The Beautiful People (15 page)

Smog shrouded the
skyline in a never ending haze that went from yellow to a poisonous orange as
temperatures soared. Humidity oppressed air and sleepless nights led to
irritable masses.
As if in synch with the weather, the feud between the Grabano’s and the Nucci’s
escalated. Violence gripped the city as the Grabano family defended their
territory. Allegra’s father’s murder set off a bloody crime spree that kept the
media busy. They reported on car bombings and drive-by gangland shootings
erupting all over the city. Grant and Dominic were busy attending top secret
strategy sessions during the day and working at night.

With the spare time on
my hands and spare cash in my pocket, I rented a small space at a local artist’s
co-op in Manayunk. It was nice to get back to my creative roots and I hadn’t
realized how much my new life had consumed my old one. Getting away from the
drama of the mob to carve a little niche for myself was just what I needed.

The atmosphere at the
co-op was laid back and had a hippy vibe. A bong sat in the corner and everyone
contributed to the pot of weed that sat on the table. Days would be spent
opening up my creativity. Some days I would paint, others were spent on the
pottery wheel or sculpting freehand. It was a release and enabled me to block
out the murders that were taking place all over the city.

At the end of the day I
would leave relaxed and mentally prepared to face the drama again. One night I
arrived home and was surprised to find Dominic already there. His face lit up
when I walked through the door. His smile and brilliant eyes still made my
heart melt.

“Hi
baby!” he said softly into my ear as he wrapped his arms around me.

“I’m
glad you’re home,” I said against his chest, inhaling the spice of his cologne.
We stood there embracing each other, enjoying the moment. I shifted my head and
smelled something other than cologne. My mouth started to water.

“Mmmm.
What’s that smell?”

“I
made dinner.”

“You
can cook?” I looked at him amazed. “All this time we’ve been eating out and you
can cook?” I followed my nose to the living room where Dominic had set up a
candlelit dinner on the coffee table.

“Yummy,
steak and asparagus - some of my favorites!”

“I
know,” Dominic chuckled at my enthusiasm. “I also made garlic mashed potatoes.”

“Sounds
delicious. I’m impressed.”

“I
got a special recipe from the head chef at Butter,” he revealed.

I sat down cross legged
on the floor. Dominic filled our wine glasses with merlot and sat down next to
me. The food was superb.

“This
is so nice, thanks.” I reached for Dominic’s hand and he met me halfway.

“I
know this summer hasn’t been easy for you and I haven’t been around a lot.” He
lifted my hand to his mouth and kissed it.

“I’ve
missed you,” I admitted, “Although I am enjoying the studio.”

“I
can tell. You look so serene when you come home. It erases the worry from your
face.” He brushed his hand across my forehead and I closed my eyes, enjoying
the caress. “Are you doing ok, Nat? Things have been getting crazy and this is still
new to you and all…”

“You’re
right. It hasn’t been easy. I’ve never been a violent person and now I am
surrounded by violence. Plus, not a day goes by that I don’t worry about you
and Grant.”

“You
don’t have to worry about us. We can handle it,” he attempted to reassure me.

“You
guys are both in the middle of everything though. You must be considered a big
target to the Nuccis.” Emotion caused my voice to crack and I choked back
tears. Dominic moved over so he was sitting behind me, he wrapped his arms and
legs around me.

“Shhh,
baby, it’s okay,” he whispered in a soothing voice. “Grant and I are being
careful.”

“I’m
sure Allegra’s dad told her the same thing.”

“We
are being careful. Do you trust me?”

“Of
course,” I didn’t hesitate answering because I did trust him.

“I’ll
be careful for you, I promise.” I had to take his word even though the promise
would be hard to keep, especially if a target had been placed on his back. I
kissed the top of his arm.

“Okay,
I’ll try not to worry too much,” I promised in return.

“I
think your promise to me will be harder to keep!” he joked. I playfully nudged
my elbow into his ribs. Dominic kissed the top of my head and extricated
himself out from behind me.

“Where
are you going?”

“To
get dessert,” he said over his shoulder, walking into the kitchen. He quickly
returned with a dessert plate in each hand. When he set the plates down I saw
that each had a cannoli.

“Yum!
Are these from Termini Bros.?” I asked, referring to the Italian bakery that
had been around for decades. As far as I was concerned, they had the best
cannoli in the city.

