by Sam Mariano
Francesca finally pulls back. I’ve all but forgotten Vivian’s still standing there—I just want to take Francesca inside and put my hands all over her. I want to make her dinner and ask about her day and give her the flowers I bought her.
Her attention is not so easily won, however. Once the kiss ends, she turns back curiously to Vivian.
At least Vivian isn’t still standing there with her hand out. Francesca certainly doesn’t move to shake it now.
“Okay, so, good visit,” Vivian says, flashing me a little smile.
I nod once, securing my hand around Francesca’s waist. It’s not even for Vivian’s benefit, though I’m sure she thinks it is. “Sorry about Ma. I’ll talk to her.”
“Don’t worry about it,” she says, waving me off. “She’s sweet. I don’t mind.” Offering a smile at Francesca, she says, “Nice meeting you, kind of.”
Once Vivian is in her car, Francesca turns to me, her perfect mouth turned down in a frown. “She’s met your mom?”
It’s the worst feeling in the world, having any part of making Francesca sad. Instead of explaining, I slide my hand up her neck and lean in to kiss her again. I deepen it this time, securing my hand around her waist and pulling her against me.
Still kissing her, I back up so we can close the front door. It’s cold out and she still has her jacket on, so once she drops her purse, I peel it off her.
I go to pull back, but Francesca doesn’t let me. Her arm around my neck pulls me back in. My blood warms as her other hand skates down my side, moving up under my shirt so she can touch me. A low growl slips out of me and I tangle a hand in her hair, backing her up against the door and kissing her hard.
Releasing her hair, I plant my hands under her ass and lift her. Her legs go around my waist and she finally breaks the kiss, her head falling back against the door as I butt my erection against her. We’re both still fully clothed, and again, this is basically high school shit, but damn if it isn’t turning me on. Easing forward, she locks lips with me again, moaning as I move against her again.
After another minute, I slowly ease her down and pull back. I have to, because as much fun as this is, knowing it’s heading nowhere is fucking torture. My poor cock is furious at the deprivation at this point, so close, yet so far away from paradise.
There’s desire in her eyes, too. I smile tenderly, brushing my thumb along her cheek. “Well, happy anniversary to you, too.”
Francesca smiles shyly, which strikes me as particularly amusing. “It was a little happier before I met Vivian.”
“Who?”
Rolling her eyes, she whacks me in the stomach with her hand. “Don’t be cute.”
“Can’t help it; I was born this way.”
Now she cocks her head, decidedly unimpressed. Well, she’s pretending to be unimpressed, at least.
“Sorry about that,” I add, more seriously. “She just showed up.”
“Do women often just show up on your doorstep?”
“Almost never, actually. I didn’t want to say anything, there was never any reason to, but someone I know spotted us in New York and mentioned to my dad he saw me. I tossed out a name to explain it away, hers was the first that popped in my head… that was it. But then my ma’s been hit hard with grandbaby fever lately, and apparently an associate of ours creeps on some selfie paradise she posts in. Long story short, Ma started talking to her. Ma asked me to come to dinner tonight and I said I had plans with her… news traveled fast, I guess.”
“And she showed up for a dinner she knew she wasn’t invited to?” she asks, cocking an eyebrow.
I don’t have to feign sheepishness. “I assume it was just an excuse to come see me.”
Narrowing her eyes, she says, “You have to stop being so sexy. Go ahead. Right now. I’ll wait.”
“How ‘bout I keep being sexy because I’m all yours and it doesn’t matter?” I suggest.
“She was really pretty,” Francesca states.
Smirking lightly, I toss back, “Trust me, she knows.”
“You’re still technically single, aren’t you?” Her tone is level, but she says this like it’s something she just now realized. We know we’re in a relationship, but obviously I can’t broadcast the news. Especially because after a month, I’d be in the tail end of a normal relationship, just around the corner from being single again.
“Of course I’m not. Most people just don’t know that.”
