Chapter 15
CHAPTER 15
MAX
E very Don in the Commission would be arriving at the Ritz in just a couple of hours for a groundbreaking meeting, and I had just finished washing my hands clean of that slimy fucker’s blood. The rest of it, at least.
I was trying to force myself into a different headspace. One where my thoughts wouldn’t spring my damn cock to life at the memory of how Alison surprised me with that demand of hers. There was too much on the line today to be distracted.
Even so, my mind was still stuck on that fiery mafia princess, feeling my grip on rationality slipping with each passing day. She made me feel, and that was the most dangerous thing of all.
It was uncontrollable, and I hated that it came with chaos and a lot more than just a possibility for destruction. My heart and her life, to be more exact.
Bringing her harm would destroy me, and feeling so damn fucking much for her could end up with exactly that. I couldn’t do that to her .
I looked at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, reminding myself of who and what I was.
Bastardo. Bastard.
Minaccia. Menace.
Rotto. Broken.
I needed to focus and do my fucking job.
The Yakuza wouldn’t think twice about seizing this opportunity to take out five heads at once. Five Dons who ruled the underground. Five very alluring targets for anyone who would gain from wiping out an important part of the Cosa Nostra .
The police were under control, but they were the least of our problems. We kept this little gathering small and intimate, but the city had ears and mouths that ran faster than the waters in the Hudson. Every precaution was necessary.
I’d found an advantage right here amongst the hotel staff. I was about to seal the deal on it and buy us some peace of mind.
Adjusting my tie, I put my suit jacket back on and made sure my guns were hidden but loaded. I fixed my disheveled hair before making my way out to the hotel’s foyer. This little deal required a distinctive mix of danger and allure. I had to look the part and make sure I was convincing enough.
As I walked out, Matt was making his way to where Jimmy had set up our little surveillance room.
“Don Battaglia,” I called out, keeping up with the formalities for anyone listening behind these hotel walls.
“Morning, Max.” It was clear in his dark expression that the night hadn’t been kind to him. Something told me Francesca was at the root of that.
“Already in character, I see,” I mocked, referring to the scowl he had set on his face as a permanent feature.
“Something like that. What’s up? ”
“Zoe, the singer. We’ve got an understanding. She’ll be singing tonight. Jimmy gave me this.” I showed him the small device in my hand, “She’ll place it in the office, and we’ll have ears where it matters.”
After the thorough staff inspection Jimmy had done, we found that Zoe, a singer who took some shifts at the Ritz and a few other hotels in the area, sang at a bar called Takamori. A Yakuza bar.
She’d agreed to plant this little device that would allow us to track their conversations and any possible movement in exchange for something I never thought she’d ask.
“Perfect. What was her price?” Jackpot fucking question.
“To you? Nothing.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll be paying for this favor in favors.”
“Oh,” He chuckled while I shifted on my feet, uncomfortable, “I never pegged you for a whore, Max, but it suits you.”
I rolled my eyes and huffed in exasperation, thinking about what I was about to do, “It’s not exactly like that, but I’ll spare you the sordid details.”
“Save it for later. I’m gonna need a laugh, and I think that story might just come in handy. Make sure everything is set for this afternoon, will ya?”
“Sure, Boss. No worries.”
“I told you one day those baby blues would come in handy. Now go whore yourself to our little informant while I make progress with my plan.”
Whore myself was exactly right.
I was prepared to settle for a hefty amount of money, but Zoe’s demand was very different. Informants were normally either power-hungry or money-driven. Zoe was neither. She wanted revenge from an ex.
Simple. Cheap. A no-brainer, right ?
She’d be the first woman I’ve kissed in three years.
Zoe wanted to see the kind of rage, fury, and pain that only a scorned lover could crave. No bloodshed, just a little ego readjustment. Apparently, I was the perfect candidate. So, here I was, in the middle of the hotel’s foyer, waiting to put on a show.
Soon enough, the pretty redhead was walking towards me with a steely determination in her eyes. Her walk was confident and proud, our imminent encounter breathing a resolve I hadn’t seen her wear when we cut this deal just last night.
Without hesitation, Zoe wrapped her hands around my neck and crashed her lips to mine. I closed my eyes, focusing on the goal, my mind quickly running off to a similar moment, years ago, that had bought me cuts and bruises in a close-to-death experience. It bought me a new addiction, too.
This was absolutely nothing like it.
I had enjoyed the kiss a lot more then. So, I kept my eyes tightly shut and forced my mind to think of her.
The mafia princess who’d taken up permanent residence in my mind.
I kissed Zoe with all the pent-up need and craving I had for Alison, hoping this little public exhibition would be enough. My hands wrapped around her and brought her closer to me, molding our bodies together.
Allowing a hand to slide down her back, I cupped her ass and squeezed hard while Zoe was grinding her body further into mine. We were portraying new lovers. If this were to be real, we shouldn’t be able to keep it decent and demure for the sake of being in a public space.
I was sure it looked real to anyone who saw us, but my body didn’t respond to her. Still, I drove my tongue into her mouth, cupping her head as if I couldn’t get enough.
Fuck, if it were Alison, I’d be rock-hard by now. I’d be dreaming up ten different ways I’d fuck her. I’d eat her moans and crave her tongue like a starved man.
I used those thoughts to fuel me into making this show a good and hot one. Indecent, even. But this would give us intel, and I couldn’t give a fuck if I had to play the whore to get what we needed.
There was too much at stake.
Soon enough, Zoe pulled back, placing another peck on my lips and smiling.
“Damn. If that was just for show, I might be tempted to make more deals with you.”
I chuckled, but my heart wasn’t really in it.
“You deserve a lot better, Zoe. I’m not it.” She seemed sweet and genuinely a nice person, but I only had eyes for another. “Did it work?”
“I think so. I know what you are, Max, and I’m okay with that. In fact, I know this is serving my purpose of making Jeremy jealous and finally understand that he lost me for good, but I might have had other motives, too.” Her hand slid up my chest, and I saw it in her eyes that, this time, her gesture wasn’t a game.
“That’s not what I meant.” I grabbed her wrist, stopping her advances, “Someone available for you.”
“I see. You’ve got someone else.” I didn’t owe her explanations. This was a business transaction. A one-time deal, and she knew it.
“No,” I confessed, “But she’s got me, even if I don’t have her.”