Dating A Mob Boss (The Dating Series Book 2)

by Love, B. T.

  “You know exactly what’s wrong,” he answered, surprisingly shutting the door softly behind him.

  “No I don’t.”

  He took off his suit jacket and threw it on one of the chairs. “I got word you talked to Stevie.”

  “Oh,” I said, knowing instantly why he was so mad.

  “Yeah, oh.” He yanked on his tie to loosen it and then pulled it over his head, throwing it to the chair. “What the hell were you thinking?”

  “What do you mean? Am I not allowed to talk to the guy or something?”

  “No, Amber, you’re not. Not about business, anyway.”

  “But he started it.”

  “I don’t care who started it.” He unbuttoned the top of his dress shirt and began rolling up the sleeves. “The number one rule when you’re in a position like I am is to not talk about business after it’s been taken care of.”

  “But—“

  “No but’s. See, this is why I didn’t want to tell you stuff about my business dealings. I trusted you to keep your mouth shut.”

  I hugged myself and looked down at the floor. “I’m sorry. I was just trying to defend you.”

  He sighed and took a step forward. “I know,” he said as he put his arms around me. “But you need to learn that it’s better to not say things to the people I deal with. Let me handle it, okay?”

  “Okay,” I nodded.

  “And besides, I don’t need defending anyway. I’m a big boy; I can handle myself.” He hugged me tighter against him. “You know, I know Stevie doesn’t seem like it, but he can be a pretty dangerous guy. So I don’t need you mouthin’ off to him in my honor, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “Will you look at me please?” I looked up at him, a tear trailing away from my eye. He brought his hand up and wiped it away. “I didn’t mean to make you cry. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “I, I hate that I scare you.”

  “Trent, believe me, I stopped being afraid of you a long time ago. I’m just sad that I upset you. I didn’t mean to cause any issues with anything.”

  “There aren’t any issues, baby. I just didn’t want you pissing off the wrong person. I’m trying to protect you from these creeps, remember?”

  “Yeah,” I nodded. “I know.”

  “It makes it a lot harder for me to do that if you go out picking fights with them.”

  “I didn’t mean to pick a fight with him. He just said he didn’t want me to wait on him because I was responsible for him losing business with you. Then I said it was because he tried selling you a product that wasn’t pure. I told him that the only reason you didn’t beat his ass was because I was there with you.”

  A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “You said that?”

  “Yeah. I told him I was his lifeline.”

  “Yeah,” he chuckled deeply, “you are his lifeline.”

  I smiled and hugged against him. “Did you really have John cut off some guy’s finger because he stole from you?”

  “Yes,” he admitted with a heavy sigh. “It wasn’t one of my best moments.”

  “Well remind me to never steal from you,” I joked.

  He relaxed his hold and looked down at me with a serious face. “Please don’t joke about that. I don’t want you to ever think I would order something done to you like that.”

  “I know you wouldn’t,” I smiled up at him. “Lighten up.”

  “I can’t lighten up, you’ve got me too tightly wound.”

  I trailed my fingers down the back of his hair. “Well how can I fix that problem?”

  “I have an idea,” he said with a smile. He guided me back against the pool table until its edge pushed into my backside. “Do you have the same idea as I do?”

  “I think so.”

  His handsome smile faded as the hungry look in his eyes took over. I held on tightly as he bent down and grabbed onto the outside of my thighs, picking me up and setting me on the pool table. “You know, as angry as I was that you got involved in something I didn’t want you to, it sure did turn me on.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. You’re a different kind of woman, you know that?”

  “And you’re a different kind of man.” I pulled him closer and kissed his lips, being assertive before he had the chance.

  He smiled against my mouth while his fingers dug into the outside of my thighs. As his tongue found mine his hands gravitated up and found the button on my jeans. I held onto his neck and lifted myself up as he undid them and pulled them down to my knees, taking my panties along with them. “You ready for me?” he asked heavily as he backed away and pulled them completely off of my legs.

  “I’ve never been ready for you, Trent Falco. Everything you do takes me by surprise.”

  His cocky smile excited me. “Well, get ready to be taken again.”

  * * *

  It was a rainy Sunday evening. I was covering for Natalie at the restaurant and Trent was in the back, smoking cigars with his usual crowd. When I had served them earlier they were more serious than usual, keeping even quieter when I would come in and refill their drinks. Trent was still sweet, looking up at me with his loving smile as I waited on them. But something was different, and I had a bad feeling in my gut.

  After thirty or so minutes of me staying out of the back room, they finally emerged in their single-file line with Trent trailing behind. He spotted me by the kitchen and came over as the rest of them went outside.

  “Hey baby,” he said while leaning in and giving me a sweet kiss. “How’s your shift going?”

  “Good. How was your meeting?”

  He shrugged. “Fine. Business as usual.”

  I brought my hand up and smoothed my thumb across his cheek. “Are you okay? The vibe seemed different in there tonight.”

  “Yeah, it should be fine,” he said in his most convincing tone. “No sense in worrying about anything that hasn’t happened yet.”

  My eyebrows pulled together. “Well I don’t like how that sounds.”

