“All kidding aside, I am serious about being with you and proving to you I can be trusted. You have my word, Anna. We take this at your pace.”
Her eyes searched my face before she leaned over the center of the seat and placed her lips to mine. Honoring the words I’d sworn to her, I let her direct the kiss. Her lips were as soft as I remembered, and the sweet smell of sugar and exotic flowers that was all Anna surrounded me. Her hand found my face while her tongue tested the waters of my bottom lip. Though I’d love nothing more than to push her back in the seat and kiss the shit out of her, see if she tastes as good in other places as her mouth does, instead I pull back. The confusion on her face is a struggle to watch.
“I meant what I said, Tesoro. I need to show you the kind of man I can be without taking you to bed.” With a kiss to her forehead, I tap the window for my driver to take us to my condo.
IN FAIRYTALES, THIS WOULD BE in the story where the music builds and all is forgiven. Dominick would promise to walk the straight and narrow, and I would profess my hidden love for him. In the real world, where most of us live the majority of the time, that’s not what happens. Fear doesn’t get replaced by love just because new light is shed on an old perspective. In reality, my reaction to Dominick’s admission was a genuine one. I do feel differently about him; see him in a different light.
The warmth surrounding me is a continued reminder he isn’t perfect. Far from it. Yet, as I lay wrapped in his warm embrace listening to the rain pelt the glass which separates me from the storm, I’m reminded of a customer I once thought was homeless and broke. I had challenged whether he could have a credit card that wasn’t stolen from an unsuspecting bystander, only to learn his real identity—one of the most wealthy men in the country. How much money Dominick had was an unknown, but given the envelope of money and the speed at which he’d been able to get it, I didn’t think it was an issue. Just like the man in Louisiana, Dominick wasn’t what he seemed to be. His tough exterior, devilish good looks, and stone cold attitude were all basic parts of him. However, his claiming responsibility for Corey’s death and his selfless act of giving me an open door to run if I wanted to, showed me another side to him. A side I doubted many people ever saw.
I turned my body to try and see the man, the real man, the one who’d ended our kissing and insisted he be allowed to continue showing me how much he truly loved me, in a non-physical way. He wanted to have himself checked out by his physician now knowing that Miranda was Anthony’s wife, the one man known to outdo even him in sexual prowess.
My heart melted when he confessed Marissa had been his only sexual partner in the past several months. His revelation about his relationship with Miranda being more fetish in nature, seeking to fill his need to see acts of sex, was a relief. He’d stumbled over himself while trying to reassure me he had no real desire for it any further. I didn’t want to get into it with him, with everything else I’d found out, I could only digest one thing at a time. Porn habits would have to wait for another day.
In all the times I’d looked at Dominick, I had failed to notice the scar haphazardly peeking out from his right eyebrow. Or how he had three freckles on his left cheek, under his eye. His hair was so soft yet thick when I buried my fingers in it to hold on for dear life while I kissed him. Most of all, I learned I liked the way it felt when he held me like this. His body molded to mine, yet didn’t suffocate me with his closeness, and the sweet feel of his breath as it glided over my cheek with every breath he took while he slumbered peacefully was comforting.
Thunder rumbling outside was enough to make me jump and Dominick pulled me in tighter. The moment my eyes closed in contentment, he spoke up, his arms pulling me in tighter.
“You always smell so good.” His voice was thick with sleep, and my eyes snapped open in surprise to see him looking at me with dedicated intensity. His words made me feel things—things I shouldn’t have been feeling, things which would get me into trouble.
“Well, thank God for that,” I teased, trying to rid myself of the thoughts coming to mind. Dominick lowered his head. Placing his nose in the crook of my neck, he inhaled deeply before moving lower. “I’m serious. You always smell so good to me. Not like perfumes, just… you.”
In life we all get to make choices; good or bad, we have the right and ability. Given everything that had happened, I chose to let Dominick in. “You know, when you’re being this sweet I can almost forget how much I hated you.” I sighed, laying my hand on his face.
“Oh, baby, you ain’t seen nothing yet.” He spoke in a deep, sexy voice while maneuvering his body over mine, taking hold of my lips again as the rain continued to pour outside.
“Oh, my God, Ari!” Gabby stopped, flustered from the news I’d shared with her. “I mean, Anna. It’s gonna take a minute for me to get used to calling you by your real name.”
“You’re fine, I won’t deduct anything from your pay.”
It’s amazing what life without fear or worry could do for one’s mood. My inner smartass could breathe again. Gabby had been nervous when I opened the shop this morning. While I was away putting dead men to rest, she’d been busy accepting a last minute order for a production company. In two days’ time we would fill a warehouse with enough flowers to delight any bride in the city. All for a scene which, most likely, wouldn’t last ten seconds, or would end up on the cutting room floor. In any event, the shop’s name would appear in the credits.
“Can I ask you something?” Her busy fingers wrapped floral tape around the flower stem in her hand.
“Sure,” I answered without lifting my eyes from the altar flowers I was creating.
“I’m having a hard time meshing the Ari I know, a girl who doesn’t take Dominick’s shit or bat an eye when one of his sluts gives her attitude, to the woman standing before me now, confessing how she let some dickwad push her around.”
