Cocky Prick: A Bad Boy Romance

by Tessa Thorne

  “What’s so funny?” Ethan asks, looking between all the adults in the room. Jasmin’s still laughing. I’m blushing bad enough to look like I laid out in the sun all day. Rocco’s not even trying to hide his smug grin.

  “Nothing, baby,” I say, lifting him up into my arms. He’s getting so big now. I’m not going to be able to do this much longer. “Time to get you ready for bed.”

  “But I don’t want to go to bed,” he says. “Can I stay up and play with Uncle Rocco?”

  I look back at Rocco and see a happy look on his face. I don’t think I’ve seen that expression on his face before. Looks good on him. He must really like Ethan.

  “Sorry, baby,” I say. “It’s your bedtime.”

  He groans as Jasmin gives him a peck on the cheek to say good night.

  “Thanks so much for watching him, Jasmin,” I say, giving her a peck on the cheek since my arms are full.

  “Anytime,” she says as she heads toward the door. “It was very nice to meet you too, Rocco,” she says, giving him a friendly hug. She shoots me a knowing look as she heads out the door, then looks directly at Rocco’s backside, winks and gives me a big thumbs-up.

  I giggle as she closes the door behind her and I turn to take Ethan into the bathroom.

  “What’s so funny, Mommy?” he asks as he tries to squirm out of my arms.

  “I just remembered a good joke,” I say. “Now let’s get you ready for bed.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Rocco

  I wake up in the morning to the smell of bacon drifting into the room. It’s funny how fast you can get used to a new situation. If you’d asked me a couple months ago if I’d ever let a woman move into my apartment, I’d have called you crazy for even asking.

  Now I wake up to my woman cooking me breakfast in the morning and a little kid running around everywhere. I step over a toy truck as I walk into the kitchen. Cat’s standing over the stove, putting a batch of pancakes on a plate and pouring a new batch of batter on the griddle.

  I still can’t get over how beautiful she looks. Her strawberry blonde hair shines in the sunlight from the window. Her sea green eyes twinkle with a light of their own when she turns and sees me. I wrap my hand around her waist, loving the soft feel of her hips under my hand. I lean in and give her a soft kiss on her plump lips. She tastes like bacon.

  “Snuck a little bacon, huh?” I ask, tasting my lips.

  “Chef’s rights,” she says, grinning unapologetically. She looks down at the truck on the kitchen tiles. “Sorry about the loose toys everywhere.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” I say.

  In fact, the whole apartment seems to be covered in toys now. The living room floor’s got buckets of blocks and toy cars everywhere. I see her cleaning it up every night. But it’s all back in the morning.

  “Morning, Uncle Rocco!” Ethan steams into the kitchen and slams hard into my legs. I grab him under the arms and lift him up.

  “Hey kiddo,” I say. “You ready for your big game today?”

  “Yeah!” He pumps his fist into the air.

  “You gonna have a big breakfast so you can get the big hits?” I ask him, bouncing him up in my arms.

  “You know it!” he says while laughing in the air.

  I take him around the kitchen bar and plant him in his seat, taking my own seat next to him.

  “Are my men ready for breakfast?” Cat smiles at us, and slides our plates onto the counter.

  Her man. I could get used to her calling me that. Never thought I would. But then again, here I am. My mouth waters at the sight of the plate before me. Scrambled eggs, a stack of pancakes, complete with bacon and sausage on the side. Could get used to this, too.

  “Thanks, sweetheart,” I say, looking up from my plate to see her looking back at me.

  “You’re very welcome,” she says as she passes me a cup of steaming coffee and an orange juice to Ethan.

  Ethan takes a big gulp of his juice and finishes swallowing the food in his mouth before he speaks. “Are you going to watch the game, Mommy?”

  Cat’s happy face fades into a guilty look, and I can see a look of recognition on Ethan’s face.

  She opens up her mouth to speak, but I jump in before she says anything. “I asked your ma and I’m gonna come watch you today, kiddo.”

  Ethan’s eyes go wide and his mouth splits into a big smile. “Yay!” He pumps his fist again.

