Dating A Mob Boss (The Dating Series Book 2)

by Love, B. T.

  “Anything I want. I have enough money put away to take care of us comfortably for the rest of our lives, so there’s not really a need to continue with the family business. My grandfather’s taking over the heavy stuff for me and I’m done with the club. That scene’s gettin’ old anyway.”

  “So no more being a businessman, huh?” I teased.

  He shook his head and chuckled warmly. “Not with the illegal stuff, no. But I hear there’s a very talented woman who wants to open up a little furniture business of her own. I think I might try and help her out with that.”

  What a kind person he was. This man . . . he was my everything. I never would have thought someone like him could dig his claws into me and that I would succumb to his attack. But I did. From the beginning he captured me, reeling me in with his handsomeness and charm. I tried to deny him at first, but when I saw the true side of his character - that he was a gentle man who truly cared about me and my feelings - I began to open up and give in to him. He loved me with every ounce of his soul; he cherished me and held me on a pedestal high above his head. He was a man who knew what he wanted, and he wanted me. I’m glad he didn’t give up on his pursuit, because with Trent I got a second chance at love. My convicted felon; my infamous mob boss. I was intoxicated by his unrelenting devotion for me. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  I smiled and hugged against him, getting lost in the blissful feeling of our love. “If that’s what you wish, Trent. If that’s what you wish.”

  What Trent Saw

  I handled the heavy stuff in my office at the club; cocaine wasn’t something easily discussed out in public. But my gambling business on the other hand was easier to talk about with listening ears around because we could always pass it off as friendly bets on the game. Besides, I didn’t like to mix the two evils in the same building. So the restaurant was always the place me and my crew discussed our gambling affairs.

  That night was like every other night. We sat around the same old table with the same old scotch smoking the same old cigars. We talked small talk, choosing to keep the heavier conversation withheld until our food came.

  I looked down at the crappy hand of cards that Mikey dealt me. That kid had been in a sour mood all evening because his girlfriend left him for someone who wasn’t involved in the risky activity that he was. What could I say? Working with the Falco family wasn’t an easy job.

  John on the other hand was in a good mood. I could tell by his face that he was dealt a good hand of cards, the bastard. He was always in a good mood, though. That’s why I kept him close within my circle. Well, that was one of the reasons anyway. The man was loyal to the end, willing to carry out any request I asked of him. I tried not to take too much advantage of his devotion although that was hard at certain times. Some days there were people I just wanted to get rid of permanently. But those were just thoughts. I didn’t necessarily want them to come to fruition.

  I puffed on my cigar and looked down at my hand once again. That was when I heard her voice for the first time.

  “Hello. I’m Amber and I’ll be your waitress tonight.” My back was to her so I didn’t see her face until she came over to the table. But once I laid eyes on her it wasn’t hard to see what a stunning beauty she was. “We have a delicious garlic shrimp pasta tonight,” she spoke fluidly as she sat some glasses of scotch on the table. “It comes with a side of garlic bread and a fresh garden salad.”

  “Sounds delicious,” John told her. Always the polite one.

  She continued around the table with our drinks. “There’s also a chicken Alfredo dish that I would recommend. It’s my personal favorite.”

  “Ugh, what the hell is this?” Mikey chimed in like the dick he was.

  I could see Amber’s face slightly fall from the remark. “Is there something wrong?” she asked sweetly.

  “Yeah, this scotch is wrong. You brought us the cheap stuff.”

  “Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't know you preferred a certain brand.”

  “Of course we prefer a certain brand. Don't you know who the hell we are? What, are ya new here or somethin’?”

  “Well, um, yes I am.”

  Mikey was really starting to piss me off. He had a bad habit of letting the position he had get to his head. One thing he still had to learn was to respect women, all women, whether he was bangin’ them or being served food from them. The way he was talking to Amber was way out of line. I was going to put an end to it.

  “Well ya better fix it—”

  “That's enough, Mikey,” I cut in firmly.

