by Anna Lewis
“Do you have enough information to put Giovanni in jail?” I asked curiously.
“Well, I’d have to get a few of his key players taken in first on serious charges. Basically the only way to lock them in for good is to have a major deal of theirs busted. But that’s really tricky to do, the Spesato’s have been black market and arms dealing for over three generations. They aren’t your everyday careless criminals,” he said in all seriousness.
“So how the hell do we take care of Giovanni? I can have you go to Chicago to keep an eye on what he does so that we’re at least one step ahead, but…” I didn’t see the point if what Kane was saying was true.
“I can go to Chicago and report to you every step he takes, yes. But from what Terry and Jackson have told me of what happened the other day, the only way to get Giovanni is when he decides to come to New York. I know the restraining order Miss Lochte filed has gone through so that, along with all you’ve reported to the police, will finally give them enough cause to arrest Giovanni should he be in this jurisdiction.”
“So you want to trap him…” I said slowly and Kane shrugged one shoulder, almost nonchalant.
“Put some guys in his way when he gets to the city, bait him into reacting violently and have the cops waiting.” That plan was way too simple to work.
“Of course there are other intricacies to work out with that plan, but basically, that’s the gist.” Terry piped in.
“There’d be no backlash from his family’s organization. They, of all people, know how unstable Giovanni is, they know his pursuit of his son and ex-fiancée is stupid. They wouldn’t risk their dealings on petty revenge especially when there’s more than one heir to the head of the mafia,” Kane explained.
“Jesus, how long have you been watching the Spesatos?” I asked, wondering if he had some personal investment in this.
“A long time…I’ve been watching Giovanni since his son was three years old. It’s when he became more active with his father’s ‘business.’” Kane looked as if that was all he’d say about that. I felt weird knowing he had also been watching Maddy essentially. Hell, he probably knew more about her relationship with Giovanni than I did, what had he witnessed? Had he seen him hurting her over the years and just done nothing?
“So when do we start then?” I asked him, pushing my thoughts aside.
“As soon as possible, and don’t worry about paying me or anything like that. I want Giovanni taken down just as much as you do,” he said cryptically. Kane stood up and I followed suit, going over to shake his hand again.
“Thanks Kane, this…gives me hope,” I said truthfully.
“Hell me too, I have a feeling about this,” he said with an almost smile. As he headed towards the door with Terry I stopped him.
“Hey would you mind sending me what you have on Giovanni and his family’s business. I’d kind of like to know more about him.”
“Sure, I’ll have a folder sent over,” he said just before they stepped into the elevator to leave. As the doors closed them in and the light indicated the car was long gone I felt the strangest emotion. Yeah, I was hopeful we’d catch Giovanni somehow, but I was also waiting for him to make some sort of move again. It almost wasn’t like him to be so quiet even after just having come back from Chicago. He’d be gloating somehow, or sending messages to announce his impending visit to the city.
I shook my head, to try and clear my thoughts. Whatever, I wasn’t going to worry about it too much. That would only drive me some kind of insane.
***
Maddy
I was getting tired of ‘just missing’ Josh in our own home. It seemed like everywhere I went I was just catching his back. I understood he was working from home more often as his bruises cleared up, but the only time I saw him for any length of time was at the dinner table. I didn’t want our relationship to turn into something where he was working all the time and came to bed only after I was asleep.
Gio’s room was finally being worked on and keeping him away from that hallway was difficult. Of course all he wanted to do was peek. Josh had set up a private tour of the Bronx Zoo on Sunday, which was only four days away, so that when we went Gio would be able to see a few animals up close and such. Since he came back from Chicago I found myself spending more time with Aunt Aida than I did Josh and that was more than a bit troubling. Sometimes I couldn’t help but wonder if he was still going after Giovanni, after he said he wouldn’t.
After being visited by Giovanni’s thugs, I had switched to an earlier shift at the hospital so that I could leave while the sun was still out. I was about to have Marcus, who had taken over as my driver and security ever since our visit to the drug store, take me to a nearby sandwich shop before heading home when my phone rang, it was Josh.
“Hey, are you on the way home yet?” he said as soon as I answered. He sounded like the old Josh, the one I ran into at the park and fell in love with before his visit to Chicago.
“Well I was going to grab a sandwich first…why, what’s up?” I asked curiously.
“I made some before dinner food, appetizer stuff, here. I was wondering if we could spend the evening together. Gio agreed to spend the night at Aunt Aida’s so…” I paused before answering briefly, surprised.
“You got Gio to willingly sleep over at Aida’s?” I chuckled.
“Yep, he came to me saying you looked sad lately and I think that’s my fault so…we get the evening together.”
I smiled and glanced at Marcus in the rear view mirror, mouthing for him to head home. I told Josh that I was on the way home and we ended the call.
On the way up to the penthouse I noticed that Marcus kept glancing down at me kind of awkwardly. I knew what was on his mind, what he was no doubt curious about. Especially after he drove me to my doctor’s appointment yesterday. But he didn’t say anything and neither did I. Josh was waiting right outside of the elevator when we got to the penthouse. His bruises were clearing up pretty well, but he still had tape on his nose.
