebrate Erin’s birthday,” he says.
I didn't even know Antonio had planned anything. I thought Erin and I would have a quiet day. I was going to give her a gift from the casino gift shop, and that would be it. Erin hasn't been up for much lately because of her condition. But she has gotten a lot better.
Antonio shoots me a wicked smile. “It's the kid’s fifteenth birthday, we need to do something special,” he says. Erin’s face lights up.
“Okay,” I say. ”So what did you have in mind?”
“Don't worry. I've got it all taken care of. Everybody get dressed.” Antonio says he’s got it all taken care of…I doubt this will be a boring day.
Vito stands at the sink drinking his coffee. Erin and I rush to our rooms to change our clothes. I can’t help but wonder what Antonio has in mind for today.
I slip on my jeans and a beige sweater. I fluff my hair with my fingers, then I decide to run a brush through it. Antonio comes in the room while I’m standing at the mirror. He slips his arm around my waist and his other hand reaches for my hair. With a gentle touch, he strokes my hair with his free hand. He picks up a handful and holds it to his nose, breathes deeply and sighs.
“I can’t get enough of you,” Antonio whispers.
My heart rate spikes, and I feel a rush of lust again. It doesn’t take much when he’s around. I lean back into his chest as he caresses me, his chin on my shoulder.
“What are we doing today?” I ask, relishing in Antonio’s touches.
“I thought we would eat at the restaurant downstairs. I know you guys haven’t got out of the suite much. Then I thought we would take your sister shopping at some of the stores here, have her pick out something for her birthday.”
“That’s very thoughtful of you, but the boutiques here are so expensive. Shouldn’t we go out somewhere?”
“Megan,” Antonio spins me around to face him. ”You don’t have to worry about money.”
Blood money! The thought flashes through my mind. Everything that Antonio has ever bought me has been with blood money. Money he has worked hard for, that’s for sure, but blood money all the same. It is hard for me to get used to this lifestyle, this way of life.
But now that I see the whole picture, I shouldn’t let myself think that way though. Everything my parents have ever bought for me has been with blood money, too...I just didn’t know it. My ignorance makes me feel guilty. Just because I didn’t know doesn’t make it right. But I have to accept that this is the way things are and have always been, whether I knew it or not.
My thoughts shift to my parents. I wonder if they'll call Erin today.
“Have you seen my dad?” I ask Antonio.
“I’ve talked to him a few times on the phone. I’m not sure when he’s coming back to Chicago. But I saw my dad last night. He looks really good. So does Donny.”
“They were there last night? At the fight?”
“Yeah, my dad is here. He has some business with the Furlottis.”
“What kind of business?”
“I really don’t want to talk about business today. This is the first time I’ve seen you in three weeks. One of two things is going to happen right now...I’m either going to take you and your sister shopping downstairs, or I’m going to throw you on the bed and have my way with you. Business is not a part of either of those two things.” Antonio reaches for my hips and pulls me towards him. His hands trail down my thighs and up to the back pockets of my jeans. I shiver in his arms. “I really hope you pick being thrown on the bed. I can send Vito with Erin shopping.” Antonio’s face is mischievous as he leans down and kisses me.
Knock, knock.
“You guys ready?” Vito is at my bedroom door.
“We’re coming!” Antonio calls out.
Erin is leaning against the door frame that leads out into the hall. She is dressed very casually like me in jeans and a sweater. This is the first time that Erin has left the family floor since our arrival. She is eager and her foot is tapping.
I turn to Vito and his attention is completely on Erin. He has a certain gaze in his eye that worries me, one I have felt uncomfortable with since day one. One that resembles a wolf stalking its prey.
But I can’t complain, because Vito has been nothing but protective and helpful to my sister. If it wasn’t for him, my sister’s face would be covered in burns...or worse.
I grab my pocketbook off the back of the kitchen chair, and we all head out towards the elevators. Antonio punches in the code and the doors open up. Inside stand Joey and Clarissa.
“Hey guys!” Joey says.
Clarissa hugs Erin. “Happy birthday!”
Erin beams at her friend and hugs her back.
Joey claps Erin gently on the back. “Hey Erin...I guess it’s fifteen birthday spankings today,” Joey jokes. Erin smiles at him.
