Dante (4 page)

Dante’s throat tightened right along with his slacks, and the longer he stared at the woman, the more his interest peaked. The night had been a shitty one, so why not end it in a good way? Like between that woman’s thighs.

Dante turned as the bartender produced his drink of choice. “On the house, Boss.”

“Thank you.”

Sipping on the whiskey, Dante pushed away from the bar, interest fully focused on the woman three stools away, and made his way down. When he slid onto the stool beside the redhead, a sexy, almost knowing, smirk curved her lips.

Her hazel eyes regarded Dante from the side, taking him in slowly. She looked him up and down and didn’t even try to conceal the fact she was. His lust burned a little hotter at the sight. There was something about women who knew what they wanted and didn’t hide their intentions that turned him on like nothing fucking else.

Red manicured fingernails, the same shade as her hair and lips, dragged along her outer thigh to the hem of her dress, forcing Dante’s stare downward.

Cristo
, she had gorgeous legs.

He bet they would look even better wrapped around his waist.

“Are you drinking?” Dante asked, his tone rough.

“Not tonight.”

Dante blinked, stunned. The thick Italian accent coating her words set him back a step. He hadn’t expected that and for some reason, it put him on edge.

“It’s a club,
dolcezza
. There’s isn’t much else to do on a Thursday night when you’re sitting at the bar.”

She smiled sweetly—too sweetly. “Oh, I’m doing more than sitting,
bello
. And I don’t need to drink to do it.”

Her voice was demure, her words rolling off her tongue quietly, but surely. The straightness of her back in the stool spoke of class while her blatant regard of him gave an air of confidence.

She dazed him.

Dante wasn’t accustomed to that.

A soft pat-pat-pat sound gained his attention to where her finger hit down on the bar. On the inside of her left index finger, one word was tattooed in fancy black script:
Queen
.

The edginess burrowed in deep again. When things felt off for Dante, they usually were. This woman made his insides scream it. Both in a good and bad way.

Dante chanced a glance back at the table where his brothers were standing, readying to leave as they pulled on their jackets. They were still talking, though. But the man who had annoyed Dante the most—Gaetano—wasn’t paying Lucian or Gio any mind. No, he was watching the woman at Dante’s side.

Not with interest, as if she may have caught his eye by chance, but instead, he looked at her with the familiarity of a friend.

Dante’s thoughts raced when what he really needed was for his mind to be silent. During the entire meeting, none of the men had spoken of their boss in direct context or out of it. The Marcello brothers had continually referred to the unknown leader of the group as a
he
because that’s what they assumed they were dealing with in whatever game the men were playing.

Dante was only now realizing they were wrong in doing so.

“You know, you surprised me,” the woman said, drawling her words out with a sensuality that could make a man’s mouth water. Again, she dragged her gaze from Dante’s leather shoes to his green eyes. “You’re much more handsome in person than I thought you would be, Dante Marcello.”

Three things in life made a man most vulnerable: sex, love, and children.

Sex occasionally led to love, and for some, it also led to children. As Dante was incapable of having children, he had no interest in love. Sex, however … well, that was something he simply couldn’t do without.

It was just too damn bad the need left him exposed, and it had to be now he learned the lesson to never think with his cock when business was in play.

The woman swiveled fast on her chair at the same time Dante lurched toward her. He found himself between her thighs, crowding her back forcefully to the edge of the bar, nearly pushing her off the stool. The magnum he always kept hidden at his back in a holster was seated in his palm before the woman could speak and the barrel pressed under her chin at her throat.

Dante ticked the gun at her jawline, making her tilt her head back under the weight. She stared him head-on, unabashed and unafraid, smirking mischievously. Her hazel eyes danced with amusement and menace.

He hated how her unfazed attitude at his warning only made him hot.

Something sharp nipped at Dante’s groin. Without needing to look down, he could feel the blade of a knife threatening to cut into his balls.

Jesus fucking Christ.

“Go on, cock your hammer back,
bello
,” she urged low. “You wouldn’t be the first to try and take a bite out of me, Dante. I’m not a little girl who frightens easily.”

