ROMANCING SAL GABRINI

by Monroe, Mallory

  “Which you shouldn’t have done. He doesn’t deserve it. Especially when he could have easily avoided that fight.”

  That was true, Gemma thought. Sal didn’t have to run after the guy. But then again, she thought, would she have respected him if he had allowed the guy to call her a bitch and not do anything about it?

  Then Tommy exhaled and leaned his head back. Gemma could sense something more than Sal’s arrest was at work with him, but she had no idea what it could be. Not that the arrest of his brother wasn’t a big deal. It was. But she had the impression that he was accustomed to this big deal. He all but told her so himself. But his demeanor told her something different. Either he wasn’t accustomed to it, had had it up to here with it, or something more was going on in Tommy’s life. Something that had absolutely nothing to do with Sal.

  But she didn’t get a chance to even inquire about it because Sal arrived. He eventually entered the waiting room a free man again. Gemma stood up as soon as she saw him, but Tommy remained in his seat.

  “Didn’t I tell you to stay out of this?” Sal asked as he approached her.

  “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  “But I told you to stay out of it. You do what I tell you to do, not what you want to do. I don’t give a rat’s ass about what you wanted to do. You don’t belong in a place like this.”

  Gemma smiled. “I’m a lawyer, Sal. When I did criminal law I practically lived in places like this.”

  “You weren’t with me then,” Sal said. “You’re with me now. And when I tell you to stay out of something, you stay out of it, Gem. Now I mean that.”

  Gemma was a little taken aback by his level of protectiveness. What, she wondered, was the big damn deal? Tommy, too, was treating her as if she was too fragile for some police station. Were they for real? Didn’t they understand that before she practiced civil law exclusively, all she did was criminal law? All she dealt with were criminals. This was nothing new to her.

  “At least thank her for showing up,” Tommy said, standing up. “She didn’t have to do that.”

  But Sal wasn’t buying it. “I told her not to do it,” he said, “what the fuck I’m thinking her for? It’s bad enough I have to be here. Not her too.”

  Tommy looked at his brother. “You didn’t have to be here either,” he said.

  “Oh, here we go,” Sal said.

  “If you would have walked away from the situation, none of us would be here.” Tommy said this with a harshness in his tone and then began to leave the building.

  Sal placed his arm around Gemma’s waist and followed him out. And although Gemma may not have seen it, Sal saw that look in his brother’s greenish-blue eyes. He saw that hint of anger, yes, but something else. Something sad and painful.

  And once they got outside in the cool Seattle air, Tommy really let him have it. There were a couple cops talking nearby, but other than that it was a desolate place. The fact that it was three in the morning probably helped.

  “You need to cut this shit out,” Tommy said to Sal.

  “What did you expect me to do, Tommy? That fucker called Gemma a bitch. I couldn’t let him get away with that. You wouldn’t have let him get away with that if it was your old lady.”

  “You don’t know what I would have done.”

  “But what did you expect me to do? Walk away?”

  “Yes!” Tommy blared, causing one of the cops to look over at him. “You have to learn to walk away.”

  “Yeah, right,” Sal said. “Fucker calls my lady a bitch and I’ll walk away all right. When I’m ten feet under!”

  Tommy let out a harsh exhale. “Are we done here?” he asked his younger brother. “I’m not going to stand up here, this time of morning, and try to reason with an asshole like you.”

  Sal looked at his brother. He was upset, all right, but somehow it seemed outsized for what was going on here. “Yeah, we’re done,” he said. “They processed me out.”

  Tommy began leaving.

  Sal rolled his eyes. “Come on, Gem,” he said as he escorted her toward the parking area too.

  When they were walking toward the Ferrari, which was near Tommy’s Mercedes, Tommy turned quickly and headed back toward his brother. “If I get a call again over crap like this, I’ll leave your ass locked up to rot, you understand me, Sal? I’ve had it up to here with your bullshit! Every week it’s something new! I’ve got my own bullshit to deal with right now. I’m not dealing with yours too!”

  Sal frowned. “What bullshit you’re dealing with?” he asked him, concerned.