  I look at Cat, and instead of the furious face I was expecting to see, I see a look of relief. She mouths the word “thanks” to me and grabs her plate to join us at the counter on Ethan's other side.

  “Your ma’s got a really big day today, too, don’t you?” I ask, popping a piece of bacon into my mouth.

  Ethan looks at me, fills his own mouth with a whole strip of bacon and turns to his mom with his cheeks stuffed with food.

  “Yeah,” she says. “We have a meeting with a big investor.”

  “Your ma’s really amazing,” I say. “Before you know it, she’s gonna be the next big name in tech.”

  It brings a strange joy into my chest to see her blushing at my words.

  “You’re too much,” she says.

  “I’m serious, kiddo,” I say, leaning in to whisper to him conspiratorially. “I’m gonna give it a year before she’s on the cover of the Times.”

  We finish up breakfast and I help get Ethan ready. I never thought I’d be helping a kid get dressed, but here I am, and he’s not even my own kid. But the kid’s a charmer. And I can’t get over how similar he is to how Pinky was as a kid. I wonder if Pinky would see the similarities when they meet?

  I put his baseball glove into the bag and zip it up while Ethan struggles to tie on his cleats. What am I thinking? When they meet? As if it’s a foregone conclusion that they will.

  I keep having to remind myself this is a temporary thing. I can’t get used to this. Sure, Cat likes me. That’s never been a problem. I’ve had broads trying to become my regular woman since I started noticing them. But there’s no way she’ll want me in her life permanently.

  I’m a fucking criminal. She’s on her way to being a tech millionaire. She doesn’t need a guy like me in her life. Maybe she does while her crazy ex is after her. But she’ll be gone the second she no longer needs me to protect her. So I better not get used to this.

  I reach out for one of Ethan’s feet as he keeps struggling with the shoes. He lets me take his foot as I demonstrate how to properly tie the shoe. When we’re done, I look up and see Cat standing there watching us, with that happy smile back on her face.

  I stand up and turn Ethan around to face Cat.

  “Look at your ma, kiddo,” I say. “That’s what success looks like.”

  She looks amazing. She's wearing a perfectly fitted dark gray skirt suit. A light pink blouse that can’t quite hide her amazing tits graces her up top. Sharp black heels complete the look. That’s not just success. That’s sexy as fuck.

  “Doesn’t she look gorgeous?” I ask, and he nods vigorously as he runs up and gives her a hug.

  “Okay kiddo,” I say, standing up and picking up his bag.

  Cat lets Ethan go, and puts her arms around me and gives me a soft lingering kiss on the lips. She pulls back her head, and smiles as she wipes a smudge of lipstick off my mouth.

  “Thanks for doing this,” she whispers to me. “It’s really good for Ethan.”

  “I’m happy to,” I say, and she drops her arms from me.

  “Bye guys!” she says, waving at us as Ethan grabs my hand and pulls me out the door. “See you later.”

  I let Ethan pull me to the elevator and let him press the buttons to get us down to the garage. I’m happy to. I really am. I think it's something about the look of joy on a child’s face. The way they trust you’ll care for them. It’s a good feeling.

  I buckle him into his booster seat in the back. As fun as it was letting the kid ride up front, I feel more responsible for him now, and I don’t want to risk the kid get
ting hurt on my watch.

  I don’t know how parents do it. Letting their kid out of their sight. Putting their trust in someone else to watch their baby. Day to day, I grow more amazed at how strong Cat really is to have survived in her situation. To have kept her company alive. Because it’s the only way she knew how to ensure her son’s future. Now she’s entrusted him to my care, and I’ll be damned if I let anything happen to him.

  I keep looking around for a beer vendor, but obviously I’m not going to find one at a Little League game. I was surprised at how competitive this game is, despite the age of the kids. I’d heard all about those leagues where everyone gets a trophy, and the kids get unlimited pitches until they put the ball in play. But this league's not like that at all.

  Their coach keeps sneaking glances at me when he thinks I won’t notice. I got no beef with him anymore though. Kid hasn't complained about him once since I gave him a visit. His team seems to treat him right, too. So he’s got nothing to worry about.