“Who the fuck are you?” Dante demanded.

“Catrina Danzi.”

His gun dug harder into her jaw. Her knife reacted accordingly at his sac.

“What do you want from me?”

Catrina flashed white teeth in a wicked smile. “I heard you need a wife.”

Dante nearly balked. “What did you just say?”

“Oh, I think you heard me perfectly well, Dante.”

As her knife drew a line upwards across his cock, Dante realized he was as hard as steel. “Remove your fucking knife.”

“I don’t think so. See, your gun is still at my throat and that isn’t very nice.” Catrina gave him another sinful smile, adding, “Besides, I think you like it.”

Dante cocked the hammer back on his gun, completely unbothered by the few patrons milling around. He had no idea if his brothers had taken notice of his current situation or not, but at the moment, his focus was entirely on this strangely beautiful woman and her knife at his dick.

“I dislike guns in general,” Catrina said, tilting her head to the side as if they were having a conversation about dinner. “They’re heavy and loud. Barely anyone questions a small knife, but a gun, however, someone always takes issue. And, with a woman like me, there’s no need for a gun.”

Dante couldn’t stop himself from watching her hazel eyes as he asked, “Why’s that?”

“Because men are predictable, and with a face like mine, they can’t help but let me close. Once they do …”

“They’re fucked.”

She had drawn him in like fucking prey.

And he
let her
. 

“Exactly. Put your gun down and we can talk.”

Dante didn’t. “Those men, they’re yours, yes?”

“They are and I was quite surprised you let their nonsense go on for as long as you did.”

“I was waiting for one of them to slip up.”

“I suspected,” she said with a sigh. “They didn’t, of course. I’ve trained them well.”

Dante had another thought, and it irked him. “It could have been my father here tonight at this meeting and not me, Catrina.”

“Call me Cat.”

Dante’s cock twitched at the way her name rolled off her own damn tongue. Christ, how could one woman piss him off and turn him on at the same time? It was disgusting.

“It could have been my father,” Dante repeated, needing to get far away from his thoughts.

“No, I knew it would be you,” Catrina whispered.

Good
God
.

Dante felt an uncontrollable urge to put a distance between his body and Catrina. The part of his brain that wondered what her mouth would feel like as he fucked it made him stay pressed at the junction of her thighs with her knife at his balls.

“Word travels fast in our business, Dante. Seems you’ve been taking the reins a lot lately, but a little more talk went along with it. To be boss, you need a wife. Something you don’t have and seemingly, you don’t want to be married if your rebuttals on the issue are anything to consider.”

“How do you know my opinion on marriage?”

“Another thing my pretty face gets me when I want it to is
information
. What could a sweet woman really do to a Marcello,
hmm
? She’s only curious, they think. Stupid men.”

Dante’s throat felt thick. “You sought me out for a proposal?”

“In a sense,” Catrina murmured. “I have something you need, and you have something I need. It might work and we won’t know if we don’t discuss it.”

“I don’t know you,” Dante forced out. “And after tonight, I don’t think I want to.”

“You really need to drop your gun,
bello
.”

“Stop calling me that.”

“No, I think handsome fits you quite well.” Dante annoyance grew, but before he could respond, Catrina’s knife disappeared from his groin. She slipped the blade into a sheath at her thigh. Catrina waved behind Dante, undoubtedly at the men she had brought along to play their games. “This is just a taste of what I’m capable of.”

Not that he wanted to, but since she had removed her weapon, Dante replaced his inside the holster at his back. “I don’t appreciate you sending your men in your place.”

“Not just my men, Dante. This entire thing. The drugs; your streets; and the information. You still haven’t figured it out yet, have you?”

Dante blinked, unsure of what she was asking him. Catrina’s finger tapped to the center of his chest, sending sparks blooming across his skin. The tattooed word on her slender, pale digit caught his eye again.

“Catrina Danzi,” she repeated.

“That name rings no bells.”

“To the outside world, it shouldn’t. If it did, I wouldn’t be very good at my job, Dante.” She struck her finger on his chest again. “I think I’ll head out and take my men with me.”

