19. Dominic
NINETEEN
DOMINIC
Luca ghosted me again.
He drove me to the meeting, dropped me off, and said he needed to run an errand. He never came back.
I stormed through the casino, a dull throb pounding behind my eyes. The shrill laughter at the tables grated on me. I threw nods at familiar faces, but my focus stayed locked on the same thought: Where the fuck did he go?
I was furious. If anyone else pulled this shit, I’d have dragged them back by their collar and reminded them whose leash they were on. We were supposed to be laying low, but my stubborn employee had somehow convinced Santino he was healed enough to keep working. Santino called me this morning, telling me that staying at Luca’s was no longer necessary.
Did Luca really want me to leave? He could’ve had the balls to say it to my face, not use Santino like some shield. Passive-aggressive even for him. Fuck that. If he wanted me gone, he could’ve thrown my shit out on the curb.
“Boss.” One of the floor supervisors jogged up to me, his expression tight. “We’ve got a situation.”
“Where?”
“Blackjack table five. Kid’s been skimming chips. Security caught it on camera.”
I ground my teeth. “How bad?”
The supervisor hesitated. “He’s young. Looks like a first-timer. Couple of grand, maybe.”
I picked up my pace. The crowd parted as I approached, my presence enough to make even the drunkest gamblers steer clear.
When we reached the table, the kid was already cornered. Security had him hemmed in, a wiry thing who couldn’t have been older than twenty. His hands twitched at his sides. The supervisor gestured to the guards.
“Found the chips in his jacket. Wanted to wait for your call before taking him to the back.”
I raised a hand. “No need. I’ve got it.”
The guards exchanged glances but stepped back.
I fixed the kid with a cool stare. “Name?”
He swallowed hard. “B-Benny.”
“Benny. You want to tell me what happened here?”
“I-I didn’t mean to. It was stupid.”
I tilted my head. “Interesting excuse. You pick that up in school?”
“I’m sorry. Please, I didn’t mean?—”
“Sorry doesn’t fix the problem. You think you can just walk in here, skim off my table? Do you know who you’re stealing from?”
He shook his head violently.
I leaned in, my face inches from his. “The Costas.”
Benny paled. “I—I didn’t know.”
“That’s your first mistake. Walking into my casino without knowing whose territory you’re on. Your second mistake? Thinking you could pull this off. And your third?” I nodded to the chips spilling out of his jacket pocket. “Thinking I’d let you walk out of here with that.”
He trembled so hard his knees almost buckled. Benny looked like he’d fall apart if I raised my voice. I studied him, taking in the dirty sneakers, the threadbare hoodie, the way his hair stuck up like he’d just rolled out of bed. He wasn’t a mole sent by another family. Probably Section 8 housing. Maybe he had a little brother to feed. I shoved that aside. Benny wasn’t my problem, and this wasn’t a charity.
“You work for a street gang?”
He shook his head. “I needed the money.”
I exhaled slowly. “You walk out of here, and you never come back. Understand?”
He nodded again, tearing up.
I stepped back. “Good. Now get the hell out of my sight.”
The kid bolted, weaving through the crowd. The floor supervisor stepped forward, eyeing the pile of chips.
“What do you want to do with these?”
“Count ’em, log ’em, and reset the table,” I said, turning away. “And keep an eye out. If there’s one idiot, there’s always more.”
The floor supervisor nodded, grabbing the chips as I strode off. Rounding a corner, I slammed into someone. A man with honey blond hair backed up.
My chest tightened. “Frank.”
He froze before he plastered on a smile. “Your boy’s got quite the punch.”
My eyes flicked to the faint bruising along his cheekbone. Still not healed. Good.
I shrugged. “Luca’s got a temper.”
“Territorial, more like. Is he your boyfriend?”
“Nah. He works for me.”
Frank’s smile sharpened. “Could’ve fooled me.”
“He doesn’t like assholes, and you’ve got a talent for bringing it out in people.”
“I think he’s jealous,” he said, stepping closer. “Can’t blame him, though. We’ve got history, don’t we?”
“That’s all it is, Frank.”
