“I need you, Mia. I wanted to take you back to my place tonight, and I still will, but I need to have you now.”
“Here? Dantes, we’re at a party with well over a hundred guests. We’ll be discovered.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll be quiet. No one can see us here, anyway.” Backing me into a corner railing, he slipped his hand back under the high slit in my dress. He brushed my panties to the side, pushing his fingers into my already wet and ready pussy.
“Preciosa, you want this just as much as I do,” he said before burying his face in my neck and licking a path from my shoulder to my earlobe. I nodded briefly as a soft whimper escaped my lips when he slipped one long digit inside my aching channel. He worked it in and out smoothly, just enough to bring me to the edge. He cruelly snickered as I mewled softly in protest. Fortunately, his hands went directly to his belt, loosening it. Thank fuck, he wasn’t going to me wait any longer to get what we both wanted.
He shoved my dress up to my hips as he balanced me on the low railing surrounding the patio deck. Spreading my thighs wide, he surged forward, sinking his cock into my depths. He moved slowly at first, giving me time to relax and forget about our surroundings. Soon, he was fucking me forcefully, each punch of his hips echoed by the sound of an explosion of fireworks. The bright shower of lights followed by the loud cannon-like bursts was the score to our lovemaking. I only wished there had been a way to record the entire experience—I’d replay it in my head over again the rest of my years.
Dantes lifted me off the railing, balancing my weight on his hips as he thrust hard and fast, pushing harder, deeper. He tangled one hand in my hair, slanting my head before his mouth fused to mine in an onslaught of passion. I squeezed tightly around him, feeling my heart beating even faster as my body tensed, preparing to detonate in his arms. I tore my lips from his, hungrily kissing up and down his neck, licking and nibbling, so very hungry to taste all of him.
“God, I love you,” he whispered in a rush, his breath panting and hurried. “You’re everything, Mia. I’ve tried to hold myself at a distance, but fuck… I’m drowning in you, and I don’t ever want to be saved.”
I shuddered as his heartfelt words struck me straight to my core. I was just as hopelessly in love with him, desperate for the promise of a new life spent together.
“I love you, too, Dantes,” I whispered urgently as my orgasm loomed above me. “I want to be with you always. Please don’t ever leave me.”
“Never, preciosa. Tu eres mía y solo mía. You are mine and only mine.”
We exploded as a shower of golden sparks fell in the night sky.
***
The beginning of the year brought us back to our usual daily routines, except for the times we were able to spend together. One of the nice things about my work was I could do it any time of day. Since he was at the club most nights, I took advantage of those hours to paint. I had to retrain myself a bit, I was so used to getting started after my first cup of coffee in the morning, but Dantes made that easy by trying to drag me back to bed almost as soon as I woke up.
I guess we’d spent too much time isolating ourselves from the outside world because my phone started ringing like crazy in late January. The first to catch me was my mom.
“Why haven’t I heard from you since Christmas?” she demanded as soon as I answered her call.
“Hey, Mom,” I said, giggling. “I’ve just been super busy. I’ve been hard at work on a portrait, but it’s finally finished.”
“For a moment, I thought you were going to tell me there’s a new man in your life,” she replied.
“Well…” I said haltingly. I’d always known the time would come when I’d have to decide whether to continue to keep my relationship with Dantes separate from the rest of my life and a secret from my family or go public and let my family’s disapproval reign down on me. “There might be someone.”
“Then we’re having lunch today. No excuses. I’ll be by to pick you up at noon.”
Regrettably, I had no ready excuse to get out of it or even a white lie to save my soul. My mother wasn’t the kind of person you said “no, thanks,” to. I’d just have to tamp down my enthusiasm and let her think I was just enjoying a bit of fun.
We met at her favorite bistro for a late lunch. We were both crazy over the grilled chicken and cranberry salad, ordering it every time we came to the restaurant, so before hostess even set our menus in front of us, we were already asking for our waitress.
