Dangerous Beauty: Part One: Destiny

by Michelle Hardin

  He looked at her, his brows furrowed, jaw clenched. He saw exactly where she was going with this and he wished she wouldn’t. “We’ll see, Julia, I don’t know,” he said trying to be as gentlemanly as he could. He started walking out of the bedroom. He heard her getting off of the bed and walking behind him and he groaned. “What Julia?”

  “I just…Nathan can you slow down please?” she begged, grabbing at his arm. He stopped and turned around to face her. She was still naked, and panting from running to catch up with him. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her body against his. He could feel her hard nipples through his shirt. “I’m sorry. I know how busy you are. I just think we have something good going between us, you know, me and you, we’re good together, right?” she said softly as she leaned forward and kissed his chest.

  He looked at her for a moment, his face expressionless. He took her chin between his thumb and index finger and tilted her head up until she met his eyes.

  She was rooted by his cold gray stare. His face remained expressionless, but his eyes revealed an intense darkness within him. Julia was unnerved by the intensity of his stare, unable to meet it, her eyes dropped to his chest.

  Nathan leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. “Goodbye, Julia,” was the last thing he said before he turned and walked out her front door.

  Julia didn’t move after he left, knowing that he probably would never be back. She tried her hardest not to show that she had gotten attached to him, but it was just too hard, she loved him. She knew that if she could just convince him to see their relationship the way she did, he would see how good of a couple they could be together. But that would take a lot of convincing. She didn’t understand why he was so opposed to a relationship or why he was so damn mysterious all the time. All she knew was that hadn’t stopped her from falling in love with him. How could she not fall in love with him?

  When she first saw him, she had just moved into the building. She was stunned by how beautiful he was. Never had she seen a man so gorgeous in all of her life. The first thing she noticed about him was his height, 6’5”. So tall and yet, so graceful, his long, fit body was enough to make any woman drool. When she first saw him in the lobby of the apartment building he was laughing with a handsome man with long dark hair, she adored his smile because she doesn’t get to see it often. His smile revealed long sexy dimples on his cheeks and perfect white teeth. His golden blond hair, perfect naturally tanned skin and big, hard muscular body made it impossible for her to avert her eyes.

  It took her months to work up the courage to approach him and introduce herself. She saw him at a small bar one night that was close to their building. He was there drinking with four other guys, and they looked to be having a really good time, laughing loud throughout their conversation. Julia had waited until their conversation was over, and when Nathan approached the bar she made her move. She could tell that he was slightly inebriated, but she didn’t care, he was being flirty, and she enjoyed the jealous stares coming from the other women in the bar.

  They walked together the short distance back to their building. Nathan was charming, funny, and a gentleman the entire walk. He held open doors, made her laugh, and he even told her how beautiful she was. Once they made it to her door Julia had decided that she was going to make a bold move and she kissed him. Before she knew what was happening they were ripping off each other’s clothes. They had only made it to the couch before they were completely naked. Julia had never experienced multiple orgasms before, but Nathan Salerno really did know his way around a woman’s body.

  Thinking of their first night together, and the many nights after that, brought tears to Julia’s eyes. Had she really been the only one falling in love?

  ***

  Nathan felt a thousand times better after he got some sleep and went for his daily swim. He stood in front of his large floor to ceiling windows staring out at the Hudson River, thinking about the latest issue his father wanted him to handle. It was a minor issue really. It seemed Reeves had forgotten the payment agreement that him and Mitchell, his father’s right hand, had arranged. Nathan felt this issue should be handled by Mitchell since he caused it but since his father asked him to handle it, he would. Nathan usually handled issues of a more serious nature within his father’s empire. Closing deals, and killing men who got in the way, but he would do this just because his father told him to. It was his job to do as the boss asked him. Nathan enjoyed his position and he took it seriously. He reveled in being feared by the same kind of men that brought so much pain into his life, the same type of men that took everything from him when he couldn’t do anything about it.

  Well, that’s not the case anymore, Nathan thought. He dared any motherfucker to try and take anything from him now.