  That was when she looked at me for the first time. It was like an arrow literally pierced through my heart when her eyes locked with mine. Women never did that to me. Sure, I had a couple in my life that I held in high regard but this one . . . She was different. I could sense something about her, something that intrigued me like never before. I was instantly hooked.

  She cleared her throat. “Again, I'm very sorry. Is there a certain brand of scotch I can bring you instead?”

  “Highland Park,” I smiled. “If you don't mind.”

  “But that's a five hundred dollar bottle . . .”

  “Yes, I'm aware of that.”

  She nodded and went around the table picking up the glasses she had previously sat down. When she was at my side I watched as she cut her eyes over at me. “I’m sorry again.”

  “It’s no big deal,” I said, waving it off. “So, how long have you worked here?”

  “Less than two weeks; I’m still trying to learn everything. But don’t worry I’ll remember what you all like for the next time you come in.”

  So eager to please; an attractive trait in an attractive woman. I smiled and leaned back into my chair, crossing my arms in front of me. “Like I said, it’s no big deal.”

  Her head dropped shyly to the tray in her hands. “I, uh, I’ll be right back with your drinks.” She turned away quickly and left the room.

  I turned my attention to Mikey. “Hey prick, shut the attitude off, okay? That’s no way to treat a woman.”

  “But she got us the cheap stuff. You hate the cheap stuff.”

  “Hey I can handle my own scotch order, you got it? And wash that gel outta your hair; this isn’t the sixties.”

  He ran his hand over the shiny mess. “Hey, the ladies love my hair.”

  “Ladies? What Ladies? Your woman left you, remember?”

  The other men around the table laughed as Mikey rolled his eyes. “Yeah, no thanks to you.” He stiffened in his seat as he remembered who he was talking too. “Sorry, boss. It’s been a long day for me. My head’s not on straight.”

  “No, it isn’t; it’s up your ass. Now change that attitude or I’ll give you something to be sorry about.”

  He threw his cards down on the table. “Yes, Sir. But I’m just sayin’ I really need the good booze tonight. I need to drown my sorrows.”

  “Don’t worry, Amber’s bringing the right stuff back in here.”

  “Amber?” my friend Shane spoke up. “You remembered her name, huh?”

  I chuckled and tossed my cards down on the table. “Of course I remembered her name. Did you see that pretty face of hers?”

  Just then Amber pushed back into the room. “Sorry about that,” she said as she sat the tray on an empty section of the table. “I assure you that this is in fact the good stuff.”

  “It better be,” Mikey muttered under his breath.

  I leaned forward. “Do we have a problem, Mikey?” I asked sternly.

  He shifted his eyes down at the table. “No. There’s no problem here.”

  “Good.” I relaxed back into my chair and turned my attention to the beautiful woman in front of me. “Don’t listen to this guy, he doesn’t have any manners.”

  “Yeah, his mom must have dropped him on his head when he was a baby,” John said. We all chuckled. Well, all of us except Mikey, of course. He had a giant stick up his ass.

  Amber seemed to laugh too, which delighted me. She took
our orders and collected the menus. “Hopefully I’ll get this one right,” she joked.

  “The only one you have to worry about makin’ happy is Mikey over there,” John said. “He has to act so tough ‘cause he’s tryin’ to make up for somethin’.”

  “Shut up,” Mikey said as we all laughed at his expense.

  Amber smiled. “Well I wouldn’t want to upset the modern day mob, would I?”

  Our laughter dwindled. It was never a good idea to play into the part of a mob crew; we had enough attention on us as it was.

  I picked the cigar up from the tray in front of me and smiled. “Modern day mob, huh? Why on earth would you call us that?”

  Her smile quickly fell away. “Oh, um, it was a joke. Someone told me you guys were a part of the mob or something and I, um . . .”

  All of my boys were looking at me, waiting to see how I would react. Under normal circumstances I would drop some foul language and inform them that they should keep their mouths shut, but this was a woman we were talking about here. And a beautiful one at that, one that had somehow cast a little spell on me.

