Cautious (Sequel to Disastrous)

by Montes, E. L.

  Smiling, I shook my head. That was a compliment I received a lot, especially from those who knew my father very well. I was told that I not only resembled him, but I also talked, walked, and thought like him, whatever that meant. Either way, I’d always felt privileged that I was left with those traits of his. “Thanks, Stace. I’m gonna check in with Lou.”

  Deciding to skip the elevator, I jogged up the staircase toward the third floor and barged into his office. The smell of burned cigar filled the room. Lou was seated behind his desk with a cigar in hand, surrounded by a cloud of smoke. The smirk on his face annoyed me, which caused me to snap. “What’s so fuckin’ important that I had to run down now?”

  Lou’s jaw tightened as his nostrils flared. I held back a smirk as he straightened his jacket after putting out the cigar. When Lou was about to lose his temper, he had a habit of flexing his neck from side to side and cracking it, which he just did, but with me and my brother for some reason, he kept his cool just a little longer than he would with others. “Why the fuck are you soaked?” His tone was low and grew with irritation.

  Quickly looking down at my appearance, I snapped my head back at him as my arms flung in the air. “It’s pouring out, what else could it be?”

  “Don’t you have a fuckin’ umbrella?

  “What do you want, Lou?” I don’t have time for this shit. I was ready to get out of here and go back to Mia.

  His chest heaved as his breathing grew rapid. He was clearly irate. “I want to know,” he hovered over his desk, and yelled from the top of his lungs, “WHO THE FUCKIN’ RAT IS!” I just stared at him.

  He had lost his fucking mind.

  During the next five minutes, I simply nodded and listened to his instructions. My main focus was Mia at that moment, and I just said whatever he wanted to hear. Once we were done, I flew out of there and hopped back into my car.

  ***

  As soon as I stormed through the front doors of my house, I jogged up a few of the steps, when a tiny voice stopped me in my tracks. “Uncle Marc?” I spun around, knowing already I would catch sight of my adorable niece at the bottom step.

  She stood there with one hand on her hip and the other on the wooden railing. “Hey, Elle, what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in school?” I swore I had the cutest niece ever. Her smile won me over every single time.

  She rolled her eyes as she answered, “Um, it’s Saturday, Uncle Marc. I don’t have school today. Jeez.” Fuck, was it Saturday? My days usually tended to blend together. Elle perked up a little and lifted her hand in front of me. “Look at my nails, Uncle Marc. Mia took me to the mall, and we got mani-pedis yesterday. Do you like ’em?”

  Bending down, I reached for her hand and humored her by inspecting her nails. “I think, hmmm.” I brought my attention back to her light green eyes and gave her a serious expression. Her smile faded as her face mimicked mine. “I think . . . I love them.” I winked, and, with that said, her face lit up with the biggest, most adorable smile.

  “I knew you would love ’em!” She squealed. I kissed her forehead and ruffled her dark brown hair before she turned and ran in the direction of the living room. Shaking my head with a laugh, I turned on my feet and jogged back up the stairs.

  When I swung the door open, Mia was seated on the bed. Her back and head were leaning against the headboard. The bed sheet was wrapped around her chest, revealing her shoulders, so I knew she was still naked underneath, but she didn’t look happy.

  “Not even twenty-four hours have passed since we made up and you run off.” Shrugging a shoulder, she added, “Just like that.”

  What could I say to that? I closed the door behind me and made my way toward her. “I left a note.” My tone was low as I looked by the nightstand, but the note was no longer there. She raised her hand, revealing the piece of torn paper she held.

  “Thanks.” She muttered in a sarcastic tone.

  Letting out a deep breath, I sank down beside her on the bed. “Mia, I had to go. I wanted to wake you, but you looked too peaceful.”

  Mia turned her head to stare at me for a long time before responding. “Where did you go?”

