CHAPTER TWELVE
Tommy Gabrini lifted her gown and eased on in.
Grace let out a quiet groan as he slowly moved inside of her. They were in bed, spooned together on their sides, as daybreak approached. They were both early risers, but rarely did a morning arrive when Tommy wasn’t deep inside of Grace before he got up for work.
Tommy’s groans weren’t as quiet as Grace’s, because he could never suppress that wonderful feeling he felt whenever he did her. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. “Dapper Tom” had been a ladies man extraordinaire for most of his life.
And he had a definite type: Tall, slender, unquestionably gorgeous, strong and independent African-American supermodel types. They used to turn him on unlike any other women could. If she was single, gorgeous and black, the chances were high that she’d been with Dapper Tom.
When he met Grace, she was nothing like his usual type.
She was a black woman and independent alright, but she wasn’t particularly tall and she wasn’t what most would consider as gorgeous.
She was a pretty, efficient girl who did her work and got it done, but she was no knockout like the ladies Tommy was accustomed to.
But there was something about Grace that stopped him cold.
She touched a part of his heart that no one else had ever penetrated.
And instead of falling in lust with Grace the way he fell for all of his other ladies, he fell in love with her.
They had major bumps in the road, including their messy divorce, after which they hooked up with other people, and then their great reconciliation and remarriage.
But that tumultuous time changed Tommy. It scared him straight.
Now Dapper Tom was a family man through and through.
Although lately there had been serious temptations.
“Ah,” he moaned as those feelings for Grace intensified and he could barely hold on. She was in the throes of her orgasm, too, and he was soon to follow.
And when he came, he gave one hard shove even deeper inside of Grace and poured out. He gave her all he had. His entire body was jerking as he poured into his wife.
Now nobody turned him on like Grace.
They both were still feeling the sensations when his phone rang. It took a second or two, but he ultimately reached for his phone and looked at the Caller ID. It was his brother Sal. No matter what he was doing, he would never not answer a call from Sal.
“Yeah?”
“Get to Vegas, Tommy.”
Tommy was older than Sal. Not by much, but older in such a way that whenever they both were in a room there was no question to anyone which one was in charge. It was therefore kind of jarring to Tommy to hear Sal ordering him to do something. That was why he didn’t respond.
And that was when Sal gave an explanation so cryptic that it was no explanation at all. “It’s happening,” Sal said.
Tommy had no clue what he was talking about. “What’s happening?” he asked him.
“Lydia,” Sal said softly.
When Sal said that one word, it walloped Tommy. He hadn’t heard that name in years, but he knew exactly what it meant.
He quickly removed the covers off of his naked body and flung his legs out of bed.
His movement was so swift and unexpected that Grace turned over and looked at him. “Is everything alright, Tommy?”
“Yeah, everything’s fine.” He was on his feet. “It’s just Sal. I need to pee,” he said as if that was the explanation for his sudden need for speed, as he hurried into the bathroom.
As soon as he closed the door, he let it out. “Is this some kind of a sick joke, Sal Luca?”
“What I look like joking about a thing like that? She’s back. She’s right here in Vegas and she’s already riding Reno’s ass.”
Tommy fell against the bathroom wall. “Good Lord.”
“And you know Reno. He’s gotta go it alone. He’s already packed up and left Trina and the kids.”
Tommy frowned. “He what? Why would he do that?”
“He’s the problem. He’s got to get away from his family so that the problem doesn’t affect them. As if him leaving their asses don’t affect them. Reno’s not thinking straight!”
“Where is he now?”
“I don’t know.”
“You let him just leave? Why didn’t you go after him, Sal?”
“Because he’s not wrong,” Sal admitted. “He’s saying it wrong, but he’s not wrong. He’s got a family to protect. We’ve got families to protect. This is a Reno problem that only Reno can solve. And you know what I mean.”
Tommy ran his hand across his face in frustration. He knew exactly what Sal meant.
“How’s Tree?”
“How do you think? She begged his ass to stay.”
“Trina? Begged him?”
“You should have seen it. She even ran after him. Sne and Jimmy’s out there searching for him as we speak. It’s just awful. Get to Vegas, Tommy. It’s happening.”
When the call ended, Tommy slid down the wall until he was crouched down. Then he leaned his head back staring at the ceiling. He knew this day could come, but he had convinced himself that it never would. Now it was here. And they were all caught unprepared. Reno most of all.
He had to get to Vegas.