by Penelope Sky
“I don’t care if Giovanni works or not. I don’t care if you want to make Christmas dinner. I couldn’t care less. It just reminded me that I don’t have as much power anymore…because I’m sharing it with you.”
I hated it when he acted like an asshole, but when he poured his heart out to me, it made me love him even more than I did before. My heart began to love him even more deeply. “Is sharing power that difficult?”
He continued to stand in front of the TV. “My father made all the money. Mother didn’t work. So when he took off, we were penniless. Mother had to work two jobs, and by the time I was fourteen, I was picking up work wherever I could. My mother didn’t have any skills because she assumed she would be a housewife. Watching my father abandon us haunted me, but being so dependent on him was the worst part. None of us were prepared for it. I just never want to feel that way again, to rely on someone to be there and then they leave me destitute.”
I stared at the strong man I’d fallen in love with, and I knew his boyish roots were still deep in his soul. He was the strongest man I knew, a powerful provider and a ruthless dictator. But his ambitions were ruled by heartbreak. “I’m not going anywhere, Cato.”
“You left me once.”
“Because I—”
“You took my daughter away from me. You took you away from me.”
“Let’s not forget why,” I said gently, not wanting him to flip the story on me.
He turned his gaze and looked out the window. “I just don’t like someone having more power than me—in any scenario. I need to control everything, even something so minor as the staff. You aren’t a guest here. But this is still my domain.”
I could tell he was continuing to keep me at a distance, but I couldn’t understand why. There was always a subtle wall keeping us apart. I didn’t know if he still contemplated killing me. Or maybe his feelings didn’t mirror mine. “Is that why you won’t tell me you love me?” Confessing feelings as strong as those would give me the upper hand. I would know how he really felt—and I could use that to my advantage.
He didn’t give me an answer. “I’m sorry for the way I acted. But that’s just how I am. I can’t promise it won’t happen again in the future. That would require me to be a different person.”
“People turn into different people all the time. It’s called growing. Whether you like it or not, you’re growing every day. You’re slowly becoming a different man—a better man. I know it’ll take time for you to trust me fully, and I’ve got all the time in the world. Regardless of your dumb outbursts, I’ll still love you. I may yell at you and slap you upside the head, but my love will never change. I’ll never abandon you, Cato. As long as you never give me a reason to.”
His blue eyes turned to mine, and there was a slight hint of emotion in his gaze. He was still boarded up like an old house that was almost too much work to fix. But with enough care and patience, he could be better than he ever was. “Why did you want me to wear this?”
I stood up and pulled on mine. “You’ll see.”
He shook his head slightly. “I don’t think I want to see.”
“You owe me, alright? Don’t forget it.”
“Like you would ever let me.”
We headed downstairs and stood in front of the tree. “Giovanni?”
He came out of the kitchen and tried not to laugh when he looked at Cato.
“If you want to keep your job, I suggest you keep it together,” Cato warned.
I nudged him in the side. “Don’t talk like that.” I handed Giovanni the phone.
Giovanni held it up then indicated for us to squeeze together.
Cato realized what was happening. “You’ve got to be kidding me…”
“You’re still in the doghouse, remember?”
“Who’s gonna see this?” he demanded. “I can’t let—”
“No one is going to see this, I promise. It’s for me. And even if it weren’t, you still have some making up to do. So just smile.”
Cato finally cooperated. He stood slightly behind me with his hands on my stomach. I rested mine over his. Giovanni got a few shots then handed the phone back.
“These look great,” I said as I scrolled through.
“Good.” Cato took off the sweater right away, standing in nothing but his jeans. “Don’t expect me to wear this again.”
I washed off my makeup and lay beside him in bed. I was in one of his baggy t-shirts, and I turned off the lamp on my bedside table. Once the room was covered in darkness, I closed my eyes.
Cato moved to my side of the bed and pressed his chest against my back. “I apologized.”
“So?”
“You are going to keep torturing me for nothing?”
“Just want to make sure you learned your lesson.”
His hard cock was pressed against me, right between my cheeks. He ground against me, his lips resting against my ear. “Baby, come on.”
“Nope. Go to sleep.”
“You really think I’m going to just go to sleep with a babe like you beside me?”
The compliment tempted me, but I still didn’t move.
“If you’re going to sleep with me every night, you have to pay your dues.”
“Oh, really?” I countered. “So now I owe you something?”
“We owe each other something. So, give it up, or sleep down the hall.”
“I’m the one who’s pissed at you, remember?”
He grabbed my hip and slowly rolled me onto my back. “Then be pissed at me while I fuck you.”
“You’re such an asshole—” The words died in my mouth when I felt his big cock inside me.
He locked his arms behind my knees and fucked me hard. “I know I am. But fuck me anyway.” His lips moved to mine, and he gave me a hard kiss.
The second we thrust together, I abandoned my need for distance. I wanted to torture him for a bit, but once I felt him inside me, I couldn’t. I melted like a stick of butter in a hot pan. “Cato…”
“Baby.” He rested his face against my cheek. “I thought about this pussy all day. I always think about this pussy all day.”