  I promised no more lying, and even though I knew the truth would do nothing but hurt her, this was what she wanted. “I had to see Lou.” She shut her eyes, slightly pursed her lips, and shook her head.

  “What did he want?” She whispered as her eyes focused back on mine again.

  She wanted to know everything and not just what he wanted but everything in general. That required me to get comfortable, because we’d be there for a long time. After I flung my shoes off, I stripped down to my boxer briefs and slid underneath the comforter by her. She studied me with a wary expression. I smirked at her with a crooked grin and shook my head. So that I could fully face her, I twisted my body and raised a brow.

  CHAPTER TWO

  MIA

  “What are you doing?” I studied Marcus as he sat half naked in front of me.

  “I’m making myself comfortable so we can talk.” He raised an eyebrow mockingly as if his motives were clearly obvious. I let out a sigh. I knew he promised that he’d be honest from here on out, but I knew differently. With what he was involved in, there was no way he could be one-hundred-percent honest with me. But I promised him a second chance, and our relationship deserved that more than anything. An outsider would have advised me to run like a bat out of hell, but sometimes you just had to crawl through the dark before you could see the light.

  “Okay, let’s talk.”

  Clearing his throat, he whispered, “Well, where do you want me to start?”

  “What do you mean?” I thought it was clear that he was supposed to tell me what Lou wanted.

  “You said you wanted to know everything, right? Or were you more curious about today’s event? Either way, I’m not backing down. I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”

  Shocked by that, I tried to gather my thoughts. I wanted to know everything, but I didn’t want to force it out of him either. “I’m fine with wherever you want to start.”

  Nodding his head, he bit down on his lip and flopped back onto the mattress. Before he began, he exhaled deeply and then shoved a hand through his dark brown hair. “Have I ever told you that my father’s death was pronounced a suicide?”

  Oh my God. I moved over to lie beside him. Placing one hand on his chest, I held my head up with the other. Watching him carefully, I made sure not to distract him. He was lost in thought. If a glare could drill holes, he’d be drilling one into the ceiling at that moment. Leaning on my elbow, I patiently waited for him to go on.

  “It’s not something I love to talk about. I looked up to him in every way.” He laughed once to himself as if that statement were a ridiculous one to make and then continued. “I even wanted to be just like him at one point in my life. It’s funny how things turn out. How you end up getting what you want, though after you lived it, you’d give anything to have it taken away.” Marcus turned his head toward me. I saw nothing but sadness deep within his dark chocolate eyes.

  “Jimmie found him. He walked into my father’s office one afternoon and found him slumped over his desk.” He shook his head once and slowly wet his lips. “There was a gun in his hand.” My heart swelled with pain for him, for them. I could only imagine what it must’ve felt like walking into something like that.

  As I reached out and grabbed his face in a way to comfort him somehow, I bit down on my trembling lip. I didn’t stop him. This was something he obviously had never spoken with anyone before, so I allowed him to go as far as he could. “It was hard for me to believe that a man so powerful, who had everything—a family that loved him, an entire empire with many admirers who bowed at his feet, and all the money that any man could only dream of—would want to give that all up.

  “It wasn’t until I grew the fuck up that I realized that even the most powerful man could only take so much. Maybe having everything was just too much to handle?” He looked at m
e for validation when he asked the question. “All the power, the money—all that comes with responsibility—and responsibility usually ends with a price.”

  He tilted his head and focused back on the ceiling. “When he died, I was only fifteen and confused by it all. I was fuckin’ pissed off at him. On the day of his funeral, when everyone left, I was standing there alone . . .” Marcus took another unsteady breath. Whatever he was trying to say was difficult for him.

  “Hey, we don’t have to talk about this right now.”

  Lightly shaking his head, he muttered, “No, I want to.” He glanced over at me again, and I saw the hurt in his eyes before he shut them again, remembering it all. “I stared at the pile of dirt where my father was buried six-feet under, and my thoughts were running wild with all the memories, especially the advice he had given me.

