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When Rodrigo leaves, his gut is rounder than before. He makes sure to tell me how good the food is and that he’ll be waiting on my call about Lovato. I stay seated at the table for a while longer. It’s the first moment alone I’ve had since the shooting last night.

Everything’s been on overdrive ever since. Even as Falynn and I lay in bed, my brain was buzzing. I couldn’t relax. Barely got a wink of sleep between holding her and letting my feelings sink in.

First thing this morning it was business with Robby and the crew. Louis is still in the hospital, but if all goes well, he’ll be a free man by sundown.

My phone rings. I know who it is without even glancing at the caller ID. Word’s gotten back to Papa about the shooting at Vittoria, and he’s calling to rip my head off. After assuring him just two days ago everything was good, this fuck shit happens!

It’s humiliating.

The phone call’s like a verbal spanking. Too much to deal with when I’ve already got enough on my plate as it is. Papa and his finger-wagging, tongue-lashing speeches about my failure can wait.

I press Decline, sending the call straight to voicemail.

“You are looking good enough to eat.” I come up behind Falynn, slipping arms around her waist. She’s wearing her curls pinned up, exposing the nape of her neck. The strip of skin is too tempting to pass up. I press my lips to the space between her shoulders and then work from there, kissing my way up ’til I reach the spot behind her ear that makes her shudder. “How am I supposed to keep my hands off you through dinner?”

Falynn leans against me, her tight little ass another temptation. Why the fuck can’t I get enough of this woman?

It’s evening, and I promised to take her to dinner. Just the two of us (and my guys providing cover).

“Where are we going?” she asks, spritzing perfume on her pulse points.

I catch a whiff, the sweet scent making me drunk. My grip on her waist tightens. “Wherever you want to go, Honey. How about dinner at Ornella? The filet mignon is exceptional.”

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Something tells me this might cause a headache. But go ahead.” I give her hips a squeeze.

“Do you always eat at five-star establishments?”

“Is that a problem?”

She shrugs. “You’re right about the food being exceptional.”

“But…?”

“Sometimes those hole-in-the-wall joints have good food too.”

Our eyes meet as she turns around in my arms. I smile like a dumbcazzoand say, “Is this your way of telling me you want to go to a mom-and-pop?”

She giggles, kissing me. “It’ll be something different.”

“I’ll say. A lot cheaper. A lot…dingier.”

“The food hits the spot at a lot of those types of places. They always have some little old mom or pop who oversees the kitchen. The food tastes more like ol’-fashioned home cooking.”

“I could go for ol’-fashioned.”

“Just saying.”

“All right…all right, you’ve convinced me with that smile of yours…and fat ass.”

Robby and Dominico are waiting for us in the hall outside our penthouse. As Falynn makes friendly conversation with Dominico, I fall into step with Robby. Tension between us has been thick all day. He’s barely met my eyes since last night when I chewed his ass out. Louis’s injury only serves as a further divide between us.

He doesn’t need to say a word to tell me how he feels. Like Papa, he feels I’m losing my focus. I’m wearing myself too thin with frivolous things and not the important stuff. If I were conducting business as usual, as calculated and shrewd as I normally am, last night’s shootout never would’ve happened. It boils down to Falynn with him.

I know it does.

As soon as I mention there’s a change of plans and we’re headed into East Vegas, he grimaces. I stop him as we enter the private parking garage reserved for me, my crew, and any of the other investors. Only the best of the best cars fill up the spaces, row after row of Audis and Bentleys.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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