by CELENE CAREY
“Smile baby, this is our first official public outing together.” I had forgotten that Salvatore Carelli was a well-known businessman in the city. He held me close against him, while I held to his upper arm, smiling serenely as the cameras flashed. We made it through the gauntlet of paparazzi and into the foyer of the hotel where the ball was being held.
We both signed in and were escorted to a table where our names were printed on cards. Pamphlets and flyers with information about the charity and where the money would go to help the city’s homeless and disadvantaged youth were placed on the tables. I picked one up and looked over the story of a young girl, at sixteen she had given birth to a baby boy. She refused to give her son up for adoption and her parents had tossed her out on the street. She had found help through the charity and was now working and making her way through life. She was due to speak before the gathered guests tonight.
I smiled knowing how close I had been to a similar situation with Ty, though I was out of home by then, but having to foot the costs of a baby, plus the medical expenses involved in the pregnancy, my parents had thought that my boyfriend would stand by me, and had admonished me when I told them he had left, saying that I must have done something wrong and I needed to fix it on my own. It had been one of the reasons Ty had never known his grandparents.
The dinner was exquisite, though I am more used to food that fills you up, rather than the teeny-tiny ‘gourmet’ serving sizes of a seven course meal. They were less than snacks for the rich and prissy. After the dinners came the speeches.
I held Sal’s hand as the girl spoke. I applauded her bravery in keeping away from drugs and making sure that her own son was healthy. She had turned to prostitution to feed and clothe her newborn when the charity found her on a street corner. She now worked for them, giving speeches at schools and functions like this one. She had been one of their success stories.
I smiled at Sal, who watched me as he relaxed in his chair. He leaned over and planted a kiss on my cheek, just softly against the slight bruising that was covered by my make-up. I blushed and felt his hand run along my thigh under the table. I reached over and took the hand that was still above board, resting around his glass of whiskey, tracing my fingertips over his. He downed his whiskey and took my hand in his, rising from his seat as the music began to play.
Sal led me out onto the parquetry of the dance floor, holding my tight as Wicked Game by Chris Isaac was covered by the band. A female vocalist did the song beautiful justice.
“The world was on fire and no one could save me but you.
It's strange what desire will make foolish people do.
I never dreamed that I'd meet somebody like you.
And I never dreamed that I'd lose somebody like you.”
Sal moved me around the dance floor, I lay my head against his chest, hearing the softly muffled beating of his heart through his tuxedo. He spun me out and back, my back finishing up against his chest as he took my hand and held me against him.
“No, I want to fall in love… No, I to fall in love… with you.” I sang softly as I leaned against him, his arms tightening around me as he pulled me in as close as he could against his body.
The music finished its final strains with the guitar riff playing out. Sal held me tight and kissed the crown of my head. We danced through a few more songs before Sal went and made his donation, a hefty hundred thousand dollars. My heart swelled with pride and love for the man who had swept me off my feet. We spoke briefly to some of the others who were involved in the charity before we returned to the dancefloor.
CHAPTER 3
The event wound down towards the early hours of the morning, and Mack came and collected us in the limo. Sal kept his eyes roving over my body, his hands drifting slowly over my shoulders. We arrived back at the club and entered through a security door. The crowds were starting to disperse from the nightclub. Olivia had said she would be more than happy to take Ty to school for me, so I in turn was more than happy when Sal said I was spending the night with him.
“I have something for you, a gift.” I shook my head.
“Sal, you know I don’t want anything from you, but you.”
“I love giving you things, Tess, I won’t take no for an answer. You are my woman and I will look after you.”
Damn Alpha males. I thought to myself with a smile and a shake of my head.
He took me up to the penthouse, and led me into his personal office. He went to his safe and opened it. He pulled out a small square box. Within the box, on black velvet lining an emerald and diamond choker on a gold chain was laid out to display. I placed my sequin clutch on a lounge chair and walked up to him.