Our order placed, we settled in our seats with glasses of iced tea. My mother wasted no time getting down to business.
“So, who is this man you mentioned?” she asked enthusiastically, ready to gossip as though we were girlfriends.
“His name is Dantes,” I said, leaning back in my chair, trying to seem aloof. “We met at Daddy’s friend, Mr. Kosareva’s club.
“What sort of name is Dantes?” she asked, her face screwed up in confusion. “That’s very unusual.”
“He’s Venezuelan, Mom. I imagine it must be common in his country.”
“Oh!” she replied, looking more surprised than I thought she ought to be.
“Is there a problem with that?” I asked, my voice hinting she should tread carefully. She reached out and patted my hand, giving me a reassuring smile.
“Of course not, Mia. I just wasn’t expecting it. I guess I assumed he’d be as Anglo as we are. I know that’s very narrow-minded and unenlightened of me.”
“Too true. Broaden your beliefs, Mom, before you qualify as a racist,” I chided as I took a sip of my tea.
“Well, tell me…” she continued, ignoring my admonishment. “Is he handsome?”
The awkward moment fell away as I proceeded to tick off each one of Dantes’ qualities. My mother showed nothing but enthusiasm as I did. I finally wound down after I realized I’d been gushing for more than an hour. So much for trying to make it seem like he was no big deal.
“I can’t wait to meet him,” my mom said as she ordered a dessert to go. I must have been so caught up in what I was saying, my own plate was still full, the lettuce looking limp and wilted. “You know your father is going to want to check him out as well. Why don’t you bring him around for dinner? Your sister will be coming home soon. That would be a perfect time.”
“Text me the details, and I’ll see if he’s free.” I paused, unsure of how to characterize my next statement. “He’s a little different from most of the men I’ve dated, so don’t be surprised if or when you meet him.”
“Different, how?”
“I’m not sure how to explain it. He just seems mysterious, I guess.”
“Mysterious people usually have something to hide,” she offered warily.
“Don’t start with that, Mom. Trust me when I say, he doesn’t. You just need time to get to know him. Promise me you’ll keep an open mind,” I implored, trying to mine at least a nugget of hope my family would accept him rather than judging him by their first impressions.
“I’ll do my best, but I can’t speak for your father. You know how naturally suspicious he is. He only wants the best for his daughters.”
“He doesn’t get to choose,” I replied petulantly. “One day, he has to wake up and accept his girls are grown women now.”
“What difference does that make? We’ll never stop being your parents,” she said with a pointed look before pushing back her chair and standing.
With hugs and cheek kisses, my mom paid the bill, and we parted ways, with promises to solidify our plans in the coming days. Trying to shove my trepidation to the back of my thoughts, I raced back to my apartment, though I had nothing to do but worry over introducing Dantes to my family.
I hadn’t been home for more than an hour when my cell phone started ringing again.
“Hey, Mia!” Carmen hollered when I picked up. “Where the fuck have you been hiding? I’ve been calling and texting for weeks, but you never answer.”
“I’ve just been busy,” I replied, a guilty giggle
surfacing in my voice. Carmen didn’t miss it.
“Busy doing what? Or should I ask whom? Are you letting that sexy Latin lover hit it?”
“I sure am. Over and over and over.”
“God, I’m jealous. Ask him if he has a friend like him,” she said, giggling back.
“You know, I think he might.”
“Really? Who?”
“His manager at The Pink Pistol. His name is Oscar.”
“Terrible name, but I won’t hold it against him if he’s hot enough. I know! Come out with me tonight. We’ll surprise them at the club.”
“Oh, no. We can’t do that. Dantes has already warned me I need to stay away from there.”
“Pfft. Like he’s going to break up with you if we make a little visit. Come on, it’ll be fun. We’ll go to The Underground first, then after we’ve had enough to drink, we’ll Uber over there and tell him we didn’t have enough money for a fare all the way home. He’ll be happy we came to him for a ride.”
