Giovanni (30 page)

Being good was over.

Once her glass clinked down on the bar top, Gio moved around the bar stool blocking her from him. He pinned Kim to the stool she was resting against, pushing her back until he could feel the edge of the bar top bite into his knuckles fisting her dress. Her dress was short enough as it was, but he couldn’t help dragging the fabric up a little higher.

Leaning down, Gio kissed along Kim’s jaw bone until he came to her lips. There, he found she tasted just like hot tequila. His kiss was demanding—his tongue piercing into her mouth to find hers, teeth scraping along her bottom lip. Like ecstasy had been poured straight into his bloodstream, his cock hardened beneath his jeans instantly and every nerve in his body and thought in his mind tuned into the woman in his grasp.

It was lust and love all in one fell swoop, taking him over again. Gio couldn’t get tired of Kim or what she did to him, not for a single second of the day. The tips of her manicured nails dug into his lower spine through his shirt, pulling him in closer.

Gio sighed, pulling away from her candy mouth all too reluctantly. “I’m starting to think you’re finding the assholes on purpose,
bella
.”

Kim tipped her chin up boldly, white teeth snapping playfully in response. “Why on earth would I be doing that, huh?”

“You like the show I give. You get off on it.”

“I guess you’ll never know for sure,” she whispered.

“Oh, I know. Stop disappearing on me. I’ve caught on to your game.”

“I think you like it too much to make me stop.”

Kim bit his jaw when Gio tried to kiss her again.

“Ouch. Play nice, Kim, or else.”

“Or else
what
?”

Gio didn’t get the chance to respond to his wife’s sassy sarcasm. The sound of the club manager’s voice coming up behind him had Gio growing tense all over again. 

“I just got a complaint from a man about someone threatening him, Gio. When I asked who, he pointed you out. Now, I get you own the damn place and all, but isn’t the general idea to keep people here spending money, not scare them away?”

Yeah. Fuck this night.

Taking his time, Gio fixed Kim’s dress around her hips and thighs before righting himself to face the manager. “What do I pay you?”

“About nine-hundred a week after taxes. What does that matter?”

“Because I’m sick of dealing with you and you’ve worked my patience too goddamn much tonight. Severance will be included with your last check. You’ve got five minutes to get yourself out of my club and off my property or I’m making one phone call to have you removed.”

“Who in the fu—”

“Four minutes,” Gio interrupted. “Don’t push me. I’m cutting time by half next go-round.”

“You can’t be serious!”

“Two minutes. Run your mouth again, and I’m making that call. You can bet your ass it will not be to the police. I’d handle it myself, but honestly, I don’t want to frighten my wife. Get out of my club.”

Finally, the idiot took the hint and turned fast on his heel. He’d probably seen enough nonsense go down in the club during closed hours between Gio and his guys, so the threats sure as fuck weren’t empty.

Then, Gio turned to the bartender Kenneth. The guy had cautiously watched the exchange between his now ex-supervisor and his boss, all the while wiping out glasses. Multi-tasking earned him brownie points from Gio, even if he was eavesdropping.

“You,” Gio said, pointing at Kenneth. “You have previous management experience, yeah? That’s what your resumé said when you applied for this gig.”

The bartender shrugged. “Sure, some. Supervised and tended the bar at my last job. It wasn’t as big of a place, though. Certainly not as busy.”

“Don’t care, you’ll learn,” Gio replied. “Congratulations, you just earned yourself a promotion.”

“A what?” Kenneth asked.

“Apparently it pays nine-hundred weekly after taxes.”

Kenneth pursed his lips. “Can I work the bar on Saturday nights?”

“Why?”

“Because I can make almost half that in tips, too. It’s the best night.”

“Sure, whatever. Just be here at six instead of eight. Got it?”

“Sure, Skip.”

Kim hid her face in Gio’s shoulder, hiding her muffled laughter.

“Why are you laughing?” Gio asked his wife, his arms curling around her waist. “I just fired someone. That’s not funny.”

“And hired someone all in the same conversation,” Kim said, shaking her head. “If you didn’t like the guy, how did he make it as long as he did?”

Gio made a dismissive noise under his breath. “I was never clear headed enough to really get annoyed with him. I only realized how ignorant he was over the last two weeks. I need another drink.”

Kim frowned. “Or would you really prefer something else?”

“Pardon?”

Gio felt Kim’s hand slide into his. Her palm opened, dropping a small, circular something into his own. Almost immediately, he knew what it was without even having to look. The ecstasy tablet felt like it was burning against his skin when he closed his fingers around it. Hesitance spun through his insides. A reaction he wasn’t expecting.

