by Amy Cecil
Ricco’s phone beeps. He looks at it and says, “The bomb detonated. Benny and his men are going to check it out to make sure the bastard is dead.”
“Good.”
Thirty minutes later, my phone beeps, it’s from Benny.
All dead.
I reply:
Clean it up.
“Benny just texted. Romeo is dead. He and his boys are taking care of the cleanup.” I take a stogie from the humidor and light it. “Now we just need to wait for Sainte to check in. While we are waiting, call Marco and tell him it’s safe to bring everyone home.”
“Got one of those for me?” Ricco asks.
I turn the humidor to face him. “Of course. You don’t have to ask. Help yourself. Alex?”
“No, bro, I’m trying to quit.”
“Really?”
“Well, no, but it sounded good.” My brother, the comedian.
An hour passes and Zaira comes running into my office. “Oh, thank God you are all right, Michael.” She falls into my arms as I get up to greet her. Then she looks around and sees Ricco and Alex sitting across from my desk. “Oh forgive me, Michael. I’m sorry for interrupting.”
I laugh. “Darling, it’s fine. We’re just waiting for a call from Sainte. Once we get word from him, we can celebrate.”
Her head tilts to the side a little as she asks, “What do you mean?”
“It’s over, baby. The whole Gallardi deal is finished.”
“Really, babe?” She cries. “Oh, thank God!”
“It’s late, babe. As soon as I hear from Sainte, I’m calling it a night. Why don’t you go up and wait for me?”
She smiles. “Don’t be long?”
“I won’t, love. Be up soon.”
As Zaira leaves, my father enters.
“Boys,” he says. “I trust everything is under control.”
“Yep, just waiting to tie up one last loose end, Pop. It’s done, and Gallardi is finished.”
“Good. I knew you could handle it, son. I’m so proud of you.” He walks to me and gives me a hug, then turns to head for the door. “Good night, boys.”
“Night, Pop.”
Ricco and Alex both say good-night, and my father leaves.
About an hour later, my phone rings, it’s Sainte.
“Hello?”
“What the fuck happened, Mikey?” he yells in the phone.
“Calm down. Gio called and said Romeo came to the states and showed up here. He’s dead.”
“What?”
“It’s a long story. As long as you and Ice are safe, I’m calling it a night. We’ll fill you both in on the details in the morning. Just know that it’s finished.”
“Okay, Michael, we’ll talk in the morning.”
I disconnect the line and get up from my chair. “Good night, boys.”
“Good night, boss,” Ricco says, and he and Alex follow me out.
Hell, it’s been a long day, but we got so much accomplished. Now my family can go back to business as usual. No more fucking around with drug cartels, the CIA, or the FBI. Fuck that shit.
Chapter 33
Michael
I walk down the hallway to my room and quietly step inside. The room is dark, and moonlight is shining through the window. It silhouettes Zaira’s body as she lies on her side, facing away from me. Making as little noise as possible, I walk toward the bed. I can tell by her breathing she’s asleep. I guess I waited too long to come to bed. I really should let her sleep. I stand there for a few minutes and just watch her. She’s so fucking beautiful, and I thank God every day that she came back to me.
I don’t know how long I stand there watching her but decide that even though I’ve had a shit day and I need her, I don’t have the heart to wake her. I turn to make my way into the bathroom when I hear, “Michael, Is that you?”
I stop and wait to see if she is really awake or if she is talking in her sleep.
“Michael?” She pauses for a brief moment and says, “Please don’t go.”
Now I know she’s awake, and leaving her alone is not an option any more.
I turn back toward the bed. Her back is still facing me, and for a second, I think perhaps she’s not awake. I want her to be awake so badly, I can’t help myself, and I answer her by saying, “Hey, beautiful.”
She turns to face me, lying on her other side. I can barely make out her features, but the look on her face tells me she is happy to see me. She is fucking perfect, and she’s all mine. I feel my jeans getting tighter as my dick grows hard from just looking at her. She reaches down to the covers and moves them aside, inviting me to join her.