  Tommy opened his suit coat and exhaled. Whatever Tommy was going through, Sal could tell it was a major deal. “Just get your act together,” he said to Sal. “That’s all you need to concern yourself with. Get it together.”

  “I will. Damn! What’s wrong with you?” Then Sal thought about something. “Is it Grace?”

  The look of anguish that suddenly appeared in Tommy’s greenish-blue eyes let Sal know he had hit the nail right on the head. “What happened?” he asked his brother.

  “That’s none of your business. Just clean up your act, Sal. You’re too old for this shit.” Then he looked at Gemma and leaned over and kissed her lightly on the cheek. “Take care of yourself,” he said. “Leave his ass if he keeps this up.”

  And then Tommy walked over to his Mercedes, got in, and drove off.

  “He’s in a state, isn’t he?” Gemma asked.

  “Yep. And I’d be willing to bet any amount of money that it has everything to do with Grace.”

  “But they seemed so happy when they were at the cookout in Vegas.”

  “Yeah, well, that was nearly a month ago. A lot can change in a month.”

  “Don’t I know it,” Gemma said.

  Sal looked at her. He was embarrassed that she had to see him fighting and getting arrested. He already was iffy with her. He already had some shadiness cloaking him that a lawyer like her might not want to be associated with. He couldn’t afford to give her more ammunition to stay away from him. Although, he also knew, she probably should stay away.

  He placed his hand around her neck and kissed her. “Sorry about that,” he said.

  “Nothing to be sorry about. What are you sorry about?”

  “The whole thing. You witnessing the fight. The fight itself.”

  “Nothing to be sorry about. He deserved it.”

  Sal looked at her. “Damn straight he did.”

  Gemma, however, didn’t want to encourage that behavior, either. “But Sal,” she said, “in the future when you decide to kick somebody’s ass, try to do it when there’s not so many witnesses.”

  “You mean I shouldn’t have done it in front of those two cops for instance?”

  Gemma smiled. “That would be a good for instance, yes,” she said.

  Sal laughed and pulled her into his arms. “You’re one of a kind, Gem,” he said.

  “I’m a gem, and gems are one of a kind.”

  “Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Sal said, staring into her gorgeous mouth. “You’re a gem only when I say you’re a gem.”

  Gemma wanted to laugh out loud. “Oh, yeah? Then you’d better say it fast buddy.”

  Sal smiled. “Well then,” he said, moving to kiss her again. “You’re a gem. Oh, yeah. You’re a gem all right.” They kissed. Long and lovingly.

  “Now let’s get you to bed,” he said, pulling her along. “You’re tired and I’m tired and it’s three-fucking-a.m. There’s nothing good in the streets this time of morning.”

  Gemma smiled. Her father used to tell her the exact same thing.

  Later that morning, Sal nearly fell asleep in the shower. But when he got out, grabbed a towel, and headed into his bedroom to dry off and dress, his sleepiness left him. Seated in his bedroom, his legs crossed as he sat upright in a chair, was his big brother Tommy. Tommy didn’t bother to look up. He was too busy flipping through emails on his phone. But something was wrong. Sal could feel it in his bones.<
br />
  He hesitated, and then began drying off. “Good morning,” he said, his eyes never leaving his brother’s.

  “Good morning.”

  “Strange to see you here this morning.”

  Tommy didn’t respond to that. He just kept on flicking his thumb as he checked what emails he had. From what Sal could see, he had boatloads of them.

  “So what’s up?” Sal asked. “What brings you here this morning? And I know it’s not about last night. That’s over and done with as far as I’m concerned.”

  “Yeah, well, that’s your problem, isn’t it?” Tommy asked and finally looked up at his brother. “You do your dirt and then wash your hands of it. But one of these days I am telling you, I won’t have any more favors to call in. You’ll be on your own.”

  “I’m always on my own. What the fuck you mean by that? Just because you’re having trouble with Grace, don’t take it out on me.”

  Tommy stared at Sal, as if he was surprised that he would go there.