Gabby’s question gave me an angle I hadn’t considered. “You know, that’s a very good question, one I’d love to have a witty answer for. Maybe it was all the changes, finally being able to be who, and what, I’ve always wanted.”
She put her flowers down. “Maybe it’s more than just location and hair color.” She tilted her head ever so slightly, a smirk finding a home on her face.
“Okay, Dr. Phil, what is your rationale?” I tossed the pink rose in my hand to the table.
“Easy, boss lady, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“You didn’t,” I huffed, more aggravated with myself than Gabby and her question.
Leaning her elbows and forearms on the butcher-block counter, she shot an inquiring look at me, then asked, “Was Corey a big guy? Intimidating or scary?”
I looked in the direction of the front window, where the bright rays of the midday sun shared their warmth with the entrance display. Over the past few months, I’d tried to banish Corey from my memory, but found describing him was easy, with his endless supply of ball caps, jeans fifteen sizes too big, and collection of Bob Marley shirts that he’d worn whenever he went out. Where words like thug, poser, and wannabe came easy, intimidating and scary didn’t come anywhere near the roster. “No, not at all. He dressed like most of the gangsters in any rap video you watch, minus the gold teeth. He was ‘too original’ for them.” Corey’d proclaimed the music industry had copied his style as they sold their craft. He’d threatened, on numerous occasions, to hire a lawyer and sue the hell out of them.
“So, he didn’t beat you or lock you in a closet for days?” Uncontrolled laughter fell from my lips. Corey hadn’t had enough brain cells to figure out how to lock anything.
“What’s so funny?” she asked.
Wiping the moisture from my eyes, I sobered up. “I’m sorry, it’s just the thought of Corey raising his hand to hit me. He was always too concerned with what people around us would think.”
“What about Dominick? Would you describe him as scary or intimidating?”
I’d seen him deal with the people in the neighborhood, comma
nding attention from those around him. Was he scary? Absolutely. Intimidating? Without a doubt, but there was so much more to him. “Yes.”
“Really? You find Dominick scary and intimidating, yet you’ve agreed to at least be his friend. Although, given how well I know Dominick and how he works, that’s bullshit. However, the man you laugh at is the one who caused you to tuck away who you are and settle for what he allowed you to have. Trust me, Anna, it’s more than hair color and location.”
While the afternoon shadows crept their way onto the street, shoppers began making their return pilgrimages to their homes and families. Earlier in the day Dominick had sent me a text saying he had something to discuss with me.
“Mr. Big and Scary blowing up your phone again?” Her expression highlighted she was teasing, yet her posture showed her true curious nature. Since our honest discussion that morning, Gabby had become more brazen with her questions, and even bolder in her observations.
“He has something he wants to discuss.”
Gabby dropped the broom handle she was using to clean the shop floor. “Oooh, I bet he is going to give you the cornicello. Although he should have given it to you a while back.” The latter she mumbled under her breath as she retrieved the broom from the floor.
“A corney-what?” I queried, not sure what she was talking about.
“No, not corney, like hokey. Cornicello, an amulet worn to ward off evil. The Santos family has used them for decades to identify the Untouchables.” Tapping her fingers on her neckline, she asked, “Haven’t you seen the necklace Sophia and Karla wear, the little silver and diamond horn?” Thinking hard, I couldn’t say I’d noticed anything like she was describing.
“Here, look at this photo from the party.” Gabby pulled her phone from her back pocket and scrolled through her list. Her eyes lit up and she turned her phone in my direction. “See the necklace Karla has on?”
Expanding the photo, I zoomed in on the silver chain around her neck. Sure as shit, there in the center of her décolletage was a horn-shaped pendant with what looked to be a crown on the top, covered in diamonds. “This is the symbol for being an Untouchable?”
“It is for the Santos’s, and with them being the largest Family around, everyone who needs to know, follows.”
The bell over the door announced a new customer while I handed the phone back to Gabby and told her to head on out. Turning to welcome them, I was met with Dominick removing his sunglasses as the glass door closed behind him. Gabby’s words from earlier plagued me, making me question why I didn’t cower away from him or why he’d chosen not to give me the visible sign of protection other Untouchables wore.
“Hey.” He leaned over to kiss my cheek, giving me the same greeting he had for Sophia and Gabby. “Are you ready for dinner, or do you have more work to finish?”
I’m not certain what I expected him to say; he’d made it perfectly clear we were taking this relationship at my pace. “No, I’m ready, just let me lock up.”
Dominick helped me lock up the cash drawer, then secured the locks and alarm. We both remained quiet on the ride to his house. Unlike the first time I’d come with Gabby, Dominick’s entrance consisted of a remote controlled loading dock which raised up, giving way to an underground parking area.
Inside, a multitude of cars and trucks waited to be used, all there for a specific need. Although, I couldn’t fathom trying to take the large military-style truck into the middle of city traffic.
“I got a call from the county jail this morning.”
“Oh, yeah? Alex need bail money?” I joked and shoved a wonton into my mouth.