“I don’t know…” I said, hesitantly. Carmen was right, Dantes probably wouldn’t break up with me, but I wasn’t eager to piss him off. Deliberately making a choice I knew would make him angry wasn’t the best way to start off a healthy relationship, but maybe I needed to be less good girl and more assertive woman. It barely took a push from Carmen to get me to agree. The temptation to see Dantes was too strong to resist, so I easily justified doing what I wanted to do. I’d beg for forgiveness later.
“Okay, let me take a shower. Do you want to meet at The Underground, or do you want to come here?”
“I’m already outside your place,” she said with a laugh. “If you hadn’t picked up your phone, I was going to force my way in to see you.”
“Get in here. I’ll be ready in a few minutes.”
10
Dantes
Sergei sat in the chair across from my desk, his lips pressed together. Oscar stood at my back, seeming to slouch against the wall, but I knew he was ready to pull his piece if Sergei made the wrong step.
“I don’t know what happened. My men said they took possession of the packages at the port, then delivered them to my warehouse. They’ve just disappeared,” Kosareva shrugged offhandedly. He seemed disturbingly calm for a man who was about to renege on a deal with the Desalmados because his idiots lost one hundred automatic rifles.
“Then you have a problem. You’re telling me you need drugs now to prepare for distribution this weekend, yet you can’t pay the price we agreed upon for them. What am I to do?” I asked slowly. “You think I should just give them to you because you’re a nice guy?”
Oscar snorted behind me, then flicked open his switchblade and made a show of cleaning under his nails. Sergei blanched as he took in my stony expression and Oscar’s little performance. It wasn’t a joke, though. He promised us one hundred weapons and needed to deliver. The Desalmados didn’t accept excuses, especially ones as moronic as “I lost them.”
A knock sounded at the door, making my blood pressure rise. I’d told everyone we weren’t to be interrupted. It was probably some puta dancer, planning to beg for a bump of coke. I was going to have to talk to Oscar about not feeding the girls’ bad habits.
“Not now,” I growled, but the door opened a crack, and Andy poked his head in.
“I’m sorry, Dantes. I need Oscar. It’s urgent,” he said, his face pale. He obviously knew he was taking his life into his own hands when he decided to knock. I nodded at Oscar, silently telling him to find out what the fuck was so important. He shoved off the wall with a look at Sergei, warning him he’d be back.
“So, if you were me, Sergei,” I continued, using his first name as though he were my best friend, but looking at him with eyes as cold and dead as a corpse. “What would you do?”
I watched as beads of sweat appeared on his brow. He took out a handkerchief and mopped his face with it before hastily shoving it back in his pocket.
“I know how this looks, Dantes,” he replied, trying to sound calm and collected, but there was a slight tremble in his voice. “I promise I’ll get you more. Two-fifty this time, if you’ll do me the courtesy of honoring your end of the agreement. It’s imperative I get that product.”
“Everybody needs something urgently today. Me? I urgently need my guns. We all have people to answer to, Kosareva, and I’m not going back to El Tuerto empty-handed and two kilos lighter. So, compañero,” I continued, deliberately sliding my finger over the barrel of my Taurus resting on the desk, pointed in his direction. “What I will do is give you twenty-four hours to locate the original shipment. If you don’t, Oscar will find another way to take payment from you.”
“Dant—” he began, but I cut him off.
“Twenty-four hours, Kosareva. Starting now.”
The tall, reedy, bald man stood, adjusting his suit jacket, trying not to appear as rattled as he was. He nodded once, then stalked out of the office in a hurry.
I could put El Tuerto off for one day, but no more than that. Once he got word of Kosareva’s failure, I knew what my next orders would be. I probably shouldn’t have been generous with him, just killed him and been done with it, but I wanted to get back to Mia. Shirking off important business for a woman should have been a warning bell for me, but I was addicted to her.
