FAMILY TIES: A Mafia Love Story (Erotic Mafia Romance) (2 page)

CHAPTER TWO: SAMMIE

I woke up to an empty bed. When I sat up and saw that her clothes and her purse were missing, I thought she was gone and I doubted seriously that she’d ever agree to see me again. I was surprised at the way that made my chest ache. I didn’t get attached easily…for good reason. Then I heard her moving around in the front room and not even considering the fact that I was naked, I rushed out to catch her before she left. I found her with one hand on the doorknob and her things in the other.

“You weren’t going to say good-bye Bella?” I said. She froze and stood that way with her back towards me for what seemed like a long time. Then finally, reluctantly she turned to face me. She left the one hand clutching the doorknob, no doubt in case she needed to run. Regret floated in her beautiful green eyes and I felt a twinge of guilt. I knew enough about her to know that the only reason I’d had the trip to heaven she’d given me last night was because I’d gotten her drunk. I hadn’t planned on that, but I doubted she’d believe me if I told her.

“You were sleeping,” she said. “I didn’t want to wake you.”

I started towards her, and the wrist attached to the hand that clutched the doorknob began to twitch. She was going to rabbit on me.

“Please don’t go, Bella. Let me get dressed and we’ll have some breakfast and talk.”

She narrowed her eyes and gave me a suspicious look as she said, “Do you really even have anything to tell me?”

“I do, Bella,” I told her, and I did. I had a lot tell her – I had just choked when I tried. “Please, stay for an hour, have breakfast and talk…that’s all.”

Her eyes burned into my nakedness and for the first time since I was twelve years old I felt ashamed of my body.

“With clothes on,” she said.

I laughed and said, “Yes, I’m going right now to get dressed, then I’ll order breakfast.”

She only nodded, but she hadn’t let go of the doorknob. I half expected her to be gone when I got back, but to my delight and relief, she wasn’t.

I found her sitting on the sofa looking out the window. I sat down in the chair across from her and smiled. She shot me a look that should by all rights have set me on fire.

“Was this all some big pick-up game to you?” she asked.

“A pick-up game? No, Bella. We both had too much to drink. I’m not normally a heavy drinker and last night I was looking for some liquid courage. Once you report what I have to tell you, life as I know it is going to implode. I wouldn’t have had the audacity to expect that a woman like you would ever want to be with a man like me.”

She raised an eyebrow, obviously not convinced. I wish she could see inside of my head because I meant every word. I know what I am. I’ve known since I was twelve and running my first package for Sal Ricci from one side of Brooklyn to the other, what kind of life I was destined to lead. I may as well have signed my name to a contract in blood that day.

“So what is it that you have to tell me?” she asked. Before I could say anything there was a knock on the door,

“Room Service,” said the voice on the other side.

“Hold that thought,” I told her as I went to get our breakfast. I opened the door and saw Carlo. He’s a kid from my neighborhood, a good kid. I hated to see that he was working here. It likely meant that he was working on becoming a soldier….signing away the rest of his life.

“Mr. Rossalini!” Carlo said with a wide smile as he pushed in the table with two silver covered plates and a carafe of coffee and one of juice.

“Hi Carlo. How are you?”

“I’m well, and how are you sir?”

“I’m well too, Carlo,” I said, slipping him a fifty. “Thank you.”

Carlo looked at the money in his hand and his face beamed. “Thank you sir,” he said. Then he looked over at Alana and said, “Ma’am.” Alana was apparently not one of those young women who were upset by being called “Ma’am.” Instead, she looked amused and gave him a nod in return.

When he was gone I pushed the table into the middle of the room and brought over two chairs. Alana hadn’t moved.

“Please, Bella, eat with me.”

She stood up and allowed me to pull the chair out for her. Once she was seated she said, “Stop calling me that.”

Trying to suppress a smile, I said, “Bella offends you?”

“It’s too familiar. We hardly know each….” The poor girl seemed to have suddenly recalled our night together once again. Her face flushed red and she immediately said, “Yes, it offends me.”

“Okay, then I’ll stop,” I told her. I reached over and took the top off of her plate. She had poached eggs and toast with a cup of mixed fruit on the side. “Does it all look acceptable?”

“It’s fine,” she said. She poured herself a cup of coffee and practically chugged it down, black. I’m guessing that she had quite a headache from all the alcohol she had consumed the night before. She picked at her food for a bit and then she said, “I’d appreciate it if you would start talking soon. I really don’t have the time for all of this.”

I put down my fork, took a sip of my coffee and asked her, “Do you know what
omertà
means?”

