ChloeI thought I'd be strong enough to endure the funeral until the end, but I was wrong. I feel emotionally drained, physically exhausted, and also so damn confused after seeing Tony, even from afar. For a moment, I thought he was coming to greet me, to talk to me, but he never did.Which was a good thing. I don't know if I am ready to face him yet. I don't know if I'll ever be.Talking to everyone I haven't seen in a long time was also a bit stressful, with them offering their condolences, asking me how I have been, and trying to keep me updated on their lives. Halfway through it, I couldn't take it anymore, so I simply left to get some fresh air, and ended up walking home without even realizing it.My childhood home, a big brick house in a residential neighborhood in Staten Island, comes into view as I turn the corner, my heels echoing on the pavement beneath me. It looks the same as I remember it being when I was here the last time, always neat and well kept. My mother always ha
ChloeThe days that follow are busy but uneventful. After settling in and getting the house organized, most of my time is spent with Ellie while Mom does God knows what in the streets. She told me she's been catching up with the mob wives and finding out how we can be helpful, but with taking care of the house and Ellie, I can't find it in me to worry about that.In all truth, I don't know if I want to get involved.I know I have to if I want to be protected and considered part of the Saints. Just because Dad used to be one of them, doesn't mean they have to take care of us forever. Even if their moral code says so.I got my old bedroom to myself and had Mom's old office turned into Ellie's bedroom, since it is the closest to mine. The house looks the same as when we left it, but I told Mom I wanted to make some changes so we can feel less nostalgic and more at home. With Dad no longer being here with us and many things reminding us of him, I thought it might be nice to make a few cha
TonyI don't know what came over me to go after Chloe at her house when I had decided she was better off without me. But when I found out she had left the funeral, I got worried. I needed to check on her, to make sure she was all right. I could still use the 'I'm the Saints' boss' card and no one would suspect I had ulterior motives to see her.More than that, I needed to confirm if she was married. Sure, I wanted to know if she was feeling okay or if she needed help, not to mention to offer my sincere condolences for her loss, however, every fiber of my being was screaming at me to go and see it for myself.Nicky had just dropped a bomb on me about Chloe having a fucking daughter. I'd expect she had a husband to back her up and protect her, being so kind and gracious. But then, why would she need the Saints? Why didn't they stay in Miami where they probably had a more comfortable life? Unless her husband was a nobody with no particular power. It made me wonder why Nicky was so wor
ChloeOn Friday morning, my mom convinced me to go to lunch with the mob wives so we could all catch up since I haven't gone to the last two meetings. I wasn't in the mood–especially after my father's funeral–and I am still not. However, I have no choice since I am officially part of their "family" now. It's not like I can enjoy the privileges of the life and not be actively involved.So, after she lectured me for almost fifteen minutes, I decided to indulge her and accept the invitation, otherwise she wouldn't leave me alone. I know she's been trying to distract herself, but it's starting to be too much, even for her.I used to participate in these meetings and gatherings before we moved to Miami, and true, I used to enjoy them. The girls are actually fun. However, ever since my life drastically changed after I had Ellie and met Mateo, my perspective on life simply changed too.Also, it's not the same to be at a restaurant, listening to twenty women chattering and laughing around me
TonyWhenever I'm in Manhattan, I feel uneasy. I don't like to feel out of control. Staten Island is my territory. That's where I feel most comfortable. However, I had to come personally because of an important matter, so I couldn't send anyone on my behalf. As I stroll into the bar Cal uses as his office, I take in my surroundings, noting it looks different from the last time I was here. Now I can't tell if it is a casino, a bar, or a strip club. Or maybe all of it combined. It looks fancy though, and there's a lot of patrons already even though it's still the afternoon. Some Irish Kings members nod at me as I make my way through the club and head toward the back door where I know Cal's office is. One of his bodyguards opens the door for me and steps aside so I can pass. I go through another door before reaching the hallway. Cal's office is the last door on my right. I knock and turn the doorknob as soon as I hear him order me inside."Ah, if it isn't the man himself," he says as a
