Leave Me Breathless: The Black Rose Collection

by Dakota Willink

  I look forward to hearing your counteroffer. Please feel free to contact me directly with any questions you may have.

  Sincerely,

  Salvatore Vitale

  Senior Vice President of Amato Luxury Rentals

  Kristine read the email three times before allowing herself to believe it was true and not some hallucination from lack of sleep. Her fingers moved of their own accord and before her mind could catch up, Nina’s face smiled brightly back at her.

  “Please tell me you’re accepting Sully’s offer?”

  Grasping for what to say, Kristine averted her attention to the window behind the couch just as Grace Miller’s Honda pulled into her driveway. A flood of emotions hit her hard as she watched Jonah climb from the driver’s side, only to jump back in and back out the same way he pulled in. He was a coward; she’d known this from the moment she understood the meaning of the word. She deserved better; a better life, a better job, and someday a real man. One who could take care of her as much as she did him.

  “Nina, I gotta call you back. There’s something important I need to do.”

  “Wait, Kristine, are you…?”

  Kristine’s eyes never left the side of Grace’s car as she shut the laptop and stood from the table, watching with anger burning her belly as Jonah drove off without a second look.

  6

  Gino watched Nina’s naked tits bounce like a pair of basketballs as she rode his dick. With her head tossed back and a clear view of her glistening cunt, cries of pleasure spilled from her lips. Nina Grasso was a seasoned pro and knew what he liked. Tonight, however, Gino found it difficult to focus on her surgically enhanced globes. Nina started their evening by rattling his last nerve with her not-so-subtle talk of taking their relationship further.

  “Oh, god, Gino. You’re so fucking big.” Nina also knew what to say to inflate the ego of the person she was fucking. “I’m coming.”

  She was also a fucking faker, who more than likely hadn’t had an orgasm originating from anything other than her own devices. Gino’d fucked enough women to know when their walls were clamping down and the movements grew slicker. If that how she wanted to play it, who was he to disappoint? Gripping her hips tight with his hands, Gino flipped Nina over, pounding into her several times before pulling out, and covering her tits with his jizz.

  Climbing from the bed, Gino slipped on a pair of track pants, securing the tie at his hips as he headed for the hall of his Manhattan Penthouse. “Don’t get comfortable,” he tossed without looking back. “I have business to handle.”

  Springing from the bed, Nina ran to catch up with him, wrapping her arms around his middle from behind.

  “You can trust me, Gino. I’d make a good wife for you, even look the other way when you wanted.” Nina swore into the skin of his back. She, like most of the women in the Vitale world, wanted nothing more than the privilege and all that came with being married to the next Don.

  Stepping away from her, “Get dressed, Nina. I have shit to do.” Gino assumed she was also one of the many women who warmed his father’s bed, her last statement confirming it.

  Jonathan Vitale was old school Italian, marriage a must, fidelity not so much. He believed a wife equaled heirs and legacy, keeping the Vitale name alive and thriving. He wanted Gino to have sons and lots of them. Nina and Felicia ran in the same circles, raised with similar beliefs. No doubt they had the same end game of landing him and living the lavish lifestyle he could provide.

  Entering his living room, the ding of an arriving elevator sounded down the hall, Gino reached for the gun hidden under the table beside him as his brother stepped through the front door.

  “You said early,” Sully teased, closing the door behind him.

  Gino released the grip of the gun, continuing his progression into the room. “I did,” motioning to the bank of chairs. “And you forgot the coffee, again.”

  Sully crossed the short space to the barstool, pulling it out and sliding fluidly into the leather seat.

  “It’s not even four in the fucking morning, your fancy coffee place isn’t open for another hour.”

  Nina chose that moment to walk into the room, her naked tits leading the way, making Sully take notice of his investment. “Hey, baby,” she cooed. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”

  Leaning in Nina planted her left breast in the center of Sully's chest, running her fingers through his thick, dark hair, then licking the seam of his lips until he granted her access. Of all the Vitale siblings, Sully is her least favorite, not because of anything he’s done, but because of what he could never give her.

