Silent Whisper

by ANDREA SMITH

  There was a moment of silence.

  “I’d say that’s up to them. They don’t need my approval if they’re willing to risk the family name like that. You know whom they answer to and it’s not me. Now I think we’re done here, Marco.”

  “Whatever you say, Nick,” Marco replied, his tone bearing a hint of exasperation.

  I heard the sound of him getting to his feet, so I hurriedly made fast tracks through the parking lot before that door opened and they both realized that I’d been eavesdropping.

  China white. Was that heroin? Maybe cocaine? I needed to find out exactly what Marco was dealing in with Vinnie and Little Sal. Maybe it would be an opportunity for me to exact a bit of revenge on the family business. It might be the perfect opportunity since Dominic had passed on the deal.

  Yeah, I admit it. As much as I wanted to hurt the Castellano family, if I could do it without sending Dominic to prison, that was my preference. I wasn’t to the point yet that saving Dominic was more important than exacting my revenge, but I’m not gonna lie, I was getting close.

  I knew that if it came down to it, and there was no other way, that I would have to be willing to take Dominic down with the rest of them. I mean I knew that was the reality of it. I just wasn’t sure anymore if I could be that person.

  chapter 6

  When I returned from the deli, the only car in the lot other than mine was Dominic’s black Mercedes. Marco Trevani’s dark blue Lincoln was gone, which was really no surprise. But I still wondered exactly why Dominic had decided to come out to the storage units without letting me know. Usually he would call ahead, or let me know in the morning on those nights he stayed over that he’d be stopping in. After all, he had the key to the safe—another puzzling tidbit.

  Maybe he was checking up on me.

  He was sitting in the chair at my desk, his legs propped up on the top of it when I came into the office. He was glancing through a stack of drawings that I’d been doodling around with over the past couple of weeks during my spare time, which was somewhere in the neighborhood of six hours per day.

  I tossed the bag of sandwiches onto my desk, and slapped his change from the twenty down right next to it. He looked up at me, his eyes dancing with amusement.

  “So, I see you have some hidden talents, Karlie. Why have you kept your flair for fashion design in the closet?” he asked, smiling. “Oh, and pardon the pun.”

  “Are you poking fun at me?” I asked, giving him an eye roll.

  He was rooting through the deli bag. “Did you remember to get my Orangina?” he asked.

  I pulled two bottles of Orangina from my shoulder bag, setting them on my desk.

  “Fantastic,” he said, taking one of them into his large hands and twisting the top off. “No, not at all sweetheart,” he answered, glancing back down at the evening gown I’d designed with a flashy feather-boa neckline. “Actually, I think they’re damn good. I’m just surprised that you’ve never mentioned your flair for creativity to me before now.”

  “I didn’t mention it now,” I deadpanned. “You just happened to be snooping, that’s all.”

  I un-wrapped my sandwich and took a bite.

  “Are you upset for some reason?” He was eyeing me now with a hint of concern. My happiness for whatever reason seemed to be paramount to him.

  “Well, why did you banish me from the office earlier? Did I do something wrong?”

  His face darkened just a bit, before he shook his head, dropping his sandwich back onto the waxed paper. “No baby,” he replied, “I wasn’t angry with you at all. I just don’t trust Marco. I don’t want him near you.”

  “He said he came here to meet you,” I explained. “Isn’t he a business associate of yours?”

  “Not really,” he replied tersely. “And you’re to let me know if he ever comes back around here, do you understand?”

  I nodded. It was apparent that Marco was one of Dominic’s hot buttons, and maybe for reasons other than the China White he had mentioned in the conversation that I’d overheard earlier.

  “Let’s not talk about him, Tesoro. I came here because I have something for you in my trunk.”

  I felt my face light up. “A present?” I asked.

  “Sort of,” he replied. “I think you’ll like it and hopefully, you’ll put it to good use here.”

