He’d wanted to make sure I saw him.
Vince clapped and held my eyes. He was close enough that I saw him clearly. Hell, he could have reached out and touched the stage if he wanted too.
His shirt was unbuttoned at the top, hugging his bronzed throat in white fabric. I almost rushed off the stage and into his arms, but I couldn’t do that. I wasn’t ready for that.
I averted my eyes and threw a benign smile to the crowd.
The heavy velvet came back down, shuttering my view of the audience, and of Vince.
The lead actress turned toward us. “Oh, my God! We got a standing ovation!”
I smiled, tumbling into her infectious hug and cheer.
I stayed for a few more minutes before making my excuses to not join the cast party. I wanted to be alone with my thoughts.
I changed out of my costume and into my everyday ones. Mindlessly I’d picked one of the dresses Vince had bought me. The soft jersey knit fluttered around my thighs. I still wore a face full of makeup and greasepaint. Being under heavy lights tended to wash you out. Piling on makeup was the only way to look “natural” instead of scary to the audience.
I stepped out of the back exit and into the early autumn night. September. God, where had the time gone? It would be true fall soon, then winter. I wasn’t ready for the cold. I wanted the summer back; the hot days and nights I’d spent with Vince.
There were a few people milling around, some had placards in their hand waiting to be signed by the main cast. They smiled and waved at me, recognizing me as part of the ensemble, but I wasn’t the star so they didn’t have much need for me.
I sashayed down the sidewalk heading toward the L that would take me to Elaine’s apartment. Soon, I would need to make my decision.
Chicago…or California?
As I turned the corner, rounding the theater district, a shadow pulled out of the darkness and into my path. I looked up into his dark eyes, once again reminding me of Guinness beer and honey whiskey. My breath caught in my throat, and I had to lock my knees so I didn’t go and fling myself into his arms.
“Did you get the flowers, Bunny?” came Vince’s unmistakable tone.
I nodded. “They’re gorgeous, like always.” Butterflies swarmed in my body at hearing his voice up close again.
His brow rose at my empty hands. “You’re not carrying them.”
“I put them in the vase in the dressing room so that everyone could experience their beauty. That seems to be the tradition at this theater. Only a single rose is taken home, the bouquets stay.”
“I see,” Vince said. “Next time, I will shower you with roses.”
He was planning the future again. I bit my lip. “Why are you here?”
“I miss you. Miss us. I’ve been a ghost without you. Shit, I’ve even been hanging out with Connor.”
I laughed. “You’ve really been hanging out with Connor? You must be desperate for some Irish friendship.”
His mouth curled into his familiar lopsided smile. “He gave me some invaluable advice.”
Damn the man. He was acting mysteriously. What advice had Connor given him? Why was he even meddling in my relationship?
No, not a relationship. Vince and I were over.
Except my heart wasn’t having any of it. She had gotten the memo. Just the appearance of Vince before me had my pulse racing and rocketing in my ears.
Vince stepped closer. He carried the scent of sin and musk on his skin. A hint of spice from his shampoo, and a day touring the LaRosa factories. “Come to dinner with me, Kelly.”
My body pulsed with want. I hadn’t trusted myself around him, it’s why I stonewalled him at every turn. I shook my head, the curls the makeup girl had twisted my hair into bounced against my shoulders. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Vince.”
His fingers tucked one of the pins that held my bangs back. They flopped free, brushing over my heavily rouged cheeks. “And I think you’re thinking too much.”
“There’s nothing to say, Vince.”
“There’s everything to say, Kelly. We’ve barely talked since the festival. I’ve suffered through almost two months of isolation. Two months of not having you in my life.” He stepped closer. “I’m not going to live like this anymore. Even if it takes a year, ten years, I’m not letting you go.”
His nearness impacted me. Was he going to kiss me? If he did, I knew my resolve would be lost. I couldn’t make myself move away from him or the promises he wrapped me up in.
