Sal Gabrini: Love And War

by Mallory Monroe

  Curtis laid on his side, exhausted and butt-hurt from the big entry he had to endure, while Robby Yale got off of the bed and made his way to the bathroom. He was naked, and his dick-head was covered in cum, but cleaning up was just an excuse. He didn’t want to face Curtis. He didn’t want to pretend that this wasn’t the kind of risky behavior that could cost him his life.

  He closed the bathroom door, walked to the sink and leaned over it, and then looked at himself in the mirror. He was a handsome man, tanned, buff, and with bright green eyes the ladies loved. But he was a tormented soul, too. He was Sal Gabrini’s right-hand man for crying out loud! He was the man Sal trusted with his life. And he’d just screwed another man? And not just any man, but Gemma Gabrini’s secretary. If Sal found out he was screwed alright. If Sal found out, Robby was certain he would be a dead man.

  “Then why the fuck are you doing it?” Robby asked himself aloud as he looked critically at the man in the mirror. He used to bully what he called faggots in school. He used to kick the ass of any dude who even looked like he could be a sissy. When, all the while, he knew he was one, too.

  He turned on the tap, splashed water on his face, and then cleaned his penis. When the door opened, and Curtis walked in, he frowned. Another reminder of the closet he was so deeply embedded in.

  Curtis, naked too, closed the door back and leaned against it. He crossed his arms. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m terrific,” Robby responded with bitterness in his voice and then looked up in the mirror at the young man behind him. And then he exhaled. He fell hard for Curtis, the first time he ever had fallen for a man, and it was the only reason he decided to take this great risk. “Sorry,” he said and looked back down, continuing to clean his penis.

  “We can’t keep doing this, Robby. At some point, you’ve got to be true to yourself.”

  “It ain’t true, alright?” Robby looked at him through the mirror again. “I ain’t no faggot like you!”

  Curtis sucked his teeth and stared at Robby with his best yeah, right look. Robby exhaled. “Sorry again,” he said.

  “Why don’t you just tell Mr. Gabrini? Just put it out there.”

  Robby shook his head.

  “His wife knows I’m gay,” Curtis continued. “She has no problem with it. I know Sal Gabrini is a little racist, at least I think he is, but I don’t think he’s a homophobe too or he wouldn’t allow his wife to have me as her secretary. And I remind you I’m not just any secretary. I’m the highest paid secretary in Vegas, thank you very much.”

  “Put a sock in it, Curt,” Robby said as he tossed the cloth onto the vanity. “It’s not happening.”

  “And why not?” Curtis asked as Robby walked up to him.

  Robby stared at Curtis. If he wasn’t so damn gorgeous, and wasn’t so delicious in bed, he wouldn’t take this chance in a million years. But Curtis was worth it. He could feel it in his bones. He kissed him.

  “Why not, Robby? Why can’t you just admit to Sal Gabrini who you are?”

  “Because I want to live. Is that a good enough reason for you?” Then he told Curtis to move, Curtis moved, and Robby opened the bathroom door and exited. Curtis followed him.

  Robby’s cell phone began ringing as he made his way toward the bed. He looked at the Caller ID. When he saw that it was Reno Gabrini, he placed his finger over his lips to shush Curtis, and answered quickly. “Hello?”

  “This Robby?”

  “That’s right.”

  “This is Reno. Get to Sal’s house now.”

  “Yes, sir. Everything okay?”

  “No. Nobody’s heard from your boss.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “No, I’m playing. What the fuck you’re asking me that for? I’m going out to search for him myself. You get over to his house and watch Sal’s wife and son, and my wife, too. She’s here with Gem.”

  “Yes, sir. Right away, sir. And I’ll make sure we have every man on the case.”

  “Don’t substitute,” Reno warned. “Don’t you hit the field and put some other man on house duty. You stay with our wives. Their lives are in your hands. You fuck up, and your life will be in mine.”

  Robby swallowed hard. “Yes, sir,” he said, and Reno ended the call.

  When the SUV first sped across the blade of dirt and went airborne over the ravine, Sal made his decision. He had two bad choices facing him: either being killed in the crash, or killed in the jump. He decided to take his chances on the jump.