I took my cigarettes out of my pocket and shook one into my hand, lighting it before pulling my bottle of tequila from the drawer. I’d poured a swallow into my glass when Oscar came in, smirking with amusement.
“What are you smiling about, marico?” I asked, annoyed he had the balls to act like anything was funny after the epic clusterfuck we’d been dealing with.
“You have a couple of visitors, hermano. Well, one especially. I’m taking the other one off your hands.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” I asked, touching my fingertips to my brow, feeling the beginnings of a headache stirring.
“Mia and her friend are here.”
“Fuck you. She is not,” I said, certain Mia would never disobey me and come to the club, not when I’d expressly forbidden it.
“Come see for yourself,” Oscar said, motioning toward the hallway.
I took another quick hit from my cigarette, then ground it out in the ashtray on my desk before stomping out to the lounge. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw Carmen and Mia sitting at the bar, laughing at something Andy said. They were dressed to kill, looking far more alluring fully clothed than any of the naked dancers on the stage. I quickly scanned the customers, and almost every guy in the place had their attention on the two women.
I rushed over to Mia, pulling hard on her arm, completely ignoring Carmen.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I leaned over and hissed in her ear.
“Hey, baby!” Trying to put her arms around my neck, she slid off her stool onto shaky legs and stumbled against my chest.
“Have you been drinking Preciosa?” I said, gritting my teeth even harder. She was oblivious to the danger surrounding her, including the threat coming from me.
“Just a little bit,” she snickered as she held up her thumb and forefinger in a demonstration. “But shhh. Don’t tell my boyfriend. He’s touchy about things like that.”
“¡Mierda!” I swore under my breath before dragging her through the club back to my office. I ignored Carmen’s protests as I pulled Mia away. Oscar was right, he could take care of Carmen. She was safer with him because I wanted to wring her neck for talking Mia into coming. Mia wouldn’t have defied me without some convincing.
“Did I or did I not tell you this place was not for you?” I growled at Mia after we were in my office, behind closed doors. I pushed her up against the wall and slapped my hand on it next to her head, caging her in. Her eyes went wide, and she began to tremble.
“I… I didn’t think there’d be any harm. Carmen said…”
“I don’t give a shit about what Carmen said. You should care about what I said.”
“I do, Dantes.,” she said, but
then I saw a fire spark in her eyes. “That doesn’t mean you own me and can boss me around. I’m still an adult and can do what I fucking want.”
“Preciosa, watch how you speak to me. I’m not one of those pussy boys you’re used to. I won’t tolerate your disrespect. This part of my life is not for you.”
Another knock came at the door. What was it with this night? I grabbed the doorknob and ripped the door open.
“What?” I hollered at Claudia, one of my dancers who was standing on the other side.
“I need a fix, Dantes,” she said, trying to push her way into the room. She caught sight of Mia and sneered.
“Not right now, you don’t. Go do your job.”
“I will as soon as I get what I need. Get rid of this bitch, and I’ll make it worth your while,” she cooed, trying to bat her eyelashes at me. “Or if the little puta wants, she can watch.”
That remark set Mia on fire. Watching her draw herself to her full height, her chest puffing and her eyes lasered in on Claudia, she was set to go off. I had to act quick. Claudia would fuck her up if she got mouthy with her.
“Now listen—” she hissed before I clapped a hand over mouth. She struggled as I wrapped my arm around her waist, trying to launch herself at the dancer. Claudia reached out and grabbed a fistful of her hair.
“¡Cierra la boca, princessa,” I barked. “Claudia, let go now before I break your arm myself. Get what you need, then get out of my club. Go find wherever Chastity works now because you don’t work here anymore.” I dropped my hand from Mia’s mouth and wrapped it around her bicep, dragging her again, this time out of the club.
“Stop it, Dantes,” she demanded as she tripped alongside me out to the parking lot.
“I’m taking you home. Don’t talk back. I don’t want you here, ever. Is that clear now?”
Leave Me Breathless: The Black Rose Collection Page 123