by Sienna Mynx
“Yes baby, don’t stop.” She exhaled.
He thrust harder and she rolled her hips in response. It wasn’t enough; he burned for more of her. He widened his legs and eased up with his free hand on her hip to keep himself steady, and then he unleashed. He began to fuck her, go deeply in and out of her tight channel. Her whimpers became full-bodied groans. The moment she crested he knew it. Her back arched up from the rug and then sank back down as she released the loveliest sigh. Vinnie fell on top of her and pumped his ass full throttle until his balls emptied every bit of his seed into her core. He couldn’t sing her praises, or catch his breath. The shared orgasm slammed against him making him weaker than a newborn.
Harmony wrapped her sweet arms around him and held him to her chest. “I love you.” He panted. “I love you so much, Songbird.”
“I love you too.”
Eleven
Sacrifices…
Three Days Later –
Sun burned bright over his face , he squinted, turning away from the heat. After a few minutes he awoke. The room appeared as nothing more than a blur of shadows. He waited and his vision focused. Songbird had left his bed. Waking to her soft warm body pressed against his had become a satisfying consistent in his life. He missed her before his lids parted. He and his men were all keeping a low profile. Every newsman in the city ran a story on what they labeled ‘Bloody Sunday’. So many men’s lives had been cut short, even the connections he had with the police gave him little cover. All he could do was wait out the heat.
“Morning.”
His head dropped over to the left. She sat next to the window with the curtain drawn. She stared out at the street, sipping something from her cup. The home remedies he’d rubbed on her face and body had healed her bruises quickly. There was little evidence of what that bastard had put her through. He was grateful. Each time he saw evidence of her pain, murderous rage churned in his gut.
“Come back to bed,” he said, missing her deeply.
“In a minute. I like sitting here,” she smiled. “Watching you sleep.”
The night had been sweet, and his cock twitched with remembrance. He wanted to roll over to her soft body as he had done the past two days. How the hell would he ever be able to let her go now? “How’s your brother. Check on him this morning?”
There was a lovely gleam of happiness bright in her chocolate brown eyes. She turned her sweet smile back to him. “Good. He’s in a lot of pain but I think that means he’s on the mend. No fever, so I know that’s a good sign. This morning he was sitting up. I made him lie back down so he wouldn’t overdo it. We are leaving today? Right? Going back to the cabins? I think I want to ride Mary again.”
“Yes.” Romano placed his arms behind his back.
“Were you serious about joining me, in New Mexico Vinnie? Be honest please,” she said rising and walking over to the bed. He shifted his legs so she could sit on the edge of the mattress. He lifted his hand and brushed the side of her face with his knuckles. She caught his palm and kissed it.
“Yes. I never want to break a promise, Songbird. If there’s breath in my body I’ll always find my way to you.”
“Remember when I told you I would dream songs? I dreamt one last night. Want to hear it?”
His eyes stretched in surprise. Her singing was the second favorite thing he loved about her. Morning serenades seemed too good to be true. “Yes. I want to hear it.”
True to her word she favored him with her lovely voice and a familiar song was cleverly altered with new lyrics that spoke of their adventurous love. Her breath hitched between verses and she released a soft sultry moan before easing into a sweet melody. She sang of a new start and fresh choices, and he was lost in her voice. He barely heard the words. There was something uniquely serene about how he felt when she sang. She brushed his lips with a very faint kiss. Romano reached for her thigh and waist to bring her to his lap and she straddled him on the bed. He cupped the back of her neck and kissed her, ending the sweet song with her moaning through their kiss. He rolled her and dragged his lips from her mouth to her neck then tore open the front closed collar of her robe so they could travel down to the lovely breasts he’d previously ignored. Harmony yanked the sheets from his waist that had him wrapped tight, and he kicked them free as well. With his mouth he worked his tongue licking and sucking her plump nipple. She responded with mewling whimpers that excited him.
He eased down and tossed the bottom half of her robe open so he could dip his tongue in her navel. She spread her thighs wider and started to sing again. After all the many times he’d made love to her, it was the first time she ever sang to him this way. The temperature of his blood spiked and his heart beat at an uncontrollable rate. Her voice was as smooth as milk and honey. Romano groaned, trailing his tongue through the spry hairs of her thick bush down to her sweetly swollen pussy. His tongue toggled her clit and her voice lifted into soprano.
Vinnie chuckled.
He took her hand encouraging her to assist, and she plied herself open for his exploration. The tip of his tongue did a delicious swirl at her center and her hips undulated upward with quick jerky movements. Her singing stopped but her desperate pleas for more increased. She came hard for him and he buried his nose, lips, and chin in her essence. Harmony rolled away groaning. Her tormented groans were a heady invitation for him to give her more. He turned her to her stomach and flipped the robe over her ass to her back. Romano wiped his face over the plush mounds of her round ass cheeks and smacked the left one hard. She giggled. She lifted her hips, spread her knees, and buried her face into her pillow. He placed the head of his cock at her entrance and slowly pushed inside until he was balls deep. He halted and held her by the hips to prevent her from moving and causing him to break control.
