Tempted By The Mafia Boss

Gabe

Okay…

I managed to get myself here in one piece.

We’re meeting at Vincent’s office in town. It’s stylish and I like the design of the place.

While the rest of us split our time between The Dark Odyssey and Giordanos Inc., our family-run shipping company, he has his own business here.

We’re accountants at the shipping company and we do the books for the business and private clients. Him though, he decided he wanted to take things up a little more than that and be an investment banker.

He was the only one with the passion for it and the man can work miracles.

He has the same job Donny Revello had ten years ago, he’s just more niche.

Vincent works with investment deals in the Caribbean. Which is why he’s perfect for this new venture Salvatore and I want to get in on.

We want to own the Caribbean. We want the whole scene there, to set up a complex of luxury hotels which each have their own clubs comparable to The Dark Odyssey.

It’s a fucking good idea so I can’t fuck it up. I can’t and I decided yesterday that I need to take charge of myself.

I’m not at the stage yet where I think I can let Charlotte go.

I’m stubborn, worse than the proverbial mule, so while I know I need to do something it just takes me a while to get it done.

Yesterday I decided that it’s something I need to do though and that was a big step for me. It was a massive step considering each year I feel like shit for being as helpless as I was when Antonio took Charlotte, it reminds me that I truly loved her.

It’s a thing I will remember because the memory of it is all I have.

Now I’ve got to get my act together before I piss off my brothers even more.

Salvatore and Vincent are already inside Vincent’s office. They’re talking and laughing about something. It sounded like some shit about some doll chasing Salvatore. It’s the curse of the Giordano men, we always have women chasing us. I’ve never known it to be the other way around.

Vincent was saying something about Sorcha, his wife, when I came in. He’s been loved up with her for the last five years. The man still has women chasing him but he’s not a cheater, unlike Pa. It grieves me to even accept that because every time I see Pa with one of his women I remember that day with Antonio and how he was ready to risk everything for Ma. He’s like that all the time with her so I don’t get it.

The worst part is she knows about the women and puts up with it to the point where it’s not cheating anymore. It’s an allowance of sorts that actually makes me sick. Maybe though, it’s part of where we get our flair for the risqué from.

Salvatore, Nick and I own The Dark Odyssey with our cousins Christian and Georgiou. Salvatore and I have no qualms about sharing women and having threesomes but, fuck, Georgiou is the most liberal of us with his doll he’s married to and shares with his best friend. They only got married by way of arrangement but she belongs to both of them.

Christian is like Salvatore. Very private. I feel though that he’d be the same like me or Salvatore, where we wouldn’t share women we love and want for ourselves.

The laughter dies when they see me and Vincent straightens up against his leather-back chair. Salvatore turns so he can look at me from head to toe, inspecting whether I look suitable for business.

I can’t complain since I brought this shit on myself. The worst was when I fell asleep at the shipping office, naked on Pa’s desk. That was when everybody got the inkling that all was not well with me.

“Well, he’s dressed and looks decent.” Salvatore smiles.

“Shaved too and had a trim. Looks dapper in his shiny shoes and Armani suit,” Vincent chimes in with a smirk. Of all of us he looks most like Pa. The rest of us are a mingle of both our parents. Nick got Ma’s eyes, other than that you can tell straight away we’re brothers.

“I’m here,” I answer and take my seat next to Salvatore who is sitting in front of Vincent’s desk.

Both are looking at me with assessing eyes.

It’s because of my calm demeanor that they’re not used to. I’m not a calm man in the least. Today, however, I do an award-winning performance of one.

I don’t want therapy. I don’t want to get help and share the shit on my mind. I just want to deal with myself and by myself.

Salvatore throws a punch in my arm. “Fuck, liven up bro, what the fuck is this?” He sends another punch at me trying to elicit a response.

I just glare at him as he’s getting ready to throw another and make sure the fucking look on my face tells him I’m serious as fuck and if he does that again he’ll be on the floor with his teeth down his throat. This is what we’re like even as brothers.

“Right, we have five minutes,” Vincent declares. “Talk. I won’t stand for this shit. You’re the one with the vision of the idea we’re planning, you can’t be like that through the meeting or don’t waste my time.”

“I’m fine,” I tell him. “I’m okay. This is me okay? I apologize for my behavior over the last well…” It’s been years.

They’ve lived through the first few years after Charlotte was taken that saw me depressed. Then I seemed to bounce back and reassemble something of myself. But only because I turned to women. Sex. Lots of sex. Angry, meaningless fucking. It seemed to do the trick. Then it didn’t. That void of a hollow came on back and I can’t shift it no matter what I fucking do, it’s just there.