She sighed, like it angered her that I would question her knowledge of the mob. “Of course I know what it means,” she said. “I’ve lived in New York my entire life; I grew up in the Bronx, probably not far from you. Everyone knows that you never utter a word about the family or you can expect retaliation. So my question for you here is why? Why would you risk whatever it is that they’re going to do to you?”

“I never wanted this life. I was born into it and I wasn’t given a choice. I did what I was told, I was a good soldier….I was made a Capo a few years ago, it was supposed to be a big honor because I was the youngest ever made. My father was proud and my uncles and brothers drank in celebration for three days. My mother cried for a week and my little sister stopped talking to me. All along, all I ever wanted was a normal life.”

“Yet here you live in a penthouse suite….”

I laughed, her spunk not only amused me, it excited me. I got so tired of being surrounded by “yes” people. I found Alana refreshing.

“True. I reap the rewards of a life that I despise.”

“So why all of a sudden decide to blow the whistle?” she asked.

“My father and my uncles were all Mustache Pete’s….”

With a blank look she said, “What is that?”

I smiled, but refrained from comment on her earlier tirade about how she had “grown up in the Bronx.” “It means old fashioned or older generation Mafiosi. My father and his five brothers came over from Sicily. They had all been made men before they got here and started their own families. My father was very well respected in New York….he died three weeks ago.”

She paused. “I’m sorry for your loss,” she said – and she did look genuinely sorry. I had the feeling Alana had a good heart.

“Thank you. I know it might be hard for you to believe, but my father was basically a good man. He was like me, born into this life and never given a choice about what he would do or be. But despite all that, he did his job very well... So well, in fact, that he was promoted up the ranks very quickly.”

“Oh my God,” I could see the realization on her face. She was looking at me now with a look that I wasn’t sure was fear or disgust or both…. “Guido Romo was your father? That’s the man you’re saying was “basically good?” Jesus, how the hell would you define evil?”

“Like I said, he wasn’t given many choices, and my life is now imitating his.”

“They want to promote you to Capo di tutti capi? You’re going to be the “Boss of bosses” and you want to rat them out?”

              “I don’t want to Bel….Alana, I have to.”

              “Why do you HAVE to?”

              “…Because I’m a father now,” I said slowly, after a pause.  “I don’t want to leave my son with no choice.”

CHAPTER THREE: ALANA

             
I didn’t know what to make of this guy. This was Sammie fucking Romo. I felt like such an idiot – I couldn’t believe I didn’t put it together. But then again, who would ever guess the son of the Boss of Bosses of the Cosa Nostra would be contacting a journalist with information that would supposedly “blow the whole organization wide open.” Part of me wanted this story so badly that I’d be willing to carve my right arm off with a butter knife to get it, and the other part of me wanted to run like hell, right out the glass windows of his penthouse. There was also a little tiny part of me who wanted to kick my own ass for getting so drunk I had no idea who I was sleeping with.

              “You haven’t said anything for a really long time,” he said.

              “Um…yeah, sorry. It’s a lot of information to process all at once. I think we need to start over, from the beginning. I’ll need to record you….”

              “No!” he blurted out, then put a finger to his upper lip. “…Sorry,” he said, a bit sheepishly. “No recordings.”

              “Okay, so you’re going to make this difficult for me,” I smirked. “Am I allowed to write things down?”

              “If you write it in a locked book and carry it in a locked briefcase,” he said. I laughed and then looking at his face I said, “Oh God, you’re serious.”

              “I’m dead serious. My life won’t be the only one at stake if it gets out that I’m the one who gave up this information.”

              “Why not go to the F.B.I. and turn state’s evidence. The U.S. Marshall’s can put you in the program….”

              “No, that won’t work. No matter what I tell them, I’ll end up doing prison time. I need to be with my son. I want this to all be over with before he’s old enough to know what any of this was about, or that I was ever a part of it.”

              “So how do you give me this information and I report it without anyone finding out it came from you? We’ve already been seen together at the club, and then today by that boy who brought our breakfast.”

              “You report community interest stories,” he said, as if that explained why no one would be suspicious of him being seen with me. Bastard, he may as well have just slugged me.

              With gritted teeth I said, “Okay…so I’m not famous for my investigative journalism skills, but that still doesn’t explain how when the story breaks with my byline underneath it smart people won’t put two and two together.”

              “Yes, it doesn’t explain that… and that might be the part you disagree with.”

              I could feel it coming before it hit, the big whammy. I quietly waited for him to hit me with it. When he did, it was a doozie.

              “You would have to agree to act as my girlfriend…or fiancé. Whichever you prefer…” I opened my mouth to object right then. He held up his palm and said, “Please, let me finish first.”

