14. Prime
PRIME
“Did you tell her yet?” Stellan walks toward a van parked at the far corner of the lot. Weeds grow between cracks in the pavement. A chainlink fence runs along the left side, woods straight beyond them, and an abandoned warehouse looms to the right. We’re on the western edge of the city.
“There’s no point.”
“You don’t think she’ll figure something out?” Stellan casually reaches into his jacket and draws a pistol. He checks the magazine and loads a bullet into the chamber.
“She doesn’t want to know, so she’ll never see it.”
“Fair point. The girl’s smart though. Real pretty too. I was impressed when I saw her up there.”
“Did you enjoy the wedding at least?”
“Great fucking show.” He grins at me, gun pointed at the ground. “When your original bride’s family stormed out? Classic Prime.”
“That wasn’t the plan.”
“And yet it was amazing. You should have heard the other Capos shaking their heads. Like leave it to Prime to lose one woman but gain another in a matter of minutes.”
I stop walking. We’re twenty feet from the van. It looks quiet and deserted, but I don’t turn my back on it. “You don’t need to be here, you know.”
“I wanted to see how you were doing. Besides, I haven’t been on a pickup in a while.”
“That’s because you’re the fucking boss now.” I scrub a hand through my hair, scanning around for movement, but it’s all still.
I don’t mention that I have at least fifteen men ringed around the property, all of them heavily armed. There’s no way I’m going to be the guy who lets Stellan get himself gunned down because I was too lazy to set up a defensive perimeter.
Besides, Kira would cut my damn throat.
“It’s strange though. I’d been telling you for years to settle down. Maybe not get married, but stop trying to fuck half the attractive women in Philly.”
“It wasn’t half. More like all of them.”
Stellan grunts in amusement. “And now you’re tied down.”
“I told you. I’m turning things around. I want to be a normal, respectable Capo for you.”
“I never wanted that.” Stellan faces me, one hand gripping my arm. “You’re Prime. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.” He gives me a searching look but shakes his head. “Anyway, you’ll tell me what you’re really up to eventually. Make sure it doesn’t blow back on the family like we discussed.”
I say nothing. Guilt shimmies in my guts. After Shawn, I was a fucking mess, drinking myself into oblivion, waiting for the world to come crashing down around my shoulders.
That’s when I met Stellan. He dragged me from the grave and gave me a second chance. He saved my life.
Without him, I’d be feeding worms right now.
My fingers graze the dove tattoo on my chest.
Without Stellan, I wouldn’t have a shot at revenge.
I march forward and reach the back of the van. The doors open easily. Inside, boxes marked with Pokémon logos are stacked in tight. A man jumps out with a groan, knuckling his back and stretching his legs.
David Sorensen beams at me as he gestures. “Brought your goods.”
“This the new investor?” Stellan introduces himself.
“It’s nice to meet you, Don Corsetti.” David speaks with appropriate reverence. “I didn’t expect you here.” He shoots me a panicked look. Probably worried he fucked up.
“Big boss only wanted to see the goods. You mind?”
“Not at all.” David ducks in and grabs one of the boxes. He cuts it open with a pocket knife.
Inside are stacks of Pokémon card boxes.
“What am I looking at here?” Stellan asks, sounding confused.
“A new transportation option.” David takes out a booster box and slices it open. Small plastic baggies of cocaine spill out onto the van’s floor. “Clever, huh? Won’t fool a dog, but you know.”
Stellan sighs, tilting his chin to the sky. “The modern fucking world.”
“People love that Poke-man shit.” I pat David roughly on the back. “And this guy’s a genius when it comes to logistics. There’s a reason we’re working together.”
“Mostly thanks to his personal assistant. Does she know what we were really negotiating? No, probably not, but don’t worry. I’m not going to tell.”
“His personal assistant is his new wife, so you’d better be careful.” Stellan holds out a hand, palm up. “Keys now, please.”
David’s grin fades. He looks from Stellan back to me. “I thought you were going to unload it?”
“Back at the warehouse,” Stellan confirms. “You don’t mind walking, do you, David?”
“Not at all, not at all, go ahead, she’s all yours.” David quickly gives him the keys. “Don’t even bother returning her. Heck, consider it a present!”
“Thanks, David.” Stellan climbs behind the wheel and fires it up.
Must be nice, being the fucking Don.
I sit heavily behind my desk, happy to be off my feet.
My knee aches from walking too much, an old injury from my younger and more violent days.
Sometimes I can still feel the way it broke, a big, heavy-set thug’s heel grinding down into the bone for five seconds, long enough for me to jam my knife into his calf.
He’d probably still be suffering the same way I am if I hadn’t killed him.
“There you are. I was starting to think you’d taken off the whole day.” Deanna comes waltzing into the room without knocking. She’s been doing that for a while, and you’d think she’d learn her lesson after catching me in several compromising situations.