“Vinnie, don’t stop,” she groaned in disappointment. Her inner walls tightened then loosened, and then tightened again trying to draw him deeper if that were possible. Romano pressed the side of his legs against her outer thighs and urged her to close them. She did as he ordered and her pussy clamped down even tighter on his shaft. He exhaled noisily almost dropping his load.
He closed his eyes and began to move in and out of her slow and easy. He rubbed her ass and down her spine with one hand and held tightly to her hip with the other. She pushed back against him repeatedly forcing him to return to her tightness after every withdrawal. Soon another orgasmic explosion was unleashed and he was pounding his love for her into her backside, spraying her womb with his release.
Harmony dropped first and he fell on top of her. She giggled. “I don’t think we can leave this bed.”
“Good, I don’t plan to let you.”
***
“Any news?”
“None of it good,” Ignacio said.
Two men sat across from his desk stiff and unrepentant. The only light in his office came from the lamp on his desk. The darkly paneled walls, mahogany furnishings, and closed drapes cast the entire room in bleak shadows. It served well for the mood he’d found himself in. And now he had the best men in his crew acting against his wishes and returning to deliver more news of their failures. Romano couldn’t blame them for trying to strike back against Collins. The casualties of this war between Collins and his men had bled the soul of his operation dry. Antonio hadn’t only robbed him of their brotherhood; he’d given his enemies an unfair advantage by allowing them to steal from him, but his reckless actions had cost him the respect of the men that had sworn allegiance.
“How many?” Romano asked.
“Twenty, maybe thirty of the men are loyal. Lucky Luciano has stepped in. He’s calling a meeting. We hear Sottocapo, Costello, Genovese are said to be furious as well and siding with Collins. You aren’t invited to the table.” Ignacio slipped Gio a sly glance. “We sent your message to Marrazano. You know he doesn’t approve of Luciano, and his dealings with Collins or Costello.”
“Marrazano will not work with anyone who is not full blood Sicilian. Yes I know. He�
�s old school Mafioso, believes in honor and respect, which none of those fuckers do.” Romano seethed.
“Times are changing,” Gio finally spoke up. “The old ways are no longer working. This isn’t Sicily. Look at what’s happening. Luciano is gaining power and friends by aligning with non-Sicilians. If you were to go to him and tell your story, then maybe a deal can be made.”
Romano slammed his fist down hard on the wood surface of the desk. Gio silenced. There would be no way in hell he’d go on his knees to Luciano. He ran the slums on the lower east side with him when they were fifteen. They were from the same village. He owed him shit, and wouldn’t grovel now.
“I meant no disrespect, boss,” Gio said.
The apology sounded as hollow as the excuses he’d received over their inability to neutralize Mickey Collins. With Luciano and his alliances now in the mix, the situation had become even graver. Romano watched them both silently. The side of his face rested between his thumb and his trigger finger. Ignacio swallowed and continued with the message. “Marrazano follows the old ways and… well…”
“Say it!” Romano seethed.
“He’s heard about the colored jazz singer you have with you. He doesn’t approve of your lifestyle. He’s not willing to step in.”
“I see.” Romano said. He figured it was a long shot. The rumors were flying with Antonio’s death and the cops circling. He even had a detective stop by to ask a few questions regarding his brother’s whereabouts. His moving Harmony in with him cost him the respect of some of his men. No one called Antonio queer to his face, but if somehow it was indeed known and shared with Don Salvatore Marrazano, the old man would certainly cast him out of his favor.
“Then it’s done.”
The men exchanged surprised looks.
“Don’t worry boys. I expected as much. We all make our beds, I’ve made mine.”
“We think you should move back to Woodbury,” Gio said. “We can’t keep this place safe much longer. It’s the best option.”
He wiped his hand down his face and released a long heavy sigh. He knew the score the night it all went to hell. Mickey Collins wanted him dead, and with Luciano backing him they’d move on him soon. He’d lost over a hundred men to the turf war. Sixty of them had abandoned him. The boys who remained were jumpy and on edge, questioning his authority and defying his orders. Instead of ruling them with an iron fist he’d spent three days held up in his brownstone with his lady in his arms avoiding it all. The truth of the matter was simple. He was tired of the war, the battles, and ready for the end his father always predicted for him.
“We’ll leave today while it’s daylight.” He opened his drawer, and removed two envelopes. Both were tossed on the top of the desk. Ignacio and Gio lowered their eyes to the money and neither man could speak. Many thought him penniless. Rumors had it that Antonio had cleaned him out. Much of it was true. But growing up hard on the streets, hungry and lost he learned to save. For every dollar earned in his hustle he saved three. That was no one’s fucking business. “Pay the men, find out who wants to come with me and who wants to stand. Either way it’s time.”
“What are you doing?” Mabel’s sharp voice cracked like an overseers whip behind her. Harmony whirled to find the maid glaring, her face pinched in a deep scowl. To add to her shame she’d been caught with her ear pressed to the door. A clumsy stammer of excuses tumbled from her mouth.
