SophieThe doctors told me that she was sick, seriously so. She had a form of cancer that was in its last stages, progressing rapidly. No, they could not say for sure how much longer she would survive, forget the chances of recovery!I sank onto the hospital bench that afternoon, weeping as I knew that there was no one I could share my sadness with.With the knowledge that I needed to keep Mamma medicated, I began to work. Soon, I had left school and was working at the local diner. The money was not great, but it brought in enough for me to take care of my mother.***And a few months later, Sondra turned up. The look of weariness and hopelessness on her face frightened us but I was happy to see her back.She had a baby with her, a baby named Patrick.She had no idea who the father was. But she wanted to lead a straight life, she said; she wanted to stay off drugs.She wanted to be a good daughter, but most of all, a good mother, she said.***Mamma was happy. She grabbed my arm when
A few days beforeLucienThe Underground Fight Club was being revived. It had been Lucien’s idea and he had decided he would regularly take part in the fights. But reality struck hard. Once a week was definitely out and this was because of the huge protests from Proserpina. His woman hated the thought of beating up anyone, even for a game, a gamble, in the ring. She was more a Buddhist than anything else, he thought fondly, watching her now as she turned her large brown eyes to him, shock and disbelief on her pretty face.“No, Lucien!’ she cried in dismay, staring at him in horror when Schwartz had accidentally brought up the matter during dinner one night.‘’Please, tell me you are not going to fight anyone!’ The alarm in her voice, the note of desperation made him feel guilty.The Boss watched his wife, saw the look on her face and knew he should have prepared her for the news beforehand. But she was such a gentle soul, he had been loath to tell her. He wanted to protect her from t
LucienHe slipped between the sheets that night and pulled her body to his.“I am sleepy.," she spoke, her voice small and petulantHe slipped his hand over her soft hips and forced his fingers between her legs. Played with her clit. She tried to shrug him away and force her legs together, but he was stronger. And when he dipped his head to nibble on her earlobe, she sighed softly, despite herself.“Lucien!’ she snapped, but it was a breathless sound.He smiled to himself and nibbled at her ear, then sank his teeth into the sensitive point of her neck.“Stop it!’ she cried, trying to sound angry, but the laugh and the want were in her voice, deepening in degree.He turned her over roughly and kissed her, a long, possessive kiss. His hands were busy caressing and squeezing her breasts and nipples“Look, stop it now. I am trying to get some sleep, you...you street fighter, you!' she said, sitting up , trying to sound annoyed.But her full breasts spilled out of her shift, the nipples s
SchwartzA woman slammed into him, and James Schwartz swore as the phone flew out of his hands. He was about to shout at her when she gripped his arms.Startled, he found himself looking into a pixie face, wide eyes on him as the woman whispered frantically.“Please,’ she whispered desperately, digging her hands into his arms, her green eyes filled with terror.He held up a hand, a gesture that stopped his men in their tracks, for they had been preparing to tear the woman away. Schwartz was in the Club, the safest of places for him and the Boss but they still went about with their bodyguards, loyal, trusted men who would not hesitate to lay down their lives for the men they served.But Handsome James was astute enough to recognize real terror when he saw it. The young woman who was hanging onto his arms was terrified, and he was curious to know why she was so scared.She was speaking now, trying not to stammer as she shivered.‘Please, you... you have got to help me.’He raised his br
Schwartz He entered in answer to his mentor's urgent summons.‘Delano?’ frowned Schwartz enquiringly as he entered, his wingmen waiting outside. As always, Schwartz was dressed well, looking sharp in a crisp dress shirt, blazer, and tailored pair of dress pants in coordinating neutral colors—white and navy.Lucien Delano turned to look at his dapper friend and smiled slightly. Lucien himself was a fit two hundred pounds plus, with his graying hair and windowpane oxford shirt and chinos, along with his sports coat and leather loafers, making him look classy on the exterior. But anyone who looked into Lucien’s cold gray eyes would know he was dangerous, the cold gray gaze taking in everything and missing nothing.Now he nodded at Schwartz, indicating that he should wait, and turned back to his work, frowning as he spoke to the dealer in Spain.***Schwartz studied his friend and mentor, his partner, and the man he could trust with his life in silence. His friend was in his early forties
Schwartz had seen Lucien evolve. Having been born to a prostitute, he had been heartless and cold.He had been a brutal man, incapable of loving.His sexual needs were insatiable. He had had a reputation for sleeping with more women than it was considered humanly possible, joked men in private, envious and admiringly. Schwartz himself knew that the core of his friend’s heart was empty. He kept aloof from relationships. He never surrendered completely to any woman.But all that was before Proserpina wafted into his life.When young Proserpina Winters had breezed into his life with her sunny disposition and her cheerful innocence, Garston had been caught unawares.He had fallen hard.At first, he had been his usual self. He had brutally claimed Proserpina for his mistress. But the young woman had shown her mettle. She had been swept off her feet but her love for the older mob boss had been real.So when she had discovered that she was only one in a string of mistresses, she had run away
SophiaSophie hurried away, darting into the corridor that led into the kitchen area. She almost collided with Danielle Eton who gave her a cold glare. Sophie trotted off hastily. She avoided Danielle like the plague. The woman had a tongue like a whip and an attitude to match. With her close-cropped ice blonde hair and cold blue eyes, she made Sophie tremble in the way she had when she had been in school and summoned before the Head teacher for some misdemeanour.,Cold Bi*ch she thought and moved around, helping the other servers who were rushing in and out, balancing drinks on small trays and delicious looking tiny bites of caviar and sushi. It was a busy night. The whole Club was buzzing. It was because of the scheduled inauguration of the Fight Club in the basement the next night. The Boss had decided to have the first fight on Christmas Eve.Crafty bugger, thought Sophie as she smoothed down her rebellious red hair, tucking a strand in place. The guests were excited, she had see
SchwartzHe watched in a mixture of astonishment and dismay as the woman seemed to hang onto Lucien, her hand moving to stroke his crotch. But Lucien easily stepped away from her tight embrace with a thin smile and turned her around to face Schwartz.Schwartz felt his heart sink further as he recognised the woman standing before him, leaning back into Lucien***She was CatalinaCatalina the C*nt was what her fans liked to call her.For she had been a reigning porn star at one time. Although now that she was older, she had been regaled to the background. But she was still known to be a viable star.***Only, Schwartz remembered her from the days before she had become a star. She had been Dana Leigh, a mediocre club whore, around Lucien's age and from a similar background.And she had been besotted by Lucien.He could recall the days when Lucien had been in his heyday, a brutish Don. Rising in his career,Dmitri Rudenko had just been a rival. Lucien, Shark and he were just starting out