  But Sal was never politically correct and indirect. He got to the point. “It is Grace, isn’t it?”

  Tommy hesitated. “Yes,” he finally said.

  “Your bullshit, or hers?”

  Tommy hesitated again, and then stood up and began to pace the room. He ran his hand through his hair and stood at the floor-to-ceiling window. It was only then did Sal realize his usually pristine brother looked a little disheveled. He still had on the same suit he wore at the police station, as if he’d slept in it. If he’d slept at all.

  “Is it something you wanna talk about?” Sal asked him.

  Tommy didn’t turn around, but he did shake his head. “No,” he said.

  “So you came all this way, to your brother’s house, not to talk about it?”

  Tommy managed a weak smile. “Something like that,” he said.

  And Sal respected that. Tommy just wanted to be with his brother. They had that kind of bond.

  Sal walked over to Tommy, and placed his hand on his broad shoulder. Tommy turned around, looked into his brother’s concerned eyes, and then fell into his brother’s loving arms. Sal was stunned when the tears began to pour.

  “I want every detail,” Shannon said as Mel took a seat next to her desk. Although the Gabrini corporate headquarters building was buzzing with work, Shannon was buzzing with a need to know.

  “I told you everything.”

  “Not everything.”

  “I told you she was black.”

  “You said she was pretty too.”

  “She is.”

  “But what do you mean by that? Prettier than me?”

  Mel hesitated. Gemma Jones made Shannon look like a chia pet, but she couldn’t exactly tell her that. “It’s different, you know that.”

  “But better different, or worse different?”

  Mel wanted to puke. What were they, in high school? Yes, they both were in their early twenties, but dang. Shannon sometimes could be so immature to Mel. “That’s hard to say,” she said. “You’re pretty, she’s pretty. It’s like apples and oranges. If you like an apple, she’s the prettiest. If you prefer an orange, you’re the prettiest.”

  To Mel’s relief, Shannon seemed to accept her ridiculous rationale.

  “Did Tommy show up?” Shannon asked. “Were we right that she was really there for him?”

  “No,” Mel said regrettably. “Mr. G. showed up. I didn’t see Mr. Tommy at all.”

  Shannon didn’t like to hear that. “How did he act around her?” she asked.

  “Don’t know. He pretty much kicked me out as soon as he got there. He acted like he couldn’t get to her fast enough.”

  Before Shannon could react, they heard Sal’s voice behind them and quickly zipped up theirs.

  “What are you two yapping on about?” he asked as he approached.

  Shannon turned around. “And good morning to you too.”

  “Answer my question. What has got you girls in a twist already this morning?” It couldn’t be his arrest, since Tommy had that cleared up almost immediately.

  “Nothing worth even mentioning,” Shannon said as she stood and began following him as he made his way into his office.

  “Which, translated,” Sal said, “it was some hot shit y’all were yapping about and it was all about me. Get to work,” Sal ordered, looking back specifically at Mel when he said it.

  “Yes, sir,” Mel said and hurried to her own desk.

  Shannon laughed and glanced back at Mel, as if it was all in fun. Mel was horrified. Shannon sometimes acted as if her job was nothing more than a launching pad to bigger and better things for her. But for Mel this job was that bigger and better thing, and she had every intention of keeping it. But she also feared Shannon and her ability to sabotage her at will. She had that inside connection. And although Mel was sure Shannon didn’t have the same relationship with the boss she once had, it was still far superior to the relationship Mel had with Sal Gabrini. She was walking a tightrope, and she knew it.

  Once inside the office, Shannon began to give Sal the run down on his schedule. Nothing on tap until later this morning: a teleconference with Tokyo. Then Shannon, deciding that she had to re-stake her claim, walked behind the desk as if she was looking for a certain document on his desk. She wore a low-cut blouse, as she always did, but made a point to display just how low-cut, for Sal’s eyes to see.

  Sal saw them, all right. But instead of wanting what he was seeing, he began to think about Gemma and those big breasts he sucked sore last night. He thought about Gemma’s firm ass, and how sweet it felt when he entered her. Yeah, he did take that peep at Shannon’s breasts, but only as a reminder of what was in store for him later.