“If he catches you spying he’ll be furious.”
“I know. Don’t tell him. I don’t want to upset him.”
“Hmpf!”
“Can I talk to you? Please,” she lowered her voice. She hurried away from the door before Vinnie appeared hoping Mabel would follow. Reluctantly she did. Harmony had been desperate to find out what had him so silent and despondent before and after he met with his men. Every time she tried to broach the subject he changed it. Mabel could be her only hope to understand what she heard through the door.
Willie opened his eyes. He first thought the visitor to be Harmony. She checked in on him at least once an hour. He faked sleep several times just to avoid her hovering. He loved her, but he needed time. So much guilt and conflict churned within him, he wasn’t sure of what life would throw him next.
Clarity of mind returned and he focused. Mr. Romano walked inside and the door fell shut behind him. He looked tough, dangerous and unforgiving. Why did Harmony float around this place and blush every time he asked about her relationship with the man? His sister was a smart woman, and not prone to taking up with a white man on a whim. It didn’t add up.
He’d only had one meeting with Romano. The night they brought him in, he woke hours later to a very uncomfortable conversation where he had no choice but to confess the dirty truth of Antonio’s plan. He shared everything, including the lies Antonio whispered in his ear regarding his fake feelings for him. Romano asked two questions. None were about Mickey Collins’s operation. No. Romano wanted to know about Teek’s death and his brother’s grief. Willie shared the history he knew and tried to spare him some of the things he had heard about them.
After the inquisition ended, Mr. Romano spoke in a direct unyielding manner. “Harmony tells me you’re feeling better?”
“Yessir.” Wilie nodded.
Romano leveled his gaze and Willie held his breath for what was to come next. “I’m glad to hear it. In a week I need you on your feet.”
“Sir?”
“Harmony’s leaving, heading to New Mexico. You will need to be strong enough to make the journey with her. A week is all you’ll have.”
“I can do it.”
“Good. I expect you to be sure she arrives in New Mexico and never returns to Harlem or New York. Do you understand?”
“No? I can’t say that I do. Harmony has different plans.”
“Is that so?” Romano left brow arched.
“Yessir, she told me she wouldn’t be leaving for a month or so. She said that you would be joining her right after?”
The mob boss stepped closer to the bed. He eased his hands in his pockets and a small smile flashed over his face before it faded. “She’s a special dame. Always has been. But she’s wrong. If I can join her I will. There’s a strong probability that I won’t be able to. If it comes to that she’ll want to return here, look for me. You’ll make sure she doesn’t do that.”
Willie nodded.
“I expect your word on this. I’m going to ignore the debt you owe. The fact you drew a gun on me should have you pushing up daisies. I’ll let that go too. Not because I’m soft on you Willie, but because I am on her. That’s my final gift to her, your life. Capice?”
“Yes.”
“Then repay the debt to your sister. You owe her your life. Protect her with yours.”
He swallowed and nodded. Romano’s gaze swept the room then returned to him. His squared jaw tensed visibly. “We’ll be traveling out to my cabins. I plan to teach her how to fire a weapon and a few other things to protect herself. You up for a quick trip?”
“I can manage,” Willie blurted.
Romano nodded then turned and left. As soon as the door closed Willie let go a deep breath. Finally he understood his purpose. He will protect Harmony from men like Romano, Lewis, from all of them. He owed her that and more. It would be his sacrifice.
“Sit down child, your pacing is giving me a headache.”
“Can’t. Something’s wrong,” Harmony said. After a few minutes she gave up and pulled out the chair to the kitchen table. She sat across from Mabel. “Vinnie’s different. He hasn’t left the house since we got here. I don’t see anybody but Gio and Ignacio visiting him regularly. And not as many men patrolling either. And he has trouble sleeping Mabel. In the middle of the night he leaves our bed to go down to his office and drink, and pace, I know something’s wrong. What is it?”
“You the one listening to the door, you tell me.” Mabel huffed.
“I ain’t heard nothing that makes any sense to me. Would you stop fighting me on this
? We both care for him. Don’t we? I’m scared for him. It’s bad what Antonio done, isn’t it?”
“Antonio dead. What can a dead man do from his grave? Don’t go talkin’ about what you don’t know. Antonio was a good boy. Vinnie has it under control. Men respect him, fear him. He can handle whatever it is.”
There would be no getting through to Mabel. Her loyalty to Vinnie blinded her to his weaknesses and faults. It was clear to Harmony why Annie ran away from her mother. If she had this attitude even after the death of her son, it would break any daughter’s heart. Yesterday, Harmony heard two men talking of the war brewing in the streets while outside cleaning her brother’s linen on the washboard. Vinnie didn’t seem like the kind of man who would hide or cower from a battle. And now he kept talking about her leaving. She felt it in her gut. He was in trouble. She stood, and pushed the chair back to the table. Mabel would be of no help. She needed to confront him and get the whole story.