“What about me? Do you ever think about me?”
“Yes,” he said as he thrust. “Always.”
3
Cato
It was a few days before Christmas. Florence was busier than usual as everyone finished their last-minute Christmas shopping. There was a lot of new business this time of year. Lots of companies were looking for tax shelters before the end of the year. As a result, they dumped it into my investments—which made me money.
The administrative offices would be closed through the new year. Bates and I were usually back at the office the day after Christmas, but this year, I thought I might stay home and enjoy myself a bit.
It would make Siena and my mother happy.
Bates walked into my office. “You busy?”
“Always.” It’d been a better working environment since that deep talk we’d had. Now Bates wasn’t so hostile all the time. He was my friend again.
He sat in the chair anyway and then tossed me a cigar.
I needed to stop smoking so much, but the second he handed me one, I couldn’t resist. “What?”
“I’ve been trying to get some intel on Micah and Damien. Nothing. No one knows what they’re up to. No one knows what their business is doing. They’ve gone underground and haven’t made any movements.”
“What’s interesting about that?” I’d granted them mercy because I’d needed something from them. They got lucky—really lucky. “They narrowly escaped annihilation. They probably want to stay off my radar.”
“I think it’s suspicious. No one is that quiet. They have absolutely no business dealings. Their drug trade has completely stopped. If they aren’t selling drugs, then what the hell are they doing?”
“Maybe they’re getting out of the game.” After publicly challenging me, they may have found it too difficult to continue business when they looked li
ke pussies.
“No one gets out of the game. No such thing.”
Siena would be thrilled if I got out of the game. “There’s no way to know what happened. Speculating isn’t going to give you answers.”
“I just think we need to be on alert.”
“You really think they would challenge us after I granted them a truce?”
He shrugged. “Maybe they think you’re weak now.”
“Or they are beneath me and not worth my time.”
“Or you’re so deep in pussy you aren’t thinking clearly.”
My eyes narrowed.
“I’m not taking a shot at Siena.” He held up both of his hands. “I’m just saying, they may know about your infatuation with her and want to take advantage of it. I’ve seen headlines in the media that you’re expecting.”
That only took a few days to circulate. My brother never paid attention to that stuff, so if he knew about it, so did everyone else.
“And knocking up a woman is pretty difficult these days, considering all the shit you can use to prevent it.” He gave me an accusatory look. “A condom, for instance. Birth control…”
“She was on birth control.”
“Or was she…?”
“She was.” I believed her. She had no reason to lie. “And I don’t regret what happened, so it doesn’t matter. Seeing her get bigger every month just makes me look forward to meeting my daughter.”
Bates stopped giving me a hard time about it. “I think there’s something going on right under our noses.”
“And what are we supposed to do about that?”
“Storm their headquarters.”
“Even though we’re under a truce? That’ll make me look like a liar. That’s the last thing I need.”
“Looking like a liar is better than looking like a fool. We could at least stop by and see what they’re up to. You know, scare them a little bit.”
“How would you respond if Damien stopped by our office just to see what we’re doing?”
Bates’s gaze darkened.
“They’d probably shoot us. I get you’re paranoid, but a lack of activity doesn’t mean they’re plotting anything against us. And even if they are, they’ve got way fewer men than we do. Way fewer assets. Way fewer allies.”
“And now they know what we’re capable of, so they’ll be better prepared. The fact that you granted them a truce just shows you underestimate them. If they realize that, it’ll make them even more likely to attack.”
When my brother set his mind on something, he didn’t change it. Sometimes he was right; sometimes he was wrong. This time, he just seemed paranoid. “I think we should let this go until we have concrete information. Stating that business is slow isn’t a good enough reason to assume war is on the horizon.”
“Let’s not forget that they foolishly tried to get a woman to take you in. They want you for something, Cato. I would have been an easier target, but they still went after you. Why?”
I didn’t have a clue. “I don’t know, man.”
“I feel it in my gut, Cato. Something isn’t right. I can’t explain it, I can’t give any facts. But I just know there’s something going on right under our noses. These guys aren’t big enough to replace us, but they definitely want something. Anyone who could overthrow us and access our accounts could shortcut their way to the top of the food chain.”
“But they would need both of us. Just taking me down wouldn’t accomplish anything.”
“Unless I was forced to surrender everything to save you.”
We’d talked about this eventuality in the past. It wasn’t a topic we discussed often because it was too painful. “You know you can’t do that. I’d rather die than let our enemies take what we’ve built.” Siena would be disappointed in me for saying that, that I would die for money. But it was more than money to me. It was pride in everything I’d achieved.
He nodded in understanding. “Keep your eyes peeled. Make sure Siena doesn’t leave the house. Their behavior may have something to do with her.”
Damien would never get close to Siena ever again. I wouldn’t shoot his other shoulder if he did. I’d shoot him right in the head this time. “Coming over for Christmas?”