ChloeIt astonishes me how a human being so small and who barely stands on her feet can make such a mess in my house. For the last twenty minutes, I've been putting away all of Ellie's toys spread across the floor, her crayons and drawings, and the cushions from the couch she threw around the living room carpet.Today was supposed to be a cleaning day for me, but I'm not really in the mood for it. Maybe I should accept Mom's offer to hire someone to do it for me, but even though I hate it, I need to do something with my free time, otherwise I'll go insane. My brain needs to be kept busy so I don't think of bad things twenty-four-seven.I didn't tell my mother about what happened at Lou's Deli the other day with Tony. I didn't want to worry her, although maybe I should, since she is acting like nothing is happening. But I still don't know if it was all paranoia on my part. Even though I want her to take things more seriously, I don't want to alarm her unnecessarily either.A car screec
TonyChloe blinks at me, too astonished to say anything. What the hell just came over me? Did I just propose to her? Was this really the best plan I could put together? A sneer escapes her lips, and I narrow my eyes at her."Did you hit your head on your way over here or what? Of course we're not getting married," she counters, her voice not sounding very convincing. It seems like she is trying to convince herself other than me."Yes, we are," I affirm. "Think about it…it's the best way to keep Mateo away. As my wife, you'd not only have the protection of the Saints, but of my allies as well," I reiterate, hoping to sound more persuasive. "I don't need to be your wife for that, we can just pretend we're dating," Chloe retorts, crossing her arms in front of her chest, her brows rising in defiance.I offer her a smile. "As sweet as it may sound, girlfriends don't carry that much weight to men like us," I explain. "None of the guys from the Irish Kings or the Triads in Chinatown, for
ChloeThe first rays of sunshine come through my window and I grumble, turning on my side so I'm not blinded by the light. I frown, my eyes still closed, and I feel sleepiness embracing me again. But then I hear a scream coming from downstairs and I sit up in a flash. My brain takes a few seconds to make sense of what I'm hearing, but when it does, I frown.Is my mother yelling at someone? She'd know better than to do that when Ellie is probably still asleep. What time is it anyway? I look to the side and grab my phone on my nightstand, seeing it's still 6:25 A.M. "What is he thinking?" My mom's muffled voice continues.I throw off the blanket and swing my legs out of bed. Something bad must have happened for her to be screaming like this so early in the morning.Before I check what's going on, I stop by Ellie's room at the end of the hallway to make sure she's all right. I open the door a crack and peep inside, finding her sleeping like an angel in her crib. I let out a sigh of rel
*Cal*Heidi and I get dressed as I consider what to do. I check my phone, expecting to see a message from Sam telling me that the path is clear for me to take Heidi home, but he hasn’t texted me yet.I need to keep Heidi here for a little longer, until I know for sure we can head out without the risk of being attacked.“I’ll get something for us to eat before I take you home,” I offer, fixing my hair and adjusting the collar of my shirt.Heidi arches an eyebrow at me, considering my suggestion. I’m sure she must want to go home, and I can’t deny I also want to be alone so I can find out who the fuck was following us earlier, but unfortunately, she’ll have to wait.Reluctantly, she scoots back on the couch. “Fine, I’m starving.”“Want me to order some pizza?” I ask, grabbing my phone and opening the delivery app.“Yeah, I could eat some pizza,” she agrees. Her cheeks are still flushed from our previous activities. Seeing her skin glowing like that makes me want to do it all over again
*Heidi*The steamy session at Cal’s car only got me worked up enough to be desperate for him to take me. So much that I didn’t even bother that he took me to his office out of all places. When he said he wanted to take me somewhere safer, I thought he was talking about his apartment, but to my surprise, I was even more aroused when he took me to his bar.I never had sex in an office before, but I’ve read enough books to keep my imagination vivid and wanting to give it a try.Standing in his office in nothing but my underwear turns me on more than I expected. The simple fact that someone could barge in at any minute and catch us excites me more than I’d like to admit.God, I was never like this before. I wonder how Cal manages to turn me into this hungry woman who can only think about having sex.Sure, I do want more from him, but right now, having sex with him leaves me fully satisfied, and if that’s all I can get, well, I might as well take it while he is offering me.The intense loo
*Cal*“I didn’t think you meant your bar when you said ‘somewhere safer,’” Heidi points out with a note of amusement in her voice as I guide us inside through the back door.I managed to shake whoever was following us, but I don’t think I lost them completely. They might be somewhere near, watching my next moves. They know I own this place, but I can’t show Heidi any sign of worry or fear right now.I can only hope they don’t have ulterior motives tonight other than keeping an eye on us. An attack would be a fucking mess with Heidi here with me.“It wasn’t my first thought, but considering you really liked my office the last time you were here, I figured, why not?” Heidi seems surprised by my answer, but her expression softens as soon as I open the door to my office, and she finds everything exactly as she remembers it.“Make yourself comfortable,” I tell her, pecking her on the lips, one hand gripping her waist. “I’ll just send my men away and get us both something to drink,” I lie.