  Nathan walked into his kitchen and picked up his cup of coffee. He knew he shouldn’t go to Brooklyn alone, but he didn’t know if any of his boys were still in the City. They had all taken off after Nathan gave them the go ahead. Nathan didn’t blame them for wanting to take a break, to get the hell out. He was ready to get away from Manhattan himself. He didn’t want to pull any of them away from their little breaks, but he would rather have one of them with him than the team of security that his father kept trying to convince him to use. Nathan didn’t feel he needed them yet, he could take care of himself. He picked up his cell phone and dialed the number of the only person he knew might still be in the city.

  After two rings he answered the phone. “What did he ask you to do? And it better not be out of the fucking country, Nathan,” Mickey said in a warning tone

  Nathan chuckled. “Damn, somebody’s cranky, have I worked you that hard?”

  “Yes asshole, you have. I’m not kidding, Nathan. The only plane I’m getting on is the private one taking me to Kyle’s beach house. Dante, Lucca, and Kyle are already there and I thought you were on your way there too.”

  Nathan snorted. “There’s no plane involved, Mickey. It’s in Brooklyn. I still don’t know if I’m going. Kyle did make it sound okay, but I still don’t know about being in some tourist attraction during my off time. You guys can have a good time without you’re cranky ass boss ruining your fun.”

  “Bullshit, Nathan, you are coming! You’re not going to keep taking these lonely ass trips every year. I know how you get around this time of year, you don’t need to keep disappearing like that,” Mickey said in a serious tone.

  Nathan knew he was right but he never wanted to be around anyone when the anniversary of his mother’s death came around. He knew he would have way too much fun around his rowdy brothers too. They all had a tendency to act like crazy ass frat boys when they weren’t in business mode.

  “I don’t know Mick, we’ll see.”

  “Fuck that Nathan, you pick me up, we head down to Brooklyn to handle whatever the hell Angelo wants us to, and you and me can head to Hope Beach together. Once you get away from all this shit for a while, you’ll feel better man. Trust me,” Mickey said confidently. When Nathan didn’t respond, Mickey sighed. “Nathan, it will be good for you and the rest of us to go off somewhere and chill for a while. When was the last time we all got to just chill the fuck out? No guns, no money, and no blowing the brains out of some asshole that your father wants dead?”

  Nathan thought about it for a moment then nodded his head, deciding Mickey was right. Nathan did miss the times when it wasn’t all business with his boys, it was just lately they’ve been too busy.

  Once his father had realized Nathan’s talents he capitalized on them big time. Nathan and his small team, consisting of the only men he completely trusts, have become some of the most feared men in the criminal world, and Nathan didn’t want to lose the one thing he knew made them strong, their bond. They were brothers. They had each other’s back and protected each other because they genuinely cared for one another, not because of the money.

  Coming to the conclusion that he should face this month head on with his brothers, he nodded his head an
d sighed. “Yeah Mick, alright. I’ll be there soon. Me and you will go and handle this Reeves shit and get the hell out of here.”

  He heard Mickey chuckle. “I’m glad bro, you can tell me what’s going on with Reeves when you get here.”

  Nathan hung up the phone feeling a bit better after deciding where to spend his time off. He grabbed his keys and his luggage and left his apartment, hoping that this trip would do him some good. Hoping that this time, he’d come back home in a month prepared to finally let go.

  ***

  Nathan and Mickey finally made it to Brooklyn after dealing with hellish traffic. By the time they got there they were both ready to get this meeting over with quickly and get on to their next destination. Nathan didn’t want to be there, and the fact that he had to be there filled him with vicious rage, all directed at that bastard Reeves for not understanding the meaning of an agreement. People make agreements to avoid confusion, and Nathan didn’t understand why Reeves had to be continuously reminded of that.

  As they exited the car Nathan knew that Mickey had picked up on his mood, which was good because Nathan didn’t want this to take but a second.

