Rapture & Rogue

  “You didn’t get questioned about our affair? Wait, let me guess, it wasn’t the first time.” Taren pursed her lips.

  Gi smiled. “Why do you think I’ve had all of these women?”

  “Have you looked in a mirror lately?” Taren chided. “You’re the walking, talking poster girl for sex appeal. If I’d never met you until that night at Rapture, I’d have been drawn to you in more ways than one. You’re mysterious, smart, sexy, and dangerous. It’s a wicked combination,” She winked.

  Gi burst with laughter. “You’re a mess, you know that? No, I don’t have women throwing themselves at my feet. Yes, I’ve dated here and there, but nothing serious. Yes, I’ve had sex in the office, but only one other time and that was way before all of this. And no, I’ve never loved anyone except you.”

  “You know, girls used to come up to me all the time in college, asking about you and telling me they knew someone who dated you.”

  “I had a few years on you in college. So yeah, I may have dated a little, but I can count on both hands how many people I’ve slept with and still have fingers left over. They were doing it to get to you. You had the girl everyone wanted.” Gi grinned.

  “You better stop before your head gets too big for this room,” Taren teased.

  Gi moved swiftly, pushing Taren to her back on the couch as she moved on top of her, kissing her softly. “Shouldn’t we discuss…” A few more delicate kisses. “Things like closet space and…which side of the bed you want?”

  “We managed living together in that tiny apartment with no problem, I’m sure we’ll figure it out.” Taren paused. “That is if you want me here. I could always go—”

  “You’re not going anywhere,” Gi mumbled grinding their hips together.

  “I love you,” Taren whispered, before pulling her down for a heated kiss.

  Chapter 24

  The following day, Taren walked into the office and pretended she hadn’t moved in with Gi the night before. Everything appeared the same, like she’d stepped out of time for the past week.

  “How’s your grandmother?” Gi’s assistant asked, passing her in the hallway.

  “She’s much better, thanks,” Taren replied as she poured a fresh cup of coffee. She headed back to her office. She had a stack of new invoices to put into the system and another stack of bills to pay, plus she had to do the reporting for the end of the month. Thankfully, it was enough busy work to keep her mind off the reality of everything rolling around in her thoughts.

  By the middle of the day, she’d nearly forgotten about everything, until Gi waltzed into her office.

  “Hey.” Taren smiled.

  “Have you had lunch yet?” Gi asked, quietly kissing her cheek.

  “I haven’t had time. I can’t believe how much work piled up while I was gone.”

  “Yeah, seems we can’t figure out how to pay the bills without you,” Gi teased. “Come on, let me buy you lunch.”

  Taren went to protest, knowing she wanted to get a bigger dent in her workload before she left for the day, but Gi was nodding towards the door like she had some kind of nervous problem.

  “Okay, but I get to pick the place.”

  ***

  As soon as they were in Gi’s car, Taren leaned over the center console and kissed her hard.

  “What was that for?” Gi asked, when she pulled away to buckle her seatbelt.

  Taren shrugged and smiled. “I felt like kissing you.”

  “Well, I feel like sliding my—”

  “Drive us to lunch, Revisi!” Taren chided with a laughed. “Sushi sounds good right about now.”

  Gi shook her head, wanting to make another comment. “I just got a text message from Valerie. Uncle Bruno is out of the country at the moment.”

  “What’s he doing?”

  “Shopping for more women, I guess. He told me he was going on a golfing trip with Congressman Brown. That sorry piece of shit has never swung a club in his life, so I knew something was up. She said he arrived two days ago and has a return trip booked for next Monday.”

  “Where are Sergio and Mario?”

  “Sergio is in charge of the bar, I assume. This is inventory week, so Mario has been at Rogue and Rapture.”

  Gi pulled into a Japanese restaurant parking lot and shut the car off. “Valerie said they’re going to wait for him to bring the women into the bar, and then bust the entire operation. I only have a couple of days to expedite all the paperwork to put Gentlemen’s Rook in Uncle Bruno’s name.”