I figured he was right, I may as well say no to it all at once. I nodded and he went on.

“We would act as a couple so that no one wondered about my meetings with a reporter, and we could avoid the fear of getting caught if we tried to sneak around and communicate secretly. You could also be a part of “family” events and get to see and know the people that we’ll be “talking” about first hand. This won’t be a week-long process, Bella. This organization was hundreds of years in the making. It’ll take years to break it open.”

              I was glad I had finished my meal already…I would have choked on it. Years? This guy was nuts if he thought I would agree to be his fake fiancé for years.

              I stood up and picked up my purse. Sammie stood up as well. For a second, remembering where I was and who I was with, a dagger of fear stabbed me in my chest. He must have seen it on my face because he stepped to the side, clearing my path to the door. He wasn’t going to force me to do this. I was ashamed of myself for putting myself in a position where that was even a consideration.

              “I think you’ll need to find someone else,” I told him.

              “I’ve looked at all of the journalists in the city, Bella. You were the only one I wanted.”

              “I know that this is probably not something Sammie Romo is used to hearing, but you can’t have everything you want. Thanks for breakfast; I need to get going now.” He took another step back as I made my way to the door. When I reached for the knob he said,

              “You have my email; let me know if you change your mind.”

              “I won’t,” I said confidently as I walked out the door. He let me go and when I was in the elevator with the doors closed adding another barrier between us, I finally stopped shaking.

              As I walked through the hotel lobby, I kept my head down. I was doing the walk of shame…as quickly as I could of course. I didn’t know what I had looked like last night as I’d shuffled through here drunk and on my way to have wild sex with a stranger, and I didn’t know if any of these finely groomed people had been on duty when I’d done it. Luckily, no one seemed to notice me….at least until I got outside. The doorman was exceedingly friendly, just my luck.

              “Good morning miss!”

              “Good morning,” I muttered as I scanned the street for a cab.

              “Are you enjoying your stay here?”

              “Oh, um, I was just visiting a friend.”

              “Well then, I hope you enjoyed your visit,” he said. Unfortunately, I had enjoyed it way too much.

              “I did, thank you,” I said, holding my hand up and waving it at a passing cab that didn’t stop.

              “Would you like me to hail a cab for you miss?”

              “Yes, please….” The doorman’s phone began ringing just then.

              “I’m sorry, miss. Excuse me for one second,” he put the phone to his ear and I continued to attempt to stop one of the cabs that were whizzing by. It was as if I’d suddenly gone invisible. To make matters worse a dark gray stretch limo pulled up to the curb in front of me obscuring my view of the street and thus, the cabs. The finely dressed driver got out and opened the door to the backseat. No one got out so I assumed he was there to pick up some important and obviously loaded guest of the hotel.

              “Miss,” the doorman who was suddenly behind me said, “Mr. Romolatti has arranged to have his car take you home.”

              I looked from the doorman to the chauffeur and back again. Finally, cursing under my breath I just got into the limo. This guy was too much. If he thought he could coerce me into this ridiculous scheme of his just by showing off the big bucks, he had another thing coming. Sammie Fucking Romo didn’t have one cent to his name that wasn’t dirty, and I wanted no part of that.  I had the limousine driver drop me off at the garage where I’d left my car the night before and drove home with my head pounding.

              When I got home, the first thing I did was shower. It suddenly dawned on me that I had no idea whether or not he’d used a condom last night. I was grateful that I was on birth control, but who knew what kind of diseases a Mafioso might have? I would have to make an appointment with my doctor and get checked for STD’s. Bits and pieces of last night had come back to me since I’d woken up this morning. As I stood in the shower now, I closed my eyes and tried to remember the rest.

I had a vague memory of walking through the lobby of the hotel. Once we were in the elevator Sammie moved towards me silently but too fast for me to protest. But then again, maybe I wouldn’t have protested anyway… He pushed me back against the wall with his large hand against my stomach. I remember gasping, not because it hurt but because he’d taken my breath away. He hadn’t stopped there….

             
Fuck, it was all coming back.
As the warm water cascaded down across my back now I thought about what had happened once we were inside of his suite. He’d led me into the bedroom and as if I’d left my brain at the door, I had followed. Once we were in the bedroom he stepped close again, standing inches from my face. I had on four inch heels and I still had to tip my head up to look into his eyes. He looked at me hungrily and that look had fueled my own desires. He leaned down and covered my mouth with his. It wasn’t our first kiss of the evening, but it was by far the best. It was like we melted into each other as our lips parted and our tongues danced against each other…probing, tasting, flicking and darting, pushing more deeply into each other’s wet caverns.