  I puffed on my cigar and then took it away, slowly releasing the smoke between my lips. “Who told you that?” I asked her calmly, not wanting to scare her any more than she already seemed to be.

  “Oh, uh, just some idiot.”

  I laughed at her correct choice of words. “And what did you tell him when he told you that?”

  “That the mob doesn’t exist.”

  I stared at her for a quiet moment. What a woman she was proving to be, not only physically but she seemed intelligent as well, especially not believing everything she heard. I mean, technically the fool who filled her in was right about us, but it was supposed to be something that was hush hush, not to be talked openly about as if it were the daily weather report. “Smart woman,” I finally said, my words summoning her to spin around and rush quickly out of the room.

  Shane chuckled. “Went a little easy on her, huh? And she’s still scared to death of ya.”

  “I’ll fix that,” I told him confidently.

  “Why do ya care so much about a waitress anyway?” Mikey asked.

  John leaned over and smacked him upside his greasy head. “Stay outta the boss’s business already. I might need to teach ya a lesson or somethin’ for not shuttin’ up. Jesus Christ.”

  “He’s just a little wet behind the ears,” I said with a chuckle. “Believe me, he’ll pay for the attitude he has tonight.”

  Mikey stiffened. “Okay okay, I’ll stop. I’m just sayin’ you’ve got some good-lookin’ broads down at the club who are half-naked and ready to jump your bones in a heartbeat. You should just go to bed with them.”

  I puffed on my cigar and shook my head at John. “This kid just knows everything about life, doesn’t he John?”

  “Yeah I guess so.”

  “I think Mr. Falco has a little crush on the help,” Shane joked while leaning forward and raking our cards and chips over to the front of him. “It’s about time you find someone to put you to bed at night, if you know what I mean.”

  “Yeah, shut the hell up,” I growled before downing the rest of my drink. “You fools have no idea what goes on in my love life and I plan on keepin’ it that way.”

  John sat his cigar down in his ash tray and leaned forward, placing his arms on the table. He only took that position when he was getting ready for some serious conversation. “I’ve got some heavy bets comin’ in from outta the country. I think they’re legit.”

  “How legit?” I asked.

  “No concerns.”

  “We have to be sure.”

  “I know, boss. I checked it all out.”

  Just then Amber came back in the room and our conversation ceased. I couldn’t seem to draw my eyes away from her as she sat our food down on the table. Who was this woman? I’d never seen her before. She didn’t have any trace of a Brooklyn accent and didn’t look like the typical woman who worked in that part of town.

  She sat my plate down in front of me. “Can I get you a refill on your scotch, Trent?” she asked nicely, noticing my empty glass.

  “You know my name,” I stated. Excitement ignited in my body just to hear her utter the name I’ve heard people call me all of my life. But when she said it, it was as if I had been reborn. It was like music to my ears.

  “I’ll be right back with the rest of the food and a refill on scotch around the table,” she said without acknowledging my statement. Once again she left in a hurry, leaving me aching for her to just stay so I could talk to her some more.

  “Looks like she remembered your name too, boss,” Shane said before sticking a fork-full of pasta in his mouth.

  “That’s probably a bad thing.”

  “How so?”

  “’Cause someone out there is talkin’ about me. Who knows what they’re filling her head with.”

  “You mean the truth? You’re a powerful guy in these parts; she should know about that.”

  I shifted in my seat. I hated when I heard people were running their mouths about me. Unfortunately I had done some things in my past I wasn’t too proud of, but in a way it set the stage for the right people to fear me. I didn’t want Amber to fear me, though.

  She came back in with more food, avoiding eye contact with me the whole time. I cursed myself for apparently coming off as someone to be afraid of, and then resolved to change her mind about who she thought I was. She left and then came in again, this time with another round of drinks.

  “Thank you,” I said as she sat my glass down in front of me.

  Our eyes met. “You’re welcome. Can I get you anything else?”

  “Yeah,” I nodded. “Your last name.”

  “My last name?”

