Vote Then Read: Volume II

by Lauren Blakely

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Amber whispers as we sit on the bed and I tell her everything. “Kaci, you have to tell Sal about the storm that is coming. Not warning him is like a cat five hurricane is headed straight for his face. He’s got to know,” she implores, freaking out and grabbing my hand. “He needs to know.”

  I have nothing to offer her but the truth. “You need to keep his head steered in the right god damned direction. I didn’t plan on you leading him, but he likes you…”

  She interjects, “No, he loves me.”

  Ouch.

  I suppose I deserved it.

  “How many girls are in your court?”

  “Enough to carry it out,” I reply, still reeling in the pain of her words. “But I need you, Amber.”

  “You are asking me to play both sides—the only one here risking anything for your convoluted plan is me. You know Cruz will kill me if he finds out and you know I won’t leave Sal. This is entrapment in the worst possible way. You are forcing me to do this.”

  “And if you do, I’m sure Sal will repay you for your loyalty.” She sighs, deep and heavy, as I serve up her dish of zero choice. “Someone has to take the hit.”

  Her expression opens up with anguish. “Does it have to be me?”

  “In Sal’s mind, he believes you are his best girl. Now, you get to prove it.”

  “I shouldn’t have to.” She jets up, pacing around the room as her arms cross and she covers her face. “I didn’t deserve this.”

  I stand up and stalk closer. “You may walk around and pretend you are Sal Raniero’s plaything, but let me explain one thing to you. You are a whore—a cheap, meaningless whore. You spread those pretty little thighs for whoever drops the quarter in the slot and for another dime, you might even swallow. You are an expendable piece of the puzzle, but if you play your cards correctly, I’m certain Sal will take care of you.”

  Her hand drops from her face as the tears fill her eyes. She licks her lips. “You are so fucking wrong.”

  “Do you not think it will work?”

  “It isn’t a matter of whether or not I think all your trigger-happy implants will work or not. It doesn’t matter what they know or who they fuck. You are using these women to do your bidding. And that, in my book, makes you the worst dick of the bunch.” I laugh as she reacts just like I hoped. “If you think for one-second that I’m going to let any of them revere you like some hero, you are flawed. I will play your game, but remember this,” she says, smoothing up to me as her darkness surfaces. “When you are on your death bed, and you are taking those very last shallow breaths, I’m going to catch him. I’m going to make mad, passionate love to him, and then I’m going to be his fucking Queen.”

  I snicker as I back away to leave, smiling. “Enjoy that Ride.”

  Opening the door, I run headfirst into the only person standing in my way. His intimidating stance boasts with a proclamation that he will not be messed with. “What the fuck is going on?”

  “We were just talking, and now, we are leaving.”

  Sal glances over my shoulder to his crying side piece. “Wrong,” he replies, pushing past me and taking a seat on the lounger. His proverbial sit-in tactic will not work with me. “Get in here and lock the door.”

  “I’m catching a cab and going back to Dom’s.”

  “Not unless you want me telling Jack that Merritt is Fink’s kid…”

  “… What?”

  He snarls with arrogance as I rebuke, “That baby isn’t Fink’s…”

  “I’m very well aware, but he doesn’t know that, does he? But if Jack thinks you are in cahoots with Fink and Cristos, he’ll go apeshit and go after Cristos because he is the only one who knows where your son is. I want to stop you from doing any more damage.” Sal holds up his phone, threatening to hit the call button. “All you gotta do, Kace, is close the door and listen to my terms.”

  17. Call me Mr. Hope

  Friday, December 24

  8 days before…

  I didn’t know if my dear husband would have the gumption to do it or not. But it wasn’t a risk worth taking at this stage of the game, which is why I am sitting in the library at The Dollhouse staring at Amber. The Christmas tree perched in front of the second story windows is a beautiful flocked mess of white with sparkling blue lights. There are no less than half a dozen trees, all bedazzling in their armaments. Like little soldiers, they stand sentinel for a cheerful season that I’m less than thrilled about.