“Do a lot of girls… I mean—”
“Nope.” I interrupt, shaking my head. “We don’t have to do this. It doesn’t matter what the world thinks, Francesca. You know that. An entire squad of NFL cheerleaders could show up on my front porch every morning and I’d send ‘em all on their way.” Securing my arms around her waist, I tug her against me. “I only want you. You know that.”
“I do know that,” she admits, glancing down as she rests one hand on my shoulder, the other on my chest. “That just threw me for a minute.”
“You thought Island Salvatore was here.”
Reluctantly smiling, she shakes her head. “Sorry.”
I shrug my shoulders, not taking my eyes off her. “Nothing to apologize for.”
“It’s not my favorite thing that my boyfriend is technically single.”
I can’t help smiling at her. “That’s the first time you’ve called me that.”
Francesca grins. “You should’ve heard what I was calling you in my head a few minutes ago.”
Now that makes me fucking laugh. “Bad?”
“Oh yeah. My Morelli temper was just below the surface. I thought I got bamboozled again for a minute. It wasn’t gonna be pretty.”
“I didn’t think I’d ever have cause to use the word bamboozle, but I promise never to bamboozle you.”
“I know.” She leans into me, giving me a soft little kiss. “I’m sorry I doubted you.”
I drop a light kiss to her lips. “You’re forgiven.” I take a step back, reaching down to lace my fingers between hers. “Now, I know how much you like breakfast, so that’s what’s for dinner tonight.”
Sighing happily, she says, “You get me.”
I grin over at her. “I do.”
She releases my hand and bends down to grab her enormous handbag. “I brought these little chocolate pudding cakes for dessert, but I completely forgot about them when I saw Barbie on your front porch, so they’re probably just messy gobs now.”
“That’s all right. We’ll scrape ‘em onto a plate. They’ll still taste the same.”
Extracting a small box wrapped in gold paper, she says, “And I got you a present.”
I freeze, my eyes widening slightly on the package. “Aw, shit.”
Francesca grins. “I didn’t expect you to get me anything. It’s just tradition in my family to express affection with material goods. Also a good way to groom and manipulate a potential victim. But in this instance, it’s affection.”
“You can groom and manipulate me anytime you like,” I assure her, accepting the small box and flashing her a smile. “Thank you.”
Nodding with an eager smile, she says, “Open it.”
I chuckle. “I’m working on it.” Ripping off the paper, I ball it up in my fist and open the little box. Nestled inside, a pair of silver entwined loops—cuff links. She got me cuff links?
I guess she can see the surprise on my face, and she misinterprets. “If you don’t like them—”
“What, are you kidding me?” I interrupt, plucking one out and looking at it. “These are sharp.” I lean in to give her a kiss. “Thank you, babe.”
She fidgets with her purse strap though, suddenly unsure of the gift. I’m kind of pissed at myself for not reacting better; I’ve just never had a woman give me cuff links before.
“I’ve never had to buy a present for a normal man,” she states, by way of explanation. “I’m now realizing you and my brothers probably don’t like the same gifts.”
“I love ‘em,” I assure her. “They’re fro
m you, they’re great, I love them. I just feel bad I didn’t get you anything.”
“You don’t even wear suits, do you?”
“Sure I do—not as much as you’re used to, but of course I wear suits.”
“I’ll get you something better for our two-month,” she assures me.
“You don’t have to get me presents.”
“I’ll get you something Turtle would like.”
I groan. “Please don’t.”
Grinning, she heads for the kitchen. “Are you not the Turtle of your Entourage? My mistake.”
“If I’m not Vincent Chase, what are you even doing with me?” I shoot back.
“I would never be with anyone on that show. Ever. I would happily die alone if they were the only options.”
“I know you secretly fantasize about Adrian Grenier when you go home at night,” I tease, heading back to the counter. Before Vivian fucked up my groove, I was all ready to whip up breakfast.