  They quickly walked into Reeves’ Family Restaurant and found him sitting at one of the tables eating with two men. The restaurant was empty, which Nathan preferred He’d rather not have an audience of customers see what was about to happen. The only people that were present were Reeves, the two men, and the employees, which were members of Reeves’ family. The men were brutish so Nathan was sure that they were there for Reeves’ protection, but he didn’t give a damn if they were there or not. He came to make sure Reeves paid his father, and that’s exactly what he was going to do.

  Without hesitation Nathan walked up to the table where Reeves and his body guards were eating, Mickey following behind him.

  Reeves looked up from his food, wiped his mouth with a napkin, smiled, and ran his finger down the long scar on his face, something he always did to intimidate men he believed were a threat. The story of how he got that scar and what happened to the guy who gave it to him was different every time he told it.

  “Well, I was wondering who Angelo would send, but I definitely didn’t expect him to send you,” Reeves said with a smirk.

  Nathan stared at Reeves, his expression impassive. He spoke in a low tone, not wanting to give way to the irritation he was feeling just yet. “We need to speak with you privately, it’s a matter of some urgency,” he said.

  Reeves chuckled and waved his hand dismissively. “I don’t feel like talking. As you can see I am trying to enjoy the meal my beautiful mama has made me.”

  Nathan was able to maintain his impassive expression even though he was getting more irritated by the second. “Reeves, it would be best for us to have this discussion now, and since it would be inappropriate for us to talk business out here, with your family present, I insist we do it in private.” Nathan spoke as if speaking to a child.

  Reeves scowled at Nathan, rage filled his dark eyes. “I don’t really like your tone, Salerno. Now, I understand that you are a man with an abundance of power, but not here,” he said raising his voice a bit louder. “If you haven’t noticed you are not in Manhattan. This is Brooklyn little boy, my house, so if I were you I wouldn’t come in here insisting anything.” He sat back with a smug smile and crossed his arms over his chest. “So unless you want to find yourself in a very bad situation, I insist you leave, baby Salerno.”

  Nathan smirked, these people will never learn, he thought to himself. He shook his head and let out an exaggerated sighed. “You should have listened, dumb ass.”

  Only two clicks from Mickey’s gun were heard as the bodies of the two bodyguards at the table flew forward. Blood spewed from their disfigured heads into Reeves’s face and he sat frozen in shock. In three long strides Nathan was beside him. Grabbing a handful of his curly black hair, Nathan slammed Reeves’ face into the table three times.

  Reeves let out a loud howl in pain as the blood began to run down his face.

  From behind him Nathan could hear women screaming, but they became silent when Mickey pointed his gun toward them and brought his index finger to his lips.

  Nathan could hear Reeves’ labored breaths. “Now, that I have your attention,” Nathan said a bit out of breath, “we can have this discussion. You seem to have forgotten to make a payment on product you have already sold. The agreement that you made with Mitchell was that we supply you with a steady flow of his product and services and you pay him accordingly, am I right?”

  When Nathan got no answer he slammed Reeves’ face into the table again. “Am I Right?” Nathan yelled.

  “Yes! Yes! I’ll get the money! Just stop!” Reeves pleaded.

  Nathan shook his head. “Now that was going to be the solution when I first came in here, but since you went all ‘this is my house’ on me, I have an idea more pleasing to me.”

  Nathan heard a whimper escape Reeves’ mouth, and he slammed his face into the table again. “Be a man you little bitch!” he scolded.

  When he whimpered again Nathan gripped his hair tighter. “Here is the new deal, there are two parts so listen closely. One, you’re finished in New York. Consider the business relationship between you and Salerno over, until I say otherwise. You will find someone else to buy your fucking guns from as well, and once you see how much better our services are you can come and beg ‘baby Salerno’ for forgiveness, and I’ll think about selling to you again. Two, you will pay the money you already owe plus an extra twenty percent of what you owe, just to show how much you appreciate me not killing you today. I’ll give you a week, my little gift to you.” Nathan leaned in closer to his ear, his voice was a low growl, “And if you decide not to comply with this deal, I’ll slice you up and send the pieces to your family to serve up to the parasites that eat in this piece of shit.”

