Page 51 of The Boss

GINO

The urge to kiss Juliet is becoming unbearable. I’ve had it for years, this urge, but have stopped myself every fucking time. I can see it in her eyes, the wondering if my affection is real, and I want to tell her it is. I want to tell her I want everything, including lying beside her at night and waking up to her in the morning, the touches and the kisses, and making her coffee just the way she likes it with sweetened, condensed milk.

I know she needs a break too. So I somewhat invaded her privacy, and after dinner I went into her phone to turn off her alarm. She needs the rest more than anyone. Most nights I’ve been up past midnight, and so has she. Then she’ll wake up at six in the morning. So, this is my way of telling her what she has told me: you’ll hurt yourself if you keep doing that.

With her sleeping in, it’s my responsibility to make breakfast. It’s never been solely hers, but she enjoys it, so I let her. I don’t want to mess up the system she’s got, so I make scrambled eggs with bacon, veggies, and cheese. I pull out two tortillas to make a burrito and top it off with some chipotle sauce from the fridge.

Glancing at the clock, I notice it’s nearly ten in the morning, which means Juliet really needed the rest, but she will be waking up soon. Even in college, she didn’t sleep past eight.

I start her coffee; I’ve never made it before, but it’s a specific Vietnamese coffee called cà phê sữa đá. It’s a sweet, iced coffee drink with sweetened condensed milk on the bottom and the coffee on top.

I grab a glass and add some ice and the sweetened condensed milk. Placing the phin filter on top of the glass, I add some of the coffee grounds and then pour the hot water over the coffee to allow it to drip into the glass below.

Once I’ve finished adding the hot water, I hear rushing footsteps, and a smile comes onto my face, knowing who it is.

Juliet runs into the kitchen and stops when she sees me. I turn and lean my back against the counter and cross my arms, smirking. She’s going to ream me out for this.

“Gino, I swear to God if you turned off my alarm—” She’s angry and panting, and I love it.

I just stare at her.

“Why are you smirking? I should be working right now. It’s ten in the morning. I have to review those city tax reports we found for the Russos and make breakfast. I need to get things together for when your sister comes over—” She’s spiraling because she thinks I’m mad.

Fuck it.

I walk to her, grab her face, and look into her eyes, seeing if she’ll hesitate. She doesn’t, so I press my lips to hers—they’re soft and plump, and I can taste the cherry flavor of her lip balm. I walk her back, so she is against the counter as I continue to kiss her, and she relaxes into me. She moans against my mouth, and I pull away to see her face. The blush on her cheeks is adorable.

“Gino,” she whispers, looking at me with trepidation.

“Jules,” I whisper back.

“Why did you do that?” she asks softly.

“Because I wanted to,” I say matter-of-factly.

“But—”

“Did you not like it?”

Was I reading her wrong the last few weeks? I’ve noticed the longing looks and the brushing of our hands. Mostly by me, but she hasn’t pulled away from any of it.

“I-I—really liked it,” she softly laughs.

“Why are you questioning it then?” I ask.

“We’ve never⁠—”

I cut her off. “If you say we’ve never kissed before, we both know you’re lying. Do you not remember the night of my dad’s funeral?”

“I didn’t think you remembered that,” she mumbles.

I look at her flatly. Is she fucking joking? Of course, I remember it; she made one of the worst days of my life better.

I place my hand on her chin and tip her head to look at me. “Juliet, I remember every second of that night. I remember the scent of the lavender lotion you wore that day. I remember the birthmark you have on your right hip and—” I kiss her softly. “I remember how fucking perfect your pussy felt around my cock.”

She blushes. “Gino, I⁠—”

“What, Juliet? Don’t you dare say you thought I forgot that night because I have been replaying it almost every day since it happened.”