“Sal, oh, wow… this must have cost a fortune…” I said as I took the box from his hands. The jewels sparkled in the light.
“You’re worth it Tess, I keep telling you this.” He smiled. “I wish you’d listen and understand that.” I looked from the jewels to his face. He reached over and took the box from my hands, placing it on the desk. His strong hands reached around my waist and put me on the desk. He kissed me, our lips meeting hard, his body nestled between my knees. His hands lifted the skirt of the dress up my shins, over my knees and above the thigh. I moaned softly as he suckled his lips against the skin of my throat.
His hands grabbed and kneaded my ass, pulling me closer to him. My pussy met with the straining erection that was imprisoned by his tuxedo pants. I reached down into his pants, feeling the hot hard length. I gently stroked him. Sal closed his eyes and leaned his head back, moaning gutturally, deeply.
His hands shifted up and unzipped my dress, letting the indigo fabric fall down my body. The chill air of the office made my nipples harden beneath the material of my bra. Soon that too was removed by his hands, his lips shifting to touch, taste and tease my nipples. I arched my back pressing my body against his warm lips and teasing tongue. Passionate fire shot through my body, heating my core and making my skin tingle as Sal expertly teased me into submission, I honestly didn’t think sex could feel this good before I met him.
He lowered me down onto the desk, sweeping a few pens and paperwork off the top so I could lay comfortably. His kisses continued to heat my body with a flaming passion as I felt his hardness nudge against my pussy. I shifted, letting him enter me in one powerful thrust. I felt him shiver as I tightened around him.
“Oh baby.” He moaned, leaning his face against my shoulder. His hips thrust his thick length faster, harder, penetrating me deeper as he grunted his passion. His hands gripped my thighs. I moaned and whimpered with each delicious movement, feeling the desk shifting slightly with each driving plunge he took within me. I felt him tense. His hands left my thighs to shift under my back as he lifted me up, my bare chest to his white-shirt encased one. His face contorted in a passionate grimace as he roared his release, my moans turning into shrill cries of climactic release. I tightened around him as I felt his hot cum burning within my core as he shuddered within me.
Panting, he pulled out. He took my chin in his hand and smiled, a small laugh leaving his beautiful lips as he shook his head. “You are so beautiful.” He breathed. My chest heaved as I panted before him. I pulled him back to me, my lips meeting his in a bruising kiss. We stayed lip locked for what seemed like hours, coming down slowly form our heated coupling, his hands running up and down my naked back, reaching in occasionally to caress the swells of my breasts. He pulled away, breaking the kiss, but taking my lower lip to the limits that were constrained by the skin. My lip snapping back to hang slightly lower with my open jaw.
Sal ran his thumb over my jawline before he helped me back into my clothes and to my feet. He led me out of the office and back to the bedroom.
He undressed me and handed me a tissue-wrapped package.
“As much as I would love to have you sleep naked beside me, you probably should have something to wear to bed.” He smiled. I carefully unwrapped the tissue paper. From it, he plucked a gorgeous black satin and lace nightie. Hold
ing it out so I could see it, he smiled. “I’ll rip it off you later.” He promised as he slipped it over my body, helping my arms into it. He pulled back the covers and patted the clean sheets. I climbed in, on hands and knees. His hand came across my butt sharply and I squeaked, giggling.
“Rest. We’ll talk more in the morning.” He covered me over and I snuggled down on his side of the bed, revelling in the scent of him, warm, masculine and safe. He turned away to leave and then reached into his pocket. “Oh before I forget, I have one more thing for you my love.” My heart fluttered rapidly when I heard the “L” word. He pulled a card out form his pocket.
“I had a security card made up for you for the elevator to the penthouse.” He placed it on the bedside table and kissed me. “I’ll be in soon.” He left, closing the door behind him. I reached over and picked up the card. In the dim light that snuck in through the curtains from outside I looked at the security card, simple white and plain. I turned it in my fingers, the black magnetic strip was the only colouring on it. I smiled. Things were moving quickly with Sal, but they felt right, so very right. I placed the card back on the nightstand and drifted off to sleep with the memory of his lips on mine and the scent of his pillow in my nose.