  Pulling out of the kiss, Sully whipped his gaze to Gino, who had his attention centered on his phone, completely ignoring Nina who’d slipped out of her panties and was grinding herself on his hip.

  Lowering her hands to Sully’s lap, Nina unhooked his belt, reaching past his zipper and wrapping her fingers around his engorged cock.

  “Ready for another round, Gino?” She called over her shoulder, sliding Sully inside her sore cunt while shoving her nipple into his mouth. Nina loved being fucked by Gino, his ability to leave her sated and hurting for days something she craved. Almost as much as the way it felt to have the two brothers fucking her at once. With Gino and his massive cock in her ass, and Sully with his talented mouth devouring her tits, each competing to last longer than the other. She’d nearly passed out the last time they shared her, the memory of it sending her over the edge.

  “I’ve said no twice now, Nina. Get Sully off and then do as you’re fucking told.” Gino’s patience was running thin this morning. He had plans for the day, none of which included giving in to one of Sully’s whores. She’d been available last night when he needed to get off, serving a purpose, just as the dozen other bitches they kept around and paid well for.

  Knowing his brother’s temperament, Sully stood up, spinning Nina around and bending her over the edge of the bar. He pulled out of her cunt, using the remnants of her orgasm to wet the entrance of her ass.

  Nina rejoiced in the way Sully dominated her, how her nipples hardened from the ice-cold temperature of the marble bar top. “Fuck yes, baby.” Nina rejoiced when she felt Sully’s cock tap the puckered skin of her ass, spreading her legs wider to take him in. Her eyes feasted on Gino’s naked torso and the way his muscles flexed as he poured water into a fancy coffee maker.

  Sully made three circles with the head of his cock, before plunging in and sinking into her balls deep, managing a handful of thrusts before exploding his load into the safety of her ass. Tucking himself back in his slacks, he gave her a wink as she shimmied back into her leopard print dress. Sully agreed with Gino when it came to Nina Grasso; she was a girl you fucked when you needed to, but not one you considered marrying.

  Gino waited until he heard the door closing before turning around. Sliding a cup of coffee in front of Sully, he leaned over the counter, careful to avoid the spot left behind by Nina’s tits.

  “How’d you do last night?” Sully questioned over the lip of his cup. He’d heard from the men pulling guard duty at one of the strip clubs he owned that Gino was at a table with several men who’d long since retired from the Family.

  Gino took a sip of his coffee, carefully choosing the words he wanted to use. “Ah, ma-don, you and Uncle Joe gossip like fucking women.”

  Setting his cup of coffee on the bar behind him, Gino reached into one of the kitchen drawers, pulling out a white bag and tossing it onto the counter beside Sully’s elbow.

  Glancing from his brother’s face to the bag and back again, Sully raised an eyebrow in question.

  “It’s pure, uncut cocaine, thirty-K of it to be exact.” Gino pointed to the white brick. “We’re going to turn it into a hundred grand.”

  “But dad hates drugs, said to leave this shit to the Cartel.”

  “Dad’s a fucking liar!” Gino roared. “Monty The Mooch was pinched last night, one of the cops called me when they found his truck full of this shit.”
>
  “So? Monty’s a piece of shit, don’t mean it’s tied to Dad.”

  “Motherfucker, would you stop sucking his tit, Sully? Monty wasn’t alone in the car; he had the goddamn chemist with him who nearly shit his pants when the cops put the cuffs on him. Dad’s been buying this shit for years, selling those bricks to hundreds of dealers across the country, who break it down and sell it for a song.”

  Sully looked to the white brick, reaching out and running his finger along the edge. He refused to believe his father would lie to him, but he would never go against Gino.

  “Okay, what do you need me to do?”

  “You still have access to the warehouse on Fifth?”

  “Yes, but so does Dad.”

  “Good, then he won't be surprised when he walks in and finds a cutting lab inside.” Gino reached for his cup. “I want Mario involved. It’s time we give him an opportunity to prove his worth to the Family.”