Clarissa laughs along with Joey, but I don’t think Vito found it too funny. He steps in between Joey and Erin and hovers, ominously challenging Joey.
“Hey dude, I was just kidding. Take it easy!” Joey reassures Vito. Antonio taps Vito’s arm in a give-it-a-rest motion.
Erin moves to the back of the elevator saying nothing. The ride to the casino level is a quiet one. Antonio is holding my hand, and that small gesture feels wonderful.
The elevator slows at C-level. The doors open revealing Carlo. Standing directly behind him, to my surprise, is Troy.
I release Antonio’s hand and give Troy a hug. I whisper in his ear, “I guess you made it out of here alive.”
“Yes, I did. The bag over the head wasn’t so bad the second time,” Troy jokes drily, trying to be funny.
I am so fixated on Troy that at first I don’t see Jake standing barely two feet away.
“Jake?! How are you?” I exclaim. It’s nice to see Jake. He was fun to hang around with while we were at Notre Dame, and he’s been a great friend to Troy since Troy started college.
“Good. How have you been?” Jake asks.
Erin, Clarissa, Antonio, and Vito, along with Joey, gather around Troy, Jake, and I. It’s the morning, so the casino floor isn’t too loud. Normally, you have to speak in a yell to be heard over the bells, whistles, and shouts of the gamblers. Erin gives a shy wave to Jake, and he immediately takes that as a sign to approach her without waiting for a response from me. He speaks softly to her, and I can hear a happy birthday in their conversation, which is cut short by Carlo.
“Let’s head over to the shops, they’re waiting for us.”
“What does he mean by ‘they’re waiting for us?’” I ask Antonio.
“You’ll see.” He smiles.
If Antonio means that all these guys are coming shopping with us, that’s weird. In my entire life, I don’t think I’ve ever been shopping with this many people, let alone men.
Slot machines cover the walls and are lined up like soldiers in the middle of the floor. The brightly lit machines with their colorful electronic designs mesmerize the passerby. Against the far wall are tables with every gambling game you can imagine in the casino -roulette, blackjack, some peculiar games I’ve never heard of before, and, of course, craps. One whole section of the casino is dedicated to restaurants and shops. A gigantic waterfall separates the gambling floor from the shopping. It is noisy as it cascades down the enormous man-made rocks. Small drops of water splash on the granite tile floor.
Th
e first shop is a high priced active wear store where you can get a pair of sweatpants for a hundred dollars. The guys steer us right by that store. Antonio slows down at a boutique called Calypso, which sells everything from jewelry to high-end dress shoes. Standing next to the salesperson near the register is Alessandra. She dashes towards us on her sky-high heels and pulls Erin into a ‘happy birthday’ hug.
“I couldn’t stand waiting anymore! I almost went to get you guys.” Alessandra stammers out. She jumps up and down like a kid in a candy store. “Erin, wait ‘til you see the gorgeous stuff they have here!”
Troy and Alex watch Alessandra bounce around with excitement.
Alessandra takes Erin’s hand and pulls her into the store. Flustered, Erin follows and allows herself to be towed in as Alessandra sits her down in a chair and waves to the clerk. Antonio motions for Clarissa and me to sit in the chairs next to Erin. Our chairs are lined up facing the back of the store. We sit down as our gang of guys stands behind us. This feels weird.
Alessandra is too excited to sit still. It takes me a moment to figure out what was going on.
A woman struts out of the back room dressed to the nines in a sharp black dress with thick silver heels. She parades across the store modeling the dress for us, and Alessandra’s excitement bubbles over as she explains the plan to Erin that she can pick out whatever she wants.
“I selected the best outfits here, and these ladies are going to model for you. Seriously, pick out whatever you want. Isn’t that cool?!”
Clarissa clapped, “Goody!” She and Alessandra are giddy, but Erin looks as stunned as I feel.
“Uh...”
“Awesome! A fashion show!” Jake announces, then quietly says to Troy. “Hot ladies in fancy clothes.”
“Mmmm... yeah...” Troy nodded in agreement, smiling devilishly.
The next woman marches out dressed in a red silk gown with a slit up the right leg. Her shoes must have a four-inch heel and red satin straps lace up and down her feet, very chic. Clarissa screeches in delight and claps her hands as we watch the model spin and turn. Vito stands stoically, shooting glances at Erin, gauging her reaction.
