Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 82121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
I resist the urge to roll my eyes. “Don’t make this dirty.”
“You’ll let me fuck your pretty little ass then?”
I let out a snort. “How are you shifting this very nice conversation to anal?”
“Just testing your boundaries.”
I stare at him in the eyes. He’s smirking at me, and I smile right back.
“Saul, if you want to fuck my tight, virgin asshole, all you have to do is ask.”
Which makes his smirk fade. “Really?”
“Really. Except, oh, man, sorry, I don’t do anal with dickheads that can’t be serious for once.”
“I can be serious.”
“Nope, sorry.” I slip out of bed. I like the way he’s staring at my ass with a hungry look. “How about you go visit your brother. Then I’ll happily let you do whatever you want with me.”
“You’re an infernal she-demon.”
“And you’re a stubborn moron.”
“We have a lot in common.”
“Prick!”
“Love you.”
“Call your brother.” I blow him a kiss. “And come join me in the shower.”
He stretches and sighs. “I can do one of those things.”
I hurry away, laughing as he chases after me.
Chapter 34
Saul
The Vegas outfit nearly falls apart.
It doesn’t happen right away. The moment I’m excommunicated by Renzo, I lose about half my staff; the other half weren’t technically Rossi Famiglia members. I scramble to fill their roles, which isn’t easy working remotely, while shoring up the loyalty of everyone that’s left. But things aren’t the same after the mass exodus, and the gambling income slows from a full-on tidal wave to something more like an aggressive flood.
Gian and Carlo call and visit over the next few weeks. I meet them out for drinks a few times, but there’s a barrier between us. I can tell they want to talk Famiglia business, except they can’t when I’m around. It goes against their oaths of silence, speaking of the organization with anyone that isn’t on the inside.
And I’m not on the inside anymore.
It kills me. I try to hide it, but Molly can tell. She goes out of her way to make me feel good every day—which includes a lot of very raunchy sex, some of it extremely creative, that I appreciate—but when I’m left alone in the middle of the afternoon running the gambling books and trying to keep busy, I find myself thinking about my place in the world.
I defined myself by the Rossi name. I was Saul Rossi, brother of the Don, son of the former Don, underboss and loyal servant. I feel lost without those things, and trying to find a new place for myself isn’t easy. Molly’s trying to help but she can only do so much.
Once, Maddie comes for a visit and brings Brando. She talks with Molly while I play with the little guy, and it’s absolutely great, at least until it’s time to leave. “Mommy, when’s Uncle Saul coming back over? Uncle Saul, I miss you.” I hugged the little asshole and ruffled his hair and told him I’d be over soon, but he cried when his mother made him leave, and I haven’t been able to get that moment out of my head.
The only person who should call never bothers.
I go with Molly to visit her brother and Nana almost every day. Ever since Jason had his seizure and I did my best to help, we formed a solid little bond. Even Nana seems to like me, probably because I bring her cigarettes and do chores. Today, I’m fixing a door that doesn’t close without shoving it by adjusting the hinges.
“You look really hot with your sleeves rolled up,” Molly says, waggling her eyebrows at me.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I say, hammering the hinge pin down into place. “I look hot all the time.”
“You two disgust me,” Jason calls from the living room where he’s working on a term paper.
“You all disgust me,” Nana shouts from her spot in the kitchen.
Molly laughs and gives me a kiss. “Does it work better?”
“You tell me.”
She swings the door and it clicks shut with no problem. Then she swings it open and puts the back of her hand across her forehead.
“Saul Rossi, I think I’m going to swoon.”
“Really? Simple home maintenance gets you hot?”
“Hot and bothered. You fixed something. You made it seem so easy.”
“It was easy.”
“Don’t tell me that.” She throws herself into my arms. “You’re a big strong man. So competent. So handsome.”
“Did my pure sexual charisma rob you of the ability to speak in complete sentences?”
“Me Molly, me want to kiss big manly man.”
I laugh and kiss her. My wife can be so strange sometimes, and I absolutely love her for it. She’s been slowly bringing out a side of me that I thought disappeared when I was little. I’m lighter, more prone to joking and laughing than I used to be, all because Molly’s such a damn goofball.
“Alright, let me go help your brother with his homework,” I say, slapping her ass. “Nana needs the dishes done.”