Dante stepped back. “Do that.”

Catrina slid off the stool with a learned grace that Dante would appreciate if she were any other woman and not one that had seriously fucked with his head and time tonight. Passing him by, she turned at his shoulder, wiggling her fingers teasingly.

“For you, it’s Cat, but they’ll know me better as
Queen
.”

Stunned, Dante observed the men get up from their respective seats and follow the redhead out of the club without a word. Lucian and Gio, however, were only a few feet behind Dante, both sporting expressions churned with anger and shock. Some patrons were being herded out of the club by men Dante recognized as his own … or rather, his father’s.

“Did I hear that woman right?” Gio asked when the coast was clear.

“Depends on what you heard,” Dante replied quietly.

“A lot,” Lucian said for his brother.

Dante lifted his shoulders in response, but even the action felt robotic. He didn’t like being tricked and he didn’t like being cornered. Dante was neither a circus show nor an animal needing trained. That woman—Catrina—had treated him like both.

It pissed him off more.

“Plan remains the same,” Dante said, reverting back to his cool demeanor. “I want them off my streets.”

“Even if it’s a woman running them?” Lucian asked.

“Especially because it’s her running them.”

Chapter Three

Catrina Danzi required but one thing in life to keep her happy and not for the reason most would suspect: men.

She didn’t need or want their intimacy. Very little about a man interested her enough to keep her attention. The few men she had forged relationships with, physical or otherwise, had been either a pawn in someone’s game, or dead before morning.

They didn’t call her a black widow, though.

No, they called her the queen.

The only reason she required men in her life was for business.

Being a successful Queen Pin was partly about understanding the environment of the work, then the product came along, and finally, the most important of them all was the ability to find the clients. Cat was mighty good at finding hers. She always had been.

It wasn’t hard when her looks drew attention, her charm closed the gap, and her product kept them coming back for more. She fit in to high society without gaining attention to her place. If a man—any man so long as he had the right amount of cash and clout—needed her to be the ghost supplying his substance indulgence, she was the perfect fit.

She didn’t touch the men, though. A good Queen didn’t get involved, certainly not emotionally, and definitely not with a client. Feelings and business didn’t work, regardless of how some men tried to convince her differently. If just one of her clients would realize his worth to her was only as good as the bottom-line on his bank account, maybe they’d get the hint.

Right. She doubted it.

Cat had a signature. One she was known for by every client who had her on speed dial. Beyond the bodycon dresses, red lips, and stiletto heels that accentuated her sexuality and held attention, they had all come to know her as Queen.

Just like that. Simple and clean. Kind of like her business prerogative.

Well, as clean as dealing drugs could be, that was.

It had taken Cat a decade to amass the specialty clientele hidden in her black book. No, those weren’t just for hookers and madams. Cat had her own list. Politicians, high profile judges, celebrities, and influential families from all over the country lined her pages.

Sure, they could buy their blow or whatever else they needed from any dealer on the streets, but that always carried a risk. Cat was known for her silence, her talent for never being seen, and her track record of keeping everybody happy.

Plus, she was pretty sure there was a bit of ego mixed in with her clients, as well. Like maybe her high-class standards mixed in with her no bullshit attitude, the intelligent wit, and the queen title that came along with it all made them feel like she wasn’t just a drug dealer.

Dio
, the fools; they were so wrong. She was just as filthy as the man on the street corner selling to feed his own habit. Another thing Cat never did was touch her own product. There was no profit to be had if you were snorting all your cash.

Yeah, that little girl from the Sicilian village sure came a long fucking way from where she started.

Standing from the chair she rested in, Cat gave her whispering men a once-over as they spoke in hushed tones around the small kitchenette in the hotel room.

“What’s all the whispering for?” Cat asked.

Pao turned in his seat. “How do you think that went,
regina
?”

“You mean having a gun shoved in my face or leaving him stunned? Because it isn’t the first time that’s happened to me, on both accounts.”

Gaetano snorted. “Doesn’t faze you a bit, does it?”

“No, I expected him to react that way once he figured it all out.”