  “Wow, they’re moving in that fast?”

  “Yeah.When we get back to the office, I need you to change all of the GR bank accounts, vendor accounts, everything to his name. I’m going to the courthouse when I drop you off to get the business license changed. I just faxed all the paperwork to the IRS and the State of Illinois, removing my name and any association with R&R Enterprises.”

  “When will that take effect?”

  “As soon as they get the papers and input it. Valerie assured me it would be completed by Monday. She made a few calls to be sure. Everything has to be in his name before they can make their move, or I go down with his sinking ship.”

  “That’s cutting it close, isn’t it?”

  “He’ll be back sometime Monday afternoon, and then he’ll probably get the girls in on Wednesday. He won’t notice anything between now and then with the accounts, so we’ll be good.”

  “Let’s eat in a hurry then. I have a lot to do when I get back.”

  ***

  When the weekend arrived, Taren and Gi spent the entire two days wrapped in each other’s arms. They made love in between watching movies and eating their meals, but mostly just enjoyed being together. Taren felt different this time around. There was nothing between them, pushing them in opposite directions. Soon, the mess with Bruno would be behind them as well. She looked forward to having a completely blank slate for their new start.

  On Sunday evening, they were watching some romantic comedy that Gi was vaguely interested in, but she had Taren in her arms and that was all that mattered to her.

  “Were you really planning on marrying Ken? I mean, would you have gone through with it?” she asked, holding Taren close.

  “I don’t know, probably not. Deep down I think I knew it wasn’t where I was meant to be,” Taren answered, kissing her softly.

  “Would you marry me?”

  Taren stiffened and sat up a little to look into Gi’s eyes. “Are you proposing?”

  Realizing how the question sounded, Gi shook her head. “That’s not really how I envisioned it, no, but is it something you’ve thought about?”

  Taren smiled. “Of course. I thought about it when we were in college and the day he asked me, I actually thought about you.”

  “Then why did you say yes?”

  “Gi, I’d started a new life and I was trying really hard to make it work. Having a life with him seemed like the right thing to do,” she sighed. “All I’ve been doing since college is trying to get over you. Nothing worked for long. You always found a way back into my dreams.”

  “That’s because you needed to get under me, not over me,” Gi teased, breaking the icy conversation.

  Taren rolled her eyes as she reached for the remote, clicking the TV off.

  “What are you doing?” Gi asked. “I thought you were dying to see this movie?”

  “I was, but getting under sounds like a much better idea,” she replied, wrapping her arms around Gi and pulling her down.

  Chapter 25

  The following Wednesday started like any other. Gi was in her office, working on the new advertising campaign, and Taren was in hers, working on the ledger for the new month. It wasn’t until later in the afternoon that Gi got the call that the FBI had busted down the door of Gentlemen’s Rook and swarmed the building, arresting Bruno, Sergio, and Mario, along with all of their staff, including the women, who turned out to be victims who thought they had
no rights.Of course, Gi had to act like she wasn’t involved at first. She ran into Taren’s office, telling her everything, like they knew nothing about it. Then, she called her lawyer to let him know what had happened. She sent him copies of all of the paperwork, transferring everything over to Bruno, which was in their original business plan on file with his office. She knew she wasn’t going to be arrested or even investigated, but she had to pretend as if she were because of their connection and her involvement with starting the business. Her lawyer made a few calls and told her to say nothing and have him contacted immediately if they showed up.

  Everything had gone as Valerie had said it would. Bruno and the boys had held a staff meeting to introduce the new girls, which meant all of the employees were there, but he’d also invited a handful of his top clients, including the mayor, the governor, the congressman, and two corporate CEOs, all of whom were arrested when the place was raided.