“If I join you, it’s only dinner as friends.” I narrowed my eyes and gave him my best threatening glare.
He was all charm and innocent smiles.
That should have been my first warning that Vince was up to no good.
“I promise, Kel. Just friends.”
Trenta
I’d thought it impossible for Kelly to get any hotter in my eyes. And then she went and put on the best fucking performance I’d ever seen on a goddamn stage. And I don’t even watch theater.
She was my drive. My inspiration. My everything. Since the day at the Irish American Heritage Center, I was a changed man. Instead of just talking about how I could make things better, I started putting my actions where my mouth was. Not that a few good deeds could make up for my shadowed past. But I would let God be the judge of that.
I’d pulled Mayor Drake aside for a secret meeting. He’d been scared shitless that I was about to blackmail him for something crazy. When I’d informed him that we needed more jobs and opportunities for the low-income areas of the city, he’d laughed out loud. He literally thought I was joking, but my face didn’t even flinch. I was totally serious. I didn’t give a fuck if I lost a few dollars in the process. What the fuck did I care at this point anyway? As a billionaire with liquid assets, it wasn’t like I was going fucking broke any time soon.
As a man with a rap sheet longer than probably most criminals who were doing hard time, I considered myself a lucky fucking bastard to be able to pay my penance in this way…instead of ending up with life in prison for all the shit I’d done as the Italian Executioner.
When the Mayor realized I was actually blackmailing him to create more jobs for the city, aka ‘do his fucking job,’ he straightened his back. He swallowed. And he did as the fucking CEO of Chicago told him to do. The city rolled out new job training centers that also doubled as training centers for MMA. Connor McGrath and fucking Vince LaRosa both endorsing the same plan to better the community. The community about shit itself.
Really though, Connor had very little to do with my vision.
Everything I did, I thought of her. My beautiful fucking Bunny. I wasn’t so much desperate to get her back as I was to honor her. Everything I did, now, I did with her in mind.
And as much as seeing Kelly at the play had been a shot of adrenaline straight to the heart, the next few days between the two of us getting together were excruciating. Seeing her in the flesh had reminded me how everything about her was precisely what made me burn.
Sal had come out of his coma, and that gave me an added burst of energy, along with the anticipation of mine and Kelly’s date. To compensate, I spent extra time at the gym. My intensity was through the roof. It was everything I could do to stop myself from remembering how I’d loved exploring every inch of her body with my tongue. I wanted to touch every freckle, every fold, every…
Fuck me. We were done being romantic. Kelly had made it abundantly clear that she felt us being romantic was a bad idea. I respected her point of view that us being friends was for the best. Even though I respected her point, it didn’t mean I couldn’t disagree with it.
And I did disagree. Vehemently.
I sat on one of the couches on the top floor of the Lincoln Hotel. The patio was open, offering a summer’s evening view of the skyline. I checked my watch. Fuck. She was late. And I was sweating like a dude on a first date. If you’d watched me today, you’d have thought I was some dopey teenager rather than the guy who had three girls hand me
their numbers already while I had been in the bar.
I’d changed my outfit several times today like a girl on fucking prom night before finally settling on dark blue jeans and a white button-down. I’d undone the first couple of buttons to try and shake the heat.
Luca stood several feet from me, keeping tabs on the entrance and the foot traffic coming in and out of the rooftop. He’d really stepped up with Sal being out of commission.
As I sipped my vodka tonic, Kelly made a solo appearance at the stairs. She touched her hand to the back of her neck. She wore heels, tight white pants, a light blue “I need drinks” pullover, and a simple pendant. I thought about standing up and waving her over to my table, but I wanted to watch her from afar for a moment.
The outfit was just like her personality. Simple, no drama, and utterly breathtaking. My cock swelled against the fabric of my jeans as she flipped her red hair to the side and her eyes found mine.
She smiled from the eyes and waved in my direction, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically. When she arrived at my table I stood and leaned in, kissed her on the cheek, and touched her around the back. She brought her body in closer to mine, and suddenly we were hugging for many seconds. Her skin was hot, and my cock was throbbing.