Cat was lying through her teeth, but she didn’t want her men to know. The fact was simple, Dante Marcello had surprised her. The last thing she expected him to do was threaten her like he had. Men were easily influenced by Cat’s seemingly innocent exterior and then blindsided by the darkness hidden under her beauty.

Sure, Dante had been caught by her at first, but that didn’t last long.

Cat took notice of Carlos’ silence. The man had voiced his displeasure about her choices repeatedly, and it was starting to get dull. More than anything, Cat hated to be questioned. Especially by a man.

“Carlos?” Cat asked at the same time she waved for Gaetano to come to her.

“
Sì, regina
?”

“You’re terribly quiet, and considering you’ve had the most opinions to share this week, I’m curious why you’re clamming up now.” Cat pointed at the back of her dress. “Gae, would you unzip me, please? I need to get out of this damn dress.”

“Turn around,” Gaetano replied.

“You won’t like what I have to say,” Carlos explained.

Cat let Gaetano help her reach the zipper on the back of her dress. He pulled the little metal tag down until the article could be slipped off. All the men averted their eyes as Cat stepped out of her dress and covered up again with a white silk robe Gaetano passed to her.

“Fine, be honest with me,” Cat said, nodding to Carlos. “Brutally so, even. I won’t be angry.”

It was a trap and any man who worked for Cat would realize it. Unfortunately, Carlos’ personal opinions were affecting the reasonable side of his brain lately, and he would take her bait.

He didn’t disappoint.

“Why involve this Marcello at all in this plan of yours,
regina
? All you’re about to do is give up everything we’ve worked for, anonymity included. Do you really think you’ll be the ghost queen if your last name becomes Marcello? It’s downright …
stupido
.”

“Watch it,” Gaetano barked, coming to Cat’s defense as he always did.

Cat patted her companion on the arm, quieting Gaetano. “It’s fine, he’s just doing what I asked.”

Fact was, Cat needed her men for her business to continue being the success it was. There were avenues of clientele where her men fit in better than she did, especially where women were concerned or even the high-end dealers supplying to several. They were also her protection and comrades.

But she never let them forget who was boss. Not for one goddamn minute.

Carlos was forgetting his place.

“Well, since it’s my choice to make and only my name going on a marriage license,” Cat drawled, crossing the floor to stand in front of Carlos and Pao at the table, “… you can safely assume your position bears no merit for me, yes?”

“That’s the problem, isn’t it,
regina
? Nothing we say matters.”

Cat clicked her tongue, gaze narrowing. “Funny, my buttons weren’t the only ones you pushed tonight, were they?”

Carlos’ brow fell. “
Mi scusi
?”

“You heard me.” Cat took another step forward, keeping her arms crossed over her chest. “Before the meeting tonight, I was clear in my instructions. You were to talk the Marcellos in circles and keep me out of it directly, but not agitate Dante specifically. And what did you do, Carlos?”

“Nothing different from what you told me to do, Cat.”

There was another mistake to add onto Carlos’ growing list. When Cat acted as their boss, and the queen was out to play, Cat was not.

“You know why I told you not to anger him, Carlos.”

Carlos sneered. “Worried how your men act might affect the way he sees you as a business woman and potential wife?”

Cat’s nerves were pulled taut. She suspected Carlos’ behavior was a direct shot at her and an attempt to screw up her plans, but he simply confirmed it.

Carlos jabbed a finger in Cat’s direction. It was the last straw for her in regards to his life, but his next words sealed the deal. “You’re putting us all in danger and in a spotlight for a stupid fucking—”

The knife at Cat’s thigh was pulled from the sheath before Carlos could say another word. She swung the blade with perfect precision, slicing several red ribbons across his knuckles and up his arm. His blood immediately pooled from the cuts and dripped to the hardwood floor. Cat stepped away and put her knife in place before Carlos even pulled his hand back.

“You fucking bitch!” Carlos shouted, standing from his chair so fast it toppled over.

Pao moved out of his chair a great deal slower than his counterpart, moving away from the scene with a knowing expression.

“You’re bleeding all over this beautiful cherry hardwood. Go clean yourself up, now.”

