Dating A Mob Boss (The Dating Series Book 2)

by Love, B. T.

  My phone buzzed in my sweatshirt pocket. I pulled it out to see my mom’s smiling face on the screen. “Hi Mom,” I answered.

  “Hi sweetie! Are you all settled in to your new place?”

  “Uh, I just got the key, actually.”

  “Is it as good as the picture made it seem?”

  “Yeah,” I lied. “Totally. I just need to get some stuff to fix it up. And groceries; I don’t even have soap.” I went back to my bag, remembering that I wanted to wash my hand from my earlier encounter with Clyde, and pulled out the next best thing: hand sanitizer.

  “That’s great! I’m so proud of you for doing this. I know I gave you a hard time at first but I just needed to remember that you’re a grown woman and can do whatever you want in life. I just miss you, that’s all.”

  I squeezed some of the clear liquid onto my hands and rubbed them together. “I know, Mom; I miss you too.”

  “Maybe I can come visit after you’re all settled in.”

  My eyes widened. “Yeah, sure. It’ll be a while though; I’ve got a long list of things to take care of and get in order, then a visit would be great.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  I smiled at the sound of her sweet voice. “Well, I need to get going. Can I call you tomorrow?”

  “You just call me whenever things calm down, okay?”

  “Okay. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  I hung up and hugged myself in the middle of the empty room. Maybe I was more naive than I thought. I wasn’t used to being around drug addicts or prostitutes. I had lived on my own back home and had a decent job waitressing at a restaurant. I was what you would consider a “good girl”, no parties or drinking. But that was it. Thirty-two years old, a mediocre job, a failed long-term relationship. What did I have to show for myself? Nothing. Which was why I up and left everything for New York. I wanted to feel like an adult for once, take some risks.

  “This is definitely a risk,” my voice echoed in the empty room. I went over to the old wall heater and turned it on. It rattled loudly but pumped out an efficient amount of heat. Since it was getting dark outside I decided to play it safe and stay in for the night. I pulled out my puffy jacket from my bag and wadded it up to use as a pillow. The carpet was dirty, but I didn’t have any other choice but to sleep on it. I laid down in front of the heater and tucked my balled up jacket under my head. Music thudded from a faraway apartment as I stared up at the stained ceiling and began counting my infinite amount of mistakes.

  Two

  “Hi, I would like to apply for your waitressing position.”

  The heavy-set man stared at me like I was from another planet. “Oh yeah?”

  “Um, yeah. Here’s my résumé; I have a lot of experience.”

  He took the paper from my hand and skimmed it over before looking at me once again. “Says here you’re from California.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Why ya wanna work here?”

  “Because I need a job. I desperately need a job.”

  “You don’t look like the typical girl we hire here.”

  “Yeah, I’ve been getting that a lot.”

  He looked down at my résumé again and sighed. “Alright. You start now.”

  “Now? Wow. Okay, thank you!”

  “Don’t mention it. The only reason I’m hirin’ ya is because I’m pretty sure you’re not gonna steal from me.”

  “No, Sir, I won’t.”

  He reached down behind the cabinet and pulled out a black waitressing apron. “Here,” he said as he tossed it to me. “Learn the menu and start takin’ orders. And cut it with the ‘Sir’ crap. Call me Vin.”

  “Okay, Vin.”

  He rolled his eyes and disappeared to the back of the restaurant, yelling something in Italian to a woman who looked to be around my age.

  Finally, a break! The last two days had been horrible. The first night in my apartment I almost froze to death. The heater worked great but the temperature dropped so low that the rickety windows couldn’t keep the cold out. When I woke up the next morning my head had rolled off of my jacket and I had spent who knows how long with my face planted against the filthy carpet. Since I didn’t have soap I coated my face with my trusted bottle of hand sanitizer and then left early to get groceries and toiletries, along with a new comforter set, some towels, and cleaning supplies. Clyde actually helped me unload everything from the taxi, which was really nice. I spent the rest of the evening bleaching my entire apartment, and then I made my bed on the floor in front of the heater once again.

