by Johnson, Cat
The flag dropped for the second time tonight, and I floored it. Like before, my focus was on winning. When I reached the last quarter-of-a-mile stretch, I shifted gears. In the rear-view mirror, the fire from the nitrogen burn rose up and got lost in the dark night. And all I could think of were those gorgeous green eyes shooting daggers at me. As soon as I crossed the finished line, I spotted Mikey. I stormed out of the car and rounded on him.
"Did you steal this car? Are you fucking kidding me? My brother and Rex are all over my ass, trying to get me to New York. If I get in this kind of trouble, I'll have no choice but to do as they say." I fisted the front of his T-shirt.
"Relax. I didn't steal it. The pink slip is in the glove compartment. I won it fair and square. I told you that two nights ago. Jeez, maybe stay off the booze for a fucking bit." He slapped my hand away and jerked his chin forward. "You came here to help me seal a deal."
I turned around, and there she was. She had her long hair sprawled around her shoulders and wore a V-neck T-shirt that hugged her tits just the way I liked it. As if she had sensed me, she shifted her weight to look my way and froze.
"We're racing for pinks?" I asked under my breath.
"Her brother already lost his ride and a shit-ton of money to me. But he's got something I need."
"You don't mean her." I gritted my teeth. The idea of Mikey with his hands all over her made my stomach churn into a painful knot.
"I wouldn't mind a piece of that. But no, this is business." He gestured for me to go ahead.
I ambled over to the dealer handling our race. "Massimo." I shook his hand, then turned to the green-eyed beauty. "We weren't properly introduced before."
She blew out a breath, as if giving me her name was a tiresome chore. "EJ Holt." Her fingers had barely brushed mine before she shot a murderous look to the guy standing next to her. By the way he cowered behind her, I could only assume that was her brother. "My brother doesn't have your money."
"I know that, doll." Mikey stepped forward with his hand extended. "Mikey Gallo. We met briefly last month."
"Yes, we did." Her jaw clenched. "I’d hoped never to see your kind again."
"Let's take a minute. I'm sure we can come to some sort of an arrangement." I put up a finger, squeezed Mikey's shoulder, and pulled him away from the trio. I wished I remembered what I had agreed to while we were in Ibiza. I didn't like the greedy spark in Mikey's eyes. "What are you doing?"
"Take a good look. Virgin territory all around us. These punks don't know how to run a town. We can take over. Easy." He slapped my stomach with the back of his hand. "A new crew. A new family. You and me."
"I don't want a new mafia family. Hell, I don't even want the one I already have. This is not what we talked about." I didn't know that for sure. But there was no fucking way I had agreed to return to New York and play the good son again.
"You said you wanted to start over. Settle down." He gestured toward the race cars. "Here's your chance. Zack owes me enough money that he’ll have no choice but to forfeit his territory to me. Then you and I can do our thing, our way."
"We didn't discuss this."
"We're discussing it now." He crossed his arms over his chest, his brown eyes bright with excitement.
I glanced over at EJ. She leaned forward to whisper something to her brother. The wind caught a few loose strands of blonde hair and tossed them into her face. What would she think if she found out I was third in line to take over the family business, a member of a hundred-year-old society that ran all mafia related activity in the country? In short, a fucking criminal.
"No."
Mikey chuckled, then his lips dipped into a frown. "Wait. No? You're saying no?"
"I am. Tell them their debt is forgiven. We leave for Ibiza tonight."
"How about you think on it a bit?" He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and ushered me to EJ, her brother, and the dealer. "How long do you think you’ll need, doll? To come up with my money."
"First of all, I'm not a doll. The name is EJ." She swallowed. Again, she glared at her brother for a beat, but he didn't say a word. "A month."
"A month? I can't wait that long." Mikey raked both hands through his wavy hair, his gaze darting between EJ and me. "But you know what? I'm feeling generous. Must be the crisp Southern air. How about you go out with my friend Massimo here and we call it a deal?"
