Beyond Paradise

by Barbara Nolan

  Jonny slugged back the whiskey, placed his palms on the cool stone, and hung his head between his arms. The whiskey hit his empty stomach, then seeped into his veins. A flash of Cheryl’s hopeless expression mingled with Eddie’s raspy breathing.

  “Is he conscience?” Max ventured.

  “I think he’s gonna be okay,” Jonny said as much to himself as Max.

  “This is fucked up.” Max poured some of the whiskey into his own glass.

  Jonny reached for the bottle. Eddie’s blood stained the cuff of his white shirt. He twisted the faucet at the bar sink and held his hands under the hot water until it scalded him.

  “Frank did this.” He wiped his hands on the towel, and poured another shot for him and Max. “He wants a fight, fine. I’ve got resources I haven’t even touched yet.”

  “Like?” Max slid onto one of the bar stools and swirled the amber liquid around his glass.

  “Like my friends in Miami.” Jonny downed the liquor. “Carlos hates sharing the profits from the South Beach club with Frank as much as we do.”

  Three years ago, Frank acquired a run-down strip club in South Beach as payment for a gambling debt. Jonny and Eddie helped the manager, Carlos Vega, transform the place from a drug-infested hangout to an upscale hotspot on Ocean Drive. Over the years Jonny formed a close friendship with Carlos based on mutual respect and shared heritage.

  Max leaned his forearms on the bar. “You want to involve those crazy ass Cubans?”

  “Hey, watch your mouth, All American Boy.” Jonny leaned in. “Or did you forget I’m half Cuban?”

  “Sorry.” Max threw up his hands. “I meant I don’t think we should be getting others involved in our business.”

  “You got a better idea?” Jonny waved the glass in his direction. “Carlos and his guys would back us in a minute if it meant breaking away from Frank.”

  “And what about his nephew, Alejandro?” Max mumbled into his glass. “Drugs, getting arrested, doing stupid shit.”

  “Big fuckin’ deal. He sounds like half the people we know.” Jonny narrowed his eyes. “You got something else to say?”

  “Frank ain’t foolin’ around, Jonny.” Max placed his glass on the bar.

  “Fuck Frank,” Jonny shouted.

  “He can hurt you.” Max removed his jacket, exposing the fear and anxiety seeping through his shirt. “He can hurt all of us.”

  “Eddie’s in there all busted up, can’t breathe, and your answer is to roll over?”

  “At least he is breathing,” Max shouted. “You keep this shit up, and they’ll be fishing all of us outta the East River.”

  Jonny’s heart skipped a beat. Max never lost it, but now his eyes were darting from side to side, his usual somber expression on edge and animated.

  Silence hung between them. The ticking of the wall clock over the bar clicked off the seconds.

  Max ran his hand over the smooth granite. “I didn’t mean nothing.”

  “Forget it. It’s been a fucked-up night.” He came around the bar and held Max’s gaze for an extra second. “You can go if you want. I’ll stay with him.”

  “Nah, I’ll stay. In case you need anything.”

  Jonny went back to the bedroom, dropped into the overstuffed chair and propped his feet up on the end of Eddie’s bed.

  “Geez, you look as bad as I feel,” Eddie rasped.

  Jonny slid his feet off the bed and leaned forward in the chair. “How’re you doin’?”

  “Hurts like a bitch.” Eddie dragged in a breath.

  “I guess Frank doesn’t like our disrespect.” His voice vibrated with sarcasm.

  “Frank better watch his ass, ‘cause when I find him . . .” Eddie winced in pain.

  “Take it easy.” Jonny gulped more of the whiskey. “Try to get some sleep.”

  “You gonna sit up in that chair all night?”

  “Well, I ain’t getting in there with you. So shut up and go to sleep.”

  Jonny leaned into the chair, and a few minutes later Eddie’s shallow, steady breathing filled the room.

  Chapter 18

  “Fuck.”

  Jonny blinked a few times to adjust to the dim room.

