Chapter 11
NIC
“ S o do you want to tell me why Doyle is still fucking breathing?” Dario is mad. He managed to be polite all the way through dinner but the death stare I received while we were singing Happy Birthday to Serena, assured me it was just an act. Now he has me alone, it’s time for him to unleash that anger.
“Dario, you have to have to let me explain, Doyle isn’t who we think he is.”
“I don’t know, or care who he is, Nic. He was supposed to die today, and you were supposed to give Amanté a name.”
“I know, and I will find a way to get Amanté the name he needs, but Doyle can’t be killed.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Dario’s forehead creases.
“Doyle is…” I look back at the door to check it’s closed before I lower my voice. “He’s Lorna’s father.”
“He’s her what? ” Dario DeMarco has one of the best poker faces I’ve ever seen and even he can’t pretend not to be shocked.
“I was at the house, I found his hidden basement and after some snooping around, I found some pictures. One of him and a little girl, then another that was locked away. It was more recent, of him and Lorna at her high school graduation. I also found an envelope with her name on it.”
“Fuck.” Dario drops his ass into his chair and knocks back what's left in his glass.
“I’m not going to put her in a position where she has to read that fucking letter, Dario, especially not while she’s carrying my child.” I make that point very clear as I stand over his desk and rest my palms on its surface.
“Sit the fuck down, Nic.” He shakes his head, then massages the bridge of his nose while he thinks about what to do next.
Naturally, I do as he says and wait.
“I get it,” he eventually speaks. “Of course, I get it. But what are we supposed to do? Allow this man to keep selling on our streets?”
“I don’t know but we have to buy some time, to figure out who he really is. He had a Russian passport.”
“Well, we know he’s no fucking Russian.” Dario sighs, heading to the mini bar in the corner of his office to top himself up and pour me one, too.
“Not for me, I have to drive home,” I refuse.
“It’s never stopped you before.” Dario stares back at me.
“Yeah, well, things have changed. I have responsibilities now,” I remind him and he nods his head almost looking proud as he retakes his seat.
“So, Nic.” His voice sounds much more tolerable than it did before. “What do you suppose we do?”
“I don’t know, I guess you talk to Amanté, tell him we’re working on the name, and in the meantime watch Doyle closer. He only had three cases down in that basement, supply looks to be running out, which means…”
“He’ll be needing more.” Dario scratches his fingers through his stubble. “You're off this one, I’ll have Vito cover it.”
“No.” I shake my head. “This isn’t about who does the fucking job, Dario. This is about Lorna’s feelings. No one is killing her dad.”
“And since when have you given a fuck about Lorna’s feelings?” Dario tests me.
“Since she became the woman who’s carrying my baby. Come on, Dario, you out of anyone should understand. The whole time my sister was pregnant all you ever went on about was how stress was bad for her. Lorna cares about her father, I could tell when I asked her about him on the way here. She thinks he’s a pharmaceutical rep for Christ’s sake. I can’t allow you or anyone else to kill him. At least, not while she’s in the condition she’s in.”
“Nic, Lorna is Madalina’s best friend, do you honestly think I would do anything to hurt her? She’s family now.” I’ve spent a lot of years hating Dario DeMarco, but over the past few I’ve seen a different side to him. He’s a man who loves even with a stone-cold heart and he’s fiercely loyal to the people he cares about. Right now, I’m really thankful that the mother of my child is one of them.
“I’m going to trust your word on that.” I reach over his desk to shake his hand.
“You can, but I will still be keeping a close eye on him. We need a name for Amanté. The person who shot her dumped the gun near the scene. Maybe soon they will need to buy another one.” He makes a valid point before he finishes his drink.
“Let’s rejoin the girls, I’ll already be in trouble for talking shop on Serena’s special night.” He rolls his eyes as he stands back up.
“Madalina mentioned you played golf, today. You hate golf,” I mention as we make our way toward the door.
“I do, but it is rude to turn down an invitation.” He opens the door for me.
“And who was the invitation from?” I already have my suspicions.
“Gio Ferrazza.” Dario clears his throat after saying the name because he knows I won’t be happy to hear it.
“Gio Ferrazza as in Bruno Monti’s nephew?”
“Yes.” Dario stops and turns to face me.
