Page 61 of The Don

“Maybe she should.” Dante half shrugs.

“No. I have to do it myself.”

Dante raises the divider between us and my driver, and says, “Will Eliza forgive you if you do?”

“She wants him dead as much as I do. As does Dominic. Once 15 finds out where he is, Dominic and I will take care of him.”

Dante chuckles as he stares ahead at the dark divider. “At least you have one good nephew, the other one...” He shakes his head. “Seriously fucked.”

“Adrian is exactly like my brother and father,” I say. “And he needs to be put down like them too.”

“It would be easier if you were as heartless as they were. Women were nothing but currency to them.”

“And you see what happened to them because of that?”

“Hey,” Dante says and raises his hands in surrender. “All I’m saying is it would be easier for you.”

“No, it wouldn’t. Actually, it would be harder. The way my father ran the business, and the way my brother wanted to take it, it was chaos. They wanted to work the women like they were nothing. I cleaned it up, and now the women we have are clean and respectable, earn a good living, and the brothels are our highest earners. Dad struggled to make the brothels as successful as I have them. It wouldn’t be easier at all. It would be anarchy.”

“We could concentrate on the drugs and guns.”

“But the women make me more money. Prostitution, Dante, the oldest profession in the world. Supply and demand. I have the supply, and the demand will always be there.”

Dante leans over and pours a scotch that he offers to me. I gesture with a simple hand movement that I don’t want it, so he throws it back. “You’re right, the business is smoother the way you run it.”

“I know.” I inhale deeply. “It’ll be even more efficient once I eliminate Adrian. He’s a fucking problem.”

“15 will find him.”

“And once she does, make sure you have a team ready to grab him and bring him to me.” Dante nods his compliance. We both know Adrian needs to die.

I close my eyes as I tilt my head up to let the hot water rain over my body. I let out a yawn and find myself so tired that I can barely open my eyes. All I want to do is crawl into bed next to my girl.

I finish the shower quickly, dry off, and slide on my boxer briefs before heading toward my bed. Storm is asleep on my side, with my girl curled on the edge of the bed. So much for him not sleeping on the damn bed. “Move,” I say to Storm who’s staring at me. “Move.” He jumps off the bed, walks around to Eliza’s side, and lies on the floor beside her.

I pull the covers back and gently place my arm under Eliza to pull her toward me. She doesn’t even wake as she shuffles over. Eliza snuggles into my side facing me. I give her forehead a kiss and lie back, looking up at the ceiling that’s dimly lit by the night-light.

Eliza sighs in her sleep, and hooks her leg over my thigh. Jesus, she feels so perfect in my arms. I close my eyes and find myself drifting off to sleep.

“Ruben?” Her soft voice wakes me. Was I dreaming or did she call for me? “Ruben?” She’s awake.

“What is it, Amorina?”

“Did you find him?”

I tighten my arm around her slender body. “Not yet.”

Eliza tilts her head up to look at me. She purses her lips together and gifts me a slight smile. “Will you do something for me, Ruben?”

“Anything,” I reply instantly. “What do you need?”

“Will you kiss me?”

She wants me to kiss her? I kiss her often. I lean down and press my mouth to hers. My girl closes her eyes and releases a soft moan while she snakes her hand down my chest toward my boxer briefs. “Amorina,” I warn in a low voice. Her hand continues down and she palms my hardening cock. “Don’t start something you’re not ready to finish.”

“All he showed me was pain, but you’d never do that to me.” Eliza pulls her hand back as she lowers her chin. “I need gentle, Ruben.”

Gentle isn’t something I usually am with women. They need a firm hand in the bedroom. Women need to be used for both my pleasure and theirs, but my girl is asking for something and I’m going to give it to her until she’s ready for more.

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