“It’s because it’s been ten years,” I add.

That’s what’s eating me up. It’s all well and good to talk big about being a Giordano and all this shit about being untouchable but when you can’t walk the walk it means nothing.

“We all tried Gabriel,” Vincent reminds me.

“I know, you all tried.”

Frankie would say the same if he was still alive. He’d remind me that he would have tried too. Frankie would be the first to point it out. That same bravado of his is exactly what got him killed. He got a hit on him from the Portaleu family after an accident that killed Stephanou Portaleu’s wife. That was another situation that saw me helpless. We were standing in the park and the bullet came from nowhere. It hit him straight in his heart, the same place his bullet struck her. Not only did I have to watch my eldest brother die but he died in my arms.

That was seven years ago. Three years after Charlotte was taken.

“It’s time,” I declare and push my shoulders back. “Time I get over it. This is a start.”

Salvatore leans in closer and I turn my focus to him. “Gabe, getting over it doesn’t mean replacing the pain with sluts and alcohol.”

“Look prick, I know that,” I hiss and he frowns. He’s trying to be a dick on me and act like he’s that much older than me with his one year. “I know, that’s not what I mean to do. Just so we’re clear. Also I think I want to go to the Caribbean and help set up things up.”

Now they both look shocked and exchange worried glances.

“Gabe… we were going to hire people to do that. Maybe go see it all once it’s done,” Vincent points out. Yes that was the plan indeed and it made sense because we’re all so busy.

Yesterday I came up with the conclusion that I need a change of scenery. Somewhere new. Someplace else, just different to Chicago. Of course they’re shocked because practically every night sees me at The Dark Odyssey. They probably get it too that the wow factor has lost its appeal for me. Watching people have sex and get up to all manner of shit doesn’t have the same ring as it did awhile back.

“I think it’s a good idea. I need the change and I think it would be good for me. Like you said I have vision. So I want to see the vision come alive the way it has here at The Dark Odyssey.”

It was my idea to make it like an erotic version of a Venetian ball, just party style so it could carry on the way it would for a regular club. We’re so successful now I can’t believe it. We saw fame weeks after we opened and it only grew from there to what we have today. I got good grades at college. I went to Yale and aced everything. But Yale was a requirement in our family. That felt like something I did where I was just going through the motions. The way we got together to create The Dark Odyssey though is something else for me, my one accomplishment.

Vincent nods. “Okay, but we need to talk about it some more. We can have it in the plan though if that’s what you want.”

“It is…” I look to Salvatore who I notice hasn’t said anything. I just give him a smile and look back to Vincent. “This is going to be big. I know it. People are going to go crazy over the hotels alone. The sex club will just be the icing on the cake.” I have so many ideas up my sleeve.

I want to plan events too. Adult events for singles separated by age group and interests. That was going in the plan after we set up.

What I like most was that at least my brain was working. Ticking with ideas. Profitable ones.

“Well you sound like you’ve made up your mind,” Salvatore finally comments.

“It feels right. Everybody’s doing their own thing. This can be mine.”

He nods. He was going to be setting up the agency here that would take the bookings for the resorts. Roberto was going to assist him with that. Salvatore is the most tech minded among us so the most suited for anything like that. His business mind also lends assistance to his other skills.

All of us put together equals a fortune.

It’s good.

More than what most people have. We have the benefit of doing stuff legit, even though it won’t stop us from being gangsters in every sense of the word

There’s a knock at the door.

It’s Roberto.

The meeting commences and it feels like the start of something I need to focus on.

It all went well.

All of it.

An hour after that meeting saw us signing contracts for a multibillion dollar deal.

Richness and wealth all of it good.

So why didn’t I feel anything?

I’m at The Dark Odyssey now. Got here ten minutes ago and I’m later than usual. It’s almost ten and I try to get here by eight at the latest.

Jenna is on reception. She’s on the phone and her eyes follow me as I walk past her. I don’t acknowledge her like I usually would. Acknowledging would be an invite to sex later and I don’t want that.

Nick hired her just for that and he got the shock of his life when he met Mia months later. That doll practically turned his life upside down and inside out. He fell hard for her and I knew even before he accepted his feelings for her that they were going to be together.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

It was the way he looked at her and talked about her. Very defensive and protective over her, like I was with Charlotte.

She reminds me of her. She has the same good natured presence my girl used to have.

I make my way past the reception area and go down to the dressing rooms to find Mimi. She always stays back until the end to make sure all the girls who work here are okay.

She’s like a mother hen even though she’s younger than a lot of them.