CHAPTER 4
I awoke alone in Sal’s room, daylight peeked out through the curtains. I sat up, thinking that Ty must be at school by now, checking the bedside alarm clock I noticed it was just after nine am. Olivia would have taken him, surely. I got up and used the bathroom. Returning to the bedroom, I changed back into my dress from the previous evening. Slipping my heels onto my feet I quickly grabbed the key card and left Sal’s room. Mack was waiting in the lounge room reading the day’s paper.
“Hey Mack, I need to get home and let the babysitter go home, Can I beg a lift?” I asked with a smile.
Mack put down the newspaper and grinned, “Sure thing, Tess. Ready to go?”
“Yeah, I’d like to say goodbye to Sal first though.” Mack’s face clouded slightly.
“He’s in an important meeting right now, but I’ll let him know.” Mack said. I nodded, knowing that I’d probably taken up a lot of Sal’s important time recently.
Mack escorted me down to the Mercedes when I realised that I had left my clutch purse with my keys and phone back up in Sal’s office.
“Damn, I left my purse upstairs.” I said, “Give me a minute!” I trotted back into the club on my heels while Mack followed more sedately. I reached the private lift before him and went up. The doors opened and I exited into the main hallway of the penthouse. Sal’s office was right at the very end of the hallway. I walked briskly, unbelieving how silly I could have been to forget my purse. I put my hand to the door handle and opened the door.
Everything slowed down.
My eyes swept to Sal, he stood in the middle of his office with his back to me. Standing sideways aiming a pistol at a man who was begging for his life on his knees. Sal said something and pulled the trigger.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Six shots rang out. Six flashes. Five times the man’s torso exploded in red blotches, with the final shot from Sal’s gun mangling his features. My hands flew to my lips as I squealed in fright. Sal turned and looked at me, a look of shock and then anger on his face.
“Tessa.”
I didn’t wait to hear what else he had to say, I turned and ran out of there as fast as my expensive heels could carry me.
“Get her, bring her back here!” I heard Sal shouting. My heart pounded in my head. My heels against the soft carpet competed against the heavy thudding of boots of Sal’s men chasing after me. I sobbed as I ran to the end of the hallway, my hand reaching out for the call button of the elevator, tapping it frantically, the elevator doors opened to my utter relief and I ran through them.
To be met with a unmovable wall of muscle
Mack.
Shit.
I looked up at Mack, my eyes begging him to rescue me. He looked down at me, the Bluetooth earpiece in his left ear flashed its blue LED, reflecting on the steel of the lift’s door frame.
“I have her Sal.” He said, taking my arm. I crumpled to the floor in front of the lift doors as Sal’s goons arrived at the elevator. “Come on, Tess, Sal wants to see you in his office.”
I bit my lip to try to force myself not to cry, but failed miserably. Sobbing, I got to my feet, Mack’s hand clutching my wrist like a vice. My whole body trembled in his grip. Wracked with fear and adrenaline I forced one foot in front of the other. Mack’s hands were warm on my chilled arms as he guided me back to the office where Sal waited.
My head and shoulders drooped as I took the longest walk of my life. I was turned as I walked like an automaton into the office. The smell of blood and something hot and burning was rife through the room. I took a few deep sobbing breaths as I heard Sal walk towards me.
“Look at me Tess.” He said, his voice low and dangerous.
His dirty secret was out. Salvatore Carelli was not the man I thought me was. Slowly, I lifted my eyes. Taking in the scene, trying to avoid looking anywhere but him, even the mangled body on the tarp was easier to look at than the murderer who I had made love to not hours before.