  After Sal insisted on Dom coming to pick up Amber yesterday at Gina’s, she has been a constant shadow, reminding me that we are not alone. We are three—a ménage of fun. Not that we did that, or should I say, I didn’t. We came home, and as Sal predicted, I passed out until late this afternoon. I'm being somewhat of a defiant little bitch, wearing my pajamas to our festivity.

  I have no idea what the Master of this celebration has planned, but I cannot fathom it will bode well for me. I have been a naughty girl this year. “You know,” Amber whispers, finally breaking her silence. “You can go. I’ve got this.”

  “I’m sure you do, but he’s still mine.”

  She snickers, “Temporarily.”

  “You’ve really turned into quite the cunt,” I scoff, sitting cross-legged on the leather ottoman. “I don’t think I like you anymore.”

  “That’s okay,” she replies, swinging one of her horrifically beautiful legs over the other and draping her dainty paws on her knee. “Nice girls finish last.”

  I want to rebound with another catty remark when Sal enters the room. He is in a full black tux with tails. His slicked back hair accentuates his ample cheekbones and strong jawline. He is a man to be reckoned with. I discreetly smirk as I feel a sense of relief. I did it. I built the man.

  He may impart an appearance of a mafioso, but his chaos is far deeper, embedded into months of grueling training. He’ll undermine the whole network with these bitches by his side. “Merry Christmas,” I say as he leans to kiss my lips. His woodsy, masculine scent fills my nose and even I, feeling like shit, am slightly turned on. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too,” he says, walking over to Amber and taking her hand as she rises. Her short red sequined dress and black heels are no match for me in wool unicorn pants.

  “Merry Christmas, Salvatore,” she mutters with a bite to her lip as he moves in for a kiss. I don’t know what I expected, but the brazenness hurts and makes me proud at the same time. I longed for this moment to come to fruition, where he could be the Master and man I always wanted him to become. I guess I just never expected he would be so gung-ho to impress me. And he is, sharp like the scalpels I know all too well. “You look dashing!”

  His fingers graze over her cheek and reach to touch a strategically placed tendril of her hair along the side of her face. “Your new hair color looks fucking amazing.”

  “I wanted to do something different, something special for you.”

  God, I want to bludgeon her to death.

  Smack her in those pretty auburn locks until nothing remains but blood and brains.

  “I wanted us to have a night together,” he elaborates, shoving his tongue down her throat in a kiss for which I should not be privy. “Merry Christmas.”

  “I’m not feeling well.”

  Sal eyes me with concern as I catch sight of the hussy gloating. “You should go lay down.”

  “Oh, you would love that wouldn’t you?”

  “Kaci, don’t be like that,” he calmly says, holding her hand and reaching for me as I get up. “You asked for all of this.”

  “You know, I did. I just never knew when I built a motherfucking asshole that he would become one to me too. I’m out. Have a nice fucking Christmas.”

  “Goodnight!” Amber’s chipper voice echoes throughout the room. “Get some rest.”

  “Fuck you, whore.”

  I hear Sal sigh right before I slam the door.

  I don’t turn back. And I don’t think as I pick up my phone an
d call my Master.

  “Jack…”

  “I’m sorry, Sal.”

  “Don’t be,” I say, stripping off my jacket, vest, and tie. “I wanted to bridge the gap.”

  Sitting on the edge of the sofa, Amber smiles sympathetically. “There is no bridging this gap. She is pissed off she is dying, and no matter what you want, you cannot stitch that back together.”

  “I should have just gone to midnight mass.” Pouring two whiskeys, I hand her one. “How did you get so smart?”

  “A lot of failures,” she says, sipping the courage. “And besides, you wouldn’t want me being any other way. I’m sorry if it comes off blunt, but you asked for transparency between us and I aim to give you that. And as for mass, I’ll go with you if you want to.”