  His lips formed a down-turned smile. “Listen, baby, I’ve got some things going on that I might be taking some heat for. I, I just want you to know I might have gotten a little caught up in something and didn’t play my cards right, so to speak.”

  Heat was already forming behind my eyes; I knew I had something to be worried about. “What do you mean?”

  He sighed and pulled me against him, hugging me tightly. “I shouldn’t have said anything. Just know that I love you, okay?”

  “What, what the hell are you talking about?”

  “Shh, it’ll be okay. I promise.”

  I pushed away from him. “No, you can’t do this. You can’t pick and choose what I get to know about. Tell me now what’s going on.”

  There was a commotion of sirens outside. We both looked over at the restaurant’s windows to see four cop cars pull into the parking lot.

  Trent looked back at me. “I love you.”

  “What? Why are you saying that? Tell me what’s happening!”

  He smiled and lifted his hand to my face, moving a strand of hair behind my ear. “You are an amazing woman. You hooked me right from the start.” He leaned in and kissed me, his tongue slowly dancing with mine like it was the last time he would ever feel me that way. When he pulled away he looked into my eyes. “Tell me you love me.”

  “I, I love you. Of course I love you.”

  “I love you too, Amber.”

  He let me go and moved away, walking with confidence toward the entrance door. Putting his hand on the handle he pulled it open and then went outside, holding his hands up in the air, surrendering to the four policeman who were waiting for him.

  I watched in disbelief as the rain pelted his hair and soaked into his trench coat, that of which one of the cops was pulling off of him. Another cop came up and patted up and down his body, searching his pockets for weapons or who knows what else.

  I was in complete shock; I didn’t
know what in the world was happening. One minute I was waiting on him in the back room, the next minute he was outside surrounded by cops. He gave me no explanation. All I could do was wonder.

  And then it hit me: Cocaine. He must have gotten busted somehow. Maybe Stevie retaliated and tipped off the cops. Maybe it was my fault.

  My stomach churned as one of the officers harshly pulled his hands down behind him and tightened a pair of handcuffs around his wrists. I couldn’t take it anymore. That was my man out there, my best friend, and I was about to lose him to something I had no idea about.

  I took off across the room and slammed into the door, pushing it open as I ran out into the downpour. The cops were taken off-guard as I rushed up and threw my arms around Trent’s neck. “I love you,” I sobbed next to his ear.

  He leaned his head into mine, hugging me without the use of his arms. “I love you, too.”

  One of the cops pulled me off of him. “Get outta here!” he ordered as he pushed me away.

  Trent nodded at someone behind me and in an instant a pair of familiar arms were around me. It was Mikey.

  “Remember what I said,” Trent told him as the cop pulled him away and forced his head down into the back seat of the squad car.

  Mikey nodded and held me against him, firmly yet consolingly, like a second protector.

  My eyes bled with tears as I watched Trent mouth that he loved me while the cops pulled out of the parking lot, leaving me alone with Mikey in the pouring rain.

  I turned around in his arms. “What’s going on?” I demanded.

  Mikey let go of me. “Did Trent ever tell you about the gambling he was involved in?”

  “I don’t know. A little, I guess. I was more concerned about his involvement with cocaine.”

  “Well he was runnin’ an illegal gambling operation online in another country. He tried to keep it out of the States, thinkin’ he wouldn’t get caught but somehow . . . he did.”

  I was in shock. “Are you kidding me?”

  “I wish I were.”

  “Well, how serious is this?”

  “It’s a felony.”

  “A felony!” My world was spiraling down. A felony meant prison time and for who knew how long. What would I do without him?”

  Mikey’s expression softened. “Listen, Trent had a feeling something wasn’t right and he knew the cops were lookin’ for him. He made specific arrangements for ya in case this would happen.”

  “Arrangements? What arrangements?”

  “Well first let’s get you inside and outta this rain.”

  “No, Mikey. Tell me the arrangements.”

  He sighed but immediately gave in. “I have to continue watching ya like usual. But now that he won’t be around to help ya like he could before, he wants ya to move into his house. He feels you’ll be safer there.”

  I quickly nodded my approval. “Okay.”

  “Okay?” My response surprised him.

  “Yes. I’m going to do whatever Trent wants me to do.”

  “Alright, well, there’s some other things he set up for ya that we’ll go over in the car.”

  “Okay. Let me get my purse and I’ll go with you.” I turned around and hurried back inside to get my purse. It was like I was on autopilot, morphing into a woman who was in beast-mode, the only way I knew how to survive the horrible event.

  * * *

  Trent smiled as he spotted me in the courtroom at his hearing. He looked good and was confident in his posture like he usually was, a man who handled his business like a champ. It hurt to see him though; I missed him. I missed not being able to touch him. Who knew when the next time would be.

  He sat next to his lawyer and whispered something in his ear. Trent’s grandpa said he was the best lawyer money could buy and he was good at getting people shorter sentences for their felony’s. I was praying that that was the case.