“The only man I secretly fantasize about is you,” she says, winking at me. Now she notices the flowers on the counter, so she closes her eyes and leans in to smell them. “You said you didn’t get me anything. These totally count.”
“Yeah, but I always get you flowers,” I point out. “I was supposed to get you something else today. I dropped the ball.”
Plopping her handbag down on the center island, Francesca draws out a plastic container, now coated inside with chocolate pudding. “Well, the good news is, the pudding didn’t seep out of the container. The bad news is, it looks like this.”
I flick a glance at the container, smiling. I couldn’t care less about dessert. Francesca’s spending the night—that’s all I needed for today to be a victory.
Chapter Fifteen
“Can I ask you for a favor?”
I turn my attention from the screen to Francesca, situated between my legs as we watch TV. It’s nighttime and she’s curled up on the couch with me in a thin pair of leggings and one of my T-shirts; life is fucking good right now.
“Of course,” I tell her.
Now she twists around so she can look at me. “Do you have someone not connected to your family who could look into something for me? Kind of like a background check, I guess? I don’t want it on anyone’s radar. I was going to see if I could find a private investigator on my own, but to be honest, I don’t know who my brother works with, so I didn’t want to make a mistake. I don’t want him to know. Given you are part of his world, I figure you’re probably more knowledgeable about that stuff.”
Frowning, I ask, “What do you need a private investigator for?”
“You know my cousin, Vince?”
“Vaguely, yes.”
“Well, he’s been sort of seeing this girl, but he’s adamant about Mateo not finding out. On one hand, I get it, Alec feels the same way. But on the other hand, he’s a little more defensive about it than I think he should be, and Cherie brought her into the bakery today, so I have her name, I know what school she goes to. I’d just feel better if someone could check her out and make sure there’s nothing wrong with her. Because, you know, Mateo does usually find things out.”
“I can’t wait until he finds out about us and I can wear my new cuff links to family dinner.”
She elbows me in the ribs. “Not funny. He hates when people try to keep secrets from him. Even if he would’ve been amenable to me dating you, we’ve fucked it up by sneaking around.”
I shrug, since I don’t want to think about our situation. “Yeah, I know a guy who can look into that for you. Just get me her name and I’ll get him on it tomorrow.”
“Not connected to your family, though, right? I don’t want any trouble. Just in case I do get caught, I don’t want Mateo to lose his shit.”
“Not exactly. He’s not connected to my family, like la famiglia; he’s my half-sister’s boyfriend. He hates both my dad and your brother though, so he doesn’t get mixed up in anything that’s not above-board.”
Frowning slightly, she asks, “Why does he hate my brother?”
“Because he’s kind of a monster? Nothing personal, Ethan just doesn’t care for guys like us. He’s a fucking Boy Scout.”
Francesca smiles, rolling her eyes like I’m ridiculous. “Like you’re so bad.”
“Not with you. I’m not so nice when it comes to business.”
“Well, unless there’s a ‘take your secret girlfriend to work’ day no one’s told me about, I doubt I’ll ever see that side of you.”
“Nah. Ma’s been with my dad for nearly 40 years and still doesn’t know the details of his business. That’s just how it works. Better for you if we ever get busted, too.”
“Is that something you guys worry about? Mateo never seems to worry about getting caught, so sometimes I forget it’s something to consider.”
“Your brother has a different set-up and a hell of a lot more money at his disposal. He keeps pretty good separation between himself and the shit he’d do hard time for, plus he’s bought off a lot of the right people. We have cops on our payroll too, of course, but we don’t have a relationship with law enforcement like he has. Your brother’s a beast. The way he has it all stacked, Dante would go down a lot harder than he would.”
She nods, glancing back at the TV screen. “Yeah, Mateo gets shit done. He was so pissed at Joey for getting caught. I was kind of worried. Joey’s out now and everything seems to be okay. Mateo won’t let him come back home, though. He had to get his own apartment.”