  Her sentiment means a lot to me, but it’s not safe for us to be seen anywhere in public together. Not now. “Thank you for the offer, but I’ll find my spirituality elsewhere this evening.”

  I undo my shirt and kick off my shoes before parking my rump into the overstuffed dark maroon leather chair. The magnetic energy waves between us, forcing us together with an unbreakable lust.

  Amber is my friend, lover, and clandestine confidante. But tonight, I’m the commander of her flesh as she willingly releases herself through begging bats of her seductive lashes. Her eyes demand my presence, and I cannot deny her.

  There is no need for negotiations, contracts, and other binding agreement as we meet in the dark. We are unspoken in the details as trust consumes us. She understands what is coming; I know what I can take.

  The question isn’t will you be my bottom because I know, she will. We come together for the nitty gritty, the shit beyond the basic. The stuff that turns lovers into legends and pilgrims into disciples. We aren’t immune to the addiction as we succumb to the only language we know. We will share in it like junkies, riding high in the clouds and shooting amongst the stars. “What else can you give me?”

  “Anything you want, Sir.”

  “Take off your dress.”

  A light blush rises on her cheeks as she sets the glass down. Her slick tongue darts out, coating her lips in a shimmering gloss of want. She scoots off the edge and lifts to her feet as she sways her hips back and forth. My mind spins as my cock awakens.

  After walking in a large circle, she steps closer to me and pulls the zipper on the side. The red sequins catch the light as it soars to the floor and I arch a brow at the sexy black lace bustier, panties, and garter. “You remembered.”

  “What?”

  “That I like unwrapping presents.”

  Her bright blue eyes shine to mine. “I would never forget anything you told me.”

  “You realize I’m asking you to bare your soul to me,” I growl, sinking deep into the chair and propping my feet on the ottoman.

  “I understand you need me to be raw…”

  Kicking back the rest of the whiskey, I stare at my present like a kid on Christmas morning. “You know, I never intended to hurt her.”

  “I’m not sure it could be avoided, babe.” She lowers to her knees in front of me. Her back is straight, and her tits blossom as she tucks her greedy hands behind her back. “She knew what she wanted and you provided, but I don’t think she understood the full ramifications of her actions. No one gets to have the Italian and eat him, too.”

  I laugh at the analogy. “Which do you want?”

  “If it isn’t obvious how starving I am, I can remove more clothing.”

  “Get on all fours and crawl…slow.” One of her cheeks pooches up with a crooked smile as she bends, teasingly. “The true beauty is in the journey, Amber. I like the adventure of not knowing what is coming next.”

  “So, take it with me.”

  My eyes ignite with radiant heat as the attraction and ache become unbearable. With Amber, I embody the carnal—the primal—spreading through my flesh and enrapturing hers. I stare at her ass, strapped beneath the thong and framed by the garter. There is nothing sexier than a woman in lingerie. I do not need a naked display, for it is far more alluring to be tortured by hooks, latches, and buckles. The literal peeling of layers is such a decadent little present – a snap here and slide there – each adding to the rush of adrenaline.

  She giggles in her parade about the room as the swish of her beautiful ass becomes my focal point. I cannot look at this woman and refuse my arousal. From the moment I laid eyes on her, we have been combusting, erupting with little explosions and violent upsurges.

  As much as I want to say it is purely physical, we are not. I love her enough to die for her. If it comes down to Amber or me—I will lay down my life for her because she quiets my soul. It is not an easy place to be or in her case, request an audition for. I know Amber would walk through fire for me.

  Kaci can call her a practice slut all she wants, but Amber conspires with me, and that is something the pixie dictator will never understand. She wants it her way—all the time, but things are not cut and dry in my world. There is no black or white, but infinite amounts of color. The only clear-cut answer is in my feelings concerning Amber. And Kaci cannot stand that, even though she instigated it.

  Her insistence to push me out of the safe zone led us here, and I refuse to harbor the guilt of her sins. I have put my dick in this woman because Kaci told me to. I have fallen in love with this woman because Kaci demanded I have a net to catch me upon her fall. So, it is not my fault that we are in the library of The Dollhouse about to have a serious session on Christmas Eve.

