I was in the hallway when Evelyn came through the front door. I explained that Robert was taking me to see Sam and I hoped to be no more than an hour or so. Robert joined me just as Gary pulled the Cadillac to a stop at the front door. I guessed Robert had called him.
I slid across the grey leather seats in the back of the car, inhaling that ‘new car’ smell. It was certainly luxurious. Small TV screens were mounted in the rear of the headrests and I smiled. That would entertain the boys on their journey to and from school. Robert joined me as Gary climbed in the drivers seat. It felt good to get out, even if what I was about to do may not end well.
I ran through scenarios in my head. Maybe Sam wouldn’t open the door—I’d shout through the letterbox if I had to. Maybe he would and he’d hug me, tell me all was okay and we’d be friends again. Or maybe he’d tell me to get lost, he didn’t want to know me. Whatever the outcome, I would know and I could deal with it.
We drove through Columbia Heights in silence. Had Gary and I been alone, we would have chatted, but he was a different man in Robert’s presence. The apartment block we stopped in front of looked fairly new. The entrance was a glass revolving door leading to a large reception manned by a security guard. He stood to attention, recognising Robert I imagined, as we entered. Robert gave him a nod before placing his hand on my lower back and guiding me to the lifts. We rode to the top floor in silence.
There were two white wooden doors at either end of the small corridor to choose from. Robert headed to the left one. Halfway down the corridor, he stopped.
“This may not go the way you want it to, you know that, right?”
“I do, but I have to try.”
“You try too hard with people sometimes. It annoys me when that isn’t given back.”
“Just play nice. For me?”
We walked to the door and I took a deep breath before knocking. We stood for a moment and waited. I could hear the shuffle of feet. I knew someone was the other side of the door but it seemed an age before it was finally opened. Scott stood and smiled at me.
“It’s the moll,” he called out with a chuckle and a wink. “Oh, am I glad you are here. He’s been doing my head in,” he added in a whisper.
He opened the door wide and Robert and I stepped into the most unbelievable penthouse apartment. Sam was standing with his hands on his hips in the middle of an open plan room. One wall, like ours at home, was all glass with a view that spanned for miles.
“Finally,” Sam said.
“And that means?” I replied, placing my hands on my hips mirroring his stance.
“I’ve been waiting for you to turn up.”
“If you had answered my calls, I would have been here sooner,” I snapped back.
“If we had a bloody network service, I would have.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it. You cut off my first call.”
“Okay, so yes, I cut off your first call. But honestly, Brooke, we have no service here.”
“And you couldn’t use the land line, of course,” Robert added.
Sam had the grace to look sheepish. He shuffled his feet, which made me smile. That’s what he always did as a child when he was called out on something.
“So, can I get you glass of wine or something?” Sam asked.
“That would be nice,” I replied, keeping the tone of my voice stern.
I saw the corners of his lips twitch. He was trying not to smile as he walked to the open plan kitchen. Scott smiled broadly at me until I scowled back at him. He raised his palms in defeat before laughing.
“Shall we at least take a seat?” he said.
Robert and Scott sat on the sofa, a large leather one that faced the glass wall. The apartment mirrored our home in décor with minimal furniture, whitewashed walls and stainless steel appliances. I headed to the kitchen area.
“I’ve missed you,” I said as I approached.
Sam sighed. He placed four glasses on a countertop and walked towards me. He wrapped his arms around me and gave me a fierce hug.
“I’m sorry for what I said. I don’t know what came over me really.”
“You’d had a shock, Sam. It’s okay, but we’ve been friends forever, and it hurt.”
“I know, and I’ve been devastated by that. I just didn’t know what to say. ‘Sorry’ didn’t seem enough.”
He released me from his hug and grinned. He held up his little finger. “Friends?”
We linked fingers and shook before laughing.
“Now, you have got to take a look at this place. It’s fucking epic!” he squealed, clapping his hands at the same time.
My Sam was back.