"Don't be an asshole." My cheeks burned hot, pissed that Mikey could read me so well.
He was such a cliché. He missed his mafia days, his family, and having power over everything and everyone around him.
"What?" He asked in an innocent tone. "They need time, and you need a friend while we wait for our money." He winked at me.
The asshole knew I wasn't at all indifferent to EJ. He also didn’t want cash. I turned to EJ to explain Mikey's fucked up humor, but she beat me to it.
"I'll do it."
"I'm sorry?” My cock twitched while images of her in nothing but thigh-high stockings flooded my mind. The raw energy moved from my navel to the hollow place in my chest. Suddenly, I felt grounded, whole. "You're agreeing to go out with me?"
"Sure."
I rubbed the stubble along the edge of my jaw. Now that Mikey had put the idea in my head, I couldn't let it go. "Say the words."
"I'll go out with you." She put up her index finger. "One night only. Dinner. No sex. If I do that, you'll give us the thirty days we need to get your money together?"
"You got yourself a deal, Ms. Holt.”
2
More Like A Dark Angel
EJ
Massimo: See you in five minutes, Ms. Holt.
I glared at Massimo's text and didn't bother to respond. This wasn't a normal date. It was an arrangement to give my brother more time to come up with the fifty-thousand dollars he owed Massimo. The problem was, Zack had no way to come up with that kind of cash. He had already lost his race car. Something he had forgotten to mention last month. Unlike his friend, Massimo seemed like a nice guy. Maybe if I explained our situation to him, we could figure out a different deal. More time? Or, I could build him a car in my garage?
Blinking away tears, I smoothed out the skirt of my cocktail dress. Massimo hadn't said where he was taking me for dinner, but judging from his overall demeanor, I could only guess it would be somewhere fancy.
When was the last time I had a real date? Maybe a year ago before Mom got sick? Gosh, when was the last time I had a date with a guy who looked like he belonged on the cover of a GQ magazine? That would be never.
The man was sculpted like a Greek statue. Last night, when he drove into my driveway, he wore jeans, a leather jacket, and no T-shirt. I tried not to look, but he was there, hard abs on display, and deep blue eyes that made all kinds of dirty promises. My phone beeped again with another message and killed the fantasy forming in my mind.
Damn.
I opened the door and stopped in my tracks. For a moment, I thought about running upstairs and calling the whole thing off. But my legs didn't move. I couldn’t stop staring at Massimo in a dark tailored suit, holding the door to his black Escalade like he was some sort of knight in shining armor.
"Don't be a coward," I mumbled and forced myself to walk up to him and his impossibly beautiful face.
"Ms. Holt." He tilted his head toward me. "You look stunning."
"Yeah, you too." I blurted out and let him help me into the backseat of his car. For God’s sake I had to do better at playing it cool.
"Don't be nervous." He unbuttoned his suit jacket and stretched his long legs out in front of him. "It's just dinner. However, if you change your mind, please, don't hesitate to ask." His tone was low and sinful.
I puffed out a breath. The nerve. As if I would want to jump into bed with him just because he showed up looking crazy hot in those tight trousers that hugged his thighs in all the right places.
I rolled my eyes. "I’m not gonna change my mind. I'm all good here." I glanced away from his pants and realized he wa
s still holding my hand.
His warm touch put all kinds of ideas in my head. No, stop it. The deal was one dinner date. I didn't have time for anything else. Mom needed me. I yanked my arm, and he released it. This was going to be the longest night of my life.
His intense gaze rose to meet mine as he knitted his brows. "You're all good because you already had sex with your boyfriend today?"
"What? No, I don't have a boyfriend. I—"
"Great." He flashed me a row of perfectly white teeth before he turned his attention to the driver. "Let's go. I'm starving."
We arrived at the St. Regis hotel in under twenty minutes. I pursed my lips. I should've known Massimo would keep insisting on the whole sex thing. No doubt he was used to having women fawning over those blue eyes and tight abs all the time.
"Ready?" His voice startled me, and my body jerked a little.