  “I’ll make it happen.” Sully agreed, pulling the bag closer. There was potential in this, Sully thought to himself. He owned several warehouses like the one on Fifth, ones Gino and his father didn’t know about. He would need to involve Mario and several members of his family in Harlem, but if he managed to pull this off, he could have the kind of money he always dreamed of.

  “I have no doubt,” Gino agreed over the edge of his cup. “Anything new I need to know about?”

  Sully nodded, “I hired a new girl to work in the office.”

  “Better not be another one of your fucking strippers. I still haven’t forgiven you for the whole Stormy fuck up.”

  “No, this one is legit, checked her shit out myself. She’s a cunt hair away from graduating college with a degree in accounting.” Sully held his mask of indifference at his brother’s reference to the stripper who nearly took down the Family. He’d been careless, thinking more with his dick than with the sense God gave him.

  Stormy, or Allison Murray, as Gino thankfully discovered before it was too late, walked into one of Sully’s strip clubs, asked for the owner and then dropped to her knees, giving Sully the single most incredible blowjob of his life. He gave her a job, but jealousy got the better of him and he moved her to the office he and Gino use as a front for their operations. Stormy fit right in with the other women and it wasn’t a half a second later Sully put her up in one of his apartments on Park Avenue in Manhattan, the same one where he kept most of the real books on the Vitale business. Gino caught her red-handed, the contents of one of the safes spread out all over the living room rug, her cellphone in hand snapping photos like an Instagram whore. After a few hours of interrogations, which included the removal of one of her fingers to run her prints, her true identity and occupation was discovered. It had nearly killed Sully to put the bullet in her head, but he’d screw up and allowed the FBI to infiltrate the Family. In the Vitale world, there were no second chances. You cross them once and they end you, no matter what’s between your legs.

  “She can do our taxes and handle the legit business details.”

  Gino wasn’t as trusting as his brother, and a plan to check out this new girl was already forming in his head.

  “And does this girl have a name?” Gino questioned, his tone teetering on boredom, the polar opposite of how he felt about the matter.

  “Kristine Smith. She’s twenty-three and a friend of Nina’s. For the past several years she’s worked for some Coop in Middleton, Kansas as their accountant. She’s recently lost her Nona and was looking for a change in latitude.”

  “Kanas? When the fuck did you go to Kansas?”

  “I didn’t, asshole. She and Nina are Facebook friends.”

  “Facebook.” Gino shouted. “Oh, now I feel so much fucking better about having her around. How do we know she isn’t another FBI plant?”

  “Because, dear brother. I checked out her college records, her taxes for the past few years and found out the name of the funeral home who handled her Nona’s services. She checks out, Gino. She’s as legit as that gym you own.”

  Gino lifted his cup to his lips, keeping an intense gaze fixed on Sully.

  “Speaking of Nina, what’s up with her spending the night? Having a girl in your bed longer than taking a piss after sex isn’t your norm. Did she finally convince you to make her your girlfriend?”

  Gino turned, pouring himself a second cup of coffee, not bothering to offer Sully a refill. “Nina isn’t my girlfriend, nor did she spend the night.”

  “Does she know this? Cause from what I saw when I walked in…”

  “Nina is quite aware of the perimeters of our relationship.”

  “Speaking of perimeters,” Sully pointed at Gino’s midsection. “You might want to spend time in that gym you own for something other than watching a fight. It looks as if Momma Vitale’s home cooking gave you a set of love handles, and you know how you are about anything to do with love.”

  Gino picked up a nearby salt shaker, tossing it Sully’s head, deliberately missing him by a mile. “Fuck you, Sully. Get the hell out of here and back to your bitches.”

  Sully tossed his head back in laughter, “I hear Jenny Craig is half-priced this month.” He added, slipping out the door before Gino could toss the matching pepper mill.

  Gino glanced down at his stomach, finding the same definition he’d worked so hard to achieve. Granted, he’d been too preoccupied with his uncles in Sicily to get in a single workout, but he didn’t see much change. Choosing to deal with it later, Gino picked up his phone, pressing a single button as he checked his reflection in the hall mirror.