“Hey,” Kelly whispered, almost sounding desperate.
“Hey, yourself,” I managed to croak back at her, my voice dry. “You look gorgeous.”
We released our grip on each other and sat next to each other on the lounge couch.
“Just friends, eh?” she arched an eyebrow at me.
I nodded and changed the subject. “How’s your dad?”
“Better. Therapy has been going well. Thanks for your recommendation.”
I’d given Mr. MacNamara a reference to the top physical therapist in the area. He usually worked only with athletes.
I was about to say something else mundane when the waiter came by. Kelly ordered a Moscow Mule and I got a refill, as well.
A warm breeze blew over us and we sort of stared into each other’s’ eyes for a few moments. Words were futile to express my attachment to her.
When the drinks came, I proposed a toast. “To a crazy fucking summer,” I said. “And to friendship.”
When she put her glass down she rolled her eyes a little bit. “You know, I’m not sleeping with you tonight. I’m serious.”
“I know,” I replied, swallowing. I wouldn’t think of it.
She narrowed her eyes, as if suspicious. “Although it has been a crazy fucking summer.”
I tried to cough down my laughter. “Dammit, Bunny—Kel, I mean.” I had to remove her vixen name from my vocabulary. “Fuck, this isn’t going to be easy. Being friends. You are so goddamn hot. Why do you have to be so fucking hot?”
“Why do your eyes have to be so dark and perfect?” she shot back.
Alright, this was it, she was definitely flirting with me. It was beautiful. This was a first date, in a manner of speaking. There were no agreements hanging in the air, no ‘is this real or is this fake,’ dilemma. Tonight, it was only Kelly and me.
For the rest of the night, I sat back and enjoyed myself, and so did she. We laughed about random stories from high school P.E. Talked about the best vacation destinations in the world. Why pineapple was both of our favorite fruit. Turns out it makes you taste better…down there.
Of course, Kelly knew this. Not that Kelly needed to taste any sweeter. My mind’s eye kept flashing to spreading her apart on my kitchen counter and going to work—one of the few places in my condo I had forgotten to go down on her this summer.
“Kelly,” I finally breathed, cutting her off as the waiter handed me my credit card. “I have one request for tonight. You can say no.”
“I’m listening.”
“Come back to my place. Have one drink. Just one. And do a fashion show for me. I just want to see you one more time in that white dress you wore on your first night.”
Kelly nodded. “The dress you took my virginity in?” Maybe it was the booze, but she was bolder than usual.
“Yes. I just want to see you in it one more time. Plus, you need to get all the rest of your clothes anyway.”
She licked her lips and grinned. “One drink. One dress modeled.”
“And we’re done, Bunny.” I didn’t mean to say it. She didn’t seem to mind, though.
“Well? What are we waiting for?”
“Oh, right.” I nodded to Luca, stood up, and we headed into the elevator.
When we got to my place, Kelly insisted that we both have a black and tan. I’d never had it before, but the drink was made by pouring a half pint of Guinness and a half pint of Harp into a glass. I poured them on the kitchen island.
She left me with both glasses and went into my room to change into the white dress that I’d laid out for her. I watched—fuck it—I did a lot more than watch. I stared like a creep at her beautiful ass and legs as she jutted into my room. Our former room. Who cared at this point? Kelly was my princess. No matter what happened, she would always be my girl. She’d changed me irreparably for the better. I might as well enjoy the time I had with her, even though it wasn’t permanent.
“You ready?” she yelled from the room.
I replied that I was and she strutted in. I stared. Her big red hair was down and she’d put on bright red lipstick for the little catwalk she was about to do. In her right hand, she twirled a little black piece of silk cloth.
“What is that?” I asked, pointing to her hand.
“Oh, this little thing?” she blushed. I scrunched up my face and took a few steps toward her. It couldn’t be.
“Why the fuck did you grab the blindfold from my dresser?”