I needed to stop thinking about him that way. "Sure." I climbed out of the car.
An employee rushed to the door to let us in. He greeted Massimo with a little bow, addressing him by name. Massimo escorted me up the grand staircase and then down a long corridor. At the end of the posh hallway, dotted with expensive art and large mirrors, we came to a set of tall wooden double doors. They swung open, and we were greeted by a group of overly courteous servers.
Massimo placed his large hand around my waist, and dammit if my heartbeat didn't speed up. He glanced down at me and whispered on my temple. "You feel good in my arms."
Apparently, my body thought so too. It had coiled itself around his torso, which gave me the chance to take in his scent, a mix of cedar wood and vanilla.
"Sorry." I shook my head and stepped away from him.
"Don't apologize." He pulled out the chair for me.
I sat and surveyed the space. The art hanging on every wall combined with the lavish table in front of us laden with a seafood tower, and a magnum bottle of champagne were something I had more or less assumed would be Massimo's style. What I hadn’t expected was for the place to be empty. I furrowed my brows and turned to him silently asking, what the fuck?
"I figured you'd be more comfortable if it were just the two of us." He motioned to the servers, and they all disappeared. "Your brother mentioned you like seafood. Would you like an oyster?"
Yeah, this meal was my absolute favorite. "Why are you wasting your time with me?"
He leaned forward in his chair and adjusted his Rolex. "Any amount of time spent with an incredibly gorgeous woman isn't a waste of time."
"Cut the bullshit."
"Okay." He chuckled. "I like you. More specifically, I like how I feel around you. I'm doing this for me."
I had to appreciate his honesty. "Okay." I waved away some of the dry ice steaming from the platter and popped a shrimp in my mouth. "Hmmm." A light moan escaped my lips. "These are really good."
"I'm glad you like them." He swallowed, shifting his weight on his seat to pour two glasses of champagne. "So EJ, what is that short for?"
"Oh." I covered my mouth and waited for the shrimp to melt on my tongue. "Everleigh James."
"That's a pretty name. What do you do?" He asked as if we were at some random bar in Midtown.
I took a long swig from my glass. "Okay. I don't want to lie to you."
"Honesty is a high commodity in my world. Hard to find." He cocked an eyebrow.
"Right. My brother can’t get your money—not in thirty days. I know you and your friend hustled him. But that doesn't excuse what he did. He means well, but he’s an idiot." I drank some more. The wine was delicious, plus a little liquid courage never hurt anyone.
"What do you mean?"
"You know what hustling means."
"I do, and we did. But you said he meant well. What was he trying to do?"
"We need the money for something. It doesn't matter. The point is, in a month or two, he still won't have your fifty grand."
I opened my mouth to apologize, but before I could say a word, my phone rang with the ringtone I had assigned to Mom. Biting my lip, I placed my hand on my purse and met his gaze.
"Go ahead."
I scoured through my small bag and fished out my mobile. "Mom?"
"Ms. Holt, this is nurse Paige. You said to call you on this number if anything changed with the clinical trial."
"Yes, thank you for calling. What happened? Are we in?"
"I'm afraid she didn’t meet all the criteria. Um, they went with someone younger."
I squeezed my eyes shut. The new miracle drug was Mom's last chance of beating lung cancer. "Thanks for letting me know."
"I'm so sorry, honey. But you also need to come get her."
Tears spilled down my cheeks as I raised my head to look at Massimo. Before I could speak, he motioned for the server. "Seems our dinner has been cut short. Could you wrap this up?" He reached for my phone and took it from my numb fingers. "This is Massimo Alfera." His features hardened as he listened to whatever nurse Paige was telling him. "We'll be there shortly. Don't move her until I get there."
"This trial was her last hope." I whispered, utterly defeated.
"Come on. I'll give you a ride. Your mom wants to see you."
"You don't have to do this. I can manage." I’d been doing exactly that for the last year.