Carlos glared. “I’ll—”

“What will you do, Carlos?” Cat taunted, knowing damn well she looked cruel. “Don’t make me repeat myself.”

“
Cazzo
!” the bleeding man hissed, moving away from her.

The moment the door connecting her suite to the men’s closed, Cat turned to Gaetano. Pao had come to stand by his side. “Things are going to be slow for the next year or so on the business side of things while I get everything safe and corrected that needs to be done. I know it’s going to put me in a spotlight to possibly marry into a family like the Marcellos, but I need this protection.”

“Do you think he’ll take the bait?” Pao asked.

“I think so,” Cat replied. “But I think I’ll need to push him into it. Let’s give him a week to look for me, see what he finds. In the meantime, lay low, stay off the Marcello territory, and everything should be fine.”

Gaetano tipped his chin in the direction Carlos had gone. “What about him?”

Cat waved over her shoulder dismissively. “Make him disappear. He’s tested my patience and challenged me. I can’t have him acting like that, so I won’t have him near me at all. I’d do it myself, but—”

Gaetano laughed. “We know,
regina
. You just had those nails of yours done again.”

“You know me so well.” Cat turned as Pao followed behind Gaetano. “And the next time we sit down with Dante Marcello, I expect you both to be on your best behavior. Carlos wasn’t the only one pushing the man’s buttons tonight.”

“Got it,” they echoed.

• • •

“Do you believe in love, Gae?” Cat asked.

Gaetano eyed her from the other end of the dining table, his wine swirling in his glass. “Why,
regina
?”

“Just Cat tonight, Gae.”

“All right, why, Cat?” he asked again, chuckling deeply.

She watched the couple three tables down behind Gaetano. The man and woman were young, mid-twenties likely, and sitting terribly close at such a large table with so much space. Their hands were constantly touching and their gazes, dazed with something Cat didn’t understand, never left one another.

Was that love? Real love?

Cat wondered what it felt like to be so adored and wanted. She supposed she was by the people in her life, in a way, but not like that.

“Curious minds,” she finally said, glancing back to Gaetano.

“I can honestly say I have loved every man who has been beneath me for a short period of time. It usually ended when they left my bed with a smile.”

Cat laughed. “Beautifully said, Gae.”

“I try.” Gaetano sighed heavily, looking over his shoulder at the couple Cat had been watching for some time before turning back to her. “Love doesn’t mix well in this business. It puts roots into the ground and keeps you there. That’s what you always told me, wasn’t it?”

“But do you believe that?” she pressed quietly.

“Where is this coming from?” Gaetano asked.

Cat sucked in a large breath, willing her furious thoughts to slow. “He did shock me the other evening. Dante Marcello, I mean. I assumed I had him figured out like most men before I put myself in his presence, but clearly I knew nothing. When he pulled the gun on me, I—”

“You didn’t respond any differently than I’ve ever seen you react before,” her comrade interjected.

“Maybe so, but it still stuck with me. It’s in here, now,” she said, twirling a finger by her temple. “I’m not sure where to take that or how to move from here.”

“He’s just a man.”

“A man who surprised me,” Cat muttered.

That was dangerous territory. Men were her pawns and she was Queen. She moved them as she saw fit, not the other way around.

“What does that have anything to do with love?”

“Nothing, but it’s got me to thinking.”

“About what?” Gaetano asked, clearly confused.

Gaetano had been her friend for longer than Cat cared to remember about her life. Shortly after she left home at fifteen, she met a younger Gaetano who was only three years older than herself. She thought him funny and charming, and he was one of the only men who was not affected by Cat’s games or guiles because he held no attraction for her.

She needed a man like him in her life. A friend, a very good one.

“I thought Vincenzo loved me once,” Cat confessed.

Gaetano cleared his throat, obviously shocked at where the conversation had turned. “You never talk about him anymore.”

“Well, I wonder why.”

Because that awful man had made Cat who she was to other men. After running away from the emotional and physical abuse her step-father leveled on her daily, Cat found the comfort of an older gentleman she could trust while working in a club. She had, of course, lied about her age to get the job.