Dominick stirred his food with his chopsticks as he continued with his story, looking up at me before he spoke again. “No. From Miranda,” he replied emotionless.
I stopped chewing as my eyes widened. Something deep down had told me she would call him.
“Seems she’s run out of people to call to post bail for her or hire her an attorney. I guess I was her last resort.”
It was weird watching him be so callous about this. Honestly, I was ready for him to tell me he’d had one of his guys go down and get her out. They did have a long history together; twisted as it’d been, it was still a relationship. I couldn’t stop myself from expressing my curiosity. “No desire to help her out?”
The words were out there, and even if I’d wanted to, I couldn’t take them back now. Not that I wanted to.
Dominick placed his food on the table he’d moved out of the way for our picnic, then closed the distance between us. His movements fluid and deliberate, no words were said as he removed my plate and placed it behind me. With feather light touches he kissed along the underside of my chin, his hands making a path for his lips to follow. The sensations felt so good I tilted my head back and settled in to enjoy his attention.
Dominick had given me a large box a few days ago. Once I’d given in and opened it, I’d found it filled with the same caramel candy he’d given me in the past. Buried beneath the candy were his test results, all negative.
With that advancement, I’d dared to ask the question I’d placed in the shadows of my mind: Could he give up his fetish for live porn?
He’d answered with another box, this one containing several porn videos, and I’d tossed them at him as we fell into a fit of giggles. Dominick admitted he no longer had the same desire for it. When he’d told me, “Having what you really want in life will do that for you,” I’d kissed his stubbly cheek. Time would tell.
Dominick did have one thing that drove me insane. When he was aroused, there was this little growl, which came from deep within his chest. We’d explored each other’s mouths thoroughly, with some heavy petting above the clothing. He wanted me to be on the same emotional level he was before we took the next step.
Thanks to the current trick he was performing on my neck with his tongue, his resolve—and mine—might be crumbling.
His open-mouthed kisses and nips with his teeth caused my eyes to roll to the back of my head. The way his hands moved down my back to the top of my ass, and back up, making a complete circuit, left my body in a turmoil of desire.
“Dominick,” I rasped out. He knew what he was doing to me; already knew how to play my body so well.
“Hmm?” he mumbled and increased his little nips.
“Dominick…” My voice sounded more wanton than I was comfortable with. Why I let him do this to me, I’d never know. I wanted to ask him about the pendant, and why he’d chosen not to give me one. Perhaps it was an inner Family gift, one I would receive if this relationship ever went where he wanted it to go? Did Marissa have one? According to his own explanation, he’d still have to honor the code even though their relationship had come to an end.
Dominick pulled back to place tender kisses on my face, nose and eyelids. “Not trying to tease you, sweetheart. Just making certain you understand where Miranda stands in my life: not even a blip on the radar.”
His expression told me he was telling the truth. Miranda would be a distant memory if I’d just allow it to happen. If he wasn’t willing to keep her memory alive, who was I to argue?
“But more important than that, I want you to know where you are, and will always be, in my life.” Dominick moved his body closer, his eyes half closed and his mouth taking shape to kiss me.
My thoughts were in the air between us before I could wrangle them back into the shadows, where they belonged. “An Untouchable no one knows to avoid.” Pulling back, his eyes flashed open. My answer surprised him, something not many people could do to Dominick Santos.
“What do you mean, Tesoro? All my men know who you are.”
Attempting my best backpedal, not wanting to journey much further into this discussion, I ramble out, “You’re right. I misspoke.” Leaning in to place my lips to his, I’m hoping to distract him from the heaviness I’d created. Heat from his hand on my chest stopped me from delivering my diversion.
“No, you have something to say, and I wish for you to con
tinue.”
I could lie, tell him some bullshit story about being on my period or not being ready for whatever. But if I expected him to be honest with me, I would have to show him the same courtesy. “What is the meaning behind the pendant Karla and Sophia wear?”
Dominick grabbed his beer from the coffee table behind him and took a long pull before speaking. “I have this feeling you already know the answer to your question, so how about you ask me what is really bothering you.”
“You’re right. I should be able to just say exactly what’s on my mind and you’ll give me a straight and honest answer.” I’m aware, given the nature of his job, the second half of what I’d said might not always be possible, but I felt better saying it anyway. “Recently I’ve become aware of a tradition in your Family of giving a Cornicello pendant…” I trailed off, leaving the admission in the air between us.
Dominick placed his bottle back on the table, and returned his attention to me. “Still waiting for your question.” The hint of smugness in his voice was maddening, in more ways than one.
“Is the reason I don’t have one because, I’ve chosen not to sleep with you? Or have you changed your mind about me?” There it was, the scarring wound, which had been festering inside me since speaking with Gabby.
“It’s true, the men of my Family give this particular gift to the women in our world who happen to be labeled Untouchable.” He cast his eyes to mine, pulling me in either to kill me with the truth, or set me free. “I’ve chosen to be a little more selective in my choice for who gets one.” Reaching over, he ran his finger along my collarbone. “It’s my opinion, the gift of such a symbol should mean more than its owner having a level of protection. A higher sense of security, if you will.”
Stolen Secrets Page 26