  “Goddamn,” Eddie grumbled.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Jonny bolted out of the chair to find the bedside lamp in pieces on the floor and Eddie clutching his side with one hand while holding onto the bedpost for support with the other.

  “I tried to get up,” Eddie croaked. “I gotta take a leak.”

  “Why didn’t you call me?”

  “You were sleeping.” Eddie shifted his weight to the end table. “I didn’t wanna bother you.”

  ”So you smashed the lamp on the floor instead?” He braced his arm under Eddie’s shoulder.

  “Never did like that lamp.”

  “What’s going on?” Max stood in the doorway, his shirt tails out, rubbing his eyes.

  “Help me get him to the bathroom, before he wrecks the whole damn place.”

  Max screwed up his face.

  “Don’t worry asshole. I’m not gonna ask you to hold my dick.”

  “Very funny.” Max supported Eddie’s other side.

  “Geez, that’s an image I didn’t need,” Jonny said.

  “Shit, don’t make me laugh.” Eddie wheezed. “It hurts too damn much.”

  When they reached the bathroom, Eddie leaned on the doorjamb. “I think I can take it from here.”

  “If you can’t, I’ll call up one of your harem women.” Max nudged Jonny as they waited outside. “Or maybe Bambi could give you a hand.”

  “Even with a busted rib and a punctured lung, I’d be able to get more than you,” Eddie called through the door.

  “Keep dreaming,” Max called back.

  When they got Eddie back to bed, Jonny stacked the pillows behind him to make it more comfortable for him to sit up.

  “Damn,” Eddie slowly lifted his legs onto the bed.

  “You want a shot of Jack?” Max offered.

  “Bring in the bottle.” Jonny suspected he’d need that and a lot more tonight.

  Max returned with the bottle, handed a shot to Eddie, then refilled Jonny’s glass before setting it down on the table.

  Eddie downed the shot, eased into the pillows, and sighed. “That should make friends with the pain meds and take the edge off.”

  “You want us to go?” Jonny asked.

  “Nah, talk a while.” Eddie shifted on the bed. “How was the dinner?”

  Jonny sunk into the bedside chair and searched his brain for a way to put the night into words.

  “What happened?” Eddie asked.

  Jonny drained the rest of his drink and refilled his glass. “Frank pushed; I pushed back. It was a total fuck up. He set me up good.”

  He left out Cheryl breaking into their office. No sense giving Eddie more to worry about especially since he didn’t even know how he felt about it.

  Max perched his bulk on the edge of the straight-backed chair on the other side of the bed. “I told Jonny I think we should back off for a while, maybe . . .”

  “And I told you.” Jonny narrowed his eyes. “We’re not backing off.”

  Eddie and Max exchanged looks, and he sensed a problem.

  “Since when did you ever back down from a fight?” Jonny challenged Eddie.

  “I’m sayin’ we gotta be careful.” Eddie pushed himself higher on the bed.

  “Careful? What kind of bullshit is that?”

  “I got a fuckin’ hole in my chest, and I feel like I’m sucking air outta a goddamn straw,” Eddie wheezed. “So yeah, careful.” He touched his side and groaned.

  Jonny sighed. “All right.” He didn’t want Ed
die all worked up but being careful was not the answer.

  Max’s cell buzzed. He checked the ID, then canceled the call. Two seconds later it buzzed again, and Jonny joked, “Domestic problems.”

  “Something like that.” Max stood, swiped at the phone, and left the room.

  A few minutes later Max came back still staring at his phone.

  “Hey, lover boy, what’s the matter, bad breakup?” Eddie joked.

  Max shoved the phone into his pocket. “Crazy bitch.”

  “I would think an ass like hers would make you forgive anything.” Jonny laughed.

  “Shit, this one must’ve worked you over,” Eddie teased.

  “Most of the women he hooks up with are like hurricanes,” Jonny said. “They start off blowing and sucking, then, in the end, they just take your house.”