“I didn’t realize the two of you are friends.”
“You know we are not. Gio wanted to offer me a proposal, he intends to make a claim on his uncle’s district when the time comes. He feels, as Bruno’s sister’s son, it’s a strong one and, of course, it is backed by Bruno.”
“And is it a strong one?” I do my best to hide my frustration.
“Nic, to be respected and trusted as a leader, I must be fair. To just hand a district over to my brother-in-law would be questionable to some. I had to hear Bruno out, I have to give him my consideration, much the same as I will give it to you.”
“Dario, your father ruined my family and took our district. I have been working my ass off to prove to you that I can handle the responsibility, I have a family of my own to think about, now.”
“Right now, Nic, all you have is an illegitimate child. There are many men in our world who have that. You will be considered for the district when the time comes. Until then keep doing what you are doing. Show not just me, but others, that you are worthy. Make my decision an easy one.” He slaps my shoulder before moving into the living room and scooping up my niece. “Did I miss something, my angel?” He kisses her cheek, and when I see Lorna sitting on the couch reading Carlotta a story, I manage a smile when her eyes lift up from the page and meet with mine.
“It’s been a long time since I saw Serena that drunk.” I toss my keys on the table as I step through the apartment door.
“She was funny, some of the stories she was telling about your father were a little graphic. I could have carried on happily through life without knowing the skinny dipping in the St Tropez story.” Lorna heads straight for the refrigerator to grab herself a bottle of water, and when she struggles to unscrew the lid I take it off her and do it for her.
“Thanks,” she offers me that sweet, little smile before she takes a sip.
“I texted my mom and told her we’d visit Saturday afternoon, does that work for you?” she checks.
“Works for me.” I nod in agreement as she moves over to the couch and unpops the top button of her jeans.
“Your sister cooked far too much food tonight, and all my willpower went out the window the second I stopped feeling sick.” She looks down at her open jeans and pouts.
“So it should.” I take a seat beside her and slide my hand into the opening so I can cradle her lower belly. It's ever so slightly sticking out, no doubt from the huge dinner and an extra slice of birthday cake she devoured before she left, but it’s giving me an indication of how it will soon look, and I like it.
“You're growing a little person in there, if your body tells you to eat, you should,” I remind her.
“Crazy, isn’t it? I was trying to imagine us as parents tonight and I have no idea how it’s going to look,” she admits, with a slightly awkward look on her face.
“I’m not going to fuck this up, you know that, right?” I need her to know how serious I am.
“Nic, you hate me and you’ve got me living in your apartment, I’m very aware of how serious you are taking this…and…” She places her hand on top of mine. “I really appreciate it.” Her eyes lift back up to mine and there's that glisten inside them that makes me want to kiss her lips.
“Listen, about this post-grad trip,” she sighs, “I was thinking, if you wanted to come, I guess I’d be okay about it. The guys were looking at going to Cass’s aunty's beach house in Malibu and, apparently, the signal there isn’t great. I figure if you come I won’t have to worry about checking in with you.” She looks down to where our hands are touching like she’s suddenly gone shy. “That’s if you still want to?”
“Yes, I still want to come.” I shuffle a little closer. Lorna has been looking even prettier these past couple of weeks, that pregnancy glow is really working for her and it makes moments like this very tempting.
“Nic.” She looks back up as if she can foresee what's coming. “We don’t want to complicate things.” She doesn’t pull away when my hand slides over her cheek and I move my face closer.
“Things are already complicated,” I whisper, letting my lips press into hers. “You’ve got needs, pretty girl, and while you're here, pregnant with my baby, it’s my job to satisfy them.”
“And what about your needs?” She pulls away from me. “Do you have other people take care of those for you?” The way she’s looking at me tells me that my answer could hurt her. “I know about the girls that hang out in the VIP section of the club, some nights when you’re working I wonder if?—”
“Do you want to know another secret?” I decide to offer her some honesty, even if it does make me sound weak. “Ever since the night I brought you home here, I…I haven’t been with another female, in fact, I haven’t even thought about it.”
“You really expect me to believe that?” She laughs until she sees that I’m very fucking serious.
“I want to be there for you through all of this, no distractions. Right now, you and this baby we’re having are my only priority.”
“That’s really sweet.” She smiles at me.