  We finished lunch and then he went out to his car. He returned carrying a large cardboard box that was marked “Compaq Portable II.”

  “Is that a computer?” I asked, arching a brow. “For me?”

  “The answers are yes and yes,” he replied, setting it on top of my desk. “But there’s more to come.”

  And he wasn’t kidding. He brought in a box that contained a dot matrix printer, computer stand and a rolling chair, as well as printer paper, floppy disks, and loadable software for this newest leap in technology.

  By the time we’d unpacked everything and set it up per the printed directions, it was mid-afternoon.

  “There’s one problem,” I said, my hands resting on my hips.

  “What is that my love?” he asked, looking up from where he had assembled the computer stand and was plugging everything in to a power strip.

  “I don’t know how to use one of these things,” I stated matter-of-factly.

  “Not a problem,” he said with a shrug. “Your instructor will be here tomorrow morning bright and early to start your training.”

  “Okay, fine. But one question—what am I supposed to do with it once I’m trained?”

  He smiled affectionately. “You will take on more work. You’re constantly complaining about how little you have to do here, so I’m fixing that. You will start handling some of the bookkeeping on my business deals. Happy?”

  “Delighted,” I replied, returning the smile. “Thank you, Dominic.” And I felt that warm tingling in my belly that I tried like hell to deny, but so far, had been unsuccessful at doing.

  “Anything for you, love,” he said. “And now that I know you’ve been hiding raw talent from me, maybe we can see about getting some software on this machine to help you with your designs.”

  I gave him a small laugh, shaking my head. “I just sketch stuff when I’m bored, that’s all. I mean, now that I’ll have real work to do that’ll keep me busy, there won’t be a need for me to waste my time doodling.”

  “Nonsense,” he said, grabbing his suit jacket from the back of the chair. “Talent is God-given. To not use it is a waste. Remember that. I’ll see you at your place later.”

  He brushed a kiss against my lips and was gone, leaving me to wonder why Dominic Castellano was turning out to be a much more complicated person than I had ever guessed.

  chapter 7

  The weeks following my computer training passed quickly. I no longer dreaded going to work because I was actually busy these days. I found myself enjoying working on the computer that Dominic had purchased. I was happy and as a result he appeared happy as well.

  It seemed I had taken very easily to the various software programs that had been uploaded to my Compaq. I was becoming fairly competent with dBase, Lotus-1-2-3 spreadsheet, and WordPerfect for the office.

  As promised, he had managed to acquire some prototype PC software called Illustrator, and I didn’t ask for any details, figuring it might be better to be left in the dark on that one. All I knew was that I loved figuring out how to use it and creating awesome clothing designs with the use of a pointer wand. I only fiddled around with that on my lunch hour or after hours when I simply couldn’t drag my ass away from it. Maybe he was right; maybe I did have some God-given talent for design.

  So I busied myself in my work and continued to spend any spare time that I had when Dominic was away, working on my “fall line” of designing fashions for fun.

  Dominic was always interested in seeing my computer designs when he stopped by my office, and at the condo. I had taken to sketching my creations on paper with a set of colored charcoals I had purchased to use when I was at
home where my computer wasn’t available.

  I almost liked sketching them myself better than using the software. It offered more creativity for accents, garment lines and flow.

  The phone on my desk rang, pulling me from my latest swimsuit design on the screen of my computer.

  “West-End Storage,” I answered automatically.

  “How’s my west end girl?” I heard Dominic ask, and I imagined his smile as he did so. “Working late again? Have I overloaded you?”

  I stifled a giggle, because he knew damn well what was keeping me at the office late.

  “I’m sorry,” I sighed, “But it’s your fault for buying the fashion design program. I’m hooked, I admit it.”

  “I’m only happy that you’re making good use of it. But we’re flying out tonight for a long weekend, have you forgotten? I want to make sure that you’re packed and ready when I send my driver to pick you up at seven. The plane will be ready and waiting for us.”