The server returned with our food. Massimo thanked him and then walked around to retrieve me from my chair. He escorted me to his car. I considered telling him I didn't need his help. But I was tired of fighting and I really wanted to see Mom.
After he buckled my seatbelt, he settled into his seat, and his breath hitched. "Who the hell are you?" He glared at the guy in the front seat. “Where’s my driver?”
"He had a family emergency.” The old man deadpanned.
"Did my brother send you?"
"No." He shifted his body to look at us. "I'm here as a favor to Mr. Rex."
Massimo took my hand in his. "She needs to go to the hospital. Can we talk after we drop her off?"
"I'm just the driver, Mr. Alfera."
“I’m sure you are.” Massimo relaxed next to me. "I'm sorry about your mom. I wish there was something I could do to help."
I laughed and suddenly all the pent-up anger I had buried deep in my chest exploded. "Well, we needed fifty thousand dollars to cover all of Mom’s out of pocket expenses and other bullshit her insurance refused to cover. But thanks to you and your hustling business, we can’t pay for any of that. To make matters worse, now she doesn’t get to do the trial. So no, there's nothing you can do for her."
"Hey." He gripped my wrist. On instinct, I threw a punch. He caught it and then wrapped his arms around me, pinning my hands to my front. "I know it hurts. Let me help you."
"How would you know?" My voice sounded distant and still furious.
"Because, I've been there." His ragged breath brushed the side of my neck as his lips pressed to my temple. "I need to make a phone call. I'm gonna let you go."
I nodded, and he released me to retrieve his phone from the inside pocket of his suit jacket. He slow-blinked as he pressed the device to his ear.
"I need a favor." His eyes found mine, and he smiled—not the panty-melting, let's have sex now smirk from before, but a gentle and kind gesture. "Yes, I know." He lowered his head then shifted his weight to face forward. "Make the call. I’ll wait."
My heart rate spiked. Did Massimo really have the ability to help us? I watched with my mouth open as Massimo gave the person on the other side of the line all the details about Mom. Nurse Paige must've told him all that. By the time he hung up, I was a hot mess from crying and waiting for him to tell me that he had managed the impossible.
"She's in. Someone will contact you in the morning to make all the arrangements to move your mom to New York." He brushed his fingers over my wet cheeks. "As an apology for the whole hustling thing, I’d like to cover your mom’s expenses."
“Why?”
“I told you. I know how this feels.”
"Who are you? Some kind of
guardian angel?" I cradled his beautiful face.
"More like a dark angel." He clicked his teeth.
"Thank you." I removed my seatbelt and practically pounced on him. I pressed my lips to his in a desperate need to show him how much all this meant to me.
"Hey, that's not necessary." He mumbled but sucked gently on my tongue anyway.
He tasted of champagne and cinnamon. I melted into him until he held most of my weight. Panting, he squeezed my waist, letting my mouth linger over his for another beat before he set me down on my side of the car.
"Jesus Christ." He raked a hand through his hair. "I'm trying to do the right thing here. How about we go see your mom?”
3
You Know How It Is
Massimo
The visit to the hospital took several hours while we made sure EJ's mom could stay until the foundation in New York had made all the arrangements necessary to move her to the new clinic. In the twenty-minute ride to EJ’s house, she had fallen asleep in my arms. Seeing her mom like that had drained her. I knew the feeling all too well.
"Hey, we're here." I nudged her when we pulled into her driveway.
I climbed out of the car and offered her my hand. She took it, shaking her head as red crept up her pretty cheeks. "Some date, huh? I'm so sorry."
"Don't apologize."
When we reached her front door, she turned to face me. Her hand squeezed mine as if she was afraid I would disappear. "We could finish our meal here."
I pressed my body against hers. The kiss we’d shared in the car still sizzled on my lips. And fuck me if I didn't want more of that, more of her. But I’d made a choice tonight. I glanced over my shoulder at Rex’s so-called driver. When he met my gaze, he grabbed our packaged dinner and brought it over.
"Give us a minute." I braced my hand next to EJ's face, not bothering to look at him.
