Stronger

by Janet Nissenson

  On the other end of the line Mark Bregante sputtered and stammered angrily. “Now listen here, Dante - whoever the hell you are. You don’t know shit about my life, or about my relationship with Cara. So don’t start passing judgment about things you don’t understand.”

  “Oh, I understand plenty, Mark,” replied Dante testily. “I understand that you more or less abandoned your daughter so you could play happy family with your new wife and kids. I understand that you cut Cara off without a cent or any warning, and used the money that you promised your first wife - on her fucking deathbed - would be spent on Cara’s college education on your spoiled, selfish wife instead. And I totally understand that you sure as hell don’t deserve a daughter like Cara. Now all I have to do is figure out a way to break it to her gently that her own father doesn’t care enough about her to fly out and see for himself how she’s doing after getting punched and kicked and traumatized. Then again, she might not be all that surprised.”

  There was silence on the other end for long seconds, before Mark spoke again, his voice sullen. “It’s just not that easy,” he argued. “Holly and I made these plans months ago, and she’d be devastated if we had to cancel or postpone them. Not to mention the airfare and hotel are non-refundable, and I just can’t afford to lose that sort of money.”

  “Tell you what,” offered Dante. “I’m a rich guy. Why don’t you tell me how much your little vacation is costing you and I’ll wire the money to your bank account? And on top of that I’ll pay for you to fly out here to San Francisco to see Cara, put you up in a hotel for a few days, the works.”

  “Why the hell would you be willing to do all that?” asked Mark in disbelief. “You don’t even know me, haven’t even spoken to me until just now.”

  “Because it would mean a lot to Cara to have her father here by her side right now,” answered Dante. “And making your daughter happy is my number one priority right now. So do we have a deal?”

  There was another long pause before Mark told him, “I can’t. I’m sorry, I don’t expect you to understand, and you can think the worst of me, though it sounds like you already do. But I love my wife and making her happy is my top priority. And even if I re-scheduled this vacation for next week or next month, Holly wouldn’t understand. She - well, I’m afraid she’s always been jealous about Cara. And if I chose Cara over her, there’d be hell to pay from here until eternity. Look, I’ll call Cara tonight, I swear it. I’ll explain things to her, maybe arrange to fly out there next month sometime.”

  “No, you won’t,” Dante told him sternly. “First of all, her cell phone was damaged when she was attacked, and isn’t functional any longer. And second, I’m not going to permit you to upset her when she’s already in such bad shape. You’ve apparently made your choice, Mark, and now there’s going to be hell to pay for you in a very different way. Because my advice to Cara is going to be to forget she even has a father. She has me now, and I’m more than happy to take care of her, something you’ve been a complete failure at.”

  He disconnected the call then, so enraged that he didn’t dare remain on the line a second longer for fear that he’d say something really vile to Cara’s father.

  “Here’s your phone,” he told Nick, holding it at arm’s distance. “Better take it from me quick, otherwise I’m liable to hurl it against that wall right over there.”

  Nick somewhat gingerly removed his very expensive phone from Dante’s outstretched palm. “That bad, huh?”

  “Worse. Can you even believe someone as nice as Cara has such a total dickwad for a father? Wait until I tell you what he said.”

  When Mark had finally returned one of Nick’s multiple messages, Dante had demanded to speak to him instead, figuring that he had a better chance of keeping his temper under check than the fiery Nick. But that was before he’d realized just how small of a man Mark Bregante really was.

  Nick shook his head as he listened to the details of Dante’s conversation with Cara’s father. “Unbelievable. You know, as much of a tool as my own dad was, even he would have flown out on the next plane to see me if I had wound up in the hospital. And when Angela had that accident a year and a half ago, her parents and her sisters drove up to see her. Admittedly, her father was the only one of the bunch who was actually worried about her, but be grateful for small favors, I guess.”