  “Dominic,” I sighed, rolling my eyes, “It really wasn’t necessary for you to go all out for my birthday like this. I’m fine with just staying in town.”

  “Nonsense,” he replied tersely. “Your twenty-first birthday is the first of many milestones. It should be celebrated properly. Besides that, I have some business in New York on Monday and Tuesday so the extra long weekend has dual purposes.”

  “Such the romantic,” I said, shutting down my computer. “Don’t worry, I’ll be ready. But who’s going to run the office here while I’m out?”

  “Not to worry,” he said, I’ve taken care of that. Vinnie or Sal will come by to put the cash receipts into the safe. I’ll have the calls transferred to one of their secretaries. So no worries, mia cara.”

  Hmmmm.

  As promised, I was packed and ready when Dominic’s driver, Robert, came to my door at seven sharp. He was a quiet guy, fairly emotionless, but always the gentleman.

  “Is this it?” he asked, picking up just the one suitcase.

  “Yep,” I replied, shutting the door to my condo behind us.

  I was sure he was used to the vast wardrobe Anna Maria more than likely packed when traveling. I’d heard snippets from Dominic about how his wife loved to shop for couture every chance she had. He didn’t seem to mind though. Maybe it made him feel less guilty about his keeping a mistress.

  Provided he was even capable of feeling guilt.

  I mean, for as much time as we spent with one another, I still hadn’t managed to dissect his psyche. It wasn’t as if he wasn’t talkative or anything, because I was fairly sure that as much as Dominic was able to open up to anyone, he had opened up to me. He just never talked business—or commented in depth about his family.

  He never questioned me about my personal stuff, which I suppose was a major factor in deterring me from questioning him. As much as he seemed to be fond of me, he didn’t delve into my past or ask questions about my family or anything. I wondered if he thought about it at all. Maybe he thought my life had started the day he met me in a brothel.

  As I sat in the back of the stretch limo, I relaxed back against the leather seat and thought about the first time I had met Dominic at Belle’s.

  “Hey Karlie, front and center,” Belle had hollered as she poked her head into the parlor. “Got a newbie out front. He asked for you. Quite a looker I might add.”

  I had scrambled to my feet and stopped in front of the mirror on my way out to check my hair and make-up. It was all-good.

  I could remember how my stomach had fluttered as the tall, dark stranger turned to gaze at me when I entered the lobby. I’d never seen him before and couldn’t imagine how he would’ve known me, or why he’d asked for me. I decided maybe I’d been referred, in which case I was sort of flattered.

  He’d followed me silently up the carpeted staircase to my room. I would never forget how tentative he’d acted with me. It was almost as if he’d never paid for a hooker before; he wasn’t quite sure how everything went down.

  With his dazzling good looks and quiet demeanor, I found it difficult to understand why he had felt the need to pay for female company, but it was his cash, and I made damn sure he got his money’s worth that night.

  A smile crossed my lips as I remembered just how gentle he had been with me. The sight of his nakedness had taken my breath away. He had been so different than the other men who’d paid for my company over the prior year and a half; he was slow and sensual; he tasted every part of my body before burying his sheathed cock inside of me. He had made love to me that very first time. What a rarity it had been.

  The truth was Dominic had spoiled me for any man after that. That’s not to say it wasn’t business as usual after he left, but I soon started to look forward to the few days every month that he would claim me as his.

  Belle had chided me about getting too attached to a john; it was very dangerous territory in the business. Still, when I told her about the offer he’d made to take me away from it all, she didn’t hesitate in telling me to grab it.

  “Honey,” she said, “No matter what happens with him, it’s got to be a better life for you than this. You and Lana are like my own, and I’ll miss the hell out of you, but who knows? Maybe there’s more to him than you know. Just be careful and know that you always have a home back here if things don’t work out in the city.”

  “Thanks, Belle,” I said, giving her a hug. “You know I’ll stay in touch.”

