Seven Days: A young black woman makes a deal with a mob boss.

by Diana Hoffman

  But Nic knew what she wanted. Normal. Something that his lifestyle was not. Nic sat thinking long and hard about his next move. As the wheels in his head started turning, he hopped up to get dressed. He knew exactly what the next step was. Later that night, Victoria was sitting on the couch, devouring an entire bag of Doritos while watching Jeopardy. She felt she could officially say she had the strangest life in the world. One minute she was living with her parents in a shitty apartment working overtime, the next she was under ball and chain of a mob boss. One second she's in Bali, the next she's cleaning brains out of her hair. And now she was in her pajamas watching a game show.

  Truthfully, she was trying to do anything to take her mind away from Nic. But calling Marianna earlier that night didn't help. Although she was so happy to hear her voice, once their conversation had ended, the loneliness set in even more. But speaking with Marianna made her feel closer to Nic in a way, especially since Marianna kept persuading her to get back together with him.

  God, she wanted to. She had barely been away from him for two days, and she missed him like crazy. Maybe she had overreacted. Maybe she should have given him a chance. He did find her and save her life. That in itself should prove his love to her.

  But a part of her didn't want to go through the pain and suffering that Marianna had gone through. Or the constant waiting that Isabelle had to deal with. Victoria didn't want to live in hiding or be overly cautious and wary of every person who entered her life. Even someone just asking for the time. She didn't want to be scared all day, every day.

  Victoria stared down into the empty bag right as she heard a knock at the door. Ellington, no doubt, coming to bring her dinner. But this time she would look through the peephole first, just in case it was Marsh.

  "Yes?"

  "Message for you, Mrs. Andretti," Ellington said.

  Victoria opened the door to find Ellington holding a silver tray with a rose and a card on it in one hand, and in his other hand a large silver bag.

  Victoria grabbed the note, rose and bag. "Thank you," she said, shutting the door as she read the card. 'Don't think. Put on the dress. A car is waiting for you downstairs.'

  Victoria's heart trembled. But what about the other night and—don't think! She was going to see Nic. She smelled the rose and exhaled. This man made her crazy.

  She quickly ran to the bathroom to shower, put on the dress and a little makeup and then went out of the door all in less than twenty minutes. She decided that she would listen to his message and not think about what she was doing. Sure her mind kept trying to tell her to run...run far away. But...her heart told her something much different.

  As Victoria rode the elevator down, she giggled to herself to think of Raymond opening her car door as he always did, and him driving her like he had done in the past to whatever location Nic wanted. It had been a while, but she tingled all over just thinking about it.

  Once she reached the front of the lobby, she pushed open the hotel doors and froze. An instant tingle coursed its way through her body. Nic was leaning against a fire red Lamborghini. She had not been expecting that. Usually when he said a car is waiting, it was someone else ready to drive her to him. But even from a few feet away, he was staring at her with this intensity that she had never seen in another human being. Like he was claiming her with just his eyes alone.

  "Hello Victoria," Nic said, as she approached. Her beautiful smooth milk chocolate skin seemed to glow and the simple, short black dress he had provided for her hugged her delicious curves even better than he had imagined. She was stunning, resembling the first night he had met her, when she had been wearing a similar albeit, cheaper dress.

  "Hi Nic," Victoria whispered back. He was penetrating her soul with those piercing blue eyes of his. Any guard she had tried to build up in the short ride down the elevator had now crumbled. 'Talk about tall, dark and handsome...his picture should be the epitome of that phrase,' Victoria thought.

  "You're mesmerizing...as always," Nic said, drinking in her striking face and sexy body.

  "Thank you," she answered, but then started to feel self-conscious, because Nic continued to stare at her. She quickly glanced down at her dress and smoothed it out. She glanced back up at him, and he still wasn't saying anything, just gazing.

  Nic finally shook himself out of his trance and opened the passenger door for her. This woman...drove him crazy. "May I escort you to dinner?" he asked, when his brain was up and running again.

  She nodded to him, then quickly spoke up, "Yes." She got in and he gently closed the door.

  When Nic got in the car, Victoria's nostrils filled with his masculine scent—a scent that made her pussy quiver. Just being this close to him, started flooding her brain with past memories of their hot encounters. He glanced over towards her and gave a small smile before he pulled the car onto the street.

  Neither one said a word while he drove them to their destination, but Victoria couldn't help but stare at his profile. Even though it was dark in the car, the neon blue lights of his dashboard gave her a faint light. It was about the tenth time her mind had screamed, 'He's gorgeous'. She started to get wet, just thinking about his strong body covering hers. She finally turned away and stared out of the window, to keep from embarrassing herself.

  The further they drove, the more the streets began to look familiar, and before long she recognized exactly where they were. She couldn't help but smile.

  After a few more minutes, they pulled up in front of his condo. When they got out, Victoria greeted Sam. He held the door for her and smiled brightly back at her. "Long time no see, Miss Victoria," he said.