“Scott, pour the wine. Robert, we need Wi-Fi and a new mobile provider. If you think after all we’ve been through we are leaving here, you have another think coming,” he said before taking my hand and flouncing off.
He showed me the apartment; it had two bedrooms, both with en-suite bathrooms, a utility room, a den and the open plan lounge/kitchen. Sam rushed from room to room excitedly detailing every feature. It was as if our earlier falling out had never happened.
“So, what’s it like being married to the mob? Isn’t that the name of a movie?” he asked.
We were sat on the bed in the guest room.
“No different to being married to anyone else, and I don’t know,” I replied.
“Yeah, I guess every marriage involves getting blown up. Will you tell me everything?”
I paused. I was going to be honest with him. “No, because I don’t know everything and I prefer it that way and because, to be honest, Sam, would you want to know?”
“You’d have to kill me after, I guess,” he said with a smirk on his lips.
“This is serious, Sam.”
“Oh, I know. I was there, I was blown up too, remember?”
“You weren’t exactly blown up. It was done to scare us; it went wrong.”
“Horribly wrong. How’s Franco?” he asked, reminding me of just how wrong it had gone.
Sam was unaware of the security guard, of any of the details, and it would stay that way. We chatted for a while about the arrangements for Sofia before heading back into the living room. Robert and Scott were still sat on the sofa but with glasses of wine in their hands. I took a seat next to Robert, who immediately curled his hand around mine. Sam sat in a chair opposite.
“Am I allowed to know anything?” he asked, looking towards Robert.
“That depends, Sam. As I’ve explained to Scott, you’ll know no more than necessary, and just enough to keep you safe now that you know what you do.” Robert was deliberately cryptic and his voice had a slight edge to it.
“Are we in danger?” he asked.
“No. Providing you don’t shoot off at the mouth about what you know, of course.”
I gave Robert’s hand a fierce squeeze. I knew what he was doing and I didn’t like it. He was threatening my best friend.
Robert glanced at me. “Sam, my family have been legal for many years. You work for me, remember? What we are is no different to many other families nowadays. Forget your fucking movies, life isn’t like that. However, I will do whatever it takes to protect my family, especially my wife and son.”
“The least you can tell us is what happened at the hotel,” Sam said.
“All we know right now is someone walked in with a small parcel. He put that parcel on the floor and then ran. We have an image of him that the police are investigating, and we will know more in a day or two. Until then, I’m trying to protect everyone as best I can, hence your move to a more luxurious apartment. And tomorrow, I’ll sort out your list of demands.”
“The guy in the alley, was he the one with the parcel?”
“We believe so and I will find out who he is.”
“And then what?”
“You ask about as many questions—questions I won’t answer—as Brooke.”
A short silence followed.
“Well, we do appreciate you moving us, Rob
ert, but I need to go back to work tomorrow, and I think Sam should too. Sitting around this apartment, as luxurious as it may be, doesn’t sit well with us,” Scott said.
“That’s fine. You’re not in any personal danger. Whatever this is, it’s aimed at me. I moved you because of your association to Brooke. I do want to say one thing though. Sam, Brooke doesn’t know much. Don’t pressurise her for information. Whether you agree or not, that is my way of keeping my wife safe.”
Robert placed his wine glass on the small coffee table in front of him and stood, my cue that he wanted to leave. As we made our way to the front door, Sam and Scott followed. Both gave me a hug and Sam promised he would call and we would meet up soon.
As we stood waiting for the lift to arrive, I took Robert’s hand in mine.
“Did I play nice enough?” he asked.
“Could have been nicer but better than expected.”
He chuckled as we entered the lift and made our way to the lobby. Gary was waiting with the car idling outside when we pushed through the revolving doors. The rear door was opened and I climbed in, relaxing back into the seat.
“Do you trust Sam not to talk?” Robert asked as we made our way home.
“Yes, I do with this. Anything else, then no. He loves to gossip, but he knows this is serious.”
