There was a long, silent moment. Alexei coughed. “Perhaps I should go,” he said, rising slightly from his chair.
Dom put up a hand. “Hold on, Alexei. As it turns out, I may need to speak with you about placing an order very soon. A rather… large order.”
Carmelo and Salvatore looked at each other.
“Of course, Dominic,” Alexei replied. “Anything you require, I can get it. You need pistols?”
Dom smirked. “No, no… Bigger than that. But Alexei, let’s discuss this later. Can you come to my office tomorrow?”
“Certainly.”
“Excellent,” Dom replied, flashing a bright white smile and ignoring the quizzical looks of his assistants. “Gentlemen, how about a drink?”
Chapter Ten
Two hours of dancing and about four – or was it five? – vodka-sodas later, Jessica was feeling fantastic.
All her problems seemed small and far away, lost in a haze of booze-fueled dancing under the bright flashing lights of the dance floor. She couldn’t remember exactly who she’d danced with, or to what songs, but all she knew was that she’d been tearing it up out there, and that there had been no shortage of sexy Italian men vying for her attention. She hadn’t paid them much mind, though. She’d danced with a few, but hadn’t let things get too physical with any of them. She was here to dance, and that was it – and after two hours of revelry, she was on top of the world.
She was feeling so good, in fact, that she didn’t notice the thinning of the crowd around her as she spun around to the beat of the music – she didn’t notice that she was approaching the edge of the dance floor, and that there was a small step leading down to the bar area.
Down she went, falling somewhat less than gracefully, but catching herself with surprising agility and bouncing up again as if nothing had happened. “Fuck!” she cried out, and burst into laughter. It all seemed just like one big game. She looked around for someone to share the joke with, but it suddenly dawned on her that she was alone. Just then, the lights flicked on, and the music softened to a volume that could only mean the club was closing.
A bouncer walked up to her; she recognized him as the same guy who’d helped her when she entered. “Are you all right, miss?” he asked her. “I saw you take a fall just now.”
“Are you kicking me out!?” she yelled at him, her voice sound oddly shrill now that the dull roar of the music wasn’t masking it.
“No, miss, but the bar is closing. Let me bring you some water and call you a cab,” the bouncer replied.
“I’m fine,” she said, with drunken indignation. “Hey, you’re the same guy from before. What’s your name, anyway?”
“My name is Luca,” he said, taking a mini-bottle of water from the bar and opening it. “Here, please. Drink some water. I insist.”
Jessica glared at him, but she took the bottle. “I’m not doing this because you told me to,” she said. “I’m just drinking it cause I’m thirsty. You got that?” She motioned around to the emptying club, swinging the water bottle wildly and spilling more than a few drops as she did so. “I’m thirsty!”
She stumbled a bit as she spoke, but Luca was quick to catch her elbow and steady her uncertain frame. He smiled patiently. “So, I guess you had a few more glasses of Champagne,” he joked. “Did you have a good time tonight?”
But before she could answer, Jessica caught a glimpse of Dominic from across the room.
“What the fuck is he doing here?!” she cried out, at a loud enough volume that a few heads turned in her direction. “That guy’s a fucking creep!”
Luca’s smiled dropped instantly. “Uh, miss, please, you must be mistaken,” he said. “That’s Dominic Pirelli, the owner of this club.”
“I know that,” she sneered. “But he’s still a creep. Creep!”
She was yelling now, making a scene, and all eyes were now firmly on her. But her booze-infused confidence and lack of inhibition had taken the reins now, and were firmly in control of her actions. She couldn’t remember what exactly Dominic had done to irritate her – all she remembered, in her vodka-soaked haze, was that he’d tried to hit on her and that she hadn’t liked it. She decided that the best course of action was to march right over to his table and give him a piece of her mind.
He turned up to look at her as she approached, a quizzical and unflustered look on his face.
“Hey,” she said acerbically. “You. Remember me, buddy? I’m the girl you wish you had a chance with.”
A small smile tugged at the corner of Dom’s lips. “Good evening.”
“Yeah, it was a good evening. For me, that is!” Jessica backed away from the table a bit, turning slowly and pushing her hips out in a sultry pose. “You wish you had some of this, don’t you?”
Dom was still sitting there with that bemused expression on his face. He seemed to be getting a small kick out of this display, but to his credit he didn’t want Jessica to embarrass herself in public. He called Luca over to the table.
“Luca, can you call her a cab? I don’t want her going home without an escort. See that she gets home safely.”
“Sure, boss,” said Luca. “The cab’s already waiting.”
Jessica abruptly stepped forward, pushing the two men apart with her hands. “Hey!” she cried. “Just what do you think you’re doing, anyway?” She focused her gaze on Dominic, narrowing her eyes into suspicious slits. “You’re trying to go home with me, aren’t you?”
“Not at all, miss,” said Dominic. “We’ve just called you a cab. Now please, what’s the name of your hotel?”