“You know I have no other plans, except with the whore I bought myself.”
The corner of my mouth lifted in a smile because I knew he wasn’t joking. “You get tired of that?”
“Not yet. You get tired of fucking a pregnant woman?”
“Not in the slightest.”
He made a disgusted face. “I’m not into that shit.”
“If you get a woman pregnant, you’ll understand.”
“I’m not dumb enough to do that. I always wear a rubber—even when the woman begs me not to.”
“If you found a good woman, you wouldn’t have to. And trust me…there’s nothing like it. I could never go back.”
“What does that mean?” he asked. “You could never be with another woman besides Siena?”
“No. I just couldn’t wear a condom again.”
He took a big puff on the cigar. “That sounds like the same thing to me.”
“It’s not.”
“Is it?” He let the white smoke drift from his mouth. “You’re so pussy-whipped, I can’t picture you with someone else. If that’s how you feel, then fine. I just figured you would have the balls to own up to it.”
I rolled the cigar between my fingertips. “I feel like all we ever talk about is what I’m doing with my dick.”
“I just told you what I’m doing with my dick on Christmas. And she’s the most expensive hooker I’ve ever paid for.”
“Bates, you don’t need to pay for a hooker. You can get whatever you want.”
He was about to smoke his cigar again, but he lowered it. “Did you just give me a compliment?”
“Just stating the obvious. You’re handsome and a rich guy. You don’t need to pay for sex.”
“You’ve paid for sex.”
“That’s just for the really kinky shit.”
“I like kinky shit too.” He put his cigar in his mouth. “So, can I bring the hooker with me to dinner?”
I glared at him. “You think Mother would like that?”
He shrugged. “You’re her favorite, so what does it matter?”
“No. Siena isn’t going to want to cook for a hooker.”
“Whoa, hold on.” He dropped the cigar into the ashtray and knocked off all the ash. “What happened to Giovanni?”
“Siena gave him the day off.”
“Uh, who does she think she is? What the hell are we gonna eat? Giovanni is the best.”
I shrugged. “She said she can cook.”
“What? Mac and cheese?”
I kept smoking my cigar. “She’s cooked for me a few times, actually. She’s good.”
“But it’s Christmas. She’s ruining tradition.”
“It’s what she wanted. Giovanni has worked every Christmas since I can remember. Giving him the day off isn’t ridiculous.”
“But he could make the food in the morning and then leave. We can pop that shit in the microwave.”
“Bates, it’ll be fine. You don’t even care about Christmas.”
“I care about the food,” he snapped.
“You have your own chef.”
“But she’s no Giovanni. If you ever fire him, I’m taking him.”
“Well, I’m never going to fire him,” I countered.
“You fired him on Christmas…”
“Siena did. I didn’t.”
“Does she run the house?” Bates finished his cigar and left the remains in the ashtray.
“Don’t start with me, Bates. We just started getting along.”
He rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I just don’t like it when someone fucks up our traditions.”
“You haven’t tried her cooking. Maybe it’ll be better.”
“Yeah…better than Giovanni’s,” he said sarcastically. “Sure…”
> It was the first time I’d woken up on Christmas morning with a woman beside me.
A beautiful, pregnant woman.
Her hair was all over my shoulder, and her body was tangled with mine. The heater kept the house at the optimal temperature, but she still sucked the heat from my body like she was freezing.
I opened my eyes and stared at her for a while.
Her hand moved to her stomach, and she opened her eyes as she felt the baby kick. “She’s awake…”
“Because it’s Christmas.” My hand moved over her belly. Her stomach wasn’t really that big, but she was so petite that she looked enormous right off the bat. “Or she’s just hungry.”
She chuckled. “Maybe it’s that.” She moved her hand over my chest as she snuggled closer to me. “Merry Christmas.”
I brushed my lips across her hairline. “Merry Christmas, baby.”
“Let’s go downstairs and open presents and have some breakfast.”
“What about sex?”
She chuckled. “Can we have sex later?”
“Why?” My favorite thing about waking up in the morning when I didn’t have to go to work was sex. I wasn’t in a hurry, so I could take my time, really enjoy that cunt that made me a better man.
“Alright. How do you want it?”
“The same way I always want it.” I moved on top of her and settled between her thighs. My cock found her slick entrance, and I moved inside like a jetliner landing on a runway—completely smooth.
She locked her ankles together at my lower back and gripped the backs of my shoulders. “Yes…”
When we went into the kitchen, Giovanni had breakfast on the counter, the plates covered with foil. There was also a note.
Sorry, Mr. Marino. Couldn’t resist.
-Gio
She tore off the foil and eyed the scrambled eggs, bacon, and waffles. “Now that’s what I call a breakfast.” She grabbed a strip of bacon and took a bite out of it, the crunch audible between her teeth. “It’s so good, I’m not even mad.”
I didn’t eat shit like this for breakfast, but since it was Christmas, I made an exception. I grabbed a strip of bacon and ate it. “Not bad.”