  Now here I was with a silver lining: a job! Yeah, it wasn’t glamorous, but it was something. It was a little Italian restaurant called The Pasta Palace and it was just a few blocks from my apartment. I walked there, actually, and found myself surprised by how much the bums and other people left me alone. They were a different kind of people during the day, though. It wasn’t hard to notice that another type of character ran the streets at night in my neighborhood. Once the sun was going down I knew it was time to head inside. The nights were much more dangerous.

  The woman Vin had yelled at approached me with a smile. “Hi, I'm Natalie.”

  I shook her hand. “Nice to meet you. I'm Amber.”

  “My dad told me to show ya the ropes.”

  “Vin’s your dad?”

  “Yeah,” she said as she brought her hands to her hips. “He comes off as a hard ass but don't let him fool ya; he has a heart of gold.”

  “I'm sure he does,” I smiled. “He hired me without much persuasion on my part.”

  “Well, he sees a woman who needs help. You got kids?”

  “No,” I shrugged. “I never made it that far.”

  “Well I've got two. They're over there.” She pointed to two young boys in a corner booth who were sitting with a man.

  “Oh, they're so cute!”

  “Thanks. That's my husband sittin’ there, too. Why don't you come meet them? You can take their order.”

  “Yeah, I’d love to.”

  * * *

  I tugged at the peeling wall paper and pulled the strip completely off the sheetrock. Man, the stuff was ugly: Faded yellow with brown flowers. Yes, brown flowers . . . What were the people who put it all up thinking? I’m pretty confident it was put up in the seventies, at the same time the hideous carpet was laid down.

  A light knock stirred me from my task. My heart thumped in my chest. It was dark outside, and even though the hall was fully lit I didn’t want to open my door at night. The bad people came out at night.

  They knocked again and I jumped. “Who is it?” I called out.

  “It’s Clyde.”

  Clyde? What did he want? I went up to my door and looked into the peep hole. Sure enough, it was him. I unlocked my deadbolt and chain and opened the door. “Hi Clyde,” I smiled. “What are you up to this evening?”

  He smiled back in return. “Not much. I was just checkin’ on you; wanted to see how you’re likin’ it here.”

  “Oh, um, I’m liking it just fine. Would you like to come in?”

  What was I thinking asking him that? The guy was just sucking on a crack pipe a couple of days ago and now I’m inviting him into my house? I was going to get murdered.

  He nodded. “Sure, I’ll come in for a few.” I stood back and let him pass. He stopped in the middle of my empty living room and put his hands on his hips. “You remodeling?”

  I shut the door and locked it back into place. “Yeah,” I laughed. “I thought I’d start by getting rid of this terrible wall paper and painting it a fresh color.”

  “Oh yeah? What color were you thinking?”

  “Well,” I sighed as I took in the room, “I was thinking maybe a light blue. Maybe more of a tint so it’ll make the room look bigger.”

  “Make the room look bigger?”

  “Yeah. If you paint the walls in a small room a lighter color it will make the room appear to be larger. This place could use a little more squar
e footage,” I laughed. “Even if it’s just an illusion.”

  “No kidding? I never knew that about paint.”

  “It’s amazing what it can do.”

  He nodded and crossed his arms over his soiled white shirt. “Would you like some help pulling this wallpaper off?”

  “Oh, sure,” I said with surprise. “That would be great.”

  I wasn’t expecting him to help me; he didn’t seem like he would be the type of person to lend a helping hand. There I was again, judging a book by its cover. I needed to stop doing that.

  He started immediately, tugging away at the ugly paper and tossing it in the corner of the room. “At least it’s coming off easily.”

  I smiled and looked over at the used coffee pot I bought from a little thrift store I had passed when I walked home after my first day of work. It was small and ugly; no one would steal that thing. “How about some coffee?” I offered.