“Yup,”
he answered with a grin.

“I’m
sure glad I exercise every day because I would be a total cow right about now.
You Grabanos know how to feed a girl!”

“Not
to mention the Manganellis,” Dominic reminded me of his Aunt Gloria and Uncle Franco.

“Especially
the Manganellis – especially Aunt Gloria,” I agreed.

“It’s
nice to be with a girl who appreciates food and isn’t afraid to eat in front of
me. So many girls I dated were always on a diet or would only eat salad.” His
nose scrunched up at this thought.

“Let
me guess, Brittany.”

“Yeah,
she was one. How’d you guess?”

“She
is always complaining about how fat she is in the employee lounge and claims
that cocaine is the best diet drug ever.”

Dom nodded his head in
silent agreement because he knew exactly what I was talking about. We got off
topic when he fed me a piece of his cannoli. Some of the creamy filling
remained on his finger so I sucked it off, licking the very tip before drawing
his finger back in my mouth. He moaned in response.

“God,
I’m glad we don’t have to work tonight.”

“You
don’t have to meet with the boys tonight either?” I asked, crawling onto his
lap.

“Nope.”
He smiled at me. “I thought we’d hang out and spend some time together.” I
liked the sound of that – some actual couple time. Placing my hands on his
cheeks, I lowered my mouth to his. Traces of sweet cream were on his lower lip
and I drew it into my mouth, nibbling, sucking, causing Dom to groan and grab
onto my hips. He was already hard and I felt my insides melt. Rocking forward
to press closer, I gasped when he thrust to meet me.

Dessert was forgotten.

We went to bed early, leaving
a trail of clothes in our wake. I lay on my back and Dom lifted a leg, slowly
kissing from my ankle to my inner I thigh. He’d pause and watch me squirm with
anticipation before continuing. Lust pooled in my center and spilled out to
meet Dom’s eager tongue. He licked and sucked, testing my limits. Balling the
sheets in my fists, my hips rose to meet his mouth and I cried out as his
tongue dove in deep. My body arched on its own as my muscles separated from
bone and I collapsed back against the mattress, panting and weak, but wanting
more. He rose over me and took my mouth. I wrapped my legs around his hips,
pressing my breasts against his chest. Our naked bodies molded around each
other and despite the air conditioning, we were working up a sweat.

Dom abandoned my mouth
and lowered his lips to my breasts, sucking on a nipple, grazing his teeth
across the tip. I moaned and thrust against his erection, which was heavy
against my thigh. “Dom, please,” I begged, scratching his back, trying to find
any means possible to release the pressure building within. He moved onto the
other nipple, sucking hard, making me gasp and writhe even more beneath him.

He chuckled, a low
throaty sound, almost like a growl before thrusting into me. Surprised and
relieved at his sudden entrance, I cried out and opened my legs wider, wanting
all of him. He hovered over me, chest glistening with sweat, as he pulled almost
all the way out before slamming into me again. My body went nuclear and burst
around him, but I didn’t slow down and met him thrust for thrust. He watched me
with a gaze almost equally as penetrating and that turned me on even more.
Shuddering, I came again and swore my bones had completely melted away, but Dom
wasn’t done. In one fluid motion, he flipped me onto my hands and knees and
slid in from behind. I moaned and pushed back against him, loving the pressure.
He filled me completely and with each thrust, hit some spot deep inside that
made me quiver. The pressure built again and I felt Dom slow down, getting
deeper right before he exploded and I came with him. I fell asleep with Dom
curled up behind me, his arm draped across my side, keeping me tucked up next
to him.

The dreams came. I was
standing in the hallway of The Speak.
The pool of
blood was creeping closer to me and I was frozen in place. The bits of skull
and the globs of brain moved with the blood. I watched in horror as it
approached, but that wasn’t what had me frozen in place. The source of the
blood, the person lying dead on the floor was...
Dominic.

I woke up screaming, my
body soaked in a cold sweat. Dominic jerked awake when I screamed. His arm
hugged me closer.

“Nat!
Shhh, it’s okay, I’m right here. You had a bad dream.”