  And he suddenly got the urge to hear her voice again.

  “I’ve got to make a phone call,” he said. “Get back to work.”

  Shannon looked at him. She was expecting some comment, specifically about her appearance, but she got nothing in return. He didn’t even yell at her for going there. Nothing.

  She decided to be blunt. “So how did it go yesterday?” she asked as she stood back erect.

  He looked at her with a look of irritation on his face. “How did what go yesterday?”

  “With your friend from out of town. With Gemma Jones?”

  “And what is that your business?” Sal asked her. “Get the fuck outta here!”

  Shannon was accustomed to his crassness, but that didn’t mean she liked it. She began leaving his office.

  “And Shan,” Sal yelled, causing her to turn around. “Keep that shit up, keep getting into my business and blabbing about it out there, your ass is gonna be on the unemployment line real soon. The only reason I’m keeping you around at all is because you happen to be good at your job, and you know how to keep those other ladies in line. But there’s nothing indispensable about your ass. Nothing. Feel me?”

  Shannon saw the seriousness in Sal’s eyes. And she knew right then and there, as she had suspected when he put the bitch up in his own penthouse, that this time was different. Gemma Jones wasn’t just another one of his females. Gemma Jones was different.

  “I feel you,” she said, meaning those words in a way Sal would never comprehend. And then she left.

  Sal leaned back in his swivel chair and ran his hand through his thick hair. He hated getting so rough with Shannon, because she really was a very good assistant, but for some reason he hated her even thinking about Gemma. He wanted that part of his life separated from this part. But then he had to catch himself again. Why was he behaving as if he and Gemma were in some kind of committed relationship when nothing could be further from the truth? He barely knew the woman, what the fuck was he going on about?

  And that was when he decided to forget Gemma Jones. She was just some girl for crying out loud. He wasn’t going to call her like some pussy-whipped dick, and he was going to cancel hooking up with her this afternoon too. Who the fuck did she think she was anyway? She was just another girl just like all his other la
dies. Nothing more, nothing less.

  But something changed within Sal from his morning tough talk to his afternoon action because, not only was he waiting for her outside her hotel, but he was early. Nearly thirty minutes earlier than their agreed upon time of three. But to his dismay, he wasn’t allowed passage into the hotel. He, in fact, was banned.

  He started to fight it. He started to tell that manager a thing or two about banning a Gabrini, but he didn’t go there. For Gemma’s sake he kept his cool. And, instead, phoned her on his cell phone.

  She answered and hurried down within minutes. Sal was parked further away from the hotel’s entrance, although still on the Briar-Brance property, and was leaning against his car. And yes a part of him was still cussing himself for being such a lapdog, but the bigger part was okay with it. He couldn’t wait to see her face again, he didn’t care how it looked.

  And when he did see that sparkling, glowing face again it all crystalized for him. He understood why he changed his mind for the very first time. When she walked out of that hotel and began walking toward him and his Ferrari, he almost forgot to breathe. She looked just that stunning to him. She wore a bright salmon-colored pantsuit this time that contrasted beautifully with her dark skin. And the way she walked, with a quiet dignity that beggared description, impressed him. There were many people going in and coming out of that hotel just when she did, but she stood out like a peacock in a field of rats. And he no longer cared how it looked. He no longer cared if his feelings for her would qualify him to earn some sort of chump card. He smiled at her. To hell with how it looked. He couldn’t wait to hold her again.

  “Hi,” she said as she approached him. “You’re early.”

  “Disappointed?”

  “Not at all,” she admitted. He was thrilled that she, like he, didn’t mind the fact that they were giddy about each other.

  He hugged her. She found such a move sweet. When they stopped hugging, he turned back into his regular irascible self. As if his anger was his shield. “Why you didn’t bring your clothes? Go get your luggage and let’s go.”

  “I’m going to stay here, Sal,” she said firmly.

  “Stay here? Are you kidding me? You’re going to stay at the same hotel that banned me? You must be joking!”