*Cal*Taking Heidi to her apartment this morning and being forced to leave her after the incredible night we spent together was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do, and that’s saying a lot.I cursed Tony the entire way to my bar, but I have to admit it ended up being the right choice after all. I don’t know how he did it, considering none of my men succeeded when they investigated it, but Tony managed to confirm that Mateo’s cartel was involved in the attack on Christmas’ Eve.He didn’t confirm who took that picture of Heidi leaving my bar, but that wasn’t necessary. I have all the confirmation I need already.When I asked him why he couldn’t tell me this news over the phone, he showed me a picture of two cars, one of them which I immediately recognized as being the one who attacked me that same night. Tony gave me some confidential information on how to track down Mateo’s men and told me he’s trying to find out who is leading them now and why they are targeting me and not
*Heidi*Being practically dragged out of Cal’s bed and his apartment is not the way I imagined ending our date. I hadn’t originally planned to sleep at his place either, but after the best sex of my life, I didn’t have the strength to leave his arms, get dressed, and call for a cab.I didn’t think Cal would have let me do that even if I’d wanted to, but now that he’s basically told me to leave, I’m starting to doubt my instincts. He reassured me that he didn’t want to go either, and I could tell by his expression that he was being honest with me. But as he drives me back to my apartment, I wonder what got him out of bed so early.I don’t think our relationship is close enough for me to ask him–even though we’ve seen one another completely naked and vulnerable–so I stay quiet the entire time, watching the empty, snow-covered streets out the window. Even with my coat on, and the heat from the car, I’m shivering. I also think it has something to do with Cal’s eyes on me. I feel his gaz
*Cal*I can’t wrap my mind around the fact that I finally got to have Heidi to myself. Taking her on a date had been a surprise already, but when she agreed on coming here with me, I was stunned. I thought she was going to freak out once she realized I had brought her to my apartment, but one look at her, and her expression told me she was more than pleased. I didn’t think it was possible for her to look sexier than she had when I first picked her up, but she managed to prove me wrong.A completely different woman showed up in front of me once I began to entice her. The look of lust, desire, longing, and yearning that crossed her face had me on my knees. Literally. I’ve had plenty of sexual partners in my life, lots of different experience, but even so, Heidi brought out things in me that I’ve never felt before.I couldn’t get enough of her.And never once have I brought a woman to my apartment, let alone my bed. This is my safe harbor. My home. The only place I feel like myself.
*Heidi*“Oh, my…” I trail off, unable to finish my sentence while Cal’s tongue flicks out and ravishes my clit with enthusiasm. My whole body shivers, my muscles tightening and breaking into spasm as my orgasm finally reaches its peak. Every cell inside of me is so sensitive to his touch, I wouldn’t be able to form a proper sentence at the moment, even if my life depended on it.My fingers are tangled in his hair, keeping his head trapped between my legs, even though he doesn’t seem to be ready to get out of there yet.I drop my head back, closing my eyes to savor how good it feels to reach climax with only his mouth on my body. If he’s this good with his tongue, I can only imagine what he can do with his dick inside of me.The wave of pleasure starts dissipating when Cal pulls back, and I allow myself to take a deep breath. If I want this to keep going–which I absolutely do–I need to pull myself together first.I feel my cheeks burning when I realize Cal is staring at me, completely
*Heidi*The drive back to Manhattan is excruciating. I can still feel Cal’s hands on me, his lips hungry on mine. Every cell in my body is alert, anticipating the continuation of our kiss on that rooftop.I can tell he feels the same. His grip on the wheel is so tight that his knuckles are turning white. Neither of us says anything, the sexual tension inside this car making it hard to breathe.I don’t ask where he’s taking me. I just look outside the window, hoping we get there as soon as possible or I’ll combust right here against his leather seat.When Cal pulls the car inside the underground parking garage of a luxury apartment building in Midtown, I realize he’s taking me to his place… not back to mine. A part of me scolds myself for agreeing to go to a man’s apartment on a first date–a guy I barely know–but I shove that unwelcome thought aside.I don’t want to think tonight. I just want to feel. I just want to let Cal treat me like the woman that I am, someone who deserves atte
*Heidi*This has to be the most beautiful place I’ve ever been to in my life. Not that I get out that much, but I don’t think I would have had the opportunity to dine in such a luxurious restaurant with a spectacular view of Manhattan if it wasn’t for Cal.I’m glad I didn’t push him to tell me where he was taking me because I actually do like surprises. When they’re good surprises, anyway. I wasn’t necessarily lying when I said I don’t normally like them, but then, I wasn’t expecting a surprise from him to be this magnificent. He really managed to surprise me. The fact that we’ve gone all the way to Stanton Island is one thing, and then the view through these enormous glass windows is breathtaking. From this distance, with the water separating us from the mainland, Manhattan seems peaceful somehow, not the chaotic city I’m used to.“Do you like it?” Cal’s voice reaches my ear, and only then do I realize how close to my neck his lips really are. It causes an electric current to cours