“How did you know I was here?” I asked her curiously.
“Your cigar,” she whispers.
“Is it that strong? I put it out a while ago.”
“Oh, no. It’s sexy,” she says, clarifying her last remark. “Next to your aftershave, it’s my favorite smell in the whole world.”
“Hmmm, I think I like that.” I sit on the bed next to her and brush the curls away from her face. “You’re beautiful, baby. You know that?”
She smiles. “I know. But instead of you telling me how beautiful I am, I would rather you get in this bed with me and show me how much you have missed me. You’ve been so busy with work the last couple of days. I need you, Michael.”
With her words, I get up from the bed and remove my clothes, my eyes never leaving hers as she watches me intently. When I’m fully undressed, I crawl into bed next to her. Her body is soft and warm. I pull her into my arms and hold her. She is my everything, and I know now my life is complete.
“God I’ve missed you,” I say as she nuzzles into my neck.
“I’m still waiting, Michael,” she states.
“What are you waiting for, my love?” I ask curiously.
“Really? Do I have to spell it out for you?” She slowly runs her hand down the length of my naked body, and suddenly my dick—before my brain—realizes what she’s talking about. It doesn’t take my brain long to figure out what she wants now.
“Are you going to keep me waiting?” she asks, and I can’t help but laugh.
Her words ignite a fire in me, and I have to have her, but before I can take control of the situation, she crawls on top of me. With a knee on each side of my hips, she bends down and licks my bottom lip before devouring my mouth. Her tongue is warm and wet, and it only makes me want her more.
When she is done kissing me, she sits up and pulls her baby-doll nighty over her head, exposing her bare chest. Her breasts are perfect. I sit up, bringing her body closer to mine, which allows me to suck on her nipples. She moans and then she demands, “Harder, baby!”
What. The. Fuck! I hadn’t thought my dick could get any harder, but her words prove me wrong. As my lady commands, I suck harder. She’s in a trance, totally lost in the pleasure I’m giving her. I bet I could make her come by just sucking on her tits.
At that point, however, her moans are my undoing, and I can’t take any more. I’ve got to be in control. I roll her off me and position myself on top. She’s lying on the bed underneath me, looking at me with hunger in her eyes. I feel so much love for her. I lean down close and whisper in her ear, “I love you.”
I kiss her softly on her neck as my cock slides slowly into her sweet pussy. I move as slowly as I can because I wanted to savor this moment. I want to feel every inch as I push into her.
She’s so fucking tight, and her pussy clamps onto my dick like a vise. I feel as if I am going to explode. I have to stop. I draw out of her slowly and wait before I slide back in. Carefully, I push into her again, trying desperately to keep control of my movements. I continue this several times, and I swear she clenches my dick tighter each time. I’m quickly losing control, and I think she is too.
“Tell me, Zaira. Tell me what you feel.”
Without hesitation or questioning, she responds, “I love you, Michael.”
“And?”
Again without any hesitation, she rep
lies, “I will never leave you again.”
I move my fingers to her clit. She’s soaking wet around my cock and my fingers. I’m not gonna last much longer. “Give it to me, sweetheart. Give me all you got.”
With my words, she detonates beneath me, and I watch her lose herself to me. She is so fucking sexy when she comes, and I can’t hold it any longer. My orgasm explodes, shooting my seed into her. It goes on and on, and when I think I can’t come anymore, I do.
Afterward, she snuggles against me, tracing her fingers across my chest until her movements slow and she falls asleep. It doesn’t take me much longer to follow her there. There’s no better way to end a shitty day than in the arms of the woman I love.
***
I wake early the next morning, and without disturbing Zaira, I get showered and dressed. I’ve got a lot of shit to do to tie the loose ends from the last couple of days, and I’m ready to get a jump on things. Once all this is handled, life goes back to our new normal.