  “Sounds great.”

  I put in the water and added the grounds, turning on the little orange switch to set it into motion. As it brewed I joined him in the work. “Thanks again for helping.”

  “Ah, it’s no problem at all.”

  “Do you like doing this kind of stuff?”

  “Not really,” he chuckled. “But it passes the time.”

  “Passes the time until what?”

  “My next fix.”

  “Oh.”

  He looked over at me, his eyes serious. “Don’t ever get involved with drugs.”

  “I wasn’t really planning on it.”

  “Neither was I.” He tore another sheet off the wall. “I used to have my life together. My wife loved me; my kids loved me. Now they don’t even know where I am.”

  “Did you leave them?”

  “No, they left me. But I don’t blame them; I made their life hell.”

  The coffee pot beeped and I gave him a downturned smile. “How do you like your coffee?”

  “Black, please.”

  I went back to the kitchen and pulled two white mugs from the cabinet. The thrift store was where I had bought them as well. I always wanted open kitchen cabinets with all white dishes displayed on the shelves. As soon as I saw them I grabbed them up in hopes to start my new collection.

  I poured our coffee, put some cream and sugar in mine, and brought them over to Clyde. He took the cup I offered him into his soiled fingers and then breathed in slowly, taking the scented steam into his nostrils. “Smells like comfort. Like a momma’s arms wrapping around her baby.”

  I smiled. “You know, I’ve never compared it to something like that but you’re right. I absolutely love the comfort of coffee.”

  He took a sip. “Ooh, that’s hot! I’m gonna have to let it cool down a bit.” He sat the steaming mug on the window sill and went back to work on the walls. “So, you like it here?”

  “Uh, yeah.” He stayed quiet but glanced sideways at me with a skeptical look. I laughed. “Well I guess there’s no harm in telling you the truth. No, I don’t like it here. It’s scary, especially as a single woman.”

  “Ain’t that the truth . . .”

  “What about you? Do you like it here?”

  “Yeah, it’s alright I guess. I’m not out on the streets so that’s good enough for me.”

  “Sleeping outside would be so scary in this neighborhood.”

  “You have no idea.”

  My lips twisted together. “You know, everyone keeps talking to me as if I’m so naive about moving here and starting a new life. At first I was irritated by it but now I’m realizing that maybe I am naive. I mean, I moved into a neighborhood filled with crime and drug addicts, no offense, and I can’t even defend myself. I can’t go outside and enjoy the night and I’m scared even sitting here in my house hearing the police cars blare by hour after hour. My heart raced when it was just you knocking on my door. I can’t even open my windows or have nice things, for heaven’s sake. And this is all because I didn’t research this neighborhood better. I just let my excitement of starting a new life get the best of me I guess.”

  Clyde chuckled. “Ah, don’t you worry about everything so much. You’re a pretty woman but just because you’re a pretty woman who stands out here, it doesn’t mean you have a target on your back any more than anyone else does, so don’t worry about that if that was a concern of yours. Now, yes it’s true that you have to stay in at night but that’s just life when this neighborhood is all you can afford. At least you’re here, right? I mean, you took the first step and got yourself over here from . . . Where was it you’re from?”

  “California.”

  “From California,” he continued. “That’s a huge step in itself. And you’ll line yourself up a job soon I’m sure.”

  “I already got a job, actually.”

  “Well, ya see? Things are coming together for you now, aren’t they?”

  “Yeah,” I shrugged. “I guess.”

  He took a break from pulling paper down and took his cup back into his hands. “Well, what else is bothering you?”

  “Well, not being able to have anything nice in my apartment without it getting stolen.”

  “That’s a load of crap. We all watch out for each other here; if someone tries to break in to your house we’ll handle it.”

  “Yeah, and what if someone tries and there isn’t anyone around to help me? I can’t even defend myself.”

  He took a slow sip and then brought the cup back down. “I can get you a gun.”