“Ha!” she said. “As if, buddy. You know, you think you’re such a big-shot, but I can see right through your bullshit. In fact, I think it’s time somebody put you in your place.” And with that, she took the rest of her water and splashed it in Dominic’s face.
He was too surprised to react. His employees rushed forward to help him, but Dom waved them away with his hand.
“Boss,” said Luca, “I’m sorry. She disrespected you.” Normally when people disrespected Dominic Pirelli, they ended up in a hole in the ground.
Water was dripping from Dom’s nose and eyelids. He wiped his face with a broad hand and flicked the water onto the floor, then blinked a few times.
To Luca’s surprise, there was a smile on his face.
“Let it go,” he said, laughing quietly. “I’m big enough to take a splash of water to the face every once in a while. Listen, miss…”
“It’s Jessica,” she replied smugly, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
“Okay, Jessica,” Dom replied. “I’m sorry I offended you earlier. You’ve had your fun, and I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. Will you please allow Luca to escort you back to your hotel now?”
Jessica seemed satisfied with the way things had gone. “I just wanted to show you…” she began, trailing off as her words began to slur. “I just wanted to show you that you can’t talk to people like a big shot.”
“Duly noted,” he said. “Thank you. So you’ll get in the cab?”
She nodded, all smiles.
“Good. Take care, Jessica. I’ll have someone check on you in the morning,” said Dom. His eyes were intently focused now, completely in control. He was back in boss mode, making sure his orders were being followed to the letter.
But Jessica’s eyes were already beginning to close, and she seemed to have lost the train of the conversation.
“Goodnight…” she said sleepily, as her head began to nod forward.
Luca grabbed her hand. “Come on, miss,” he said. “Let’s go. I think we’ve had just about enough fun for one night.”
And as they climbed into the taxi, Jessica’s last coherent thought before a deep, drunken sleep was how handsome Dom had looked as he watched her walk away.
Chapter Eleven
“Hi, this is Jessica. I’m not available right now. Sorry you’ve missed me. Please leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”
Be
ep.
Carlo sighed, pulling the phone away from his ear and clicking the “end call” button. He held the phone in his hand for a moment, staring at it blankly as his mind wandered off into space.
It was 11:40 AM, and he’d been waiting for Jessica for upwards of 45 minutes. He’d arrived at the museum a bit early, wanting to straighten up the place a bit and make sure everything was just-so before she showed up. They’d agreed to meet at 11, an hour before the museum opened to the public, so that they’d have some time to stroll around it peacefully with the whole museum to themselves.
Now the crowds were beginning to show up, forming a small line outside the ticket office that stretched out into the garden in the museum’s front courtyard. Carlo looked out from his vantage point inside the main hall of the east wing, observing the families with impatient children and the couples talking into each other’s ears. The late-morning sun was just beginning to burn off the morning fog, and people were beginning to unzip their jackets to welcome the warmth of its rays.
He looked at each and every face in the crowd, just to check one more time to see if Jessica’s face was among them. He recalled her pretty eyes, bright and attentive, which formed small creases in the edges when she smiled. He’d only met her for an evening, but he’d remember those eyes anywhere. But as he scanned the crowd, Carlo didn’t see Jessica anywhere.
He wasn’t hurt at her absence; somehow, he knew there must be a good reason why Jessica hadn’t shown up. Something inside him made him certain that she wasn’t the type to stand him up. He hoped she was okay; it was strange that she wasn’t answering her calls. But still, he reasoned, there must be a good reason for this as well. Maybe her phone wasn’t set up to work in Italy; maybe something had come up with her job and she’d been called away urgently. Whatever the reason, it was nothing to get upset over. After all, in his time working for the Pirellis, Carlo had learned long ago how to keep a cool head.
The truth of the matter was, Carlo had laid awake thinking of Jessica for longer than he’d like to admit. He wasn’t sure what it was about her that had drawn him to her so forcefully. She was beautiful, of course, but he’d known many beautiful women over the years – and none of them had sent his mind and heart reeling quite like Jessica had. Talking to her that evening in the café terrace, he’d had the feeling that all was right with the world. He felt a calmness, a peculiar peace of mind, that he hadn’t experienced since his mother died.
Carlo didn’t quite know the reason for this overwhelming attraction he felt towards Jessica – it was too large a thing, too complicated, to process all at once.
All he knew was that he couldn’t wait to see her again.
Taking a deep breath, he tried once last time to dial her number. He glanced at his watch – 11:51. The gates would be opening in just a few minutes now, and the crowds spilling in would fill the museum with their bustle and noise. But still, if Jessica came, he knew she’d enjoy it just as much, even with the crowds. He listened intently as the phone began to ring.
“Hi, this is Jessica. I’m not available right now. Sorry you’ve missed me. Please leave a message and—”
Carlo hung up before the message could finish, turning slowly away from the window and heading back towards the museum’s private office. He decided that the best thing to do was to forget this for now – he’d go to the office and have a coffee, and try again sometime later in the afternoon. There was no rush, after all. Nothing to worry about.