  I lean in on my elbows and watch Ethan at his last turn at bat. It’s the ninth inning. Their team’s down eleven to twelve, and they’ve got runners on second and third.

  I wave at Ethan when he looks up at me to make sure I’m still here. I still remember my Little League games. Dad was never around for those either. That bastard never missed getting drunk for anything, not even his own sons. I’d fucking spit on his grave if I ever bothered to visit.

  I push away those dark thoughts and watch Ethan take his first pitch. It’s a swinging strike. I like that. No sense watching a strike go by without giving it a go. Little guys like him have to be aggressive. You can’t just sit back waiting for the perfect pitch to crush.

  Pitcher's got a foot on Ethan, easy. He’s probably at the max age for this league. But that’s how it is, and you just gotta deal with it. I remember other parents complaining about how big I was compared to everyone else in my age group. Always complaining that I was lying about my age. Life ain’t fair, and complaining sure as fuck never helped nobody.

  The kid winds back and tosses a heater down the middle of the plate. Ethan swings hard and fouls it off into the back net. He needs to get his swing squarer on the ball. Maybe I should see if Cat will let me spend some time with him fixing his swing one-on-one. He could be really good if he had the right coach.

  He tilts his head back to wipe the sweat off his brow before he returns to the batter’s box. The pitcher gets his signal, winds up and throws a curveball. Ethan holds his swing just long enough to crush it as it drops down the plate. The kids on the bench get up and start screaming in joy as the runner on third base scores, then the runner on second. I stand up, cheering and whistling as he rounds the bases and jumps into the pile at home plate.

  The kid’s happy as fuck when I pick him up after the coach is done with him. Fred tries to avoid my eyes as I take Ethan’s hand and take his bag from him.

  “That was fu-,” I catch myself swearing and try again. “That was an amazing hit!”

  Ethan faces me, his eyes wide and a huge smile on his face. “Wasn’t it?” he says manically. “I was watching the pitcher, and I thought he was gonna throw another fastball. But I remembered what you’d told me. To watch his pitching hand to know what he’s gonna throw. And I saw his fingers on the ball before the release. So I held. And BOOM!”

  He’s out of breath by the time he’s done. Kid’s gonna remember this moment forever. Feels good to be part of something like this.

  “You’re amazing, kiddo,” I say as we start walking out of the park. “You know what amazing kids get?”

  “Ice cream?” He looks up at me with a hopeful expression on his face.

  “How did you know?” I ask, ruffling his hair.

  “I was just guessing,” he says with a smug grin on his face.

  “You’re on fire today.” I laugh as we start heading toward an ice cream stand nearby.

  As we walk, I notice a squad car with its lights on at the edge of the park and a couple of police officers heading our way.

  I keep an eye on them as we keep walking, and it’s obvious they’re heading toward me. I narrow my eyes, trying to figure out what they could be here for. It’s not the coach. That dude doesn’t have the balls to call the cops on me. And I ain’t been sloppy lately. Just the regular collection runs.

  Besides, it’d be the task force if they came after me, not a couple cops on patrol. Time to find out what they're about. I sure as shit ain’t gonna be running from no cops.

  “Hey, kiddo.” I tug on Ethan’s arm to get him to stop. “Hold up a second. I think these two want to talk to me.”

  I watch the cops as they walk up to me, hands on their hips, a Taser strapped to one side, and a gun on the other.

  “You two lost?” I ask as they stop in front of me.

  “That’s funny,” the taller one says as he steps in front of me. He looks down at Ethan as he gets within a few steps of me. “Hey Ethan. Remember me? Officer Lee?”

  Ethan backs away from him and hides behind my leg as the cop mentions his name.

  “Looks like he don’t like you,” I say, narrowing my eyes at him.

  “Nah,” he says, waving his hand dismissively. “Must just not remember me. I’m one of your dad’s friends,” he says to Ethan, who's still hiding behind me.

  So that’s what this is. Harry found out Cat’s been staying with me, and he’s not man enough to confront me personally. Maybe he ain’t the dumb shit I took him for after all. He realizes that a run-in with me is liable to turn fatal.