“Where did you find this?” Gio asked quietly.

“Your office. I was bored when we first came in and you were talking with the employees, so I went through your desk. Are you angry with me for snooping?”

“No.”

“I know we did some crazy stuff in Vegas, but I want to know if this is a regular thing for you here. I hope it isn’t.”

Gio swallowed the saliva flooding his mouth and keeping him from talking. “It was.”

“It’s not now?”

“I haven’t had any need or want for it in a long while. I’d forgotten that was in there, actually.”

Kim nodded. “All right. I know what you do for a living and that you’re knee-deep into shit like this daily, but I don’t want to worry about this and you at home. Definitely
not
things like this, Gio.”

“More like drowning in it.”

“
Gio
.”

“Just being honest. You don’t have to worry, Kim.”

“That wasn’t the only thing in the drawer, either,” Kim added.

“Did you get rid of the rest?” Gio asked.

“No, I figured you would get pissed off about that if I did.”

“I wouldn’t have,
Tesoro
. Just for future reference, because you might find more, feel free to toss it.”

“Good to know,” Kim murmured. A seductive smile lifted her lips, waking the desire up in Gio all over again at the sight alone. “Guess what else I noticed about your desk.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s just about the right height if I were sitting on it, you know.”

Gio’s brow raised at her hidden suggestion. “Oh?”

“
Mmhmm
. And there’s this window with a ledge that’s set at just the right height, too. I don’t think anyone can see looking up, though.”

Sweet Jesus.

Air sucked through Gio’s teeth like a cat’s hiss. “That there is. I really like the things you notice, by the way. I’d be willing to bet your mind is a beautifully scary place.”

“It can be. Why don’t we go up and have a little dirty fun before we leave?”

Gio smirked. “Oh, no, I can’t let you go on thinking like that. See, we’re Marcellos, Kim. We’re not dirty, we’re downright filthy.”

Kim’s hand swept along the waistband of his jeans, a finger hooking into a belt loop to tug Gio closer. “We can be that, too.”

Broken rules and consequences be damned. Kim was the best mistake he ever made.

Epilogue

“My God, his fingers are so tiny,” Kim said, opening up the newborn’s palm to her own hand. “He’s perfect, huh?”

“He is.”

The baby was also breakable, crazy small beneath his white lace blanket, and completely dependent on others to keep him alive. He didn’t do an awful lot, smelled like baby lotion, and was either in a constant state of feeding, changing, sleeping or crying.

Oh, babies scared the hell out of Gio.

Gio’s chin rested on his wife’s shoulder as he stared at the baby boy—his new nephew. It was kind of surreal to think of his oldest brother as a father, but the proof was right there, cradled in Kim’s arms.

Johnathan Antony was nine days and seven hours old. Nearly to the damned minute. Yeah, Gio was watching the clock. He had from the moment his brother called to say the baby boy was finally going to make his appearance. Babies were a big thing in a family like theirs.

Gio wasn’t entirely sure he was prepared for the responsibility Lucian was handing over to him today. Sure, he loved the baby. So long as someone was around, Gio didn’t go into too much of a panic when Johnathan started fussing or whatever. But, if he became unsure of himself, he could give the baby back, then.

If something happened to Lucian and Jordyn, then Gio couldn’t give the baby boy back. It’d be his … in a way. That was the expectation of a Godparent, right? Babies were not like dogs.

Right now, Johnathan was small. Gio could barely handle the anxiety as it was just thinking he might hurt the child by holding him the wrong way. Johnathan didn’t do a whole hell of a lot as a newborn, so how would it be when he was older, never stopped moving, and could
talk
?

“Stop hyperventilating on my neck, Gio,” Kim said, waving her hand at him to make him move.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, embarrassment rising. “
Cristo
, I’m sorry.”

Kim frowned over her shoulder. “We’re in church. Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain in church.”

“Sorry,” Gio repeated, feeling like a broken record.

“He’s such a good baby,” Kim murmured, staring down at the child.

“Is he? I didn’t know there was a difference.”

“Sure, I guess. Jordyn said he only wakes up twice a night after bedtime. That’s pretty good, I’d say.”

Gio’s brow crinkled in his confusion. Getting up twice a night to feed, change, and then rock the baby back to sleep meant he was good? Were there a lot of babies that woke up more than twice? Sounded like a recipe for guaranteed sleep deprivation.