Frank tilted his head. “I remember you being a little less cold the last time we?—”
“Don’t finish that sentence.”
His eyes dipped to my lips, his gaze darkening like it used to when things got intense between us. Before I knew better.
“Relax. I’m just saying, we’ve got a connection.”
“Funny. I don’t remember it being that deep.”
I didn’t remember anything being deep with Frank. He’d been convenient. Good enough in bed. An even better lesson in what not to want.
“Why don’t we catch up in private? Your office is right over there, isn’t it?”
“Go home to your wife.”
His smile faltered. “Ah, the moral high ground. That’s new.”
“Or maybe you’re just a piece of shit.”
He chuckled. “Guess you’ve got your hands full with your angry little watchdog anyway.”
“Watch your fucking mouth.”
He raised his hands. “Relax, Dom. No hard feelings.”
He slipped past me, melting into the crowd like smoke. Frank had managed the casino while I’d looked after Luca. He’d done a decent job, which worked in my favor. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get rid of him without causing a ripple that’d reach all the way up to Vinn Costa.
In my office, I slammed the door behind me and dropped into my chair. Silence didn’t help. My mind refused to shut up, shoving images of him in my face: Luca rolling his eyes, Luca pressing ice to his split lip, Luca’s glare sharp enough to cut glass.
I yanked my phone out of my pocket.
Where are you?
Three dots appeared.
Luca
I’m out. What do you need?
You. I need you.
Santino called.
You couldn’t tell me to leave yourself?
Luca
You don’t have to leave.
I froze, rereading the words.
Then what was Santino’s call about?
Luca
Options.
So this was him giving me the choice. Not telling me to leave, but making it clear I didn’t have to stay. Luca always played it like that, pretending he wasn’t pushing me closer to the door.
You mean staying or chasing your stubborn ass down?
You’re making it hard for me to go, Luca.
The dots appeared. Disappeared. Appeared again.
Luca
I’m not stopping you.
You never do. That’s the problem.
I need you in my bed tonight.
A long pause. The dots appeared, flickered out, then came back.
Luca
Not sure that’s a good idea.
Frustration simmered in my chest, bubbling into something hotter, heavier. This was supposed to be about making sure he didn’t get himself killed.
I couldn’t lie to myself anymore.
Luca’s presence clung to every empty space. Even when he vanished, he haunted me.
I gripped the edge of the desk.
Don’t go there.
But I was already there. Luca was mine . Not just my responsibility. Mine. And now he was slipping through my fingers. The thought of losing him punched through my chest.
I dropped my phone onto the desk.
Why does he keep pulling away?
And why couldn’t I let him?
I stared at the dark screen. Sitting still wasn’t an option, not when every nerve in my body buzzed with tension. I grabbed the phone again. I debated sending something sharp to pull him out of hiding.
Instead I started typing.
Been thinking about you all day. I can’t get over the image of you swallowing my cum. So fucking hot.
I want to be inside you, baby.
Luca
I’m not your baby.
I smirked, fingers flying over the screen.
You say that, but I remember how you moaned for me last time. Can hear it right now.
I want you on your knees, looking up at me with those gorgeous eyes as I stuff your mouth with my cock. Makes me hard just thinking about it.
Luca
You’re out of your mind if you think I’m doing that again.
I laughed.
I’ll have you begging by the end of the night. You want this, too. You just like making me work for it. And trust me, I don’t mind.
If you don’t come, I’ll find someone else. Got a lot of frustration to burn off.
I inserted eggplant and droplet emojis. I watched the dots flicker in and out, and my smirk widened.
Luca
Go ahead. Not like it’ll be the same.
You’re right. It wouldn’t be.
No one makes me lose control the way you do.
It wasn’t just the way he kissed me, like he wanted to burn us both alive. Luca walked into every room with nothing left to lose. He’d survived what would’ve broken most men, and stood tall, even as cracks splintered his armor.
I wanted to be the man who gave him something solid to hold onto when everything else turned to ash.
Luca
You sound desperate.
I am desperate to see you in bed.
Luca
Fine. I’ll come by.
Meet me home in an hour.