  “One saying in particular was: ‘You know, son, in life you’re going to have some good days and some crappy ones. Maybe more crappy ones than good ones, but whatever you do, don’t you ever give up. Make sure to push yourself the farthest you can go. If you want something bad enough, you have to fight for it. If you’re not happy with your life, you and only you have to do something to change it.” Marcus repeated his father’s words mockingly and then his face grew serious. “The more I thought of that saying, the angrier I grew with him. I thought he didn’t care for us enough, because he wouldn’t have given up and killed himself after having a few crappy fuckin’ days.”

  “Oh, Marcus, your father loved you. You have so many wonderful memories of him. Don’t allow—”

  Snapping his head toward me, his brows bunched together. “Mia, I know that, but what’s fucked up is that I spent almost thirteen years hating my father because I thought he just gave up. I called him a coward at his grave site, for God’s sake. For years, I thought he had killed himself. Later, I found out that the man whom I considered to be like a second father, the man that I looked up to at one point in my life, and the man that took me under his wing and taught me all I needed to know, was the same exact man who murdered my father.”

  Breathlessly, I blurted, “Why did he do it?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe he wanted it all. Now he has it, I guess.”

  We lay in silence for what seemed like a very long time. I watched him as he stared up at the ceiling. Marcus was not a man who expressed his feelings very well, so I was grateful that he let me in. Even if he hadn’t told me everything in one shot, I was fine with getting bits and pieces at a time. I knew how it felt to have so many emotions bottled up, trying to stay strong for yourself, but it eventually took over your sanity.

  “Marcus, thank you for opening up to me; it really means a lot.”

  Slightly twisting his head, he stared into my eyes. “Of course, Mia.”

  I wanted to lighten the mood and remove the negative vibe surrounding the room. So I jumped onto my knees, and with a huge smile, I poked his ribs. “I wanted to get to know you better, and learning some more about you just gave me an idea. Let’s play a game.”

  With a raised brow, his lips twitched into a slight smile. “What kind of game?”

  “Hmm.” Shifting my gaze aside, I tapped my chin with a finger. “A get-to-know-you game.”

  “Huh?”

  “You know. We ask each other questions to get to know each other better.” A low raspy laugh escaped his lips. “What? Why are you laughing?” I demanded.

  “Nothing, babe. Come here.” He reached for my arm and pulled me in. It forced me to fall on top of him.

  I stared into his dark brown eyes, and I took note that the sadness he’d held a few moments ago was now masked with lust and humor. “I’m serious, Marcus.”

  “Babe, I thought you meant another game.” His brows wiggled.

  “Do you have to turn everything into sex?”

  “When you’re involved? Yes.” Rolling my eyes, I studied his clearly amused expression. “Keep rolling your eyes, and see what happens.” His tone was stern, but his eyes were dancing with laughter.

  “Ha, is that a threat?”

  “Try me.”

  I did try him and dramatically rolled my eyes. A squeal escaped me as I was lifted and tossed back onto the fluffy mattress. Before I could recover, his hands attacked me, tickling every weak spot of mine. Bursting into laughter, my eyes swelled with tears, and my rib cage ached from laughing and screaming.

  I was not sure how I managed it, but I pushed with my feet and tossed him back. Straddling him, I tightened my legs against the side his abdomen. With my hands fisted against my hips, I glared down at him.

  “You know that all I have to do is flex my hips and you’ll tip over right?” Marcus expressed with a raised brow.

  “Hear me out. We need to focus on getting to know each other better.”

  Marcus traced his hands along my thighs, up the side of my torso, until he finally reached my breasts. His thumbs brushed across my nipples, causing goose bumps to form along my skin. Looking up at me, he sucked in air as he seductively whispered, “Mmmh, I think we can work on that.”