She looked down, her eyes unable to meet mine momentarily. “I had an idea. There is a lot of tension between us right now. So I thought if you blindfolded me I’d give you one kiss.”
My cock ached. I leaned in. “Fine. One kiss.”
She handed me the blindfold. I had her turn around so I could apply it. I covered her eyes with the material and tied the knot taut.
“Okay,” she smiled. “I’m yours until the kiss.”
“Until the kiss, eh? Well, I guess I’ll take my time then.”
She bit her lip. “Why am I not surprised?”
My marble island was completely bare, which gave me an idea. “Sit on the island,” I whispered.
She obeyed immediately and crossed one thigh over the other as her legs swung free. She had no idea what she was in for. If this was my last run, I was going to make it count. I was going to say everything that I’d regret leaving unsaid.
I put my hand on her bare knee. The white skirt rode well up her legs while she sat. I handed her the drink and guided my glass to her with a dull chink.
“Kelly, I guess this will be our last drink. Your last drink here. There are a couple of things, well, I can’t not say them to you. For starters, you’re fucking beautiful. Any guy who gets you, fuck, I envy him. No doubt about that. Second, you’ve changed me this summer. I would say you’ve softened me but that’s just not true. You’ve made me feel okay with myself. With my past. I may not be able to control the man I’ve been, but I can control the man I’ve become.”
“Vince,” she whispered. A tear rolled down her cheek. “You don’t have to say all this.”
“Well, I’m fucking saying it,” I went on. “I love you. I’ve loved you since our first night together. And, well, I know you’ve got things to do. You’ve got to go to California. Watching you in that play last week—goddamn if you didn’t steal the show. I mean that. But being just friends with you, shit, Kel, I just can’t. So ironically, you’ve set me up here for one last kiss and that’s fine. But I needed to get these words off my chest. Now, you ready?”
She swallowed and wiped something off her face. Maybe another tear, I wasn’t sure. “I’m ready.”
I lifted one of her legs up, uncrossing them. She spread them for me and what I saw made my cock as hard as steel. “Fuck, K
el. You serious right now?”
She giggled, almost evilly. “Yes.” She’d taken off her panties, or maybe she never had any to begin with. She spread those incredibly long limbs as wide as she could. What the fuck?
Goosebumps spread out over my skin. I’d thought about this moment dozens of times over the past two months, and now it was actually happening. I eclipsed the remaining space between us and wrapped my hands around her waist. She wrapped her legs around my back, nearly pressing her wetness into my trousers.
“Kel, I want this so bad right now. Want you so bad. This is all I’ve thought about for the past two months.”
She breathed hard. “Me too. I’ve tried to fight it. But I want this kiss. And I want kisses from you for a long time. Fuck California. Fuck my traditional family. I want you, Vince.”
“Fuck, Bunny,” I growled, a renewed vigor coursing through my body. I grabbed the back of her hair and pressed her lips to mine. I wasn’t trying to kiss her, no. I was trying to eat her whole. I wanted to taste her tongue, her mouth, her fucking soul. I wanted everything about this woman and now, finally, after hefty pursuit, she was giving herself to me.
I paused our make out session, removing my lips for a moment. “You are such a bad fucking girl. You know that?”
She thrust her chest out and began to take off her blindfold. “I’m not so bad.”
“Oh. Oh. Oh. You keep that on until I say you take it off.”
She let out a sound that was part moan and part snort. “Please, Vince. I want to see you.”
“You can see me when you do as I say,” I whispered.
“I’ll do anything. I want to see those Guinness-colored eyes of yours.”
“Guinness-colored?” I raised an eyebrow but shook it off. Maybe there was a story somewhere in there. “Get on all fours,” I spoke in a low voice.
She obeyed immediately. She balanced on the edge of the granite, and wiggled into the middle of it. Her dress had ridden all the way up her waist and was exposing all of her creamy ass. I smirked. Her body was at the perfect level for what I was about to do.
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