  He didn’t have time to jump before the SUV went airborne, but while it was, and before it hit land again, he moved back over to the passenger side, opened the as yet undamaged passenger door, and waited. Just as the SUV was nearing land, he jumped and rolled. His momentum took him into a fast-motion tumble of a long, agonizing roll across smooth and ragged rocks. When he came to a stop, he was aching and in pain. But alive.

  But the SUV, with his driver’s dead body inside, didn’t fare as well. It crash-landed just before it hit the bottom of the ravine, and, on impact, burst into flames. Sal was far enough away to be unscathed, but he was not so far removed that he didn’t take precautions. Not because of the explosion, but because of the gunmen who were still nearby at the top of the ravine. He lost his gun in the jump, and his cell phone. He was virtually defenseless against the arsenal, and he knew it. That was why he fled.

  He ran down to the bottom of the ravine and searched for a crevice to hide into. When he found one, he didn’t hesitate. He hid himself. By the time the gunmen left the Silverado and ran up to the ravine to make sure the SUV was totaled and there was no Sal Gabrini still lurking around, they smiled. Their plot had worked even better than they could have hoped for. They ran back to their Silverado, got in, and took off. The explosion alone was going to have the authorities on the scene soon enough. But too soon for them.

  They high-fived each other, as they casually, confidently, drove away.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Trina left the bar and walked, with a glass of wine in hand, into the dining room of Sal and Gemma’s home. Gemma was seated at the table on her cell phone, conversing with her campaign manager, as Trina handed her the glass.

  “I can’t commit to a launch date right now,” Gemma said over the phone as she accepted the drink, “but hopefully soon. Yep. I agree, but I can’t right now. Okay, Tyler, I’ll be in touch soon. Alright. Bye.” Gemma ended the call and quickly took a sip of her wine. “Thanks, Tree.”

  “What did Ty want?” Trina asked as she sat at the dining room table next to Gemma.

  “He wants a launch date,” Gemma responded. “The media feels as if I’m dragging my feet. I don’t know where my husband is,” she added, rubbing her forehead, “and they say I’m dragging my feet.”

  Trina could feel Gemma’s anxiousness. She grabbed Gemma’s hand and squeezed it. “He’s okay, Gem. You know Sal. He’s just handling his business.”

  Gemma smiled a weak, worrisome smile. “I know. But I’ll feel infinitely better when I see his face.”

  “Reno’s out on the search,” Trina said. “And you know my husband. He’s not coming back emptyhanded. I told him he’d better not.”

  Gemma gave a weak smile. “It’s always funny how they argue like cats and dogs, but as soon as they need each other, they burn rubber to get there.”

  Trina smiled too. “And it’s always been that way,” she said. “I remember when I first came into the Gabrini family. I quickly realized that Sal Gabrini had two men he loved to death: Tommy and Reno. They were his life back then. And then, when Reno discovered he had a son, and Jimmy Mack came into the picture, Sal had three male loves.”

  Gemma actually laughed. “You’d better not let Sal hear you refer to it that way.”

  Trina waved her hand dismissively. “Child please. I’m not scared of Sal.” Then she looked at Trina. “Are you?”

  “No, but I respect him to the utmost. He’s the only man I’ve ever had who I know for a fact will walk through fire for me. For
his entire family. He has his issues. Lord knows he has his issues. But Sal is the best man I’ve ever known.” Gemma frowned a concerning frown. “I just want him back home.”

  Trina leaned over and placed her arm around Gemma’s this time. “He’ll be back, Gem.”

  Gemma leaned against Trina too. Then she sat back erect. “How’s Jimmy Mack anyway?” she asked. “Other than babysitting his siblings every time I turn around.”

  “He’s doing good,” Trina said. “He’s been granted full custody of Maddie.”

  “That’s a blessing. Has he found a good woman yet to help him with her?”

  “Not yet. After Val, I don’t know if he even wants another woman in his life right now. He just wants to be a good father and better businessman. But we’ll see.”