“It’s the least I can do, given all you're doing for me.” I glance down at her tummy again.
“Well, this is true, my waistline is going to hate you at the end of all this.” She laughs.
“I already know I'm going to love the way you look, how could I not?”
“Now, you're just talking crazy.” She shakes her head and laughs some more. It’s a sound I’m really starting to like.
“I’m being serious, you may be the horny one right now, but when you're walking around here in a few months with a cute, little tummy that I gave you, poking out, I’m going to be the one who’s suffering.”
“Nic, you're so full of shi–” She goes to stand up and I stop her by stealing a kiss from her lips, pressing her back against the arm of the couch and ensuring she can’t get away from me.
“I mean it,” I growl against her lips before taking my time and exploring her mouth with my tongue.
“Nic.” She eventually pushes me away.
“I don’t think I’m mentally strong enough to deal with this, right now. My hormones are a mess and in two days I have to explain to my mom that I’m having a baby with someone who isn’t my boyfriend. She’s not going to take that well, especially since she was a single mom for so long, herself.
“You're not a single mom, and you never will be. I tol–”
“I know you have every intention of being involved in our baby's life, but I’m still going to be a mom who’s single. That comes with its challenges,” she points out.
“What kind of challenges?” I’m constantly trying to assure her that I’m going to be there for her and she doesn’t seem to want to believe me.
“Work, dating. There's lots of things.”
“You want to date?” I try not to sound as if the thought makes me want to punch a wall.
“Obviously not right now, that would be weird but I don’t want to be single my whole life. Nic, I like the way it feels when you kiss me. I like the way you touch me but it’s not helping the situation, it just complicates everything.” She presses a soft kiss on my cheek and slides out from under me, standing on her feet and making her way down the hall. She’s right and I should let her go to bed, take another cold shower, and get some rest myself but something desperate that claws inside me has me calling her back.
“Wait.” I stand up and move toward her. “I don’t want you worrying about what your mom thinks of our situation. I don’t want you worrying about anything. It’s bad for baby Conte.” I smile as I look down at her popped-open jeans again. Knowing that there's a part of me tucked away inside her, gives me far more satisfaction than it should. I told myself at the start that it was the thought of inconveniencing her that got me off, but I'm now starting to worry that it might be something else. “What if we tell your mom and stepdad that we’re together?” I suggest, unable to resist touching her there again.
“Together, like a couple?” She stares at me as if I’m crazy.
“It won’t be hard to pull off, you live here, you're having my baby. You like the way I touch you.” I use her words against her as I slide my free hand around her back and draw her closer.
“I wish I’d never admitted to that.” She shoves me hard in the chest, but I stand firm. I like this closeness between us.
“But you did.” I take a chance and slip the fingers I have resting on her belly into the waistline of her panties.
“And I’ll admit something to you in return.” I back her up against the wall, keeping my forehead against hers as I circle her entrance with the tip of my finger.
“I wouldn’t let anyone else do the touching.” I kiss her, slipping my finger inside her warm channel and groaning when I feel how wet and tight she is.
“Nic.” Her hands reach around my back and grip my hair as I finger-fuck her up against the wall.
“Don’t use complicated as an excuse. It’s always been complicated with you.” I grab her jaw with my free hand and force her to look at me. “Right now, while our child is growing in there, you’re mine. Mine to care for...” I kiss her jaw. “...Mine to pleasure.” Then her neck. “And if you like the way it feels when I touch you, then I’m going to do a hell of a lot more of it.” I force the jeans off her hips and drag them down to her ankles along with her panties then lifting one of her feet, I balance it on my raised knee and spread her open in front of me. I admire her bare pussy before my tongue trails through the neat little slit that runs through the center of it, and I taste how sweet she is. My eyes glance up to hers as I splay both my palms against her stomach and she hums, letting go of all her doubts as she watches me pleasure her with my tongue. I keep staring up at her, watching her lose control as I own her. Mind, body, and fucking soul.
“Nic.” It’s my name she calls out when she comes, it’s my tongue she spills onto, and when I stand back up and lift her off her feet, it’s my eyes she’s still fixated on
“Who do you belong to, pretty girl?” I drill my pupils into hers, feeling pathetic for needing to hear it.
“You…” she whispers. “Just for now.”