  Angela walked over to them then, looking elated and exhausted at the same time. “You guys won’t believe this one,” she said, giving her head a little shake. “I just got off the phone with the police officer in charge of Cara’s case, who told me they’ve already apprehended the thugs who attacked her. And you will not believe where they caught up with the idiots.”

  “Don’t tell me,” drawled Nick. “They were stupid enough to go back to where they were living, even though the neighbor who called 911 had already told the police what house it was.”

  “Stupider than that,” corrected Angela. “Dumb and Dumber walked into the ER at this very hospital a little while ago so the one that Cara pepper sprayed could get treatment. Apparently she got him real good, and none of the home remedies they tried were working. Of course the ER staff was on the lookout for anyone coming in who’d been sprayed, so they called the police right away. Dumb and Dumber are officially in custody as we speak, being booked at the county jail.”

  “Good news,” replied Dante. “Real good news. Now, you two should head home. At least Angela should. You need to take care of yourself, especially since Cara won’t be able to come in for at least a week, maybe longer.”

  “No.” She shook her head stubbornly. “We’ve both got way too much work to get caught up on right now. I’ll be all right, just need some food and coffee. But if you don’t mind, Dante, we probably should get back to the office now.”

  “I don’t mind at all,” he told her. “My schedule is clear for the day, and I’ve already told Howie I’ll be mostly working at home this week. I’ll stay here with Cara, maybe duck out and get some lunch for a few minutes when her friend returns. Otherwise, I plan to be here until they boot me out.”

  Angela gave him a brief but fierce little hug. “Maybe I won’t have to kick your ass after all,” she joked. “You know, as awful as Cara looked when I went in to see her, she was also happier than she’s been in months. Maybe you do deserve her.”

  “I’m going to do my damndest to convince everyone of that,” he assured her. “Look, I’ll call you later to update you on her condition, okay? You just make sure to take care of yourself and that baby.”

  Nick slid an arm around his wife’s still-slender waist. “She will,” he said arrogantly. “Be sure to call us, Dan. And take good care of Cara for us.”

  Dante waited until they were out of sight before extracting his own phone from inside his suit jacket. He scrolled through the list of contacts until he found the one he was searching for, an old high school buddy that he admittedly hadn’t kept in very close contact with as of late. But he knew that Carlos wouldn’t mind, and moreover that his old friend would be more than happy to accommodate his request.

  “Carlos? Hey, que pasa, man? Yeah, I know. Go ahead and chew my ass out. Yeah, I know it’s been over a year since I called you last. Tell you what, let’s make sure to get together for dinner soon so I can introduce you to my new girlfriend. No, not the sexy blonde, that ended up being a big mistake. But listen, I’ve got a little favor to ask you, buddy.”

  Carlos had worked for the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department for a decade now, and was fairly high up in the rankings from Dante’s recollection. And while Carlos didn’t work directly at the county jail, he definitely knew people who did, people who wouldn’t hesitate to help him out.

  Briefly, Dante told his friend about what had happened to Cara, and that the two thugs who’d mugged her had just been taken into custody.

  “Which in a way is kind of a shame, because my friend Nick and I - yeah, the football player - would have liked to get our hands on the l
ittle punks first. I don’t suppose you could maybe ask some of the officers there at the jail to, uh, make life something of a living hell for those thugs, could you? Ah, now that’s what I like to hear, Carlos. You’re a good buddy, you know? And dinner will be on me for sure, you pick whatever place you like. All right, it’s a deal. I’ll call you in about a week. Thanks.”

  Dante was grinning from ear to ear as he ended the call. Under normal circumstances, he wasn’t one to condone violence. But every time the image of a bruised and battered Cara came to mind, he had to fight off the urge to hit something. And while what he’d told Carlos was true - that it would have been so much more satisfying to dole out the punishment to those muggers with his own two fists - at least he would have the satisfaction of knowing that they’d be pushed around mightily by the guards at the jail.

  Whether it was telling off her loser father, or making sure the creeps who’d attacked her got what was coming to them, Dante vowed that he would do whatever it took from here on end to look after Cara. And to make sure no one ever had the chance to hurt her again.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  “Hey. What exactly are you doing? You’re not supposed to be exerting yourself. And by my set of rules, cooking dinner is definitely exerting yourself.”