  Nic grabbed her hand and led her to the elevator. They both stared at one another on the ride up, but neither spoke a word. Almost 48 hours ago, she had a gun to her head and he had shot someone right in front of her. But now...it's as if that had never happened. The magnetic pull they had towards each other clouded out everything else.

  Once inside the condo, Nic removed his coat and walked to the kitchen. Victoria closed her eyes and breathed in the familiar place. So much had happened here, and it felt just a little strange to be back. But perhaps this time, strange in a good way.

  Nic walked back over to her and handed her a glass of champagne. "I owe you an Italian dinner, and I never go back on my word," Nic said, taking a sip from his own glass.

  Oh, yes, she remembered that morning. The morning he had promised her so many things and left her broken hearted.

  "Yes, I think you do," Victoria smiled, and took a sip. "Want me to help with anything?"

  "Nope. Just sit your pretty little ass down."

  Nic rolled up his sleeves, washed his hands and started removing several things from the refrigerator. He cleared a space on the island in the kitchen. Victoria sat on the bar stool opposite of him, and observed. For someone who didn't cook often, he seemed to know exactly what he was doing.

  "Nic?"

  "Yes?"

  "What am I doing here?" Victoria asked, leaning her elbows on the counter.

  Nic was silent for a few moments before he spoke. "I want to give you something that I've never given anyone else."

  "Your cooking?"

  Nic smiled, "No. While I'm preparing our meal, I'm going to give you an opportunity to ask me anything you want. And I'll be completely honest."

  Victoria immediately perked up. There was so much she wanted to know about him. "Nothing's off limits?"

  Nic exhaled. "Nope. You can ask me anything."

  Victoria thought hard about what her first question would be. She didn't want to scare him off, so she asked a simple one first.

  "Okay. I'll start off easy. What's your middle name?"

  "Sebastiano...or just Sebastian," he stated as he chopped a tomato and added it to some spectacular chicken dish he was in the process of making.

  "Nicolas Sebastiano Andretti...ooh, I love that." She stared at him and noticed a small smile in the corner of his mouth, even though he wasn't looking at her.
But now on to more burning questions.

  "Did you sleep with that Kim girl the night you took her out?"

  Nic looked up at her. "No, and I can't believe you even remembered her name."

  "Well, it was a pretty devastating night for me. I remembered everything about it."

  Nic grabbed some spices from a cabinet but didn't say anything.

  "Why don't you call me Vicky, like most people?"

  "Because Vicky is plain, and you're anything but," he stated matter-of-factly, as he placed the dish into the oven. He poured another glass of champagne and leaned against the counter. "Next question."

  Victoria smiled. And to think, her whole life she had always thought herself plain.

  "Hmm, what was your dad like?"

  Nic glanced down at his glass. "He was a quiet man. But that was mainly due to the fact that English was only his second language. Mostly every time he spoke to us, it was in Italian," Nic said, trying to figure out what to say about him. "He wasn't the most involved father, but that taught us to be independent. My mom was the only one who could really make him smile. That's about it in a nutshell."

  "You look a lot like him," Victoria said, taking in that bit of information. It was the first time Nic had even mentioned his father. Everything so far that she had learned about his family had been from Marianna.

  "Yeah, I know," Nic said as he sipped his drink.

  Victoria knew that this next question might hurt, but she really wanted to know. She wanted to know all she could about Nic, and not second hand from someone else.

  "What was your brother Bobby like?"

  Even though he probably tried to hide it, Victoria saw Nic tense up at the question. He glanced down at his glass then back up to her.

  "Victoria, I'm sorry. I know I said nothing is off limits, but can we hold off on that question?"

  Victoria nodded. "Yes, of course. I'm sorry."

  The next question, Victoria wrote down. She had learned a few things from Nic. 'How many people have you killed?' was scribbled on a piece of paper and she slid it towards him.

  Nic just looked at her. "Do you really want to know that?"

  Victoria looked down at the paper and then back up to Nic. "No, I guess I don't," she whispered, as she tore the piece of paper up.

  "Okay, new question. When's the last time you cried?"

  Nic chuckled, "This wasn't the brightest idea. Hmm, can I get back to you on that one also?"

  Victoria rolled her eyes. "Yes." So much for the Q&A.

  When dinner was finally ready, Nic prepared both of their plates, while Victoria set the table. It was a beautiful candlelight dinner and the food was amazing. Nic really could cook...or at least he could cook Italian food. Marianna would be proud.

  "This was delicious, Nic. Thank you," Victoria said, drinking the last bit of her champagne.

  "Am I forgiven?"

  "I was never mad at you Nic, I was just scared. Nothing like that had ever happened to me, and I didn't know how to react to it. I still don't," Victoria said.

  "Then, what can I do to make it better?" Nic asked.

  "You can start by telling me what you're thinking," Victoria answered.

  "That's it?"

  "Yep, just tell me what you're thinking without guarding yourself. Even if it makes you look vulnerable, I want to know."