Just then, his phone rang, and the noise and the sudden vibration startled Carlo more than he’d like to admit. He whipped his hand up to his ear before his thoughts even had time to fully process.
“Hello?” he asked, realizing only too late that the anticipation he felt was all too audible in the tone of his voice. He hoped she wouldn’t notice anything odd about it, or maybe that she would write it off as something else.
But it wasn’t Jessica’s voice he heard on the other end of the line.
It was Dominic’s.
“Carlo,” came the voice, as emotionless as the dead coal-black eyes of a shark in the water. That was Dominic’s voice, all right – there was no mistaking it.
Frazzled and confused, Carlo tried to re-orient himself as quickly as he could. “Hi, boss,” he said simply.
“There’s some work to do.”
Shit, Carlo thought to himself, his eyes flitting out to the crowd. The gates to the museum had just opened, and people were starting to stream into the main entranceway. Still no sign of Jessica.
“Carlo,” came Dominic’s voice again. “Are you there?”
“Uh, yeah,” he stammered. “Sorry about that, boss. I’m here. What’s up?”
“I need you to go down to the docks and pick up your brother.”
“Rocky?” asked Carlo, in dumb surprise.
“Yes, of course,” Dom replied. “Are you listening, Carlo? You need to go down to the docks and get Rocky. Bring him here. I’ve already called to let him know you’re coming.”
“Is everything all right?” Carlo asked.
“He’ll explain when you get there,” came the cryptic answer. “I’ve got to go. Call me when you’re back in Rome.”
Something about this didn’t seem right. Carlo’s mind was spinning now, trying to understand what was going on. But as he knew all too well, the mafia operated on a strictly need-to-know basis, and often it was best to leave certain questions unasked.
“…Sure,” he said finally. “Sure, boss, okay. I’m leaving now.”
“Good.” And with that, Dominic hung up.
Again Carlo was left staring at the phone in his hand, trying to make sense of what was happening to him. First with Jessica, now with Dominic, it somehow seemed as though there was something going on behind the scenes that just didn’t add up quite right. If Rocky just needed a ride home from Fiumicino, there were plenty of guys at the docks who could take care of that – hell, if worse came to worst, he could just hop onto the commuter train. No, there had to be some other errand Dom wanted to have taken care of, something he wasn’t comfortable discussing on the phone.
…But what?
Sighing, Carlo looked out at the crowd for a final quick once-over, although now he was relieved that he didn’t see Jessica’s face among the entrants. Perhaps it was better she hadn’t shown up. He didn’t know how he would have explained his sudden need to get away – there was no way he could ever tell her what sort of ‘family business’ he was involved in. He contemplated trying to dial her number one last time, but decided against it and shoved the phone into his pocket.
People were entering the east wing now. The crowd streamed past him without taking notice, people engrossed in the beautiful paintings hanging on the walls and not taking so much as a second glance at the dark-haired man standing alone in the hallway with a gray leather jacket and a faraway look in his eyes.
Glancing around him, Carlo suddenly snapped out of his daze and sprang into action. For better or for worse, his day’s plan had been decided for him, and there was nothing he could do to change that. The only thing to do now was to follow his orders – it was as simple as that.
Without looking backwards, Carlo strode off down the hall and out the back exit towards his car, a black Fiat that he’d only driven today on the off-chance that Jessica might have wanted to go somewhere after the museum.
He slammed the door, started the engine and put on a pair of reflective black aviators to block against the bright noonday sun.
Time to hit the road, he thought to himself. Fiumicino was an hour away, and from Dominic’s tone it sounded as though there was no time to spare.
And in that moment, lost in his thoughts amid the revving of the engine, Carlo failed to notice the faint buzzing of the cell phone in the pocket of his jeans…
Chapter Twelve
Without opening her eyes, Jessica awoke suddenly from a fuzzy dream, aware of nothing except the fact that she was thirsty. Her head was spinning, her eyes were closed
, and she was very, very thirsty.
For a brief moment, those were the only conscious thoughts she had; soon after, though, came the realization that she didn’t know where she was or how she’d come to arrive in her present condition.
Keeping her eyes shut, she tried to piece it together. Bed… headache… thirsty. She reached out with a clumsy hand to try and grab her cell phone, thinking it might hold some clues, but after a few seconds of fumbling around unsuccessfully for it she decided it’d be easiest to just forget about that idea.
Okay, she said to herself, her thoughts arriving slowly one by one. I think I should open my eyes. Cringing, she lifted open one eyelid halfway, groaning as the bright light of the room flooded her vision. She snapped it shut again instinctively, but the brief flash of light was enough to let her get her bearings a little bit more. She was lying in bed, thirsty and with a headache, and it was morning. This scene felt familiar, somehow… And sure enough, suddenly, it clicked. She had a hangover – and one for the ages.
Lust for Danger: A Mafia Romance -- Book One: The Family [Erotic Mafia Romance Book] Page 5