  Raising a brow at him, I studied him thoroughly. “You see what I mean, Marcus?” His grin grew wider. I bit back a smile. I wouldn’t allow him to win me over with his charm. I needed to show him I wasn’t joking. “I’m serious!” I tossed my arms in the air before jumping off the bed. I snatched the white, Egyptian bed sheet and hurriedly wrapped the soft fabric around my chest. There, hopefully I had his full attention.

  “What are you doing? Get back in here.” Swiftly, he reached out to grab me, although, I was faster than he was and able to take a few steps back. Tossing his head back onto the pillow, he let out a deep, raspy laugh. “Okay, okay.” Caving in, he sat straight up, raised an eyebrow, and flashed that crooked grin. Oh, he knew what he was doing. That smile got me every time. Not then. “Talk.” He instructed.

  Clearing my throat, I straightened my shoulders and tightened the bed sheet around my breast. “Okay, as I was saying, you have a habit of transferring everything into sex, and . . .” His lips parted to say something, but I cut him off. “No, let me finish.” He nodded in consent. “I feel that sex has become the basis of our relationship and that we need to focus on actually getting to know each other.”

  “Mia, you know me better than anyone, as I do you.”

  Narrowing my glare, I quizzed him on this. “Okay, what’s my favorite color?”

  The playful mask he held was instantly overshadowed with an unreadable one. “Well, why does that matter?”

  “You can’t answer it, can you?” After a few seconds of our eye-glaring contest, I felt as though I had the upper hand. Then my thoughts trailed to something that might be fun. “How about we make a bet?”

  His perfect brows bunched together. “You want to make a bet?” Laughing once, he continued to play along. “What are the terms and conditions of this bet?” I hated it when he spoke in that sarcastic tone, but I wouldn’t allow it to faze me.

  On the outside, I held a poker face, but on the inside I was giggly like a teenage girl, super excited to begin this game. “I ask you three simple questions about me. You have to answer two out of three correctly. If you do, you can have me however you like.”

  Marcus’s lips lifted into a slight smile. “And if I don’t answer correctly?”

  Now this was where it got good. “No sex for two weeks, ah, I’m not finished.” I raised a finger at his dropped jaw. “And you have to take me out on proper dates within those two weeks, so we can work on really getting to know each other.”

  “Oh, this is ridiculous, Mia.” He studied my expression, which had slightly broken from his dismissive statement, and then his face softened. “Does it mean that much to you?”

  “Yes, it really does, Marcus.”

  Huffing like a child who was just told, “No,” about watching his favorite cartoon, he breathed, “Go ahead then.”

  “Okay, I’ll just ask all three questions in one shot, and you’ll answer them in order.”
I waited for his nod and continued. “What’s my favorite color, favorite genre of literature, and my favorite kind of flowers?”

  He threw his head back in defeat. He didn’t have a clue. I mentally flashed an evil grin. Looking back at me, he blurted, “Pink, romance, and, ugh, I don’t know, roses?”

  “Green, romance, and lilies.” My lips curved into the biggest grin.

  “So, I lost, what now?” he asked as he watched me take the sheet off and toss it back onto the bed. I walked over to where my clothes were thrown on the floor and put them on. After I was dressed, I walked over to him and kissed the tip of his nose.

  “Now, you can start planning our dates, and they better be good ones too.”

  “You’re leaving? We can still hang out, you know.”

  I stopped by the doorway and turned with a smile. “I know your sneaky little ways, Marcus. Don’t try and cheat either. It won’t work.” I blew him a kiss and went on my merry way. This should be very interesting.

  Skipping down the steps heading toward the first floor, I couldn’t stop a huge grin from spreading across my face. I had been miserable the previous morning, and less than twenty-four hours later, I was the happiest I’d been in a while.

  Marcus DeLuca could have that effect on a girl.

  The second I reached the front door, a familiar voice stopped me in my tracks. “Mia, is that you?” Turning on the heels of my feet, I saw Theresa DeLuca leaving the kitchen and heading toward me.