  “Find out what you can on a Kristine Smith from Middleton, Kansas. Her most recent employment was with a Coop, whatever the fuck that is.”

  “Boy, for as much as your mother spent on your education, you’d think you would know something other than how to separate a young lady from her panties. A Coop is a member-owned organization which helps its members get the best services they can. And since this Coop is in Kansas, I’d say it dealt with crops like wheat or hay.”

  “Whatever, Niko. Just do what you do best and find out who the fuck this girl Sully hired is.”

  7

  “It’s about time you got back to work!” Grace shouted from her spot behind a cluttered desk. Her normally perfect hair was a bouffant mess, resembling the after effects of a battle with an electrical outlet. “I mean, I’m sorry about Birdie and all, but life happens, and it’s been nearly a week and these people never stop calling.”

  Kristine took a measured look at the girl who’d taken great pleasure in making her life for the past few years difficult. She’d chosen to turn a blind eye when Grace and Jonah shamelessly flirted right in front of her, scampering off to the parking lot at least a dozen times to have sex in one form or another. She’d ignored the habitual calling in sick on Fridays and Mondays, then seeing her out running around town, or her car parked outside a bar when she’d taken her granny to mass.

  Pulling a box from behind her, Kristine set the thick cardboard on the desk she’d been assigned the first day she’d walked through the metal doors of the office. Today was a day of reckoning when Karma herself showed up to even the score.

  “I’m not here to work, Grace. I gave Mr. Cullison my notice yesterday.”

  “What do you mean you’re not here to work?” Grace questioned her eyes drawn in small slits as she pushed up from the chair.

  Pulling open the bottom drawer of her desk, Kristine smiled inwardly as she saw the box to her candy stash was open and the rat trap missing. Rose suggested using something stronger than the standard mouse version, and she’d been right. Whoever found the business end of the steel contraption was surely hurting this morning.

  “My answer was quite clear, Grace. As of twenty minutes ago, I no longer work for the Coop. Since it will take a few days for the board to announce the position, you will have to cover both desks until they hire someone to replace me.”

  “But you can’t quit. How will you live?”

  G
ently placing the photo of her granny and herself in the box. It was a photo taken a few years ago when the snow fell so deep, they were stranded for three days in the house.

  “I can and have,” Kristine spoke with confidence. “As far as how I will pay my bills, that's none of your business.”

  “It is if you think you're taking the job at Tinkers Garage. My mom’s ain’t decided if she’s leaving or not.” Grace crossed her arms, quirking the brow over her left eye in challenge.

  “No, Grace, I’m not taking the job at Tinkers. For the record, and so you can tell everyone who asks, I’m leaving Middleton for good. I’ve accepted a job far away from here.”

  Lifting the box from the desk, Kristine planned to leave with her head held high and the knowledge Grace was in for a rude awaking.

  “You’ll be back,” Grace moved to block Kristine’s path. “Everyone who leaves this town comes back. Heed my warning, Kristine Smith,” Grace’s index finger came up to the center of Kristine’s chest. “Jonah won't be waiting around for you. He’s a good man, and those don’t last long around here. So, you better think long and hard before you turn your back on this job.”

  Reaching down, Kristine grabbed Grace’s fingers, twisting them to the side before shoving them away.

  “No, you listen to me, Grace Miller. You may think Jonah is a good man, and perhaps blissful ignorance will help you pass the time when he isn’t beside you or when you discover he isn’t where he said he would be. Honestly, the two of you deserve one another as there isn’t a slice of honesty between you. Jonah will never be faithful, and you will do anything, believe everything he tells you, to keep in his favor. As for me, I’m done with both of you.”

  Kristine moved to skirt around Grace but was once again stopped by the determined blonde.

  “You’re just jealous.”

  Kristine had every intention of walking away and allowing the cards to fall as they may. But as she looked into Grace’s angry face, years of pent up frustration took over unleashing every hurt feeling Grace and Jonah had ever created.