My heart pounded and I
took big heaving gasps of air in an attempt to calm down. I rolled over so I
could see Dominic and make sure he was real. I started sobbing and pressed my
face into his bare chest. He hugged me closer and smoothed my hair. “Shhh baby,
it’s okay,” he kept murmuring until my sobs dissipated. He kept me pressed
close to him until my body stopped shaking. I could feel him looking down at me
and I looked up at him, my eyes puffy and sore from the tears.

“Are
you alright? What was your dream about?”

I couldn’t tell him
what I really dreamt, so I told him that it was the scene from The Speak with
the three men that Grant had shot. Technically, that was the source of my bad
dreams.

“Oh
baby,” he cried as he pulled me closer to him. “I’m so sorry you had to see
that!” He kissed my forehead. I laid there pressed close to Dominic grateful
that the dream was just a dream. I couldn’t bear to lose him. I had fallen hard
for this man, harder than I thought possible. He felt right to me and despite
the chaos going on around us, he was the calm inside the storm. Never before
had I felt comfortable enough with a man to allow myself to be completely
exposed and vulnerable and not care. I knew in my heart that Dominic would
never hurt or betray me. I sighed as I let the calm that Dominic emanated
envelope me. “Love you, Nat,” he whispered and kissed my forehead. My heart
froze for just a second, froze with fear, surprise and…recognition.

“I
love you too, Dom,” I lifted my face to look up at him and he kissed me. Yes, I
loved him. I had promised my silence to the mob so that Grant and I could live.
I never thought that I could find happiness here too.

July was speeding by.
Dominic and Grant continued to be busy, the mob war showing no signs of ending.
I hopped into my car one morning with the top down. A cool front had moved in
that dropped the humidity. The beastly mugginess had disappeared overnight and
I could actually drive with the convertible down without the risk of heat
stroke. I pulled out onto Columbus Blvd. and continued up to Spring Garden on
my way to Fairmount Park, looking forward to running without choking on
humidity and smog. I turned left onto Spring Garden and noticed a blue sedan
behind me turned too. I continued up Spring Garden and crossed over to Fairmount.
The sedan turned with me. I zipped up Fairmount and found a parking spot near
the path that looped through the park. A glance in the rearview mirror showed
the same sedan pulling into a spot a few cars down.

Not sure if I was being
paranoid or if it was just coincidence, I paid extra attention to my
surroundings as I ran through the park. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but
I felt uneasy when I walked back to my car and spied the sedan still parked in
the same spot. A man in a suit was sitting inside reading a newspaper. When I
reached my car I stretched and glanced casually back at the sedan, the guy
still hadn’t budged. This wasn’t unusual though; a lot of people take lunch breaks
and just sit in their cars. 

I hopped into my car
and took off back towards Center City. As I went around City Hall to continue
south on Broad St., a blue sedan appeared in my side view mirror. Startled, I
looked again and confirmed it was the same car and driver. This left me
slightly unnerved. Determined to shake the guy, if in fact I was being
followed, I made a quick right onto Walnut St., just as the light was turning
red. I parallel parked a block away from Rittenhouse Square and waited. My car
isn’t very inconspicuous so if I was being followed, they would be quick to
spot it. Sure enough, a few minutes later, the same non-descript blue sedan appeared
in my side view mirror as it drove up the street. The car pulled into a loading
zone a few cars down and sat with the engine idling.

I called Grant on his
cell phone, wondering if his overprotectiveness had returned with a vengeance.

“Nat,
what’s up?”

“Are
you having me followed?”

“What!
No. Why?” He asked, sounding surprised.

I filled him in on the
sedan that had been following me all morning. After I gave him the description
of the car he identified who it was.

“The
Feds. They’ve been tailing us for a few weeks; they might have been tailing you
long before today. This is to be expected.”

“So,
they just follow you around? For how long?” I was feeling violated.

“Until
they can make an arrest.”

“An
arrest!”

“Relax,
Nat. It happens every time the body count starts to rise. They know it’s mob
related and they need to make it known that they are watching us.”

“But
why me? I’m not involved in any criminal activity.”

“I
don’t like talking about this on the phone; it’s not secure. Where are you?”

“I
was trying to lose my tail,” I admitted. “My life is beginning to sound more
like a bad TV movie.” Grant chuckled when he heard this. “I’m right by
Rittenhouse Square.”

“Can
you come over to my place?”

