“You’re so beautiful,” she said.
“You make me feel beautiful.”
“You always should.”
Helen pulled Maria’s mouth to hers. She moved her hands down her back to cup her ass.
“You’ve got the nicest body,” Helen murmured against her lips.
“You say the sweetest things.”
“I say the truth.”
Helen kissed her again and ran her hands back up to cover Maria’s breasts.
“I will say you’re highly overdressed.”
Maria stood and stripped off her clothes. Helen gazed at the naked beauty before her.
Helen joined her and held her briefly in her arms before she stepped out of her own clothes. When they were both undressed, Helen lay Maria on the couch and gently settled on top of her.
“Is there a reason we’re not in the bedroom?” Maria asked.
“I thought you liked the view from here.”
“I do.” Maria ran her hands over Helen’s body. “But wouldn’t the bed be more comfortable?”
“You don’t like this couch?”
“I don’t like all this talk.”
Helen kissed her as she dragged her hand along Maria’s curves. She paused to knead a breast before squeezing her nipple. She moved her hand lower and slid her fingers inside.
“Oh yes,” Maria cried.
Helen moved her fingers in and out as she watched the pleasure on Maria’s face. She watched her face contort as she slipped her fingers out to caress her hard clit. Maria looked beautiful as she screamed Helen’s name when the orgasms claimed her.
When Maria could breathe, she wiggled out from under Helen and stood.
“Now we go to the bedroom.”
They lay together on the bed, with Maria curled against Helen. She was lazily running her fingers along Helen’s body. Helen’s nerves sang wherever she was touched. She opened her legs, willing Maria’s fingers to work their magic there.
Maria rolled onto Helen and kissed her, her arm snaking between them so she could reach the heaven between Helen’s legs.
Helen gasped at the sensation. She arched her back to press herself more fully into Maria, whose fingers were nimbly stroking her clit. Helen moved against her in time, and together, they brought her to a climax that made her head spin.
Helen lay gasping for breath for only a moment before she climbed between Maria’s legs. She dipped to taste her, relishing again the flavor that was all her. She moved her tongue all over, devouring every inch, while Maria ground into her.
Helen focused her attention on Maria’s clit, and in no time, Maria was reeling from more orgasms.
Maria pulled Helen up and snuggled into her arms. They lay there peacefully until the distinct sound of a tommy gun disturbed them.
“What was that?” Maria asked.
Helen was up and getting dressed.
“Shit! You stay here. I’m gonna head downstairs and see what’s happening.”
“Will that be safe? That sounded like gunfire.”
“I’m sure it was. Let me go see what got hit.”
“I’m going with you,” Maria said.
“No, you’re not. You’re staying here where it’s safe. I’ll be right back.”
She kissed Maria and took the elevator down to the ground floor. Gun pulled, she eased out the front door and down the street. There was a commotion closer to Lucky’s.
“What happened?” Helen called to Kevin.
“Shots fired down the street.”
“Not at us?”
“We haven’t figured that out yet. I don’t think so.”
“Okay. Spread the men around and find out everything you can,” Helen said. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
She hurried back to her apartment and found Maria dressed and sitting on the couch, arms wrapped around herself.
“Hey, doll. You’re okay.”
“I’m scared. I was terrified and you left me.”
“I had to go see what happened,” Helen argued.
“Or you could have stayed with me.”
“No, I couldn’t have. I needed to make sure my men were fine. You’re here. I could see you’re alive. Scared, sure, but alive. I didn’t know if my men were. I needed to go see.”
“I’m sorry, baby. I don’t want to fight.”
“Well, you sure have a funny way of showing that.”
“I was upset.” She stood and moved into Helen’s arms.
“You sure you’re all right, then?”
“I am. I was just so scared, then you beat it out of here like a hero, and I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again.”
Helen brushed a tear off Maria’s cheek.
“I’m always careful. You need to know that. You need to trust me.”
“I do trust you. It’s the other guys I worry about.”
Helen laughed as she held Maria tight.
“Don’t worry about them, either. I can hold my own.”
“I hope so.”
Helen held her for a few more minutes before realizing that she needed to get Maria home.
“Come on, doll. Let’s call for a taxi and we’ll get you home.”
“Can’t I stay with you here tonight?”
“I don’t know how safe this neighborhood is tonight. We’ll get you home where we won’t have to worry about at least one gang. I’m sure you’ll be fine at your boarding house.”
They rode to the house, holding hands. When they arrived, Helen walked her to the door and hugged her tight.
“Make sure to lock the door behind you,” Helen said. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Be careful tonight. Take care of yourself.”
Helen waited until she heard the door lock into place.
She turned and took the cab to her apartment closest to headquarters.
The next morning, Helen was already at headquarters when Kevin arrived.
“What did we learn last night?” she asked.
“They were shooting at Donovan’s. That restaurant does some good business and is very generous with us, boss. They shot it up but good.”
“Was anyone hurt?”
“No. The place was closed at that hour. But the message came through loud and clear.”