“I don’t know how you all handle living together. I love my family, but I couldn’t live with all of ‘em.”
“We all have our own space. It’s more like being neighbors who get together for dinner every night than anything else. Mateo’s just so controlling. Plus, you know, he wouldn’t approve of our relationship, which makes him a major bummer.”
I can’t help grinning. “You should tell him that. ‘Mateo, you’re a huge bummer.’”
Laughing a little, she says, “He wouldn’t care.”
“Well, he should.”
“I wish I had power,” she tells me, suddenly spirited. “I’d make sure you never got caught.”
I smile at the idea of Francesca running this city from her bakery, sending her hit men home with cupcakes. “You’re too sweet to have power. In order to have power, you have to be willing to do the dirty work. No one just hands out power. You gotta fight for every bit of it.”
“Well, then I wish I had enough of my own money that you didn’t have to do that kind of stuff anymore. We could settle into a nice, peaceful life in the suburbs. Buy ourselves a nice SUV, have a couple kids. I could take up Pilates. You could bowl on the weekends.”
“Are we moving to Bedrock?”
“I’m just saying.”
I reach for her hand, twining my fingers together with hers. “It’s a nice thought, but even if you did have enough money to be my sugar mama, it doesn’t work like that. There’s no getting out for me. I know how set you were on falling for a commoner, but that’s not in the cards for me.”
“Well, now I’m not going to marry you,” she says, with mock-disdain.
I smirk. “You were gonna before I said that though, huh?”
“Obviously. You made me breakfast for dinner. It’s all changed now, though. Don’t even try to change my mind.”
“What if I get you the house in the suburbs, the SUV of your choosing, a couple of kids—eventually—and raise you a dog? I’m probably not going to go bowling, and I still have to be a bad guy at work, but just like any other job, once the workday is over, I can come home and be a normal guy with you.”
“Mm,” she murmurs, reaching forward to grab her wine glass from the coffee table, then settling back against me. “That sounds nice.”
It really does. I’ve never been much for the suburbs myself, but the peace radiating off Francesca at the mere thought of it grows the appeal real fast.
On the same track I’m quickly moving toward, Francesca says, “Le
t’s think up ways to make your dad like me. How can we make this happen?”
“Can you kill your brother?”
Laughing shortly, she says, “No.”
“Can you change your last name and find a time machine so you can travel back and erase all evidence of your relation to him?”
“That’s slightly beyond my abilities. What if he met me, not knowing who I am, and he really liked me? And then once he totally likes me and wants me as a daughter-in-law, then we drop my last name? But I can totally disapprove of whatever Mateo does that he doesn’t like, or just disapprove of Mateo outright? Then I’ll be an ally.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Why not? I’m sorry, but your dad doesn’t sound like the greatest person in the world either. Maybe he should get off his high horse about Mateo.”
“Respect for your parents is pretty big in my family,” I tell her, since that’s the easiest way. “As much as my father pisses me off, I’d never disrespect him the way Mateo has disrespected yours. The way my dad sees it, it’s the principle of the thing. Mateo could kiss my father’s ass—which, obviously he wouldn’t anyway—and my father would still hate him. What your brother has done is unforgivable to my dad, and it’s not a precedent he wants to see accepted.”
“But my family isn’t like yours. Why can’t he just see Mateo’s empire as something different?”
“He’s not going to change his thinking, Francesca.”
She shakes her head, clearly aggravated. “So even if Mateo would let us be a couple, we still couldn’t. Your father will never accept me?”
I can’t bring myself to verify that, so I just don’t say anything.
“That’s stupid,” she states. “That’s really fucking stupid. Mateo just took over for my dad when he got sick. No, he doesn’t respect our father, but why should he? My father is a monster. My family is still traditional, Mateo is just the patriarch. We all respect Mateo, whether we like him or not. Maybe your dad should start thinking of himself and Mateo as equals and forget my dad altogether.”