“Hi,” he said with a small smile as I stepped out of the elevator, Marcus disappeared into the background, probably going to keep Terry company.
“Hey…are you sure you don’t have to work today?” I asked him and he waved his hand, dismissing my comment.
“I’m all caught up, don’t worry about work. Besides, I’m the boss I can delegate a little so I have time for my beautiful girlfriend.” He pulled me in for a kiss on the lips. I tried to ignore the twinge I felt in my chest at his referring to me as simply his ‘girlfriend,’ though that is what I am I suppose. I just couldn’t help but think that after all his ‘family’ and ‘wanting to marry me’ talk, he’d just seriously backtracked.
“Josh I want to talk to you…about…um—” as I was trying to form the words in my head, he cut me off.
“I think I know what you want to talk about and we can. Come, sit,” he sat me down in the living room, taking my bag and nurses’ jacket. He handed me a waiting glass of wine, which I eyed dubiously. “I’ve been distant lately, and I’m sorry. It’s just that after Chicago and everything, I haven’t felt quite right and I’ve been handling it by avoiding you and Gio. Which I shouldn’t have done, and I’m sorry,” he spoke almost in a rush and took a deep breath, followed by a slight wince afterwards.
“I know…I brought a lot of craziness into your life Josh and I’m sorry. I mean if you and I would’ve never—”
“No, no, no. Stop right there, none of this is your fault. I thought we’d gone over this already?” Josh came closer to me on the couch and removed the untouched wineglass from my hands. Setting it back down on the coffee table. He took my hands in his and held my gaze steadily.
“Don’t feel like you’re to blame for this situation. You and Gio are the target of a very delusional criminal, and this…?” he pointed to his face, some bruises yellowing and splotchy, while others were still dark and painful looking. “This was a stupid decision I made. Because I let my pride cloud my judgement, because
I love you and Gio so much. So if you feel you’re to blame for me loving you…well, yeah I guess you can take blame for that. But only that.”
I kissed him then, unable to handle any more of his sweet sincerity without crying. He surprised me with how fervently he kissed me back.
Pushing his fingers into my hair with one hand and cupping my cheek with the other, he licked almost greedily into my mouth. All thoughts of a nice or romantic evening was immediately thrown out the window. I know what he wanted and I wanted it too, badly. I was shocked when he easily scooped me up into his arms, heading for the stairs.
“Aren’t your ribs…?” I asked, him, my surprise evident in my tone.
“They aren’t so painful anymore,” he said without strain in his voice. Soon we were in the bedroom, having passed the scent of fresh paint and new furniture wafting from Gio’s nearly ready room. Josh closed our bedroom door behind him before walking over to set me down on the bed. He pulled off his shirt and I sat up to lightly touch the still dark red bruise on his side.
“It doesn’t hurt,” he said softly. I leaned forward to kiss him there as my hands ran down to other places. I rubbed his thick erection through his sweat pants and he groaned, bending down to capture my lips with his. All the while I pulled his pants down and freed his cock. Taking it into my hand to stroke him, Josh groaned again and gently pushed my shoulders so that I’d lay back. He efficiently stepped out of his pants as he pulled off my scrub bottoms and panties, followed by my top and bra. He lowered himself onto me, his mouth capturing one of my nipples and biting down. I gasped, the bite of pain turning into a burning hot bolt of pleasure. I felt the slickness in between my legs even before Josh slid his fingers against the folds of my sex.
My entire body seemed to burn then, every nerve ending firing only pleasure and taking my mind to a place I can only go when I’m with Josh. I came before he even slid one finger inside of me, and again when he did, finding my g-spot over and over. I pushed him onto his back after, my limbs already feeling like jelly, but I knew he had to be hurting, his ribs weren’t yet all the way healed. He held my waist as I mounted him. His eyes never leaving mine, dark blue with passion.
As I rode him he constantly murmured how much he loved me, how beautiful I was, that he couldn’t do without this. Soon he was speechless with our shared orgasm. Mine more devastating than the first two. I almost collapsed on top of him, falling to the side instead. He held me almost underneath him for a long time, as if he was trying to absorb me into his skin.
“Hey Maddy…” he said eventually.
“Hmm?” my eyes had begun to droop and I was seconds away from falling asleep.
“We’re still getting married, right?”
A huge smile spread across my face and I had to giggle.
“Of course,” I said, looking up at him then. He laughed with me and gave me a soft kiss on the lips.
***
“Are you sure it doesn’t hurt?” I asked him as I watched him get up from the bed and stretch.
“I’m sure, the pain is ignorable now,” he said in reassurance, his eyes swept down the length of me and back, stopping on my chest. “Did your boobs get bigger?” he asked, almost sounding like an excited kid.
“Yeah, I think they did a little,” I said, my chuckle sounding almost nervous, though I tried to hide it. He climbed back onto the bed briefly and kissed both of my breasts playfully.
“Are you hungry? I really did cook you know,” he said with a crooked smile.
“Well I’ve got to try this food then,” I said and lazily got up from bed. I went into the bathroom to clean up quickly before finding one of Josh’s t-shirts to throw on.