“Why couldn’t Lucian pick Dante for this?” Gio asked quietly. “He’s older and—”

“Because he wants you to do it and in part, that added me into the equation, too,” Kim interjected sweetly. “Quit freaking out, Gio. It’s just formalities.”

“No, it isn’t. It’s a baby, Kim. He breathes and shits and cries …
a lot
. I do good to wake myself up in the morning. How am I supposed to take care of a baby?”

Kim shook her head, sighing. “Okay, now you’re just being ridiculous. The likelihood of something actually happening to Lucian or Jordyn is too small to consider.”

In their world?
Right
.

“But it could,” Gio pressed, trying to make his wife understand.

“It won’t. And it’s a great honor for him to ask this of you. Stop acting like an idiot. Besides, it’s too late for you to refuse. In ten minutes, he’s going to be christened, and we’ll be his Godparents. That’s all there is to it.”

“But—”

“Enough, Giovanni. Stop before someone hears you. Imagine how that would make your brother feel.”

Gio clamped his mouth shut, deciding arguing with his wife wasn’t high on his list of priorities. After all, it was a celebration, and it was only his worries forcing back his happiness. Kim was right about the whole christening, but that didn’t mean Gio had to like it.

“I’ll be good,” he promised. “It’s just … I don’t know how to do this, and he’s not even mine, okay.”

“I get it,” Kim said, sounding distant. She’d been so excited for the baby’s christening all week. Now, Gio felt like a total asshole for making her feel badly. “Don’t you want children someday, Gio?”

Did he?

Gio didn’t get the chance to answer. The door to the private quiet room opened, allowing Dante to walk in with Antony following close behind. As far as Gio knew, Lucian and Jordyn were still discussing some of their wishes for the ceremony and whatever passages they wanted to be read along with Father Peter’s.

“How’s my grandson?” Antony asked, siding in beside Kim with that silly smile he’d been wearing ever since Johnathan was born.

“Still sleeping,” Kim replied. “For now.”

While Antony and Kim cooed over the sleeping child, Gio took a few steps back from the situation, needing the space. Dante stopped long enough to give his nephew a glance and a smile before he saddled himself beside Gio and checked his watch.

“This is going to be a long day,” Dante said.

“Yep.” Gio sighed quietly, staring up at the vaulted ceiling. “You would have been a better choice for this. I mean, you can’t have—”

“I don’t need the reminder,” Dante muttered under his breath. “I’ve been aware since I was fourteen.”

“Sorry. I was just saying.”

“And maybe I wouldn’t have been the better choice between us,” Dante continued, giving Gio a sad smile. “I’ve always said I never wanted someone to suffer or be put second in place of my choices when it comes to Cosa Nostra. Lucian knows how I feel about having that kind of responsibility added to what I already do have.”

“Well, I have no sense of responsibility,” Gio responded with a heavy dose of sarcasm.

“That’s not true. Kim is … She’s so good for you, man. You’re not selfish like you were, you keep your head clear and where it needs to be, and you’ve slowed down a hell of a lot more just to enjoy your time right now. Your wife is a happy woman—always smiling at your side. Don’t you realize that makes you a good husband, too?”

Gio hadn’t quite thought of it that way. He only ever really thought of Kim, and if she was happy, so was he. That’s what his goals were focused on daily. Just her.

“Gio, you’re in a better place than I am. Lucian sees that.” Dante shrugged, bumping his brother with his shoulder. “Besides, Jordyn was, from what I understand, determined for Kim to be the Godmother. It makes better sense for it to be you. I’m not offended.”

“Kim called me an idiot earlier and not in a nice way,” Gio said, wanting to change the subject. “Plus, I’m pretty sure she thinks I’m incompetent at this whole thing now.”

Dante chuckled. “Are you?”

“They’re not like puppies, man.”

“Lucian said it’s kind of instinctual.”

Gio scowled. “We’re men, not animals. It’s not a nature versus nurture kind of thing. Maybe for women or something. Besides, out of the three of us, he was the best pick to be a dad, so I don’t think he knows what the fuck he’s talking about.”

“Hey,” Dante said darkly, shooting Gio a look.

Shit. Dante wouldn’t get the chance to know. Foot meet mouth.

“Sorry,” Gio reiterated for the hundredth time since he woke up that morning. “It’s been a long day and it’s not even noon yet. Give me a break.”

Dante exhaled heavily, the action showing his stress. “I get where you’re coming from in some ways. But for me, it’s not quite the same. I’m happy for him, but there’s a part inside that isn’t. I can’t fix that part, Gio. I tried and it’s still there.”

“Lucian would understand.”

