EleniTwo hours later, bags fill the back of my car, my deep blue manicure is just dry enough that I’m able to drive myself home, and my hair feels so light that I keep shaking my head back and forth just to feel the curls bounce. Gianna’s hairdresser only took off a few inches, enough that it hits my shoulders instead of my mid back, but he added layers that “frame my face,” whatever that means, and I feel like a million bucks. I pull into the driveway wearing the first outfit Gianna picked out for me with just a few minutes before dinner at seven.I race inside and start hunting for Dante. Not in the kitchen. Not in his office. Eventually, the sounds of TV lure me to the living room, where he sits sprawled on the couch, looking bored.“Hi,” I say.He glances up, then sits fully upright. “Holy shit.”I flush. “Do you like it?”“Like it?” He leans over the back of the couch. “I think I’ve had wet dreams about it already.”I laugh. “What did you do while I was gone?”He groans. “Nothin
EleniBy the time I finally topple off Dante, sated, the sun is nowhere to be seen, and dinner is long forgotten. My skin clings to the sheets with sweat, and I spend a long time just catching my breath.After that long time passes, I look over at Dante. Tonight wasn’t our most intense session, but usually by this point, he’s up reminding me aftercare is an important part of the process and I’ll get a UTI if I don’t go to the bathroom. Instead, he just lays on the pillow, breathing heavily and staring at the ceiling with his gaze distant. Judging by the wrinkle between his eyebrows, business has him worried, not me.Maybe this is where I fit into the Saints now. Not boss in name, but boss in bed. The place he comes to unload the problems he can’t figure out on his own, and I help him unsnarl them. At least for now.“Thought for a thought?” I graze my fingers down the middle of his chest, avoiding the few remaining staples he says Dr. Domino is going to take out in a couple days. The s
DanteA few days later, I lean on my horn as the car in front of me completely ignores the green light overhead. “What the fuck do you mean, am I sure we have to do this?”Tony rolls his eyes. “Exactly what I goddamn said. I know ignoring Cal Duncan isn’t smart, but just because he called the meeting doesn’t mean we have to do it in his home fucking base.”“You’d prefer neutral territory.” I speed forward as the car finally moves and dodge around them to reach the open road ahead. “Like Chinatown?’“You’re in a rare mood,” he grumbles. “Thought I was supposed to be the fucking funny one.”“I thought so too.” I grin at my old friend. “And I’m just trying not to walk into an out-of-the-blue meeting with Cal Duncan looking like we’re crying over spilled milk. Didn’t you say he was minding his Ps and Qs?”“Technically.” Tony shakes his head. “As technically as a motherfucker could. He’s dancing right on the edge of our territory, just barely not starting something.”I pull up in front of
EleniI stare at the scene around me in something between surprise and horror. This is Dante’s backyard. I look up and see his house looming over the party. But instead of the yard being filled with gunfire or hushed conversation, classic rock blares from a pair of speakers. Dante himself stands at the grill, flipping burgers and nursing a light beer I’ve never seen him drink before. Tony and a couple other capos hold court by the grill. A few East Asian men Dante warned me when they walked in were representatives of the triads chat with some Saints soldiers. Cal Duncan stands alone by the pool, holding a bottle of dark beer he brought and surveying the scene. I turn away, toward the platter of watermelon salad—whatever the fuck that is—before his gaze can alight on me. Still, it looks like something out of a coming-of-age movie, not a tense meeting between some of the most dangerous men in New York City.The only concession to normalcy is the color palette of Dante’s outfit. Sure,
EleniSunset has come and gone by the time the last guests leave. After the grilling, everyone loitered, eating classic American food and listening to classic American music, until darkness finally fell. Then Dante, giggling like a kid, disappeared with Seb and Tony. They reappeared minutes later with an unlabeled box and proceeded to light off the least legitimate fireworks show I could have expected. Some didn’t light. Others fell off their little post. I laughed the whole time, and they handed out sparklers at the end. That, at least, felt like the summers I knew, waiting until the tiny fires threatened the top of my hand before dropping it on concrete and stamping it out. The only thing missing was Christos, trying to convince me to sword fight him. Luckily, it only took one mention before Seb was happy to accept the challenge. As always, our sparklers shattered instantly. It wouldn’t have been right if they didn’tAfter everything is cleaned up, Dante and I stumble upstairs. We
EleniMy breath catches as Dante looks me over like he’s deciding how to ruin me first. I’ve pushed him to the brink, to the wild place I know scares him sometimes. But tonight, I need that. He has to remind me who he is.The calm before the storm ends abruptly, with Dante grabbing the top of my romper and yanking. The thin straps can’t hold up against his strength. They snap, and my breasts bounce free as the strapless bra I had to wear slides down with the rest of the fabric.I gasp. “I liked that.”“I’ll buy you more.” He keeps pulling, dragging the ruined garment down my body. In seconds, I’m naked. “That’s my right, because you’re mine.”I swallow. “I’m—”He slaps one of my breasts with a spark of pain. “You’ll stop talking if you know what’s good for you, pet.”“And if I don’t?” My voice shakes a little. I tremble with want.He cups my pussy harshly, dragging his fingers through my wetness and coaxing the embers of my lost orgasm back to life. “You’re determined to find out, are
EleniA couple days later, I close one of my assigned readings and check the time. Too early for lunch. Too late to start something new. I glance at my phone, sitting on the couch next to me in the living room. I’ve been missing Mama a lot lately. Maybe… Maybe one call won’t hurt.I’m dialing almost before I finish the thought. My heart hammers. What am I going to tell her if she asks about Christos? Or Dante?She picks up after a few rings. “Hello? Who is—”“Mama!” I squeal.“Zouzouni?” she asks disbelievingly. “I thought—I mean, I feared—”“I’m all right, Mama,” I say. “Safe and sound.”Her broken sob crackles through the phone. “Why did you not call sooner? Oh, I was so worried.”“I’m sorry, Mama.” Tears sting my own eyes, and I wish she was here to hug. “It wasn’t safe.”“To call? That Dante lies to you,” she says. “It is always safe to call your mama.”I know that’s not true after my weeks in the boss’ chair, but I don’t disagree with her. “How are you? I want to hear everything.
DanteI trudge into Piacere as the sun starts to dip low in the sky. Long day at the docks today. It needed to be done—some of my foremen get uppity if I don’t check in often enough—but fuck, I hate docks days. The regular LEDs cast my club in an unattractive light, destroying all the magic. I shamble past janitors cleaning up and dancers in sweats practicing routines on the poles. I’m actually looking forward to the paperwork awaiting me downstairs because it means I get to sit my ass down for a second.On a whim, I pause at the bar and wait for Carla to walk over.“Send a glass of scotch down to my office.” I think for a moment. “Maybe just send the decanter.”My club manager nods sharply. “The decanter would be smart. You have a guest.”“A guest?” My eyebrows shoot up. “Who the hell did you let into my office?”“A woman who swore up and down she knew you.” Carla raises her hands defensively. “She had the phrase.”I spin away from the bar and scowl as I storm down to my office. The