              I poured shampoo into my hand and as I rubbed and kneaded it through my hair I remembered that I had reached my hands up and put it in his thick, dark hair as we kissed. Then I’d slid them down around his neck just to hang on as our kissing became more intense. He pushed his tongue further into my mouth and then suddenly, without warning, he sucked my bottom lip in between his teeth and nipped at it. I pulled away; startled, but surprisingly even thinking about it now caused a rush of hot liquid between my legs.

              Sammie had stood there looking at me after I’d pulled back. I remember that he had this really sexy grin on his face and instead of being angry, I was turned on. I had smiled back….I think and then I’d put my hands around his neck again and pulled myself back up to continue the kiss. I slid my tongue back into his mouth and that time he sucked on it. It was erotic. His hands were all over me and as I washed my body and slid my palms along my sides and across my breasts I shuddered at the memory.

              We started stripping each other at that point, a little at a time while we kissed. I could feel his erection pressed up against my hip and I remember that when I moaned he had whispered in my ear so close that I felt his hot breath:

              “Just you wait, Bella. I’m going to make sure that it’s the best you ever had.”

              The sound of his voice and the feel of his breath against my ear sent me into another frenzy. In the shower, my hand drifted over my abdomen and down to the top of my pelvis as I thought about it. I had kissed him again, frantically and passionately. Then as I held onto his neck I had pulled my legs up around his waist and he’d slipped his arms underneath my ass to hold me in place as I rocked my pelvis against his. We did that for several minutes before he turned and practically tossed me onto the bed. I was surprised then at how sexy I found his assertiveness, and even more so now as I found myself in the shower with my fingers buried inside of my pussy and my breaths coming in short, ragged gasps as I thought back on it.

He finished taking my clothes off then and once I was nude, he used his big, sexy hands to explore me. He ran his hands over my breasts, cupping each one of them and then finding a swollen nipple and sliding his thumb over it, making me moan.

              Feeling bold, I had reached down and touched his still jean-clad rock hard cock. I started rubbing it as I pulled at his belt with my other hand. He moved his hand down then and began to glide his fingers over the outer lips of my pussy. As I remembered now how it had felt, I rubbed hard at my own clit, trying to re-create that feeling….

              I had laid back and closed my eyes, letting his fingers freely explore my pussy. He slipped one of his fingers inside of me and as he slid it in and out, he had pressed his thumb against my clit, running it in circular motions. I bit my own lip at that point to keep from crying out. It felt so fucking good and as I thought about it now, I probed my own pussy with my fingers, slipping them out to rub them across my sensitive clit. I remember the look in his eye, it was like he wanted to ravage me….and at that moment, I had wanted him to.

              He’d stood up and finished taking off his clothes. It was dark in the room but I could see his sexy silhouette clearly in the bright city lights that shown through the window. He leaned down over me again and began kissing my neck, down across my chest and then sucking first my right breast into his mouth and licking around the outside of the nipple and then the left. He kissed and sucked and nibbled on them until I thought I’d go mad. My pussy was on fire by that time. I didn’t just want him inside of me; at that point, I needed it. As I remembered, I took one of my own breasts in my hand and squeezed it, tugging on the nipples between my finger and thumb, and finding myself yearning to feel his mouth on me again.

              From there, he had kissed down my belly. Then he slid his tongue all the way down towards the center of my body. I felt him flatten it and then he moved it from the bottom up through the center of my pussy finally reaching my clit and pressing against it, hard. He began to lick and suck like he was starving and I had to put a hand against the shower wall now as I remembered it because my legs were shaking so hard I was afraid they’d give out.

As if the torture of his tongue against my clit weren’t enough, he slid a finger inside and began to move it in and out as he continued to lick and suck and even nibble a little. I moaned loudly now in the shower, just as I had done last night. He was pushing his fingers in deep, twisting and pulling and doing things to me that no one had ever done before. I was moving my hips up and down and now as I remembered, I moved them back and forth against my hand. He would stop the frantic motions every now and again to once again press his tongue hard against my clit. It was as if he knew it sent electric sensations coursing through my body. I had my hands wrapped up in that thick hair, guiding his hot mouth to where I wanted it as he drove me to the edge of the cliff. Then he did something that sent me reeling head first over the edge…he reached down and took his hard cock in his own hand and as he continued his assault of my pussy with his lips and tongue, he stroked that beautiful hard cock and I couldn’t hold back any longer. The orgasmic waves crashed over me like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. Even now as I felt the orgasm building from my memories of it, I knew it was unlike anything I was likely to feel again. I had arched my back as my whole body tensed and held in a moment of the purest pleasure I think there ever was.