  I tapped the end of my cigar against the ash tray in front of me. “You’ve got one, don’t you?” I asked before taking a puff.

  “Johnsom.”

  “Johnson?”

  “No,” she laughed lightly. “It’s Johnsom,” she said, pronouncing the last letter clearly so I could hear the difference.

  “Amber Johnsom,” I repeated while blowing out a plume of smoke. “Amber, like the color of this fine scotch that flows smoothly past my lips. The most exquisite taste in the world.”

  My crew around the table chuckled. See? I wasn’t too rusty with my compliments. I had to let her know in so many words that she was a beautiful sight to my eyes, a fresh breath of air to my lungs. Unfortunately for me, she took it the wrong way.

  She picked up the empty glasses from our first round of drinks. “No, Trent. You’re wrong.”

  The room fell quiet. It was very obvious to me now that she wasn’t from these parts. Everyone knew not to tell a Falco he was wrong. Those were some dangerous words to utter, especially to my face. But instead of making me angry, her words evoked curiosity. As I said before, she was a different kind of woman, one that I desperately needed to figure out.

  I cocked my head to the side while everyone awaited my response. “Am I? Tell me how I’m wrong, Amber. Tell me how you’re not as fine as what’s in this glass.”

  Her demeanor softened. “Well I’m not smooth, or, exquisite.”

  I lifted my glass and swirled it gently around, making the cubes of ice chime against each other. “Oh, I beg to differ.” I took a slow sip, watching her over the rim of the glass.

  “Wrong again,” she fired back. “Amber, as in the gem that is appreciated for its natural beauty.”

  Jeez, maybe I was rusty. I needed to recover, and fast. I sat my glass back on the table. “You’re absolutely right; you are naturally beautiful.”

  “Thank you for the compliment,” she said with a straight face. “Will you be needing anything else? I have other tables to serve.”

  My smile faded. “No. Thank you.”

  She flipped around and left the room. God, how embarrassing. I couldn’t believe I was just shot down in front of all of my guys in there to see. I mean, I was Trent Falco; I always got w
hat I wanted. But for some reason this woman just made me fall apart. It’s like all of my game just flew out the window. No woman, and I mean no woman had every made me fall to pieces like that. I even complimented her for heaven’s sake but I said it wrong and came off looking like a giant prick instead. What was hard to swallow was I could have dropped the same exact line on any other woman and she would have fallen right into bed with me. But I was getting older and I wanted to settle down and find the right girl, not sleep with the random broads who often threw themselves in my direct path.

  “Don’t worry,” Shane said. “She’ll come around once she realizes who you are.”

  “Shut the hell up,” I said as I downed my second round. I slammed the glass hard on the table. “Let me explain this clearly, I don’t need relationship advice from any of you assholes, got it?”

  I was pissed; the last thing I needed was to lose respect from these men. It was already hard enough not raising their eyebrows by not playing the field. But I was a man who knew what I wanted. I wanted a good woman by my side. And for some unexplainable reason, I wanted Amber.

  She came in and out of the room while we ate, checking if we needed anything but avoiding eye contact with me. And to hold myself in a higher light to my men I ignored her too, not asking for anything, not making eye contact, not engaging her in conversation. It was very hard to do.

  After we ate I threw a three hundred dollar tip down on the table and left the room. It was the least I could do for offending her with my apparent degrading compliment from earlier in the evening. I lead my crew to the door but hung back; I just had to see her one last time. My eyes scanned the busy restaurant. There she was, back by the kitchen. My heart raced at the very sight of her. She didn’t smile and I didn’t smile, both of us putting on an obvious front as we watched each other like wild animals. I broke first and released the door I was holding open, stepping out with confidence, even though secretly on the inside I was wounded.

  * * *

  I couldn’t sleep; Amber occupied my mind like a cancer. God she was a little spitfire, mouthing off with an attitude that oddly enough turned me on more than anything. I even went back to the restaurant to apologize for coming off as a jerk to her. And then I asked her to go to dinner with me and what did she do? She turned me down, of course. I was at a complete loss for words.