  Cara wrinkled her nose as Dante all but stormed inside his kitchen. “Honestly? All I’m doing is heating up the soup you brought home from Whole Foods yesterday. And slicing the bread.”

  He sniffed the air suspiciously. “I smell something besides vegetable soup and sourdough bread.”

  She flicked her fingers in the direction of the microwave. “That would be the fully cooked rotisserie chicken you also brought home being warmed up. But if you think it’s too physically demanding for me, I’ll let you carve it when it’s done.”

  Dante gave her a playful swat on the butt. “Smart-ass. If your sassy mouth is anything to go by, then you’re feeling a whole lot better.”

  Cara laughed and looped her arms around his necking, standing on her bare tiptoes to reach his mouth and plant a smacking kiss on his lips. “I am feeling better. I’ve been trying to tell you that for the last two days, but you still insist on treating me like an invalid. Oh, and by the way, I’m going back to work on Monday and starting my classes that night. And short of tying me up there’s no way you’re going to keep me from doing either of those things.”

  He gave her a lecherous grin. “Hmm, I’ll have to give that one some thought. I mean, given that you’re still recuperating from those cracked ribs, I guess some light bondage wouldn’t be very considerate of me, would it? But seriously, Cara, if you’re intent on going back to work and school in two more days, it’s going to have to be on my terms, not yours. Otherwise, sore ribs or not I’ll find a way to restrain you. Okay?”

  She sighed dramatically, turning the gas burner down to low as the soup began to bubble up. “What are these so-called terms of yours exactly?”

  “First off,” he began, holding up his index finger, “starting Monday morning I drive you to and from the office, and to and from your classes. That is not negotiable, Cara. In fact, you might as well turn in your bus pass because you aren’t going to be using it again. Until you get your driver’s license renewed, I’ll either drive you where you need to go or you’ll use Uber or Lyft. That is also non-negotiable. Following me so far?”

  Cara scowled, not really sure she was liking this bossy, dominant side of him. “Yes. Not liking what I hear, but I’m listening at least. Go on.”

  “Next, you’re going to move in here with me permanently. As in bag and baggage. Except of course for that crappy futon, which I never, ever want to lay eyes on again. Maybe some homeless person will take it off your hands. When is your lease up at that little box you just think is an apartment?” he asked.

  She held up a hand in protest. “Hey, do I get any say in any of this? Did you even ask my opinion about whether I wanted to live with you full time?”

  Dante smirked. “Come on, Cara. Can you seriously admit that you don’t like it here a whole lot better? And look, I even have a real stove you can cook on.”

  She gave him a shove, wincing when her still-sore ribs protested with the effort. “That’s not fair,” she whined. “And don’t think I haven’t noticed that you’ve been deliberately tempting me all week, pointing out how nice this place is, how much space there is, how much safer it is, blah, blah, blah.”

  He placed his hands on her shoulders, gazing down at her mischievously. “Ah, but you forgot to mention the biggest attraction about moving in here - me. Waking up next to me, showering together, taking turns fixing breakfast for each other. After work we’d have a quick dinner before you went to class. And then comes the best part of the day.”

  Cara had felt her resolve weakening with each deliberately seductive word that had come out of his sinfully handsome mouth. He was very intentionally wooing her right now, doing his utmost to persuade her into agreeing to his suggestion. “And what would that be?”

  Dante cupped her cheeks between his palms, holding her head still as he kissed her, his tongue making slow, sensual sweeps through her mouth. She was gasping for breath by the time he finally lifted his head, his forefinger brushing over her swollen lips.

