Page 50 of Family Secrets

Chapter Twenty-One

“Right there, baby. Fuck yes!” Gino cried as he spilled his seed down Elizabeth’s throat. This was the third morning in a row she’d woken him with a blow job, something he argued she didn’t have to do, but wouldn’t turn it down if it made her happy.

Gino pulled her close as she climbed up his body, laying her head on his chest. He kissed the top of her head as he made a mental checklist of everything he needed to do today.

“I have a meeting in an hour.”

“You have a meeting every morning.” Elizabeth reminded him, running her finger along the defined muscles of his chest.

“Not like this one.”

Raising herself on her elbow, Elizabeth searched Gino’s face. “You make it sound as if this meeting will change your life.”

“Not just mine, Elizabeth, but yours too.”

“Why mine?”

“Because…” Gino trailed off, warring with himself as to how much to tell her. “For one, you didn’t set out to find a man to take care of you. And you’re the first genuine person, besides my mother, who I enjoy spending time with. Who, by the way, loves you.”

“She’s great, a little intimidating.” Resting her chin on his chest.

“She says the same thing about you,” Gino admitted as he picked up a strand of Elizabeth’s blonde hair. His mother’s words, of course, were much more robust, threatening to deliver bodily harm if he allowed Elizabeth to slip from his fingers.

“I’m intimidating?”

“Yes, has no one ever called you intimidating before? It shouldn’t surprise you. Even powerful men like me have people they feel uneasy with.”

“Do I make you feel uneasy?”

“No, you make me feel safe, like I can trust you with anything. Which is why I’m giving you my heart. Be ready by seven, I’ll have something important to share with you.”

* * *

Gino staredat the black box at the end of the table. He swallowed thickly as Tony held his clenched fists over the opening before dropping in his vote for the new leader of the Family. The vote could go either way, leaving himself or Sully as the new head of the Vitale Family. Barbara was right when she said Sully was more popular with the men, he faulted his grandfather for that. His firm training of separating friendship from business was drilled heavily into his head.

“Has everyone voted?” Dominic Santos, a New York Family leader, called from the corner of the room. Gino was fairly certain he’d voted for Sully, their paths joining on more than one occasion, including an invitation to his wedding a few years ago. Gino’s invite apparently got lost in the mail.

“One more,” Andrey Kumar, a relatively new leader from Detroit, spoke with his thick Russian accent. Drew, as Gino learned he preferred, was a gym rat much like himself with biceps the size of tree trunks and a love for hockey that rivaled Gino’s for boxing. Drew’s vote could go either way, as his familiarity was limited to a few phone calls and the drink they shared yesterday at his father’s wake, which had included Sully.

The process of choosing a new leader varied among Families. Since this would be the first leadership change in the Vitale Family where the current Don wasn’t passing the torch, a vote was suggested and unanimously agreed upon.

The morning started with nominations. Declan Malloy, the current Chicago leader, tossed Gino’s name in first, followed by Niko, who shocked the fuck out of everyone by nominating Sully.

Ian McLeod, the leader from Scotland, and Stavros Nakos, another New York Family leader, approached the table, removed the lid and set it to the side. Each vote would be verified, thus the reason for two men pulling it from the box, and then being read aloud to the group.

“Are you ready, Gentlemen?” Stavros questioned the room, his Greek accent slipping out despite his years living in New York.

A collective mumbling of confirmation echoed in the room. Gino wanted to demand them to hurry the fuck up, but kept it in, as that would surely negate his chances. Instead, he stood tall beside Sully, his hands clasped together at hip level, his face stoic.

Ian reached into the box, pulling out the first ballot and unfolding it, showing the paper to Stavros before announcing the name to the room.

“Salvatore.”

Gino heard the muffled chuckle escape Sully’s throat, who tried to cover it by clearing his throat.

“Salvatore,” Stavros announced the next vote, tossing the paper to the desk for everyone to see.

Gino shifted his feet, but kept his focus forward, reminding himself no matter who they chose as the new leader, Elizabeth would be waiting for him.

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