  “A gun?” I puffed out a nervous laugh. “Wow, um, thank you, Clyde, but guns aren’t really my thing.”

  “Then I suggest you get yourself some pepper spray. Maybe that will make you feel better.”

  “Yeah,” I sighed. “Maybe that would be a good idea.”

  He downed the rest of his coffee and then smiled as he handed me the cup. “Thank you for the coffee, and for the nice conversation.”

  I took it from him and smiled. “Yeah, you too. It’s nice having a friend here.”

  With a sigh he looked around the room. “You’ll fix this place up nice and pretty soon it will be home. I’ll even help you paint it.”

  “Oh, thank you; that would be nice.”

  He nodded politely and went back to the front door, opening the locks. “Where did you find a job at?”

  “The Pasta Palace. You heard of it?”

  “Heard of it but never tried it. It’s a little too expensive for me; I’d rather blow money on, you know, other things.”

  My cheeks lifted with feeble smile. “Yeah, Clyde, I hear ya.”

  He opened the door. “You have yourself a good evening.”

  “And you as well.”

  * * *

  “Hey Amber it’s Vin.”

  I flinched and took the phone away from my ear; his voice was so loud. “Hey, Vin. What’s up?”

  “Sorry to ask ya this, but can ya come in to the restaurant tonight? Samantha called in sick and we need help. I know it’s Sunday and it’s your day off but I would really appreciate it.”

  “Yeah, no problem. What time you want me there?”

  “I need you to work six to closing.” Six to closing? It would be pitch black outside when I got off. As if knowing my concern, he added, “I know it’s late but I’ll make sure someone takes ya home so you’re not by yourself.”

  I felt a little bit of relief. “Okay, thank you. I don’t mind working the hours it’s just getting home that late that worries me.”

  “Yeah I understand that. We’ll take care of ya though.”

  “Thanks,” I smiled into the phone. “I’ll see you tonight.”

  * * *

  Wisps of Natalie’s hair was falling out of her bun. “We are slammed tonight; thanks for coming in.”

  “It’s no problem at all,” I said while cinching my apron tightly around my waist. “I was probably going to stare at my ugly walls in complete silence anyway.”

  “Ya mean to tell me you've lived there for almost two weeks and ya still don
't have a TV yet?”

  “Nope. I've been too busy cleaning and remodeling.”

  She pulled the hair tie out of her hair and smoothed the strands back into her hands, this time making a ponytail instead of a bun. “Ya paint yet?” she asked.

  “Yeah, we got the living room done.”

  “We?”

  “Yeah, me and Clyde.”

  “Ya mean the drug addict?”

  “Yeah,” I chuckled. “That would be him.”

  “Ya really need to be careful of the friends ya choose, ya hear me?”

  I nodded and looked at her serious face. “I know. It's just, well, he's my only friend.”

  She playfully hit my arm. “And what am I, chopped liver?”

  “No,” I laughed. “You know what I mean. At my apartment building.”

  Vin stuck his big head around the corner. “Ladies,” he interrupted, “we’ve got tables waiting.”

  “Alright, alright,” Natalie sassed her dad. “Don't get ya panties in a bunch.”

  “Hey get to work ya little back talker.”

  His head disappeared and she shook hers. “I swear that man is a slave driver sometimes. And to his own daughter, too.”

  “Nah, he ain't that bad.”

  “Yeah, I know. I'm just teasin’.” She brushed away something on her shirt and then looked up at me. “Are ya pretty comfortable taking orders now?”

  “Yeah,” I nodded. “I've been trying to learn the menu. I think I have most of it down.”

  “That's good. We're going to be very busy most likely the rest of the night so you'll be on your own. Ya okay with that?”

  “Yep. Throw me in the ring; I'm ready.”

  * * *

  “We have a private group that came into the back room. Ya think you can handle them?”

  I looked up from thumbing through the bills I had yet to deliver to my waiting tables. “Sure. How many are there?”