“Yeah, they want us to back down. That ain’t happening.”
“What do you want from us, Helen?”
“What do you mean? I want us to go about our business, growing and making money. I don’t see anyone complaining about that.”
“I know you get tired of me harping on it, but people are dying here, boss.”
“We don’t know if it’s Northsiders or the Outfit. We can’t be sure these are Moretti’s men. So back off Maria. She’s not going anywhere.”
“Fine. So who are we going to retaliate against?”
“I haven’t decided. Both would be nice.”
“I don’t like being in a war with the North if there’s no reason for it.”
“And I don’t see any reason to keep pissing off Capone if it’s not them, but we can’t sit idly by and let guys shoot up our territory and do nothing about it.”
“So we go after them both?”
“Not yet. I need you to tap into your sources out there. I want you to get to the bottom of this. I want to know for sure who was behind it before we go running off half-cocked.”
Kevin poured them each a cup of coffee. He sat across the table from Helen.
“What do you think we’ll get out of all this?”
“That’s a deep question, Kevin.”
“Look, it’s all fun and games when we’re making a ton of money and guys aren’t shooting at us twenty-four seven. But that ain’t the way things are right now. What do we hope to gain from all this? We gonna expand? Take over some of their turf? What?”
“All I want is respect,” Helen said. “All I want is to be able to go about my business and not get shot at all the time. I’m not thinking of taking over anyone’s territory. But I al
so don’t want them to see me as a sitting duck. Just sitting here waiting for them to pick me off. I don’t like that, and I intend to show them we’re not going to take this lying down.”
“I guess I just feel like we’re in a giant circle. We shoot back. They shoot again. So we shoot back and they shoot again. Where does it end?”
“It ends when they get more interested in each other and less interested in us again. That’ll happen. Soon they’ll realize we’re small fish, and the real money lies with their worst enemies, each other.”
“How do we get them to focus on each other again?” Kevin asked.
“We just have to be patient, my friend. It’ll happen sooner than you think.”
The morning passed quickly, and soon it was time for Kevin to go collect protection money from their businesses. Helen agreed to meet him at Mickey’s for an early lunch.
She arrived at eleven thirty and found Kevin barely able to sit still.
“What’s going on with you?” she asked.
“I can’t believe you didn’t hear what happened.” He nearly bounced out of his chair.
“What did I miss?”
“Capone beat the shit out of Mayor Klenha.”
“Cicero’s mayor?”
“That’s him. I guess he said something about running his office without the help of gangsters or some shit so Capone beat him unconscious.”
“Damn. That man’s got balls.”
“Big ol’ balls.”
Mickey blushed as he approached with their food.
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything personal.”
“Not at all,” Helen said.
When Mickey was out of earshot, Helen asked, “So were the cops called?”
“Are you kidding me? They were there and didn’t touch Capone.”
“The man gets away with anything.”
“Yeah, he does. You sure we want to go after him right now?”
“Maybe we’ll lay low. But only for a while. Just to see how this plays out.”
Chapter Fourteen
Helen sat in her headquarters, trying to focus on numbers, but her mind constantly drifted to Maria. She needed to see her. Work had kept her busy for a few days, and that was too long to be without the comforts she offered.
She was about to call her when Charlie burst through the door.
“What’s going on?” Helen asked.
“They shot one of Capone’s men point-blank,” Charlie said.
“Who did?”
“Someone from the North Side. They walked up to Scarzoni on the street and pulled the trigger. He dropped right there. They killed the sucker from the North on the spot, but the guys from the South are pissed! Can you imagine the balls it took to do that in broad daylight?”
“When did it happen?”
“Just now. A couple of hours ago, maybe.”
Helen smiled, thinking this just might be what she needed to take the heat off of her for a while.
“That’s great news,” she said. “Let’s celebrate at Lucky’s.”
The place wasn’t open when they got there, so she had Kevin bust out the booze and pour drinks for the ten or so men who were there. She then excused herself and went to her office, where she quickly called Maria.
“Hello?” came the soft voice on the other end.
“Hey, doll, how you doin’?” Helen asked.
“Good! I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you. Can I see you this afternoon?”
“Not this afternoon. How about tomorrow?”
Helen fought to keep the disappointment from her voice.
“Tomorrow would be great. I’ll pick you up for lunch at noon.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
“Sounds good, doll. I’ll see you then.”
“Good-bye, Helen.”
Helen joined the men and reveled in the jubilant atmosphere. It was nice to be able to relax and enjoy themselves as opposed to being on alert all the time. With things heating up between the North and the South, they should be able to breathe a little easier, at least for a little while.
She relaxed with them, savoring her bourbon and pondering her next move. In less than a week, they’d hit Moretti’s big gambling tournament. That would be enough retaliation for any of the hits the Outfit had been involved in lately. As far as the North went, Helen reasoned, they’d leave Helen and her crew alone as long as they stayed focused on Capone. Life was good for her.