  Her programming of my mind runs on the pathways of her creation. She cannot be angry with me because she isn’t happy with the insidious monster she made. And I cannot rewind and become who I once was.

  So, when my cock twitches at the sight of Amber letting her hair down and demurely smiling behind the curtain of tassels, I have no choice but to react along the sanctioned markers—if this, then that. Her hips roll as I take in the side view of her full, greedy body. Her hunger increases with every tilt and rock as she grinds before me. “You are so fucking hot.”

  “I’m glad you think so,” she whispers with a snap of her teeth to her bottom pout. “What can I do for you to make your day even better?”

  “Don’t go.”

  She laughs as if my answer is totally unexpected. “Nevah!”

  “Nevah?” I smirk. “I’m so stealing that.”

  “Please do. Along with me.” Kicking the ottoman out of the way, I slide onto the floor and crawl closer to her. Her eyes dance with glee. “You know I’ve never had a guy do that…”

  “What?”

  “Get on the floor with me, or perhaps a better way to say that is to come down to my level,” she mutters as the thought seems to hurt her. “No one has ever.”

  “I’m not like the other boys…”

  Her eyes close as her smile upturns with a chuckle. “Clearly.”

  “I’m not going into this thinking I’m some sort of patriarch. I’m just some guy.”

  “You are the son of a mob boss; you are not just some guy, Sal.” I press to her shoulder, and she lifts up off her hands and sits up on her heels. “That you are choosing me means something. You trust me. And I’ll be damned if I’m ever going to forget that.”

  “I chose you because I don’t ever think you are looking at my bank account or the size of my dick.”

  “Honey, the only thing I’m seeing is how big your fucking balls are.”

  I laugh and pull her between my legs as I cradle myself around her tiny body and breathe her in. With her back pressed against my chest, I nuzzle her ear and neck as I whisper, “I swear if anyone ever touches you, I will kill them with my bare hands.”

  “I know,” she says, stoically. “But I’m a dangerous choice for you, and I worry.”

  “About?”

  “You,” she quickly says, laying her hands on my own and tossing off her heels. “What happens next? Where do we take this? How far do we go? How long do we last?”

  “I can take c
are of myself,” I venture, knowing I’ve managed to escape the clutches of my father this long. “We wait until Kaci…and then we take it wherever we want. There is nothing we cannot do together.”

  “She wants you with the oinker.”

  I shake my head and smirk. “You know I don’t even know Iris, right? That is so far in the distant future that it isn’t even a consideration. She is married and could be for a very long time.”

  “Unless someone takes out her husband…”

  “While that is always a possibility, I cannot base my choices now on a hypothetical. I have to move with the facts I have in my possession, but the one thing I do know is we cannot stop making moves. If we stagnate, my father will get to me.”

  “… Are you in a roundabout way asking me to push you?”

  “I’m asking you to be my silent partner and play these games with me. Too many people have been carelessly hurt by Kaci’s reckless behavior. I know I need to clean up what I can, but I also understand whatever we do needs to benefit us in the long run even if it may not make sense at the time,” I say, clearing my throat and pulling the small box from my pocket. “Merry Christmas, Amber.”

  “What?” She takes the silver package and shifts in my arms to give me an astonished gaze. “What is this?”

  She swivels quickly as her face glows. “I wasn’t…”

  I lift my finger to her lips. “I have made a lot of bad choices and terrible decisions, and somehow I still managed to end up here. I want you with me until…”

  I stop, letting the air between us soak in whatever infinite amount of time until leads to.

  “I want my collar on you, and I know it cannot be what it should, but it’s better than my crucifix and this you can wear in front of Saint Cruz and keep your pretty little noggin attached.”

  Opening the box, she touches the circle of filigrees and diamonds in the continuous necklace. “Oh, my fucking God!”

  “You like?”