My first meeting of the day is with Benny. He and Ricco are in my office, and Benny is giving us the full report on last night’s activities.
“I had one of my guys follow Romeo after he left the house. When they were about fifteen miles out, my guy messaged me and confirmed the car had blown. When we got to the scene, there was shit everywhere, but we were able to confirm there were four bodies in the car. Romeo, his two bodyguards, and his driver.”
“And the cleanup?”
“Done, we disposed of the bodies, and I guarantee you they will never be found. We ran plates on the car—not registered anywhere. I’m not sure how he did that, but we don’t have to worry about any blowback from it. We took care of the car as well. There is nothing left, Michael, no sign that anything unfortunate happened. There may be human fragments that may have scattered from the explosion, but I doubt they will be even looking there for them. There is no scene of the crime for anyone to question. Romeo and his men simply disappeared.”
“Nice. Very nice. You did good work, Benny. Thanks.”
“Anything for you, boss. You know that.”
“I do. That will be all for now. Take the rest of today and tomorrow off, and spend some time with your family. You deserve it.”
“Thank you.” He stands and leaves. Once he’s gone, I turn toward Ricco.
“You good with all this?” I ask.
“Yeah, sounds like he cleaned things up real good. I’ll have one of my guys go check it out today to make sure nothing got missed.”
I nod. “Good, can’t be too sure.” I pause a moment. “So, you ready to call Ice and Sainte? We need to explain to them what happened.”
“Yeah, might as well. It has to be done, right?” Ricco says.
“Yeah, it does.” I pull out my phone and dial Sainte and put it on speaker. He answers on the second ring.
“Hey,” he says into the phone.
“You and Ice make it home all right?” I ask.
“Yeah, we got in around three this morning. Haven’t been to sleep yet, still wired. You know how I get.”
“Yeah, I do. Ice with you?”
“Naw, he went to the doctor’s with Emma. Should be back in about an hour or so.”
“Oh, shit… Want me to call when he’s back, or do you want to relay everything to him?”
“I can tell him. He was pretty pissed off last night that he wasn’t the one to end Romeo but calmed down quite a bit when he realized it couldn’t be helped and that Romeo changed plans on us.”
“I figured he would be. But as you said, it couldn’t be helped.”
“So what happened?” he asks.
I rehash the major events that transpired while he and Ice were infiltrating the Gallardi compound and how we dealt with Romeo’s surprise visit. “It blew about ten miles from here, and Benny just left my office after confirming Romeo is dead and the scene is squeaky clean.”
“Fuck, Mikey, that’s fast thinking.”
“Yeah, man, that’s why I get paid the big bucks,” I reply.
“Don’t fucking remind me,” Sainte says dryly.
“So let Ice know the deed is done, and hopefully the next time I see him, it will be for much happier occasions.”
“I sure will.”
“And, Sainte, you enjoy your time with the MC and don’t forget to talk to Emma. The longer you lie to her or keep what you know hidden, it will make the strain on your relationship that much worse. Trust me on this. I’m living proof of that.”
“Yeah, but you got your woman back.”
I nod, even though only Ricco can see me. “I did, but it wasn’t without a lot of heartache.”
“Yeah, I know. Okay, gotta go. Talk to you guys soon.”
“You got it.” I disconnect the line. For a few minutes, Ricco and I just sit in the quiet. It’s nice for a change.
“So now what do we do?” Ricco asks.
“We live, buddy. We live.”
“Thank fuck for that,” he replies.
Epilogue
Michael
It’s been six weeks since the whole Gallardi cartel fiasco, and I am pleased to say things in the Vitali home have gone back to normal. Pop is feeling much better and is getting around more. After hearing about the wonderful time Zaira and I had in Florence, he and Mom decided to take an extended trip. They left two days ago, and the house seems really quiet without them.