  As Valerie promised, no one came after Gi, despite Bruno ranting and raving that the entire thing was Gianna Revisi’s idea from the start. Knowing she was finally free and clear of everything, Gi put the business up for sale since she had no interest in it to begin with.

  Later that evening, as they watched the story on the local news, Gi felt a wave of relief. She hated keeping the secrets, but most of all, she hated knowing what he was doing and having to wait for the feds to bust him. She wanted to rip his head off and kick it down the street.

  “Do you think we’re going to have a news crew camped out in front of the office tomorrow?” Taren asked.

  Gi gestured towards the front of the house. “They arrived while you were in the shower. My lawyer gave my statement already. I have no reason to talk to anyone. I wasn’t involved and my uncle just extorted millions of dollars from me to sell women as sex slaves. I think I deserve my privacy.”

  Taren nodded. “Good point.”

  “I feel bad for my family though. Bruno, Sergio, and Mario are going to prison. All that is left is me and my mother.”

  “Bruno wasn’t married?”

  “No. His wife divorced him ages ago because she’d had enough. He always had a piece of ass on the side anyway.” She said.

  “Will I get to meet your mom soon?” Taren asked.

  “Yeah, when she gets back. I put her on a plane to Italy a week ago to visit her sister for a month. She does this every year about this time, so it was nothing new to her, but I didn’t want her here when this shit went down.” Gi looked at the clock. “She probably won’t hear anything where she is, so I’ll have to call her.”

  “I should probably call my family as well. They know I work for you, and well, they know we’re together.”

  “They do?” Gi raised an eyebrow.

  “Yes. I had to tell them Ken and I split up because he’ll be dropping off my stuff at their house when he cleans out the storage shed we shoved all of our shit into when we moved out here.”

  “I had no idea you’d called. How did it go?”

  “I called them Saturday when you fell asleep.” Taren smiled, remembering what had put Gi to sleep like a baby. “My parents just want to see me happy, but I think they were in shock. I’m sure this is going to drive their anxiety level up a little bit. They were all for me and Ken getting married. They never knew about you, so they think I’m nervous about getting married and this is a phase, or something.”

  “Maybe we should book a trip to San Diego when things settle down. If they meet me and see us together, maybe they will have a better understanding.”

  “Melanie’s going to flip out. When I went home to see my grandmother, Ken was blabbing to my father about my new job and he mentioned your name. She overheard and drilled me about being back around you. I thought I was going to have to turn the hose on her.”

  Gi rolled her eyes. “She tried her damndest to break us up in college. I’m sure she was strutting like a rooster when you left me.”

  Taren laughed. “She’s married now with two kids and has her own issues. Besides, our little conversation made me question a lot of things, which is why I came straight to you when I got back.”

  Gi grinned. “I’m sure she’d love to know that.” She was about say something else when her cell phone rang. She quickly answered, saying only a few words before hanging up.

  Taren looked at her with a questioning expression.

  “That was Valerie. The arraignment hearing is in the morning.”

  “Are you going?”

  “Probably. He threw my name up all day in questioning, even when his lawyer told him to be quiet. She said he’s pissed.”

  “Good. He’s a piece of shit,” Taren spat.

  “I’m sick of talking about family,” Gi sighed.

  “Me too,” Taren agreed, running her hand through Gi’s short hair. “I love you so damn much.”

  “I love you, too, tesoro.” Gi smiled, pulling Taren close and wrapping her arms around her. “I missed this,” she murmured, curling up with her.

  Epilogue

  “Are you ready for this?” Taren asked, before they opened the doors to the courtroom.

  It had been eight months since Bruno, Sergio, and Mario were arrested, and after ten weeks of trial, including testimony from Gi, all three of them were found guilty and set to be sentenced today.

  “I’m ready to put all this behind me,” Gi replied, grabbing her hand.

  They walked in together, taking their seats directly behind the federal prosecutor’s table. Gi didn’t have to look to her left where her three family members sat with their team of lawyers; she felt their cold hard stares on the side of her face.