At the end of the day, there had always been gossip about Robert. He had been accused many times of being in the Mafia. He had police and, I had no doubt, politicians in his pocket. My residency came through way faster than normal, he could find out who flew to Rome and he never got a bloody parking fine either. Whatever Sam had to say probably wasn’t news.
****
Evelyn was sitting at the breakfast bar with a newspaper spread out. There had been an article about the bombing and a few speculative follow up stories. I made a point not to read them. She folded it in half as we climbed the stairs.
“How did it go?” she asked.
“Okay. Sam tried the tough guy act for about five minutes, then we hugged and he apologised. Has Gerry been okay?”
I heard Robert chuckle behind me.
“I’m glad, and not a peep from him. So what now?” she asked.
“They want to stay in the new apartment and have given Robert a list of demands, of course. I think they’ll go back to work tomorrow, and Sam said he’d call in a day or so. He just needs to sort out a new network provider. According to him, he can’t get a signal there.”
“The new apartment is no more than a couple of blocks from the old one,” Robert said.
“I know. He’s trying to save face but he apologised, and that’s all that counts,” I replied.
“I’ll be off now. Franco wants to organise his flight home tomorrow,” she said.
“I’ll have Gina sort that in the morning for him. He’s coming into the office with Travis and me for a meeting. The police want to go through their preliminary report,” Robert replied.
Evelyn left and Robert sat on a barstool. He placed his hands on my hips and pulled me towards him. I stood between his legs.
“Happy now?” he asked.
“Yes, thank you. I needed to see him. You understand that?”
“I do. The police are going to want a statement from you soon. They’re interviewing everyone. I don’t want you to tell them about the guy in the alley.”
“Okay, but why?”
“If it’s Carlo, it’s for me to sort out.”
“Will they interview Sam? He might say something.”
“I haven’t given his name as a guest. To be honest, there’s no telling how Sam would behave if he had to be interviewed. You, I can trust, but not him.”
“When does ‘lock down’ finish?”
“Lock down?”
“Yeah, it’s what we’re calling it. Taylor said Patricia was missing the Old Wives Club and, to be honest, one more day here and I’ll be going stir crazy myself. I could do with going into work. I bet I have a stack of papers to sort through.”
I had been working part-time, moving around the departments to learn all aspects of Robert’s business. I’d settled in Marketing, although Robert and Jonathan had created a new department despite my protests. I was head of marketing new acquisitions before they were brought into the group.
“Let’s talk about that tomorrow,” Robert replied.
“I need a shower and an early night. I feel shattered,” I said.
“Okay. I have to finish up a couple of things, then I’ll be down.”
I left Robert to finish up whatever it was he needed to do and headed downstairs. I quietly pushed open Gerry’s door and crept to the side of the bed. He was on his back, his battered old teddy tucked firmly under one arm and the other thrown over his head. I knelt down and stared at him. I loved to watch him sleep. He was so still and so peaceful; his body was worn out by his active day. I loved him more than life itself. Sometimes I felt a pang of guilt that his life was restricted by security and protection. I would have loved for him to have the freedom I’d had as a child, to be able to visit friends and play without someone watching him all the time. I wondered about his future. No matter what Robert tried to do, how hard he moved away from crime, something always pulled him back in. One day Gerry would know; he would know who is father really was and I was scared. I was scared he’d want to be part of that lifestyle.
I left him asleep and headed for my bedroom. Once I’d undressed and removed my make-up, I tied my hair into a messy bun and walked into the bathroom. I decided on a bath, the Jacuzzi would soften the tension in my muscles. As I sunk into the warm water, Robert strode into the bathroom in all his naked glory. I smiled as he winked at me and shuffled forwards a little. He climbed in behind and I leaned back onto his chest. I rested my hands on his thighs as he stretched his legs out alongside mine.
“This is nice,” I said. Robert rarely used the tub, opting for showers instead.