*
The next day at noon, Helen waited in front of the boarding house for Maria. Soon it was five after, then ten after. Helen was getting more and more nervous, sitting in the South’s territory unprotected for that long.
Finally, Maria came down the front walk.
“Where have you been?” Helen demanded.
“Sorry, I was on the phone.” Maria leaned in and kissed Helen’s cheek.
“Who with?”
“Does it matter?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe it shouldn’t,” Maria said.
“Was it Moretti?” Helen asked.
“Yes, it was.”
“I waited out here, a sitting duck for ten minutes, while you’re on the phone with Moretti?”
“Baby, just say the word and I’ll tell him where to go. If you insist on me pretending that I’m still his girl, I have to act the part.”
“That’s true. Sorry I got upset. You were doing what you had to do.”
“Exactly.”
“Let’s get some food.”
Helen took her to a seafood restaurant in her neighborhood. She ordered for both of them, including the white wine.
Maria smiled a lazy smile at Helen.
“What?” Helen asked.
“I kind of like it when you get jealous.”
“When was I jealous?”
“When were you jealous?” Maria laughed. “When I was on the phone with Franco earlier.”
“I wasn’t jealous. I was boiling.”
“I think you were jealous.”
“I was sitting, unprotected, for ten minutes. That’s not smart of me in that neighborhood. And to find out it was all because you were on the phone with Moretti set me off. I’m not jealous of that nobody.”
“Says you.”
Helen laughed. “Believe what you want, my dear, but can we change the subject?”
“Sure, baby. What do you want to talk about?”
“How about what I’m going to do to you after lunch?”
Maria blushed.
“You’re too easy,” Helen teased her.
“We’ll see how easy I am,” Maria said.
Helen laughed. “You gonna play hard to get?”
“Maybe I am.”
“Too late, doll.”
“Hey, that’s not nice.”
“I’m gonna make you scream my name before you even get comfortable,” Helen whispered. “I’m going to peel your clothes off with my teeth and lick you from head to toe.”
Maria was a deep burgundy and squirmed in her seat.
“Helen!” she said. “People can hear.”
“I’m being quiet. Only you and I know what I’m saying. You need to relax.”
Maria looked around while Helen softly chuckled. No one seemed to be paying them any attention, and she fumed a little that Helen was right.
“Are you ever wrong about anything?” she asked.
“I try not to be.”
“You’re so smug,” Maria said.
“No, just right.”
Lunch was served and Helen quit teasing Maria so she could enjoy her food. After they ate, Helen drove them to her apartment and quickly took Maria in her arms.
She kissed her with all the passion she’d been saving for days. She kissed her hard, plunging her tongue inside her mouth and tasting the warm moistness she found. She pulled Maria against her, running her hands up and down her sides, finally bringing her hands to stop on her breasts. She slid one hand under her dress to cup a breast thro
ugh her bra. Her breath caught as she felt the nipple harden at her touch.
“Help me out of this,” Maria begged her.
Helen was more than happy to unzip the dress and let it fall to the floor. Maria unhooked her bra and tossed it on her dress.
Helen moved her hand between Maria’s legs, but Maria grabbed her hand. “I believe you said something about kissing every inch of me.”
“That I did.” Helen deftly removed Maria’s panties and threw them on the pile of discarded clothes. She then peeled her stockings off with her teeth.
“Is that what you were thinking?”
“That’s a good start,” Maria said.
Helen eased Maria onto the bed and moved to her feet. She took one and slowly, deliberately sucked her big toe into her mouth, running her tongue all over it.
“Oh, my God,” Maria gasped.
Helen repeated her actions with every toe on that foot before moving to the next one. She sucked and licked those toes before kissing up to her ankle. She lazily dragged her tongue over the ankle and kissed and nibbled her way up the calf.
Maria was squirming on the bed. Helen was beyond aroused herself, but cautioned herself to stay focused and fulfill her promise to Maria. She finally reached the back of Maria’s knee, which she sucked and nipped at. She licked the soft skin before continuing her oral assault up the tender skin of her inner thigh.
Maria pressed her hand into the back of Helen’s head as Helen kissed closer and closer to her center. She arched her back and tried to guide Helen to where she needed her most. Helen lightly kissed her clit before kissing down her other thigh. She could feel the heat radiating from Maria and wanted nothing more than to bury her tongue deep inside. She was dizzy with need as she kissed to the back of Maria’s other knee and dragged her tongue over the sensitive skin she found there.
As she kissed down her shapely calf, she asked herself if she’d be able to continue this. Would she have the fortitude to kiss everywhere but where she knew Maria wanted her? She kissed back up her leg and this time briefly dipped her tongue inside. She forced herself away and nibbled her way up Maria’s soft belly to her breasts. Her nipples were so hard, they looked painful.
She closed her mouth around one, pulling it deep into her mouth, feeling the nipple press into the roof of her mouth. She straddled Maria’s leg and ground into her. She sucked on the other nipple, lost in her desire to please Maria.
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