  “Kid’s clear he don’t like you,” I say firmly. “Maybe you can go harass a junkie instead of messing with this kid.”

  “Oh, no,” he says, stepping up into my face as his partner moves around me and unclips his holster. “I’m not here to mess with him. I’m here to mess with you.”

  I can feel Ethan’s grip getting tighter on my hand. Poor kid’s scared.

  Fuck.

  There ain’t exactly a lot of good options here. It’s fucking noon in a park in the middle of Brooklyn.

  “The fuck you want then?” I ask. “Either show your hand or get the fuck out of my face.”

  Cat’s gonna be fucking furious if she realizes I spoke like this around her kid, but there’s no other way to talk to a cop.

  “You match the description for a perp that’s been involved in some armed robberies,” he says as he takes his handcuffs out of his belt. “We’re going to have to take you in for some questioning.”

  “That’s how he’s going to play this?” I can hear my pulse pounding in my ears. He’s gonna have me fucking arrested in front of this kid? For this fucking bullshit, I’m going to crack his skull and spills his brains on the street when I get my hands on him. Fuck what the boss thinks.

  “Depends,” he says with a smarmy smirk on his face. “If you gave me your word that Cat and little Ethan here are done staying with you, I wouldn’t have any reason to arrest you.”

  “How about you tell Harry he can go fuck himself with a rusty spoon?” I spit out. I clench a fist by my side, flexing it in rage. I can feel Ethan’s hand clammy with sweat in my other fist. This should be a happy day for him, celebrating his big win. Now he’s going to be taken by these fucks, and who knows how long it’ll be before they get in touch with Cat to let her know what happened.

  FUCK!

  “Have it your way.” The cop laughs. “Rocco Armati, I’m placing you under arrest for suspicion of armed robbery. Turn around, get down on your knees and lock your fingers behind your head.”

  I shake my head as I turn around slowly, letting go of Ethan’s hand. That’s when I see the crowd from the baseball game behind us, watching the scene. Ethan’s face is red, with tears streaming down his eyes. He’s pressing his lips together, trying to keep himself from bawling.

  “Hey, kiddo,” I say as I get down on my knees. “It’s going to be okay. These pricks ain’t got shit on me. You stay strong, okay?”

  “I don’t want y
ou to go,” he stammers as he starts to cry.

  I feel my heart tighten as he cries. I’ve been called a monster before, mostly by men who deserved a visit from a monster. But a real monster is a man willing to put his own son through a thing like this to get back at his ex-wife.

  “It’s gonna be okay, kiddo,” I say as I lock my fingers behind my head, and feel the warm steel of the cuffs slapping against my wrist. “I’ll be out soon. These little assholes aren’t taking me away from you.”

  The cop tries to wrench my arms down with a grunt, but his weak ass can barely get my arms to move without me allowing it. I lower my arms to my lower back so he can cuff both wrists together.

  “I’m scared, Uncle Rocco.” He blubbers as the other cop comes to take him by the shoulders.

  I wish I could take him in my arms and comfort him. I wish I could let the little kid cry his tears dry on my shirt. Instead all I can do is fume in silent rage, thinking about all the things I’m going to do when I finally get my hands on Harry.

  “It’s okay to be scared, kiddo,” I say, as the cop tries to pull me to my feet.

  I stand up and let him guide me to the back of the police car as I watch Ethan crying, pulling against the cop trying to take him into his car.

  These motherfuckers. It’s nearly impossible to resist the urge to pull myself from the fucker’s arms, smash him into his own car and go get Ethan.

  But I can’t. I’d just get myself locked up for a long time. And Ethan needs me. Cat needs me, too. If Harry’s coming after me like this, he knows they’re staying at my place. I need to play it cool. Get to my lawyer, and have him contact all the right people so I can make sure they’re protected.

  Then I can make Harry pay.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Caitlyn

  My face aches from all the smiling I’m doing. I stand up, take Angella’s hand and shake firmly, and swap places with Jasmin to shake Sanjup’s hand next.

  “Thank you very much,” I say, and Jasmin repeats my words.