I see her talking to Denise, one of the girls who works the Playboy Lounge. Denise sniffles like she’s been crying.

I hang back to give them some space but Mimi sees me and frowns.

“You’ll be okay. Guys are such jerks sometimes,” Mimi says with a shake of her head. She’s actually looking at me as she says that.

“I’m so stupid. I believed him. Thanks for listening Mimi. You’re the best.” Denise answers, giving Mimi a hug and walks away down the corridor leading to the lockers.

When Mimi turns her attention to me and folds her arms under her breasts and looks like she’s squaring off with me, I know she’s not ready to forgive me yet for the shit. All of it. She actually has no reason to forgive me and I won’t ask for it either.

I walk closer and stop a few paces away from her.

We stopped sleeping together eight months ago. She put her foot down and realized her worth.

“What do you want?” she asks.

“You.”

“No. You know it’s a no. I won’t be with you like that ever again Gabriel.” She full names me too when she’s trying to make a point.

“That’s not what I mean. I mean you the person who’s my friend I shouldn’t have crossed the line with knowing how you felt about me.” I’m trying to apologize but like fucking always I never say the right thing. She looks more upset with me than she already was.

I’ve never outrightly confirmed my feelings before. It’s hard to hear it but I’m saying it because it matters.

“Good to know.” She makes a move to go but I catch her arm and pull her to a stop. Miss Mimi however is stronger than she looks and looks like she’s ready to hand me my ass again.

I almost wish I hadn’t taught her to fight when we were kids. It’s on me for encouraging the beautiful little tomboy who used to follow me around. She grew up to be just as badass as the rest of us guys, except she wears heels and kept her little pixie features.

“Let go of me Gabe.” She scowls. I release her. “You are the worst fucking piece of shit I know and I will not forgive you for the way you’ve made me feel like shit. Don’t come down here to me trying to reason. I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want to talk about us so don’t make me.”

“I’m not. I’m just here trying to talk to you, that’s all.”

A tear runs down her cheek and I really do feel like a fucking piece of shit. “I’m not ready to talk to you like that Gabe. Go to your whores. There’s already two outside your suite door.” She shakes her head and walks off, probably thinking I arranged that. I didn’t. No point telling her that though when she’s all worked up on me the way she is.

Fuck, I don’t even know who the two broads are and I’m not going up there tonight.

I’m staying on the floor for an hour then I’m going to my house which rarely sees my ass.

I make my way to the dance floor of the club and over to the bar for a drink. I just want a beer tonight, just something to take the edge off.

The place is heaving with people but fuck, my eyes land on a couple in the center of the dancefloor making out like a pair of teenagers.

It’s Nick and Mia.

“God…” I shake my head but I’m happy for them. They deserve each other and it’s great that after marriage and a child they’re the same as they were before, worse. I think it’s worse because Nick isn’t so tense and he directs all his energy to his wife.

He’s there holding her like he hasn’t seen her in years. She’s wearing sexy lingerie that leaves nothing to the imagination, and heels. Unlike the majority of people here they don’t wear their masks.

Our policy here is you take the mask off when you want to reveal your identity to the person you choose to be with for the night. It makes it sexier.

I sigh and look away from them.

Just beyond them is a woman having sex with a guy taller than her. He’s so fucking tall she looks like a dwarf but as he pounds into her she takes it and her breasts like pillows bounce wild with every thrust. They all have on masks so I’m guessing the scenario must have been like most people who come here.

They met tonight on the dance floor and one of them would have given that special coin to the other inviting them for more from the evening.

The more is what I’m watching now.

Fuck, did I ever used to get off on watching. I can’t explain it. I’m outrightly watching now and it’s commonplace to me.

Light fingers run over my shoulder as I watch and I turn around to see one of the new waitresses. Her name’s Sara. She works this area by the bar. She has on a beautiful gold mask and her dark curls look striking against it.

“Gabe… this is unusual seeing you by yourself,” she notes.

Up by the bar the music is low enough to carry a conversation but a mix the club goes wild for just came on so it’s a little loud.

“I’m busy,” I tell her.

“Want to be busy with me?” She gives me a hopeful shrug. I had her up against the wall of the dressing rooms her first night here. That was a few weeks ago. Mimi caught me.

Fucking hell… she caught me and I haven’t been with Sara since.

“I’m sorry. Not tonight doll.” So she won’t feel bad I lean in and give her a kiss on her forehead. It’s an odd thing for me to do.

What’s also odd is me getting up and walking away, leaving the club.

I venture home with the plan to make arrangements with an agency to check out some properties in the Caribbean.

Some place nice I can stay.