“But will he understand why I have to keep a distance, too?”

Gio didn’t have an answer for that one.

• • •

“Giovanni?”

Gio, sitting on a bench under an oak tree, turned to watch his father walk across the backyard. “Party still kicking hard?”

Antony laughed. “Something like that. You know how your mother likes showing off her family. She’s always so proud of you boys, especially now that you’re men.”

The sky was just beginning to darken with night. The warm late July air was just enough to give Gio an excuse to escape the large dinner and too many guests inside. Kim was enjoying herself far too much for him to ask if she was ready to leave.

“I have something for you,” Antony said, pulling a folded up envelope from his inner jacket pocket. “I couldn’t figure out a time to sit you down and have a proper talk about it, but I noticed you out here earlier. Seems like a good time to do it.”

“Talk about what?”

“Here.”

The envelope was handed over. Gio opened it without a word, unfolding the papers inside to read the legal documents in his hands. It only took him a few seconds to realize what he was seeing and honestly, he couldn’t believe it.

“I don’t want this,” Gio managed to say.

Antony shrugged. “You’ll either take it and build your wife the home of her dreams with it and invest the rest however you want or I’ll put the account in Kim’s name. If she fights me on it, I will set up a trust for each and every child you have with it. One way or the other, the money will go to you in some way, son.”

“I have money, Dad. A lot. I earned it myself. If Kim wants a goddamn house, all she has to do is scribble her fucking name at the bank.”

“I know, that’s partly the reason I’ve signed your trust fund over, Gio.”

“That doesn’t make sense.” Gio wasn’t so much angry as he was confused. “I don’t deserve my trust fund. I didn’t finish college like you wanted and—”

“And that really doesn’t matter to me in the end. What I wanted to see more were responsibility and accountability. I wanted you to accept that you had to recognize those things as a part of life—
your
life. I wanted to see the man I knew your mother and I raised together. You didn’t have to follow the same paths as your brothers to be a good man. I knew a long time ago you were going to do it your way or no way, but I needed to make sure you understood all that it meant to do that. You’re still the same man you were a year ago, but you’re entirely different at the same time.”

Gio stared at the white papers with black letters starting to bleed together before his eyes. “Huh.”

“I do hope you will take some of it to build that house, though,” Antony added with the barest hint of a smirk tugging at the edge of his mouth. “Seems to me baby fever is running loose what with the newest addition and all. That tends to happen with women. You might be needing more space than your condo has to offer,
hmm
? I would like to think I contributed to your marriage in some way, even if it is a little later in the game.”

Gio choked on air. “What?”

“You wouldn’t let me buy you a wedding gift.”

“No,” Gio forced out. “Before that. What did you say?”

Antony laughed loudly, standing up from the bench. “Oh, Gio … I was just saying it’s like an aftereffect of a new baby, that’s all. Don’t put yourself in a panic. I’m sure you’d be the first to know if that were the case and you wouldn’t hear it from me like this.”

Jesus. Gio hoped so.

“Besides, you have no need to worry; I think you’d make a good father, if not a little lax on rules and discipline. Anyway, I should get back in before Cecelia comes looking for me. I should also say thanks for not being too difficult about the money. I know you never wanted it, but it was always meant for you, Gio. This was easier than I expected. I wanted to get this out of the way first before I moved onto other things.”

Gio looked up at his father. “What do you mean?”

“I’m settling things, Gio. Getting everything on the business side of life squared before I take your mother on that three-month ocean cruise she always wanted to go on.”

Antony couldn’t possibly go away for three months and leave
la famiglia
behind to fend for themselves. That was not how it worked. It only took Gio a few seconds to realize what his father was telling him. Antony was preparing to step down and it would be a huge change for everyone.

“Have you told Dante, yet?” Gio asked.

Antony frowned. “No. Soon, though. I’m not looking forward to the backlash from that.”

“Cut him some slack. He’s got a lot of personal stuff going on right now. None of this is easy on him, either.”

“I know. I wish it could be different for Dante and he didn’t feel so burdened by things that were totally out of his control.”

“Easier said than done,” Gio said, knowing exactly how true that sentiment was.

Antony glanced back at the house. Gio thought he could see an invisible weight resting on his father’s shoulders. How had he not noticed that before? “I’m tired, Gio. So fucking tired of being one man here and an entirely different one when I leave my home. Tired of being in control of so many people. I worked hard all my life. Hell, I gave my life to Cosa Nostra. Now, I want to rest. I’ve earned that right.”

“Sure,” Gio said. “Are we ready for it, too?”