  “Ahh, fuck man.” Eddie held his side. “I told you not to make me laugh.”

  “Yeah, and since when have you been with Bambi?”

  “Since I saw her giving you head in your office,” Eddie smirked.

  “You said she was a slut who screwed everybody.” Jonny laughed.

  “Exactly, how could I pass that up?” Eddie attempted a laugh, then groaned in pain. “Wasn’t long ago you were hitting the same spot. Now you’re thinking sideways.”

  “I know what I’m doing.” Jonny ran his finger around the rim of his glass.

  “Just make sure what you’re doing is for the right reason.” Eddie stifled a yawn.

  ~ ~ ~

  An hour later, Jonny pushed himself out of the chair. The twitching of his legs made it impossible to sit any longer. He left Eddie with Max, stepped into the hall, and his gaze fell on the other closed bedroom door.

  He should’ve kept walking down the hall, through the living room and right out of the apartment, but instead, he stopped and stared at the closed door. Cheryl answered after the first knock. Eyes hooded as if she’d failed at fighting off sleep.

  She opened the door wide enough for him to slip in. “How’s Eddie?”

  He did a quick appraisal. Bed still made, TV off. She must’ve been sitting in the chair staring at the wall all this time.

  “He’s gonna be fine.”

  “Good,” she whispered, then another awkward silence followed.

  “I’m heading back to the penthouse.”

  She nodded, then her eyes met his. “I really am sorry about—”

  “I don’t know what the fuck is wrong with me.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I should stay far away from you, but I can’t.”

  She mashed her lips together, and all he could think about was how they felt against his neck. “You’ve tried to con me, steal from me and I know you’re lying to me about something, but hell if I understand it. I can’t get enough of you.”

  “I feel the same thing.”

  Somehow her hand had gotten into his chest and squeezed his heart. He had no fuckin’ clue what he was doing. He just knew that he wanted to be the person that made her safe. He wanted to crush her to him and protect her. He snatched up her hand and pulled her behind him. Her steps were cautious and careful like the slightest misstep would make him abandon her.

  Silence filled the SUV and continued up the private elevator and into the foyer of his penthouse. Her suppressed panic crowded the room, and radiated onto him, filling his chest with a fear that made him dread her story.

  He walked her to the sofa and sat next to her. “I want you to tell me what’s really going on with you.”

  “Nothing.”

  “I can help you, if you let me.”

  “I don’t need help.”

  He pulled at the collar of his starched shirt. He couldn’t force an answer out of her. “Are you hungry?”

  “No.”

  “‘Cause I can order up some food from the all-night place on the corner.”

  “No really, I’m fine,” she assured him.

  “They got all kinds of stuff. Pizza, pasta, maybe some—”

  “Frank killed Nicky.”

  Chapter 19

  “What?”

  “I was so scared.” She rubbed her palms on her thighs. “I couldn’t believe he did it.”

  She bit her lip. Blurting out that secret put them both at risk.

  “Nicky was hitting me, so I stabbed him and ran. I felt guilty and when I went back I saw Frank slit his throat.”

  “With the same knife you used?”

  She stared at her hands, and he nudged her chin up with his forefinger. She’d already said too much and involved Jonny just as Frank had predicted.

  “And now Frank’s trying to pin it on you.”

  She shivered and Jonny slipped his arm around her shoulders and eased her against the sofa cushions. A few hours ago he'd caught her in his private office trying to steal from him, and yet he still wanted to help her.

  “I had no idea you and Eddie worked for him or I never would’ve come here.”

  “You were the victim.” He caressed her arm.

  “He made me break into your office, but the whole thing was a set up to test me. I feel so stupid.”

  “He used you for his own messed-up reasons.”

  “I’ve wrecked everything.” Guilt burned her throat.

  He pressed his finger to her lips. “Shush.”

  She shivered again, and he cradled her to him. “And he had Eddie beat up too,” she mumbled against his chest.