  Lana hadn’t spoken to me much after I’d given her the news. I promised her that I would stay in touch, and that we would even get together again.

  “Sure,” she said, a tinge of resentment in her voice. “Sure we will Karlie.”

  And I had stayed in touch. I called Belle’s at least once a week to check on her and the rest of the girls. Lana was the only one that wouldn’t come to the phone when I called. I told the others about my condo, my car and now my new job.

  “I’m so proud of you Karlie,” Belle said over the phone. I heard the sigh in her voice. “I hope Nick continues to treat you like royalty, but you know, if things should ever change, you can always come home.”

  “I know, Belle. I love you, too. Say hi to Lana for me, will you?”

  “Sure, sweetie. She misses you no matter what you think,” she whispered into the phone. “She’ll come around.”

  I wasn’t sure about that.

  I hadn’t told Belle or the others that ‘Nick’ was a Castellano. I knew that if I had, she would’ve talked me out of leaving. It was the only lie that I’d ever told her and it was a necessary one because I didn’t want her to worry—or worse, try and change my mind. Belle, like everyone else in Chester, knew what the Castellano name meant. So I’d given her and the rest of the girls a fake last name for Nick. It was better that way.

  My attention was drawn back into the present as Robert pulled the limo into the gravel drive that led to the small, private airstrip that Dominic’s family used.

  The Cessna was ready for takeoff. Dominic was already on board when Robert followed me up the steps with my suitcase in hand.

  “Have a safe trip, Miss,” he said, stowing my luggage.

  “Thanks, Robert,” I smiled, before turning my attention back to Dominic who was sprawled out in one of the leather seats, his tie loosened, a cocktail in one hand, and his DynaTAC cellular phone in his other. He motioned me over to the seat next to him.

  “We’re taking off now, Sal.” (Pause) “Yes, I’ve scheduled a meeting on Tuesday with Fat Tony at the social club in East Harlem. I think we can work something out without drawing too much attention.” (Pause) “Listen, I’ve got to go, I’m on this cellular and there are issues with privacy.” (Pause) “Yeah, I’ll be in touch.”

  Dominic shut off that contraption of a phone and gave me a smile. “You look exceptionally lovely. May I pour you a glass of wine?”

  I gave him a slight frown. “You know, Dominic, I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop on your conversation. You did wave me over here if you recall.”


  He gave a soft laugh. “I wasn’t referring to you, sweetheart. These cellular phones can have conversations easily picked up by anyone nearby with a scanner. It’s best not to discuss things of a sensitive nature, that’s all. Besides, Sal would’ve kept me on the phone indefinitely and I have something much more appealing to focus on now that you’re here.”

  I had to laugh, shaking my head. “You just always know the right thing to say, don’t you? I mean does that come with being Italian—or did you have to learn that skill?”

  He stood up, and went to the wet bar, pouring me a glass of white wine.

  “A little bit of both,” he said, raising his glass to mine. “Cheers, Karlie. You’re going to love turning twenty-one in New York City.”

  chapter 8

  Dominic hadn’t been kidding when he said we were going to celebrate my twenty-first birthday in style. He spared no expense or effort in ensuring that my first time in New York City was an experience that I’d never forget.

  My birthday, the following evening, started with a romantic dinner at his Manhattan loft prepared by one of his staff. Up to this point, I hadn’t a clue as to just how much wealth he had acquired in the family business.

  Oh, I knew of the Castellano family wealth, but all of this—it was Dominic’s alone. Never having traveled far from my roots in West Virginia, he had opened up a whole new world for me, and it was one that fairly glittered.

  I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t impressed. I was more than impressed; I was awestruck and amazed. It was one thing seeing how Dominic operated in and around Cherry Hill, New Jersey, but here in New York City it was no different.

  There was a bevy of associates around constantly to make sure that his every comfort was met, and because I was with him, they saw to my every comfort as well. It was intoxicating. And I admit something changed in me that night and in the way that I regarded him from that point on.