  “The time of the day when I’d undress you very, very slowly,” he murmured huskily, his hand sliding down her arm until it cupped her breast. His thumb rubbed the already erect nipple through her ribbed sweater. “Next I’d spread you out on my bed - correction, our bed - and take my time with you. Mmm, I’d touch and kiss and adore you from head to toe and then back up again. I’d worship this beautiful little body of yours all over, every single inch. And then I’d make you come two or three times for starters, with my fingers and my tongue, just to get you ready for me. Because then I’d want to fuck you for a really long time, until you fell asleep from exhaustion. But I’d be considerate and let you sleep for a little while, only to wake you up in the middle of the night because I’d want you again.”

  Her breathing had turned positively shallow by then, an action made that much more difficult by her cracked ribs, and she thought for a few seconds that she might just pass out from lack of oxygen. Her cheeks were flushed - correction, her whole body felt hot, every pulse point racing madly. The sexy, knowing smile on Dante’s devilishly handsome face made her knees grow weak, and she absentmindedly clutched the granite counter just behind her for support.

  “You really do play dirty, don’t you?” she said accusingly, but it was a half-hearted accusation at best. “And it’s not very nice of you to get me all hot and bothered when you know we can’t do anything about it for a few more days.”

  “I could take care of you, honey,” he murmured, sliding his hand down over her belly until he was cupping her between the thighs. “Of course, you’d need to keep very, very still so that you didn’t make the pain in your ribs any worse, and I’m not sure you’re capable of that. And since the last thing I’d want to do is cause you even a second of pain, guess we’ll have to wait on this a little while longer.”

  He grinned evilly as he removed his hand and stepped away, then yelped as she snapped a dishtowel at him, connecting with his upper thigh.

  “You’re going to pay for that, mister,” she threatened. “Starting with tonight.”

  Dante’s grin widened. “Oh, yeah? What sort of revenge are you plotting?”

  Cara smiled serenely just as the microwave pinged. “Well, you can start with cutting up the chicken as we’ve already discussed. And then after dinner you can do the dishes.”

  He smirked as he took the chicken out of the microwave. “Hate to break the news, honey, but I was planning on doing that anyway.”

  She patted him on the butt as she passed by on her way to the dining area. “Oh, that’s just for starters. You’ll have to wait until I’m all healed up before I exact the next phase of my revenge. Let’s just say I might be tempted to leave you, uh, hanging. After all, tur
nabout is fair play, isn’t it?”

  Dante glowered at her in mock-severity. “Lucky for you that you’re still indisposed. Otherwise I’d be showing you just how unfairly I can play.”

  Cara blew him a saucy kiss. “Raincheck?”

  He winked at her in return. “That goes without saying. Now, let me get to work here, hmm? And no, you are not lifting another finger this evening. Keep your cute little ass where it is and let me pamper you, okay?”

  “You’ve been pampering me for days now, Dante,” she reminded him. “A girl could get used to this real quick.”

  Pampering didn’t begin to describe the way he’d been taking care of her these past six days. She could also include words like coddling, spoiling, indulging, and fussing, and that still wouldn’t go far enough.

  It had begun on Tuesday morning when she’d been declared well enough to be discharged from the hospital. Unbeknownst to her, Dante had taken care of the bill, paying it off in full, as well as paying for her prescription pain medication. And even though he owned a dozen luxury vehicles, he’d hired a town car to pick them up from the hospital and take them to his condo, so that he could tend to her during the relatively short drive.

  From the outside, his condo building had looked older, less modern, than most of the others in the immediate neighborhood. But as he’d wheeled her inside the high-ceilinged, marble floored lobby - Dante had insisted on renting a wheelchair even though she’d protested that she would rather walk - Cara had realized that the building had oodles of charm and character, something more modern structures seemed to lack.

  His penthouse was spacious and open, with floor to ceiling windows that let in natural light even in the middle of January. And while there were many modern touches - like the huge kitchen that boasted every appliance and gadget a cook could ever dream of, and the bathroom with its huge tiled shower and heated floors that was bigger than her entire apartment - Dante’s condo also had gorgeous crown molding, original hardwood floors of polished oak, and a window seat in the master bedroom that Cara knew could quickly become her favorite spot in the whole place.