  “I know.” He stroked the curve of her jaw, then stood taking her with him. “You’re safe now.”

  He paused when they entered his bedroom, his expression mirrored her confusion.

  She pressed against his muscular chest remembering every inch of it until she could feel the heat radiating off him. “We always end up like this. You making me feel safe.”

  He nibbled that special spot below her ear, then peeled her shirt up, tossed it to the floor, and pushed at the waist of her skirt until it fell from her hips. Lifting her, he settled her onto the bed cupping her breast. When he sucked the soft flesh into his mouth, she sighed her approval. Then his teeth tugged on her nipple mixing sweet pain with pleasure. He licked and nipped at her until she squirmed under him. Needing more but never wanting him to stop this delicious torture.

  “I hope you’re ready, baby.” He yanked off his shirt. “‘Cause I’m pretty sure one time isn’t gonna be enough.”

  “I’m ready for whatever you’ve got.”

  He pulled away from her breast and placed his hands on each side of her head. His biceps bulged as he hovered over her. She moaned deep in her throat when he grabbed her lips with his teasing and sucking deeper and deeper. Her fingers groped between them, and she fumbled with the button and zipper of his pants. He lifted his hips and she pushed away the material, his hard length pressing against her stomach. A moan vibrated from deep inside his chest, and she clutched at his hips guiding him to her. He nudged her thighs wider, and when she wrapped them around his hips, he slid inside her tight, wet walls.

  “Fuck, baby. Ain’t nothing better,” he rasped against her neck.

  He drove deep, and she cried out hanging on to him like a drowning woman in a tempestuous storm.

  “Don’t worry, I’ve got you, and I’m never letting go.”

  Slipping his hand between them, Jonny pressed her nub between his thumb and forefinger and she rocked her hips, her pulse thumping in her ears. Weightless and floating, all the strain and stress of the last few days drifted away on a beautiful cloud of blissed out pleasure.

  “Oh God, Jonny,” she whimpered as the waves hit.

  “So beautiful, so fuckin’ beautiful.”

  Jonny ripped at the sheets under her head. “Feel me taking you?” he snarled, with another thrust of his h
ips, then another, until he swelled and stretched her in the most perfect way. “Nobody else can make you feel that.” With a breathless gasp and one last thrust, he collapsed at her side.

  “That was . . .” she panted.

  “It sure was.” He tugged her closer. Stared into her eyes. “Baby, we’re just getting started.”

  ~ ~ ~

  The dampness of the alley coated her skin. “You stupid bitch, you’re not going anywhere,” Nicky threatened. The smack of his hand against her cheek. The glint of the knife in the halogen lights. The lifeless, limp body sprawled before her. Only it wasn't Nicky’s face staring back at her, it was Jonny’s.

  Cheryl bolted upright in the bed. Her heart pounded against her chest, her gaze darted around the room searching for something familiar. Jonny must’ve closed the drapes during the night because little shards of daylight peeked through the heavy fabric.

  After their perfect night, she hated that this hellish part of her life invaded their time. She’d hoped after telling the truth, the nightmares would cease, but her mind had other ideas. A single bead of sweat crept down her bare back as she forced herself to calm down.

  Him waking next to a woman who couldn’t breathe without gasping was not what she had in mind for the morning after. Of course, the more she fought it, the harder her heart thumped.

  She zeroed in on the sheet draped over his muscular back and shoulders as she fought to control her breathing.

  “Hey.” He raised his head a few inches off the pillow. “You all right?” His voice was rough from sleep and sex, his thick, dark hair a contrast against the crisp white pillowcase.

  “Yeah, fine.” Her response sounded tinny and fake, and she hoped his sleepy mind would miss her anxious edge.

  He propped himself up and stroked her arm. “What’s wrong?” He blinked the sleep from his perceptive eyes.

  “Sometimes I have dreams.” She looked away, so he wouldn’t see the fear. “More like nightmares.” She fisted the sheets tighter in her sweaty palms.