Page 18 of Long Live the King
Alannah
“Good morning, beautiful.”
The sound of his voice is like a massage to my soul, relaxing all the way to my core. When I went to bed last night, Dominic wasn’t here, so his presence is a pleasant surprise.
“Good morning,” I answer back. “I didn’t know you’d be here. How’d everything go yesterday?”
Dominic leans over and plants a soft kiss on my lips before answering. He stares at me for a second, admiring my face, his shirtless torso teasing me.
“It was good,” he says. “It went about as well as we thought it would.”
“So, what was we he like?”
“Victor?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, he’s the kind of guy you hate unless he’s on your team. And since he’s not on my team, I’d like nothing more than to put a bullet in his heart, right next to his fucking pacemaker.”
“Wow. I see. What’d he say about the situation?”
Dominic breathes in deep and lets it out in a big huff.
“He wants five hundred-grand in interest.”
“Holy shit,” I reply, surprised at the price tag. “Half a million dollars? That’s ridiculous. Are you gonna pay that?”
“I guess I have to,” Dominic says. I can see the frustration buried behind his furrowed eyebrows. “I tried to fight it, but he had us surrounded, and I know he would’ve killed us if I didn’t go along with it. Jimmy made a mistake that affected his family, so he has a right to have demands. I don’t gotta fucking like it, but I gotta respect the rules to Our thing. We’ll do what we gotta do, and then it’ll be over and we can move on.”
I nod my head, understanding the tough situation he’s in as the boss who has to make these kinds of calls. I’m sure it’s hard trying to figure out when to flex your muscle and when to back down. It’s not a job I’d want.
“Okay, so how does that work, then?” I inquire as I sit up and lean back against the cherry wood headboard. “That’s a lot of money. Is that from you to him, or what?”
“Well, it was Jimmy’s crew that fucked up, so Jimmy’s the one who has to pay the most for this. Since I’m the boss of the Family, I fronted him a hundred-grand, and he has to pay the other four. It’s a bit of a hit on his wallet, even if he is a captain, but we gotta do what we gotta do. He’s on my shit list, so I told him he had to be the one to deliver the truck and the money. He didn’t like it, but I don’t really give a fuck. He messed up, and he needs to be the one to fix it. Simple as that. So, Jimmy and a couple of guys from his crew went to take the truck and the money to Chicago first thing this morning. I’m just waiting on a phone call that says it’s done. I want the truck and Victor Fronzo in our rearview mirror as soon as possible, because the two of us having to work together is a problem. The more we have to talk, the worse it’s gonna get.”
“I understand. Well, I’m glad it’s almost over,” I say with a grin. “I can tell this whole thing bothers you.”
“Of course it does. I don’t like having to bend at the will of some old bastard. Our family is making money and everyone’s happy, which is what makes what you and I have that much better. Things are simple, and I don’t have to give a lot of my time trying to fix people’s fuck ups. I get to just focus on you.”
Dominic leans over and kisses me again, this one filled with passion as he caresses my cheek with his palm. My body responds with heat, sending warmth shooting from my head to my toes.
“You know I love you, right?” he asks, as he pulls away and pierces my brown eyes with his blue ones.
“I do,” I reply. We stare at each other for a moment. I’m so head over heels in love with this man, I don’t even know what to do with myself. After all we’ve been through, I love him now more than ever.
“What do you say we go get breakfast?” he asks, still caressing my cheek.
“I’d say that sounds like a plan. I’m gonna go hop in the shower.”
“Okay.”
I lean in and kiss the love of my life one more time before finally pushing the covers off of me and standing up. I stretch my arms up in the air and let out a big yawn, and as I step towards the bathroom, I see Dominic staring at me as I walk, with a sneaky grin on his lips. I flash a quick smile before closing the wooden door behind me.
Once I’m in the expansive bathroom, I toss my St. Louis Blues jersey on the double vanity, right between the two marble sinks, and I open the door to the shower to heat up the water. It only takes a second to reach the perfect temperature, and I step onto the marble floor that matches the gray and white ceramic tiles that line the shower. The raindrop shower head cascades down onto me like my own personal waterfall, and the extra shower heads jutting out from the surrounding walls add an extra sense of comfort. I won’t act like I don’t enjoy the life of luxury that comes with Dominic. Being with him has been heaven for so many reasons.
I grab my lavender body wash and get to work, starting with my chest and working my way down. After only a few minutes, though, I hear the bathroom door closing.
“Babe?” I call out to no response. “Babe, is that you?”