  The judge, a short bald man with glasses, cleared his throat. “Mr. Falco,” he grumbled, “you have been accused of operating an illegal sports bookmaking business that solicited more than fifty million dollars in illegal bets. We make it our priority to hold accountable those involved in assisting in the progress of illegal online gambling by U.S. citizens, regardless of where the business operates, or where the defendants reside. Do you understand that?”

  “Yes, Sir,” Trent replied.

  He looked down at a paper on his desk. “Please rise.” Trent obeyed and stood with his lawyer. “And how do you plead?” the judge asked.

  “Guilty.”

  I hated hearing that word. Even though it was the truth, I didn’t want him to confess to something that would put him behind bars. But his lawyer said he would be able to get him a shorter term if he pleaded guilty, so Trent trusted his advice.

  The judge nodded. “After careful consideration you are to face up to two years in federal prison for running an illegal gambling business.” He banged his gavel and with that, it was all over.

  Trent turned to his attorney and shook his hand, a satisfied smile on his face.

  I nudged Mikey. “Why is he so happy? He’s going to prison.”

  “He knows he’ll be in there for less than a year.”

  “How does he know that?”

  “Because,” he shrugged. “Trent has a lot of money. Believe me, he’ll get out before his sentence is up.”

  * * *

  Trent picked up the phone on the other side of the glass. “Hey beautiful.”

  “Hey,” I smiled. “How are you doing?”

  “Good.”

  “Liar.”

  His smile widened. “I’m doing alright I guess. I miss you; I miss holding you.”

  “I know.” I put my finger up against the glass. “I would give my finger to John, just to touch you again.”

  “Oh shut it,” he chuckled as he put his finger up to mine. “Don’t worry; it’ll be soon.”

  “You sure?”

  “I’m positive. I doubt I’ll be here more than a year. And the time I did while waiting for my trial counts toward that year so I’m tellin’ ya, it’ll be soon.”

  I smiled and leaned closer to him. “I moved into your house.”

  “I’m glad to hear it. I knew you would.”

  “Oh yeah? How so?”

  “Because you promised me a long time ago that you would if I needed to protect you, remember?”

  “Yeah, I remember.”

  “Do you miss your house?”

  “Yeah,” I admitted. “But I like yours better. I can smell you in yours.”

  His eyes lit up. “And how do I smell?”

  “How do you smell . . .” I repeated his question. “Well, when I lie in your bed I smell your soap and your aftershave. It’s comforting.”

  “You still haven’t washed the blankets, huh?” he joked.

  “Nope. I don’t think I will until you get home.”

  “That’ll be soon, baby. Don’t worry.” He pressed his palm against the glass. “How do you like the present I got you?”

  I opened my hand and pressed my palm against his, wishing I could actually feel his warmth. “Which one?”

  “Your workshop on my property.”

  “I love it,” I smiled. “You didn’t have to do that.”

  “I know, but I wanted to. I figured you needed something to throw yourself in to while I’m away in here. You need to get back into doing what you love anyway.”

  “It’s been hard to start. I’ve been concentrating so much on you and your situation.”

  “I know, love. But just go flip some stuff; do what you enjoy.”

  “I will. But I enjoy you.”

  “Well you can do me when I get outta here, how does that sound?”

  “Yeah,” I laughed. “Believe me, that’ll happen before we even get back to the house.”

  “I hope so baby; I really do.” A guard tapped on some glass in another part of the room. Trent looked over at him with a nod and then looked back at me. “I gotta go. Thank you for
coming to see me.”

  “You know me, here every week.”

  “That’s my mob woman.”

  I smiled and pressed my palm tighter against the glass. “I love you, Trent.”

  “I love you, too.” He smiled and hung up the phone, giving me a reassuring wink as he got up and went over to the guard who would take him back to his cell.

  * * *

  I waited outside for him to be released. It was a sunny day, the perfect kind for such a happy moment. When I saw him coming out my heart almost exploded out of my chest. It was so exciting, knowing that in a few short feet I would be met with the man I was so in love with. I would be able to touch him, to feel him, to smell him. It was a great day.

  His grin was wide as he opened his arms and took me up into them, lifting me off from the ground. “Ah, I missed you, baby,” he said lovingly. He lowered my feet back to the pavement and looked down at my face, moving in to kiss me like he had been waiting so long to do.

  Mikey had been right about him getting off less than the two year sentence he was handed. Altogether it was just under a year that he had served. During that time I threw myself into my job and when I wasn’t working I delved into flipping furniture. As I worked on projects I imagined Trent was there with me, helping me sand just as he did my floor back at the beginning of our relationship. Pretending was hard but it was the only way I figured I could cope without him by my side. But now I didn’t have to imagine anymore because it was my reality. Trent and I were together again.

  I held on tightly as our lips parted. “It was so hard to be without you,” I said as a tear left the corner of my eye.

  “I know, baby.” He wiped away the drop of mixed emotions and smiled. “I did a lot of work while I was on the inside, got a lot of things squared away with my business.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, no more illegal gambling, obviously. They’ll be watching me closely from here on out because of it, so I pretty much have to give up everything I’ve been doing. I’m just glad it was this they busted me for and not the other stuff.”

  I dared not utter the word cocaine in front of the prison walls, so I just nodded instead. “So what are you going to do now?”