  Nathan stood up straight with his grip still tight in Reeves’ hair, pulled Reeves from his chair, and pushed his body back with so much force that Reeves’ feet left the ground, sending him flying over one table and crashing into another.

  While Reeves laid there unconscious, Nathan looked around at Reeves’ family. The women stood crying and the men that came from the kitchen stood holding them protectively as they looked at Nathan and Mickey with pleading looks. And here it comes, the guilt, Nathan thought.

  Yes, Nathan may be considered a ruthless killer, but he didn’t enjoy exposing innocent eyes to such brutality, he wasn’t an animal after all. At that moment he really wished Reeves would have just had the private meeting instead of being such an idiot.

  Nathan wiped the sweat from his brow and straightened a chair. “I apologize for the interruption. You don’t have to cry, I have no desire to hurt any of you. If you will excuse me, my associate and I will be leaving now,” Nathan said trying to soften his features and straighten a few chairs on his way out. “When he wakes up remind him that he has seven days, please and thank you.”

  Once they made it back to the car Nathan heard Mickey chuckle beside him. He looked at him, confused. “What’s funny?”

  Mickey chuckled again. “You are.”

  Nathan gave him an inquisitive look. “And why’s that?” He asked while starting the car and navigating into traffic.

  Mickey looked at him with a knowing grin. “Because you felt guilty, you always do that when we do jobs and some chick is around scared and crying or something. You looked up and saw his family and you felt guilty for beating his ass.”

  Nathan frowned. “Yeah well, they didn’t deserve to see that shit,” he said mostly to himself.

  Mickey looked at his friend with one brow raised and chuckled. “And straightening up a few chairs is going to make up for what we did in front of their innocent eyes, as you call them?” he joked.

  Nathan chuckled, he knew it wouldn’t, but he couldn’t stop himself from trying not to look like a complete brute. “I know, I know, I can’t help myself when I do that shit. I just wish that Reeves would ha
ve listened the first time. We could have had that meeting away from the eyes of his family. It’s not easy to get that shit out of your head you know, watching someone you love hurt.”

  Mickey looked at his friend with concern, he knew why Nathan thought this way and he understood his gesture and reassuring words to Reeves’s family. Nathan was very complex to Mickey sometimes. He could be cold and ruthless when appropriate, and he could show kindness and compassion to those that deserved it. This was always interesting to Mickey about his friend. How could someone capable of such brutal acts like Nathan, care so much about being viewed as a monster by innocent individuals?

  Mickey slapped his friend on the back. “Yeah buddy, you’re right. I’m sure they appreciate you putting those chairs back in place on the way out,” he joked.

  Nathan laughed. “Fuck you.”

  “Let’s get to the plane and get the hell out of here,” Mickey said leaning back in his seat.

  Nathan nodded his head in agreement.

  4

  Beautiful Stranger

  The plane ride to Hope Beach was the most fun Nathan had experienced in a long time. He’d forgotten how much fun it was to hang out with Mickey, and even though he didn’t say it out loud, he was kind of looking forward to the trip with his brothers.

  When they got off the plane Nathan was greeted by the warm winds and sunny sky. He was glad they made it to Hope Beach before dark so he could look around the “little piece of heaven,” as Kyle called it. And he was right. Hope Beach was beautiful. The sunny sky, warm breeze, beautiful luxury homes, manicured lawns, and the gorgeous Hope Garden, all took Nathan’s breath away. He couldn’t take his eyes off of the beautiful assorted flowers that gave the garden a rainbow effect. It made him remember his mother. She loved gardens and she’d spent most of her time tending to her own. Gardening was a skill she had taught Nathan when he was very young. His father would always tell her that it wasn’t a skill that a man needed to possess, but his mother continued to teach him anyway. Nathan didn’t mind it at all, as a matter of fact, it brought him peace. Together, with the help of professionals, he and his mother built a beautiful garden that Nathan hadn’t visited since her death.