“Have I told you how much I love seeing you in my shirts?” he asked me as I made my way down the main staircase to the kitchen.
“Yes you have.” I sat up at the breakfast bar and he served me a plate of some really yummy smelling chicken along with seasoned potatoes and asparagus.
“This smells really good,” I said, almost in surprise and he laughed.
“I can cook from time to time you know,” he leaned across the counter to give me a kiss before I dug in. The food must have been keeping warm in the oven or something, it was the perfect temperature. “Oh and this wine is supposed to go really well with that meal, it’s an…” I tuned out from his description of the white wine, technically I could take a few sips, but I shouldn’t be drinking at all. In fact, as he poured the wine for me the very scent threatened to take my appetite away.
“What’s wrong?” he asked and I recovered quickly.
“Nothing it’s just…I don’t really feel like wine tonight,” I said, hoping he wouldn’t ask why.
“Oh, alright then. More for me.” He sat down next to me and began telling me about his work. How his company was progressing nicely and its growth was a little unprecedented. He was mainly worried about managing the company’s risk, but was hopeful he could reach a slow steady climb soon as the company stabilized into its new size.
“Oh and I was thinking that on Saturday, before Gio’s birthday we could stop by my parents’ house for the day. They bought a new house in Long Island so that they could visit the city whenever. I have a few cousins visiting also and they have kids his age. My mom won’t stop asking about you, she says Thanksgiving is too long of a wait for us to get together so she and my dad will be in town for two whole weeks.”
“Sure, but um…what about…”
“Don’t worry, we’ll just take a driver who will be out of sight while we’re there. My parents don’t have to know anything.”
“But what about your face?” I asked him.
“Car accident, hence the driver until I get a replacement car…” he said nonchalantly.
“And they’ll believe that?” I countered and he nodded.
“I already told them I had an accident, anyways I’m sure most of these will be cleared up by the time we see them,” he said confidently.
“Alright then, I’m sure Gio would love to be around kids his age. He must be so tired of spending all that time with Aunt Aida,” I laughed.
“You know, what Gio needs is a younger brother…and sister,” Josh smiled at me suggestively and I laughed.
“How many kids do you see yourself having?” I asked him, my heart rate picking up a little as I reached for my glass of water.
“Three or four. Four in case a little accident comes along,” he said and I nearly choked on the water I’d taken a sip of. “What? Don’t you want a big family?” he asked me curiously.
“Um…well, being an only child I do want a sibling for Gio because I know what it’s like. But…three? Four?” Josh laughed and then shrugged.
“Think of how much fun that would be!” he said exuberantly.
“Think of how much college tuition that would be,” I countered without thinking. Josh gave me a deadpan look and I realized, oh yeah…I was talking to a billionaire.
“Our four kids, including Gio, will want for nothing, and if we’re lucky so will theirs and so on and so forth.” Josh leaned over to give me a smacking kiss on the cheek. I giggled and looked at him with a hopeful smile. Talk about an attitude one-eighty. Hours ago I’d been worried he was possibly going to leave me. Now we were talking about having four kids.
“We’d have to move upstate or something by kid number three,” I said. Josh gave me a look of surprise and then almost pouted.
“Why not raise them in the city?” he asked, and there ensued our debate on the best place in New York to raise a family. Little did Josh know his four kid goal was closer to being reached than he thought. Just…for some inexplicable reason I felt I shouldn’t tell him yet.
* * *
The next couple of days flew by in uneventfulness, which was much needed and made me feel like we could be normal again. Like we were before Giovanni sent his guys to my job. Gio had started calling Josh dad and gotten used to it, though it was taking me a bit longer to get used to. On the other hand, Josh
absolutely glowed every time the word left Gio’s lips. To see their bond was beyond heartwarming and thanks to the darn pregnancy hormones I wanted to cry every time I saw them together.
“I’m kind of nervous,” I told Josh, as we were getting into bed. Tomorrow was when we’d drive up to Long Island to spend the day with his family.
“Don’t be, my parents already love you. Mostly because you were an adorable ten-year-old and they knew how much I loved you even then,” he chuckled. As he got comfortable he pulled me against his chest, his hand slid down to rest against my belly. I wondered if on some level he knew, like maybe some subconscious instinct in him knew that I was carrying his child. Either way, give or take a couple of weeks and I’d be showing. I needed to move past this mental block I seemed to have. I stayed awake trying to figure it out, my mind kept circling back to Giovanni. Even though he’s been eerily silent, I felt that I needed to know he was a hundred percent taken care of before I told Josh.
***
“…and your mom and dad have a big backyard?” Gio was practically drilling Josh as we neared his parents’ house.
“Yep, they even brought the old trampoline I used to play on back there too. Of course it’s been kept up with so no one dies when they jump on it,” he said, more for my benefit, but Gio laughed anyway.
“So we’re gonna have—there’s gonna be a barbecue?” he asked Josh again, his excitement mounting.
“Gio honey, how about we take a deep breath and calm down a little. You sound like you’re about to fly through the roof,” I said.
“Mommy I’m gonna be six tomorrow, that’s a big deal,” he said earnestly and with wide eyes. Making everyone in the car, including Jackson who was driving, crack up.