I massage my knee. “I’m starting to think I should have.”
“Hilarious.” She flips open her planner. “I have a few messages for you. There was an issue at the Dolphin lot, Albert says to call him back, and David called only ten minutes ago to ask if you’re happy with how your meeting went.” She looks up and snaps the book shut. “You met with David?”
“It was a casual thing,” I say, holding out my hand. “Let me see that.”
She comes around, not happy about giving over her precious ledger. I swear that planner is the bane of my existence. But instead of taking it, I grab her by the wrist and haul her down into my lap.
“Prime!” She lands with an undignified yelp as I grip her hips to keep her in place. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Greeting my wife. Hello, darling.” I kiss the back of her neck.
“Okay, enough.” She wriggles and fuck, that feels good. “You’re trying to distract me.”
“Is it working?”
“Not in the—ooooh.” My hand moves down her thigh, the other slipping up to cup her breasts. “Prime… uh…”
I kiss her neck again. “How about now?”
“I don’t… you shouldn’t…” She’s breathless, her heart racing. I feel it as I caress her beautiful tits over her thin dress shirt. Her nipples stiffen, fighting against her bra.
“Did you leave the door open?”
“Yes,” she whispers.
My fingers slide between her legs. “What a terrible decision.”
“You can’t…”
“I can’t? Or you don’t want me to? Those are very different things, love.” I reach up her skirt and stroke her.
“Oh shit,” she groans, leaning into me. Her knees part and give me more space to move. I stroke her again, teasing her nipple. “I shouldn’t?—“
“But you want to.”
“Prime!” She snaps her knees shut. “Did you hear that?”
“Only your imagination.”
But she’s already getting up, straightening her skirt.
She hurries to the door, looking afraid and flustered, her cheeks bright red.
It’s the sexiest fucking thing I’ve ever seen in my life.
My dick’s raging hard and all I want in the world is to bend her over my desk and fuck the life out of her.
In all the time we’ve been working together, I’ve never once felt this way, like if I didn’t get to fill her and ruin her and feel her tight cunt stressing around my big dick, I’d break to pieces in my own damn pants.
Fuck, what am I doing to myself? I only started this to keep her mind off David.
Now my heart’s hammering and I don’t think I’ve ever wanted like this before.
She shuts the door and turns to face me, back against the knob, as far from me as she can get.
“Don’t do that again,” she warns, eyes shining with desire. She smooths her shirt. “We can’t… you know… in the office. Not if I’m going to keep working for you.”
“You’re not saying you don’t want me to touch you.”
“We can’t, okay? No, seriously, you make all the jokes you want, but you’re still my boss and our whole relationship is business. If we start… complicating things…”
“You want complicated. Come sit back in my lap and find out how much I want it too.”
“Stop.” She jams the heel of her palm into her forehead. “Shit. This is stupid.”
“I want to hike that skirt up and spank your pretty ass until you?—“
“Prime!” She groans, shaking her head. “Could you please stop it? If you don’t want to talk about your meeting with David, say so, you don’t have to do this… whole… thing to keep my mind off it.”
I let out a low, rumbling snarl, and stand, leaning over my desk. “I want to fuck you, Deanna, not because it’s convenient or useful… but because every time I get near you, it’s like my skin’s on fire and my nerves are finally waking up.”
Her mouth hangs open in shock. I doubt anyone’s ever spoken to her like that before, but I say what I want and I don’t bullshit. If I want to fuck a woman, I tell her, and she can decide if she wants it too.
“Next time you see him, tell David I said hello.” She turns, ready to escape, chest heaving.
“Wait.”
“If this is about wanting to spank me—“ Her hand is on the doorknob.
“It’s about tomorrow night.”
That makes her hesitate. She looks over her shoulder. “What about it?”
“There’s a dinner we’re going to. It’s with an associate of mine.”
“I can schedule your car?—“
“You’re coming as my wife, remember? Not as my assistant.”
“Oh. Right.” She flips open her planner. “Should I put it on the books?”
“Absolutely not. Tomorrow night is partially why I married you.”
“For a single dinner meeting?”
“No, but for events like it. There are people who will be judging me. People I want to… impress.”
A sly smile spreads across her face. “Prime Spadaro, are you nervous right now?”
“Never in my fucking life.”
“Good, because despite how annoyed I am with you right now, you are very charming. They’ll love you.”
I lower myself into my chair and lean back. “And they’ll love you by my side. Be ready for it.”
“Is that all, boss?”
“Either come back over here and get on your knees or get the fuck out of this office so I can take care of myself.”
She groans and gets the hell out of there.
Fucking Deanna. I look at the ceiling and scrub fingers through my hair, tugging with frustration.
I’m not actually going to jerk off right here and now, but I have to stop teasing myself with her.
She’s right, our relationship is complicated, and we don’t need to make it worse by throwing ourselves into sex too.
Even if that’s what I want.