Plastic tubs filled with bags of pills, powder and greenery, which I could only assume was marijuana were stacked along a wall. The body of the man that Sal had killed was being wrapped up in a blue tarp that, upon running the scene back through my head, I had realised he had been kneeling on. I also recalled only seeing three flashes from Sal’s gun. I looked up at the men in the room. One was Detective Haynes, who held his gun in his clasped hands, thankfully, pointing down. I gasped, Sal turned and looked at Haynes, and he turned back and smirked.
“Well, Tess.” He said, taking me from Mack’s ‘custody’ and setting me in his office chair. One of his men had pulled it around when I was escorted into the office. “What are we to do with you?”
“Please…” I said softly.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“Please, Let me go Sal, I won’t talk” I said, breaking down. Sal knelt down in front of me, his gun still in his hand.
“You see Tess, I am in a bit of a bind here. If I let you go, there’s no guarantee that you won’t talk. I don’t want to kill you because for one: I have gotten used to having you around, two: you are such a great fuck, and three: I don’t kill women or kids.” He placed his hand on my knee and rubbed it gently. “Haynes on the other hand…” Sal said, turning to Haynes before he turned back to me. I glanced up at the crooked detective and he smiled darkly. My eyes darted back to Sal’s face. “He has no such problem shooting a woman or a child, in fact, the week before you came in, one of our girls went ‘missing’ down from the Slip.” He held his hand out behind him, one of the men handed him a tablet.
I sobbed softly, wiping my eyes as he tapped away on the tablet, bringing up some security footage. I watched as Haynes took one of the Strippers from the Slip in one of the private rooms. He fucked her hard and then beat her senseless before he took her again before he fixed himself up and left the room. His victim lay still, bleeding from her nose and mouth, her head at an unnatural angle. The footage cued forward and Mack and some of the other security guys took her body out of the private room.
I shuddered, as Sal took the tablet away. “Now, what do we do with you?”
“I’ll do anything you want Sal.” I said, wringing my hands together in fear and nerves.
“Hmm, not quite convinced, baby.” He said, a faux thoughtful look on his face. “Maybe I should go and pick up Ty from school.” He said, tapping a finger against his chin.
“No! Please Sal, I won’t do anything, I won’t tell anyone, I’ll do anything for you, just please don’t hurt Ty.” I said, slipping from the chair to my knees. I heard the chair roll back away from me as my knees hit the floor. My hands reached up and I clutched at his stained shirt. My hands takin
g some of the bloody dampness onto my skin as I sobbed. I felt Sal’s hands around my back, patting me.
“I’ll tell you what.” He said as he let me cry. “We will go and get your things from your apartment, then you, Mack and I will go and collect Ty from his school when he gets out.” He pushed me back, forcing me to look at him by lifting my chin with his fingers. “You will come live with me, where I can keep an eye on you. How about that?” he said with a deadly smile.
“Anything you want Sal.” I said nodding miserably. He knew I didn’t want to be anywhere near him or his goons after I discovered his other life, but he took my acceptance.
“Good.” He stood up, grabbing my arms and pulling me up with him. He reached over and grabbed some tissues. He wiped the tears from my face and set me down in a leather armchair. I clutched the tissues he handed me with a death grip.
“She’s good?” Haynes said as he approached the chair. Sal nodded while he wiped his face clean of the sticky blood.
“Yeah, she won’t talk.” Sal said, wiping his hands on the tissue as if he had just done an oil change on a car.
“Good.” Haynes bent down to look me in the eyes, I saw his promise of brutal murder and more should I utter anything against Sal or him. “Miss Williams, Just so you know, If you ever do make any statements or claims against Sal, I am the one that is called to deal with him, so we will know if you go to the police about any of this, do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.” I said, nodding as I wiped another tear that trickled down my face.
Haynes nodded. “I’ll be in touch, we’ll find the fuckers who stole that three hundred grand.”
Sal grinned. “Good, then they can join the asshole whose blood I have splattered all over my good dress shirt.”
“Shirts are easily replaceable, I want my three hundred grand and the network secure again.” Haynes grumbled. I heard the door close as he left.