  The front gate intercom buzzed. Trina looked excitedly at Gemma as Gemma quickly pressed the button on her phone. “Yes?”

  “Mr. Reno Gabrini and Mr. Sal Gabrini have arrived, ma’am,” the front gate security staffer said, and Gemma jumped up running. Trina got up too, and hurried toward the front door, amused at how cool and collected Gemma became bat-shit wild whenever Sal was involved.

  And Gemma didn’t care how dick-whipped, man-struck, sprung or weak or whatever term anybody chose to use to describe her as she ran across the porch, down the steps, and into the driveway of Reno’s approaching Porsche.

  Sal, seated on the passenger side, was opening the door and getting out as soon as he saw Gemma.

  “Well damn!” Reno said from behind the wheel. “Can I stop the car first?”

  But Sal didn’t care either. He ran to Gemma and Gemma ran to him. They embraced a big, bear hug of an embrace when they met.

  Trina walked down the steps with a big smile on her face. She could never have imagined that Sal would be the perfect man for Gemma Jones, but that was exactly what he’d become: her soul mate. Trina was happy for them.

  She was also happy to see her man in one piece too, as Reno got out of the Porsche. She smiled. “They let you come back too? No rest for my weary soul!”

  Reno smiled. “I got your weary right here, Tree,” he said jokingly, squeezing his balls. They kissed and embraced too.

  But it was Sal and Gemma, holding onto each other so tightly that they didn’t want to part, who commanded the attention of the security personnel around Sal’s estate. Their boss had his eyes tightly shut, as if he was loving on his woman in such an intense manner that it baffled them, and his woman had tears streaming down her dark, pretty face. Sal Gabrini loved his wife. They all, over time, learned that fact. But it always fascinated them when they saw just how much.

  And later that night, after Sal and Gemma spent time with Lucky, showered, and then got in bed, Sal showed his love in a different way. Gemma had so many questions, including what prompted him to run out of that restaurant in the first place, but she knew her man. She knew Sal wasn’t in a talking mood. He was in a lovemaking mood. He didn’t need her to ask him a bunch of questions. He needed his stress relieved.

  And when he laid in bed, on his back, Gemma straddled her naked body on top of his, kissed him long and lovingly on the mouth, and then moved down his body, showering him with kisses. She slid her vagina over his penis, causing it to stiffen even more, as she kept sliding down until her mouth was perpendicular to his balls. And she sucked.

  Sal groaned a groan of wonderful relief when her mouth touched him. And when she moved up, to his rod, and licked it like a popsicle, his rock-hard stomach muscles contracted, and his eyes closed in sensual delight.

  He thought about what transpired after he left that restaurant, and how close he came to death, and his heart ached as she did him. Because he would have left Gemma, and their son, forever. Reno would have stepped up, and Tommy would have made sure his wife and child had want of nothing; he knew that. But that wasn’t enough for Sal. He didn’t want his wife and child to be anybody’s second responsibility beyond their own wives and children. Gemma was his responsibility. Lucky was his responsibility. And the thought that he would have allowed that woman, and some shadowy enemies to take him away from them, angered Sal Gabrini. And only confirmed that the decision he made was going to be the right one.

  But when Gemma smothered his cock with her mouth, and went all the way down on him, his thoughts changed. All he could think about when she went down was Gemma herself, and how wonderful she was making him feel. Gemma would try to move mountains for him, when no other woman in his past would bother to move a chair. He never dreamed he’d have that kind of love in his life. His father hated him. His mother deserted him. He spent the bulk of his life figuring that he wasn’t love material.

  And then Gemma Jones came along. And for the first time in his entire life, he had somebody who wasn’t trying to get something from him, but was trying to give something to him. And he took it. Selfishly, he took it. The idea that he could be loved too, and that he could love his woman back with an even greater intensity than she held for him, stunned him. And then for her to give him a son? A beautiful baby boy? Life wasn’t supposed to be this way for a man like him. It was an unexpected, remarkable gift. And somebody was trying to take that away from him? Twice in a row? Like hell!