“As is this,” he replied as he ran his fingers over my chest.
My nipples hardened under his feather like touch, and my stomach somersaulted when his lips brushed against my neck just behind my ear. He knew the exact spot that would have those butterflies dancing. A gentle moan escaped my lips, and I felt his smile in response. He trailed his fingers in a path around my nipples, teasing and finally pinching until I yelped. He chuckled.
“That wasn’t nice,” I whispered.
“I don’t want to be nice.”
He ran his hands down my stomach to my thighs. He gripped them and lifted my legs until they lay over his. I watched as his finger gently pushed a button at the side of the tub and activated the jets.
“Tell me when you feel it,” he said.
He shuffled forwards moving me closer to one of the jets.
“When I feel…? Oh, shit!”
A jet of water hit my clitoris sending delicious shockwaves through my body. Robert held my thighs open, exposing me. I gripped the sides of the bath, raising my body slightly as the bubbles of warm water teased. My head rolled back and I moaned out loud. He slid his body under me until I was sitting in his lap, giving my aching arms some respite. I could feel his hard cock under my backside and I ground myself against him as an orgasm built. Despite the warm water, I shivered, yet a heat travelled under my skin from my toes to my cheeks.
An ache began to form in my stomach—I needed his touch to tip me over the edge.
“Touch me,” I whispered.
“No.”
“Please?”
His response was to grab my wrists, holding them to my sides and his legs pushed mine against the side of the tub, trapping me. He didn’t need to touch me with his body—he did so with his words.
“Imagine that water is my tongue. I’m going to fuck you with it. I’m going to lick and taste every part of you. I’m going to drink in your come.” His voice was low and barely audible.
My breath caught in my throat and my mouth was dry from panting.
“Do you know what you taste like? Sharp and swe
et at the same time. I want your come dripping down my chin and then you’ll lick it off. You’ll taste what I do.”
I could hear the blood rushing through my head, I could feel every ripple of sensation, of desire, as it flowed over me and I cried out.
“Come for me,” he whispered.
My body gave in, I arched my back and I came just as he sunk his teeth into my shoulder. The sting of his bite, the delicious ache in my stomach and the water still bubbling against my clitoris gave me the most intense orgasm. Wave after wave of heat rolled over me. I could taste beads of salty sweat on my upper lip and I gasped for breath.
I collapsed back into his lap as he released my legs, and I clenched them together, forming a barrier against the water until he turned off the jet.
“Wow, just…wow,” I said as I caught my breath.
He said nothing as he wrapped his arms around me and lifted me from the bath. Dripping with water, he carried me into the bedroom, grabbing a towel from the rack as he passed. He lowered me to the floor, placed the towel on his leather chair and gently pushed me back until I sat. He knelt in front of me. Droplets of water ran from his dark hair, catching on his eyelashes as he stared at me, his eyes black with desire. A shiver ran over me. He gave me that wicked grin as he lifted my legs, placing them over the arms of the chair.
For a moment, he just looked at my pussy; his tongue ran gently over his lower lip, readying himself to devour me. He lowered his head between my thighs and I heard him inhale before his tongue gently swiped over my clitoris. I gripped his head, my fingers dug into his scalp and he did what he said he would—he fucked me with his mouth.
My legs ached from the arms of the chair so I lifted them and wrapped them around his neck. I tightened my thighs wanting his head closer, his tongue deeper. I wanted his lips to close painfully on my swollen and over sensitive clitoris. I wanted all that he would give me.
Robert’s hands gripped my legs, pulling them from his neck as he raised his head. He leaned up and over my body, his mouth crashed down on mine. I tasted myself on his lips and his tongue. One of his hands wrapped in my hair, pulling my head closer to him, the other ran up one thigh. Two fingers replaced his tongue. As he pushed inside me I felt his moan in my mouth, I felt the rumble in his chest as he growled.
Fallen Angel, Part 4 - A Mafia Romance: Fallen Angel Series Page 7