Alex continues to work at my side, and every day, I see him growing into a man more and more. He is going to make an extraordinary underboss when Sal retires, which should be in the next year or so. I have noticed over the last several weeks that Alex has taken a liking to Mia. She comes over here often to visit Zaira. I don’t have the heart to tell him Marco has been waiting for her to come of age for a while now. I think a good healthy love triangle will do him good. When Mia turns eighteen those boys are gonna rock her world.
Gina is doing great in school and working hard to graduate early. Hell, if I knew when I was her age that was an option, I would have jumped on it. But then again, probably not. I fucking hated school. She and Zaira spend a lot of time together, and it warms my heart they get along so well. Gina needed another woman in the house, and Zaira has filled the role of sister beautifully.
Ricco is still Ricco. He is the best of men and the most loyal. He takes my life in his hands everyday and stands by my side proudly. I am—hell, the whole family is lucky to have him in our corner. Zaira has mentioned on several occasions that she needs to find him a nice girl. He definitely needs a woman in his life, but I made it perfectly clear to my wife it is not her job to find him one. She promised she would not meddle in his love life, but frankly, I don’t believe her. I know when the right one comes along, Ricco will know it, just like I did with Zaira. Now if I could only get my wife to see that.
Speaking of my lovely wife, life doesn’t get any better than now. She is and always will be the light of my entire world. She recently gave me news that has totally thrown me for a loop. I keep thinking, how in the fuck am I gonna manage this along with running this family? How could she spring this on me? And when I asked her that, her response was “but, baby, these things happen.” What the hell is that shit?
In all seriousness, I couldn’t be more overjoyed. Zaira and I are pregnant! Dr. Siegel says we can expect our little bundle of joy in late spring. I’m gonna be a fucking father!
Everything comes to fruition. Even though we have lost, we still continue to go on. Life is short, and I have learned it is what you make with the life you have been given that is what makes it worth living.
I will continue to strive to be worthy of my wife and family. I will also try to be the man Zaira sees I am, and I hope to be an even better father. I will continue to run the Vitali family as I see fit and thank God every day for the many blessings He has given my family and me.
The end.
Acknowledgments
As always, I would like to thank my friends and family. Without their support, I never would’ve h
ad the courage and the vision to become a writer.
I would like to thank my husband Kevin. You’ve never doubted me or my abilities. All that I am - you let me be. I love you to the moon and back!
Also, I would like to thank the members of my street team, Amy's Amazing Street Girls. You ladies rock my world and I am so honored to have you all on my side.
I’d also like to thank Maureen Goodwin, Ann Lopez and Stephanie Nix. Thank you so much for being my BETAs on this book and all your help and promotion throughout the publishing process.
I would also like to thank Alicia Freeman and Monica Diane. Your PR abilities are amazing and I couldn’t ask for two better personal assistants. You ladies are a pleasure to work with and I could not be more grateful for all that you do for me.
I would like to thank Rebecca Garcia of Dark Wish Designs. Your insightful ideas, creative cover designs, marketing materials and formatting is top notch!Your incredible design talents make this book shine!
And finally, but definitely not least, I would like to thank Angie Wade of Novel Nurse Editing. It is truly a pleasure working with you. You make the editing process fun!
About the Author
"Face life as you find it-defiantly and unafraid." –Nietzsche
Amy Cecil is bestselling and award-winning Indie author of both historical and contemporary romance. Her penchant for Austen fan fiction, won her the title of Favorite Historical Romance Author (2016-2017) while her MC series has won several awards throughout the Indie community. Recently, she has expanded her repertoire to the thriller and erotic genres.
For as long as she can remember, Amy always had a book (or two) that she was reading for the love of getting lost within its pages. Amy has been heard to have said, "I've never given much thought to becoming a writer myself until I realized that if I hadn't written my own version of Mr. Darcy, I might have run out of material to read."
And thus, her first novel was born, A Royal Disposition. In the words of Miss Austen herself, "I wish as well as everybody else to be perfectly happy; but, like everybody else, it must be in my own way." Ms. Cecil writes to do just that.