“Sure,
I’ll be there in a few minutes.” I put my car into gear and pulled back onto
Walnut St. Seconds later the sedan pulled out and fell in line two cars behind
me. Grant lived at the Lofts 640 off of Broad St. and it was only a matter of
driving a few blocks. Grant opened the door to his studio as I was still
knocking.

“Were
you followed over here?”

“Yeah,
they aren’t really good at being inconspicuous are they?”

“They
want you to know they’re watching…to shake you up a bit.”

“Well,
it’s working,” I stated. Grant gave me a concerned look. “I don’t like the idea
of being watched…it creeps me out!”

“You
don’t have anything to worry about. It’s the Grabanos they want.” That
revelation triggered something territorial in me.

“You
mean Dom?” I clarified.

“Not
so much, but definitely Uncle Marco, Rico and Al. They’ll try to pick off the
lower ranks until they get to them.”

“Pick
off?”

“Yeah,
have them turn and testify against the family. The feds will build their case
until it is solid. It happened with Scarfo. Many of his presumably most loyal
soldiers and capos turned against him.”

“Why?
That’s awful.”

“They
were pinned. It was either them or Scarfo going to prison. They chose to save
themselves. It was their way out.”

“Oh…and
I’m Dominic’s girlfriend so I’m of interest to them?”

“Not
only are you Dom’s girlfriend, but my sister
and
you work at Crimson.
You’re probably considered Mafioso by now.”

His words shocked me.
Sure most of my acquaintances were affiliated with the mob, but I never
considered myself one of them. But, to the outside world, I must look like it.

“Nat,
you alright?” Grant gave me the concerned look again.

“I
think so. I just never thought that I would be…you know.”

Grant sighed and put
his hand on my shoulder. “I know. I should never have gotten you involved.” I
thought of Dominic and the love I felt for him. He made the sacrifice worth it.

“I
can handle it. I’ll be fine,” I paused. “So now that I’m considered Mafioso do
I get a gun too? Do I get to whack somebody?” I joked. Grant scowled at my bad
humor.

“Seriously,
if any of the boys try to get you more involved, come talk to me. I won’t let
you get any more involved than you already are.”

“God,
I was just joking! Do you really think that I could kill someone?” Grant must
have envisioned me toting a gun because his face broke out in a smile and he
laughed. His hazel eyes sparkled and the smile broke away the tension that had
taken up residence on his face.

“I’m
starving. What do you have to eat?” I helped myself to his kitchen. The
refrigerator contained a pizza box with one dried up slice, a carton of rancid
milk, a dried up orange and something fuzzy in a microwave dish. A quick search
of the cabinets revealed a can of tuna fish and a box of stale croutons. The
sleek ultramodern apartment with all of the modern conveniences lacked one
simple thing – food.

“Seriously
Grant, how does Miranda let you live like this? It’s sad…no it’s beyond sad,
it’s pathetic. Do I need to call mom?” I threatened jokingly.

Grant gave me a
sheepish look. “I don’t stay here that much. I’m usually at Miranda’s.
Actually, since you brought it up, my lease is up soon and Miranda and I are
going to move in together.”

“Really?
The commitment-phobe is moving in with a girl?” I teased. Grant and I were both
known for being non-committal.

“I
figured if you can handle it without a violent allergic reaction, then I can
definitely handle it,” he joked back.

“Ouch!”
I laughed. My stomach growled angrily not liking to be ignored. “Damn. Dominic
has me used to regular five course meals. I really need to eat - you hungry?”

Grant
smiled and said, “I could eat.”

“Wanna
drive my car?” I dangled the keys out in front of him. He snatched them up
eagerly. His lead foot was probably already twitching.

A week had passed since
Grant and I had lunch and the VIP section was busy, busier than usual for a
Thursday. I ran around at warp speed to keep the drinks flowing. Being busy
caused the night to fly by and it was over before I knew it. I plopped down on
a bar stool exhausted.

“You
look wiped,” Dominic commented.

“I
am.” I replied, stifling a yawn.

“Were
we up too late last night?” he smiled mischievously. I blushed and smiled
innocently at him while batting my eyelashes. “I have no idea what you’re
talking about.” We both chuckled at our private moment. I saw Brittany in my
peripheral vision pretending to gag – dramatically. I ignored her.