  "Alright. Stand up," he said, as he walked over to his entertainment system.

  Victoria did as she was told, eyeing him cautiously as he flipped through a group of CD's. When he found the one he was looking for, he placed it in the CD player, and the smooth, romantic sounds of an old rhythm and blues song drifted through the air.

  "Oh, this is a beautiful song, I've heard this before in a movie. Oh, What a Night, right? What's the group?"

  "The Dells."

  "I didn't know you listened to oldies."

  "I listen to a little of everything. Come here," Nic whispered.

  "You come here," Victoria teased.

  Nic smiled and slowly walked over to her, grabbing her hand and gently pulling her to the living room floor. Victoria admired his long, lean yet muscular frame underneath his dress shirt and dark jeans. He turned around to face her and flashed the most beautiful smile. Her knees literally felt weak.

  He pulled her close to his body and started moving slowly with the music.

  "Close your eyes," Nic softly uttered. Victoria glanced up at him for a moment, then obeyed.

  "The night my parents met, this was the song they danced to. My dad had told my mom that night, in broken English, that he was going to marry her," Nic said.

  Victoria kept her eyes closed as she thought about Nic's father and Marianna dancing. What a beautiful couple they made.

  "He also whispered to her during the song what he thought their lives would be like. I'd like to try that."

  Victoria continued to sway to the music and listen to Nic's deep soothing voice.

  "For whatever reason, our bodies crossed paths, and in those special moments, I lost my heart to you. And I'm sure I'll never get it back. But as long as I can hold you close..." Nic stated, tilting her head up toward him, as she slowly opened her eyes, "...then you can keep it. I love you more than words can express Victoria Davis, and non posso vivere senza voi."

  Victoria knew her eyes were glassy, but she couldn't help it. Everything he had said to her caused goose bumps to caress her skin. And when he leaned down to kiss her, she thought she would melt. The room was slowly spinning and she couldn't tell if the song had stopped or not.

  "Wha—what did that mean? The last part," Victoria asked.

  "I can't live without you," Nic answered, before delivering her another soul shattering kiss. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He lowered his kisses to her neck as she pushed her fingers through his smooth jet black hair.

  "I can't live without you either, Nic. I love you," she whispered back, loving the feel of his soft lips nipping at her sensitive skin. She closed her eyes and threw her head back, to give him full access.

  Nic started carrying her towards the bedroom, placing his free arm out to the side to guide him, while he continued to lick and kiss Victoria. When he finally reached the opening to his room, he gently deposited her onto the bed. He pulled the tiny black dress over her head, and peeled off her undergarments. He had to admire her body. It was damn near perfection, and he was going to spend all night worshipping it.

  He quickly discarded his clothes and lovingly gripped her ankle. He kissed the bottom of her foot, and then planted small kisses all the way down her leg until he reached her sweet spot.

  Victoria arched her back, in anticipation for what was to follow. After a few torturous moments, she felt his warm, wet tongue enter her pussy and move in a small circular motion, causing little jolts of electricity to ignite in her head. She gently pulled his smooth hair and moaned. "Damn, Nic...ohh."

  But Nic didn't want her to come just yet. He started slowly crawling up her silky toned body until he reached her face. He captured her bottom lip between his teeth and lightly bit the soft flesh. He then kissed her swollen lips again as he entered her sex. Home, sweet home. Only her pussy could grip his cock, like it was made just for him.

  Victoria stared up at him, as his powerful thrusts shook her. She raked her fingers down his back until she reached his ass. She squeezed it as he ground deeper and deeper into her dripping wet pussy.

  Nic kissed her again, resting his body further down onto hers, feeling her full round breasts meld into his chest. Their hips connected and rocked back and forth in a rhythm that only their bodies knew. A dance that their bodies had memorized with each other.

  Victoria licked and kissed his collarbone, tasting the slight salty mixture of his sweat. She closed her eyes again, feeling that familiar itch in her lower section, that only he could scratch. He always seemed to reach places within her that she didn't know existed. Her toes hurt as they flexed and her legs began to shake. It was coming. Her breat
h was shortened and she could feel herself panting.

  "You going to come for me, baby?" she heard him whisper in her ear. She nodded her head, when she felt his teeth bear down on her neck.

  "Oww," Victoria moaned.

  "I asked you a question, and you didn't answer it," he growled.

  "Yes, Nic, I'm about to c--come," Victoria said, as her pussy tightened around him and her eyes rolled back. "Aahh, Nic...oh, baby," was all she could manage as wave after wave of delight washed over her body.

  "That's it sweetheart," Nic said, as he began to pick up the pace. It had been too damn long since he had felt her body respond to him. He could feel himself losing control, as he continued to force his full length into her tight pussy. He could feel her body clamping around his member, forcefully massaging it. "Oh, Victoria...shit". Nic pushed deep and released a flood of his come into her. After a few moments, he stilled himself, as his lower half produced minor spasms until he was completely spent.