  Sal pulled Gemma up the length of his naked body and kissed her long and lovingly. It was a hard kiss of passion. And when he guided his dick inside of her, and felt that wonderful friction that always caused his balls to throb, he sighed. “Aaah,” he said, as if he was finally home.

  He made love to Gemma in a slow, easy manner. He didn’t want to rush it. He held her in his arms, kissed her over and over again, and fucked her with an assuredness he never dreamed he’d have. He was always good in bed with any woman he fucked. That was why they kept coming back for more. But this was different. It wasn’t about being good. It was about doing good. He was trying to do right by Gemma. With every stroke of his dick, he was trying to let Gemma know that she was his, and he was hers, and they were going to be joined forever. With every stroke of his dick, he was selling her a dream. A dream that had already come true.

  And when they came, they came hard. Sal first. He couldn’t hold it back a moment longer. And then Gemma. He poured into her and she released her all onto him. He held her body tighter and tighter, and rubbed her ass until he was squeezing it harder and harder, as he came.

  And later that same night, as they laid in bed side by side, arm in arm, Sal didn’t tell Gemma everything that was going on. Especially since he didn’t know everything himself at this point. But he told her the main point. “I’m leaving GCI,” he said.

  Gemma quickly looked at him. It was a shocking revelation. “You’re leaving the Gabrini Corporation?” She could tell it was one of the hardest decisions of his life.

  He nodded his head. “Yes,” he said. “I’m leaving the company outright.”

  “Is it because of what happened last night?”

  “And at that Reston Motors? Yes.”

  “They’re related?” Gemma asked.

  “I don’t know. My men are working on it. But we’ll see.”

  “Can you tell me what it was about?” Gemma asked.

  Sal shook his head. “No,” he said bluntly.

  Gemma didn’t know what to say. They tried to be open and honest with each other, but there were certain compartments in Sal’s life that were not open to Gemma at all. She accepted it, but that didn’t mean it didn’t bother her.

  “You okay?” Sal asked her.

  “It’s just a little shocking, I guess. This is some shocking news you’re telling me. You were with Tommy from the beginning, when he first started the company. You’re his number two and has been from the inception of GCI. And now you’re leaving all of that?” Then she looked at Sal. “How’s Tommy taking it?”

  Sal shook his head. “I haven’t told him yet.”

  Gemma stared at him.

  “But I’ll tell him, don’t worry,” Sal said. “I’ll fly over and see him today. I’m closing one door,
” he added, and then he looked Gemma dead in her eyes. “And opening another one. That other thing is now going to be the main thing.”

  Gemma’s heart rammed against her chest when he made that assertion. Because she knew what he meant. “May I ask why?”

  “Part time isn’t cutting it anymore,” Sal said. “That’s why these fools are out here trying to take me down. They think I’m only half paying attention. And guess what? They’re right. I’ve got to make this move or you and Lucky and everything l love and stand for will be threatened. I’ve got to reassert myself in the underworld. There was a time when everybody knew you don’t fuck with Sal Gabrini. Now, it’s like they aren’t so sure, Gemma. Can you believe that? These fuckers aren’t so sure!”

  He paused. Just the thought of it embarrassed him and pissed him off. “I’ve got to remove any and all doubt from their minds that I’m still that man they don’t fuck with or my family will be at a greater risk. And make no mistake about this, Gemma: I’m doing this for my family. I’ve got to put the Gabrini fear into every fucker that ever thought about fucking with me so that Lucky won’t ever have to put up with anybody’s bullshit.”

  Then Sal scrunched up his face. “How I’m going to make that guarantee? I don’t know yet. But I’ve got to make it. For Lucky’s sake, for your sake, for my own sanity’s sake, I’ve got to guarantee that you and my son will always be safe. That’s on me. These last couple of days have only proven that I’ve been asleep at the switch. I can’t make guarantees like that with divided loyalties. I’ve got to let GCI go.”

  Gemma didn’t know how she felt about this. But she understood what he was saying. Mob life was like dominoes. You try to get away from one thing, another thing falls that you have to pick back up. You pick that one up, then another bump here or there and another one falls that requires picking up too. And on and on and on. It was life beyond a vicious cycle.