“You
need to go home and get some sleep.” Dominic urged. “My dad and I have some
stuff to deal with after work.” They were probably plotting the next hit on a
Nucci boy. I didn’t need to know the details. Since I had learned that the FBI
had an interest in watching me, I figured the less I knew the better. I may be
considered guilty by association and that was as guilty as I wanted to be.

“I
won’t disagree with you there.” I stifled another yawn. I leaned over the bar
to kiss Dominic goodbye. He gently massaged the back of my neck as we kissed.
“Love you.” I whispered.

“Love
you too.” He kissed the tip of my nose. This time I didn’t see Brittany
pretending to gag, but I heard her. I looked over at her and smiled gloatingly.
She stopped and glared at me.

Joey B, escorted me to
my car. It didn’t take me long to notice the non-descript sedan sitting in the
shadows of an abandoned warehouse next door to Crimson. I fought the urge to
wave to them, but Joey B. looked at me and shook his head as if reading my mind.
“Don’t encourage them Nat,” he warned in his gruff voice.

“I
won’t Joey,” I promised.

“You
going straight home?” he asked protectively as he held the door open for me and
shut it once I was in the driver’s seat. Grant’s bouncers had the same annoying
need to watch over me.

“Yes,
I’m exhausted.” He nodded in approval and tapped on the hood as I pulled out of
the parking spot.

I passed by the sedan
and, as per usual, it turned to follow me home.  What wasn’t usual was when the
car followed me up the driveway. The valet opened my door and I stepped out of
the car overwhelmed by uncertainty. Were they going to approach me? The
driver’s side door of the sedan opened up and answered my question. I inhaled
sharply and braced myself as the agent approached. His partner stayed in the
car.

“Miss
Ross, can I have a word?”
Shit, he knows my name.
I nodded and tried to
swallow, but my mouth was too dry. I followed him to stand over by his car,
away from the lobby entrance.

“You
probably already know that we’re monitoring the activity of the Grabano
family,” the agent began. I nodded again.

“We’re
also investigating the suspicious disappearance of Carmine Bruno, Vincent
DeMateo and Joe Benucci.”

“Who?”
I asked, confused.

“They
were part of your boss’ circle until a few months ago. They all disappeared the
same night.”

“I
don’t know who they are.”

“We
thought that since you work at Crimson and who you’re associated with, that you
may have heard the names mentioned?” The agent suggested.

“Sorry,
I haven’t. Agent?”

“Oh,
right. I’m Agent Phillips.” He held his hand out. I shook it, briefly.

“Is
that all you wanted to talk to me about Agent Phillips?” I asked and stifled
yawn. I was so tired I wasn’t even nervous any more.

“Uh,
yes. That’s it for now. Thank you for your time Miss Ross.”

“Goodnight.”
I dismissed myself and walked to the lobby. The doorman held the door open for
me and eyed me curiously. I schlepped across the lobby willing my feet to carry
me to the elevator.

As soon as I was inside
the condo, I started undressing not caring that my clothes were being left on
the living room, hallway and bedroom floors. I scrubbed the make-up off of my
face, brushed my teeth and crawled into bed.

Sometime after dawn
Dominic curled up beside me. He kissed my shoulder and I grunted to acknowledge
his presence, too tired to do anything else. Dominic chuckled as he drifted off
to sleep.

The brightness of the
room woke me up. The blinds were up and the sun was pouring in through the
picture window. Dominic’s arm was draped across his eyes in an attempt to block
the light. I got up to shut the blinds and looked across to the Camden
waterfront, even the murky Delaware River managed to sparkle. With the room
much darker, I crawled back into bed to get some more sleep. Dominic pulled me
up next to him.

“Thanks
for getting the blinds,” he muttered in a sleepy voice.

“No
problem, it was so bright.”

“How
was the rest of your night?” he asked.

“Fine,
I pretty much went straight to bed, except for the FBI wanted to talk to me.” I
could feel Dominic tense up behind me.

“What
did they want?” His voice was more awake now.

“They
were asking me about these three guys, Bruno, Benucci and someone else…I can’t
remember.” Dominic tensed up even more when I mentioned the names. “I had never
heard of them before.”

“And
you told them that?”

“Yeah,
I didn’t have any information. Even if I did I wouldn’t say anything. Uncle Marco
would have my head, remember?” Dominic still hadn’t relaxed. “You know those
names, the guys the FBI are looking for, don’t you?” He didn’t answer right
away.