  “All rise for the Honorable Judge Mary Worthington,” the bailiff said loudly.

  “Here we go,” Gi whispered as she stood.

  The judge walked into the room and took a seat. She looked out at everyone in the room and said, “You may be seated.”

  Gi’s heart raced. She was angry for being betrayed by her own flesh and blood, but she was more disgusted with what they were doing, and hoped the judge saw through the lies told during the trial.

  The judge asked the defendants to stand. Then she put her reading glasses on and read a statute number, along with each charge they were found guilty of.

  “Bruno Revisi, Sergio Revisi, and Mario Revisi, the United States Federal Court hereby sentences each of you to a prison term of twenty years for human trafficking for sexual exploitation; three years for keeping a brothel used for prostitution; and two years for exploitation of prostitution, all of which are to be served consecutively and without the option of early parole,” she stated, dropping the gavel.

  When the bailiff moved to escort the men out of the room, Bruno jumped up and shouted at Gi. “You fucking nark! You shame the Revisi name! Pezzo di merda!”

  It took three officers to pull Bruno away from the banister separating the two of them.

  “The shame is yours!” She stepped closer to him. “You and your sons are the only Revisis to ever get caught with your hands dirty and wind up in prison,” she added, shaking her head.

  “Fuck you!” he shouted as they began dragging him away.

  “No, you tried that, but you got fucked instead! Trust no one, not even your own flesh and blood,” she spat, before grabbing Taren’s hand and walking away.

  ***

  When they got home, Taren removed her skirt and blouse, placing them neatly in the space across from Gi’s where the rest of her clothes were hanging.

  “I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off me,” Gi said as she began removing her pantsuit. She put her jacket on a hanger in the closet, and then tossed her blouse into the dry-cleaning pile, having smeared it with nervous sweat during the hearing. She walked over to the chaise by the fireplace, and sat down to remove her socks and shoes.

  “Why do you think Bruno did it?” Taren asked, walking closer to her.

  “He wanted to be a gangster. But you don’t become a crime b
oss by fucking people over, especially another crime boss,” Gi stated.

  Taren put her hand on Gi’s shoulder, pushing her to her back as she straddled her lap. “Fucking a crime boss sounds like a great idea right about now,” she declared, leaning down and kissing her hard.

  About the Author

  Sydney enjoys reading everything from magazines to historical books and boasts about her massive collection of paperbacks and hardbacks in her personal library. She's also a huge fan of multiple TV shows, which she says take up too much of her time. She enjoys writing novellas and is the author of the bestselling novellas: One Night and Shadow's Eyes. Second Chance was her first full length, printed novel.

  You can message her and like her fan page at facebook.com/sydneycanyon

  visit us at www.tri-pub.com

  Other Titles Available From

  Triplicity Publishing

  Second Chance by Sydney Canyon. After an attack on her convoy, Marine Corps Staff Sergeant, Darien Hollister, must learn to live without her sight. When an experimental procedure allows her to see again, Darien is torn, knowing someone had to die in order for this to happen.

  She embarks on a journey to personally thank the donor’s family, but is too stunned to tell them the truth. Mixed emotions stir inside of her as she slowly gets to the know the people that feel like so much more than strangers to her. When the truth finally comes out, Darien walks away, taking the second chance that she’s been given to go back to the only life she’s ever known, but she’s not the only one with a second chance at life.

  Meant to Be by Graysen Morgen. Brandt is about to walk down the aisle with her girlfriend, when an unexpected chain of events turns her world upside down, causing her to question the last three years of her life. A chance encounter sparks a mix of rage and excitement that she has never felt before. Summer is living life and following her dreams, all the while, harboring a huge secret that could ruin her career. She believes that some things are better kept in the dark, until she has her third run-in with a woman she had hoped to never see again, and gives into temptation. Brandt and Summer start believing everything happens for a reason as they learn the true meaning of meant to be.