Page 2 of Late Night Caller


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Journey

“Feeling any better?”We’re standing in my kitchen. I’m munching on a bowl of cereal, more of the crunchy goodness than milk because milk is just ick. Milk is my least favorite thing unless it’s in my ice cream or cereal of choice. Other than that, it’s dead to me. Nico is eating something else entirely. Making himself at home in my kitchen as well as the rest of my condo is his usual, but while I was making my bowl of the fake fruity concoction, he made a bagel, eggs, and sausage. How he can wake up ready for a full meal, I have no idea. He offered to make me the exact same thing, but it wasn’t calling to me, especially after last night. I need comfort food in the form of sugary goodness.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Nico worked my body once in the middle of the night, giving me two orgasms and himself one before we fell back asleep with me on my side, back to his front, the palm of his hand cupping me between my legs, holding it there until we moved in the morning sometime. There’s a slight curl to his lip as he’s attempting not to smile while he’s standing there, spatula in one hand, the handle of the frying pan in the other, frozen in place looking devilishly handsome in only his boxer briefs, which don’t hide the bulge I’ve taken advantage of this morning. Nico has what most would identify as a control fetish. We don’t classify anything. He’s not into putting a label on it, and neither am I. What he does in the bedroom, though, it lights up my world, giving myself over to the pleasure that he doles out to me, getting me off numerous times to his once or twice. It’s not a bad deal. I would have woken him up with my mouth, but his phone ringing ruined those plans. Damn it, maybe next time. My eyes take in his form, the dark close-cropped style of his hair. He never uses any product or does anything fancy with it. Must be nice. Some men have it so easy. His dark chocolate eyes are perfectly framed by eyelashes I’d give my left arm for. Thank you, Grandma Hayes, for my fair skin, auburn hair, and non-existent eyelashes unless they’re coated thickly with mascara. Nico’s lips are full, his upper lip and jawline covered in a stubble he likes to keep after he’s shaved; it’s more than a five-o’clock shadow yet still less than a full beard.

“La vita mia.” The name Nico uses for me, sweet and flowery, is something he doesn’t use all that often unless he’s trying to get his point across. Nico gains my attention when I’m still busy staring at him, at his chest this time, the scripted words talking about family, the heart designed with flowers inside it, the angel on his upper arm trailing down, creating a full sleeve. His mom gives him hell, says a prayer every time he doesn’t wear a suit, which isn’t near enough for my eyes. He’s got a muscular chest but isn’t overly so in the ab department. It works for him, though. God, it all works for him, and each time I get him like this, not the mafia boss to the Donotello Famiglia, I soak it up. My phone is off. Work is the last thing on my mind. I want to cherish the time we have like this knowing one day, this won’t be enough. I’ll want more. Nico won’t be able to give that to me because of things I’d rather not think about, and I’ll have to let him go.

“I’m okay. It’s hard, not that it isn’t every year, but this year it seems heavier. I’ll do something productive later today to keep my mind preoccupied.” Mom coincides the date of the charity function with Aunt Katerina’s birthday. While it should be a happy moment, it still brings back the memories of how horrible her last day was. It probably has to do with the fact that she’s been gone for almost twenty years now. We’re all older and missing her being with us like she was on those rare occurrences when she could escape without bringing her douchebag of a husband. Usually, I’ll keep myself busy—volunteer at the shelter, go through my closet, purge my heart out. At least that’s what I did last year before the whole Nico and Journey thing became a thing. Not that we’re keeping it a secret because we aren’t, well, not when it comes to my brother and his now fiancée, Celeste.

“You want to talk about it?” Oh God, that had to hurt him to ask. I laugh, , push my bowl away, and drop my spoon inside said ceramic dish as a snort bursts from inside me, followed by giggling. “What, you think because I’m a guy I can’t listen to a woman talk about her feelings? Woman, it’s like you haven’t met my ma and sister.” I use my thumbs underneath my eyes to wipe away the tears from my laughter. There’s one thing about Nico: he’s not a man of many words, and in order for women to talk and let all the things out, well, we usually need someone to respond to us.

“Oh, I know them; I also know you, and while that is very thoughtful, I’ll be okay, promise. It’s just going to be one of those days.” As much as Nico tried to wring every last bit of energy out of my body in the middle of the night as well as earlier this morning, once we woke up, everything came slamming back.

“You’ll call me tonight. I might be busy with my shit, but I’m not too busy for you.” One sentence, that’s all Nico has to give me. His words are better than any flowers, chocolate, nights out at fancy restaurants. What he said, it means more than anything.

“I’ll call you,” I reply, knowing he was telling me what he wants instead of asking. He may be playing it off as it being for my own good, but that’s not the case. He’s doing it because he’s worried about me, while chipping another layer off of his hardened heart.

“Good, let’s eat. I’ve still got three more hours before I need to head back to my place to shower and change before I need to get to work.” I’m not sure why he hasn’t taken to bringing a change of clothes with him when he comes to me in the middle of the night, although it’s not something I’ll bring up to him just yet either.

“I can think of a several things to do with those hours,” I playfully tease. Judging by the dark circles beneath his eyes, I’m thinking Nico could use a few hours of sleep. Maybe I can convince him of lying on the couch, watching mindless TV until he drifts off to sleep.

“Eat up. You’re going to need your energy.” Or maybe I won’t. Either way, we’ll both come out winning.

FOUR

Journey

I noticedthe tightness around Nico’s mouth when I walked him to my door. Him stopping at the thermostat on the wall to kick it up, back to its normal temperature that I keep it at, also didn’t go unnoticed. The Nico I had early this morning and throughout the day is like a well-kept secret, which sucks because one day, I’ll grow tired of the secrecy, of not having a normal relationship with a man who means so much to me. He lingered, glancing at his watch every now and then, kissing me more than once, then waited until he heard the sliding of the security bolt on my condo door before telling me again to call him. Nico Donotello is a freaking conundrum, which is why I’ve called Delaney over to help me. Not to talk because even that’s off-limits. The only people who were safe in our circle to know about Nico and myself are my brother and his fiancée, Celeste, my parents, his parents, and his sister. Though, his mom was impressed when he told her that we were together, but not with the fact that Nico wasn’t bringing me out in the open. She was a boss’ wife until Emilio handed the family reins to Nico.

“Keep or donate?” Delaney asks from his spot on the floor, where the clothes have been strewn every which way. I called him the second Nico walked away, knowing being on my own well into the evening wasn’t a great idea while feeling this way. I enjoyed every minute and hour of having Nico here, but the thought of sitting idle in my own head was not appealing. Thankfully, Delaney is a gem, didn’t have plans, and has a penchant for organizing a closet like nobody’s business. There is something to be said about having a gay best friend. He’s the absolute best, and his style is ten times better than mine. If only he didn’t dive headfirst into real estate, he could have taken Instalook by storm and probably make just as much if not more than he does now.

“Donate.” It’s a nice blouse, floral in color with bright splashes throughout the muted cream background. Someone going back to work and getting on their feet can definitely use it more than me. “Have you given any thought to a date with Pierre?” I can see Delaney’s shoulders move up to his ears. The last guy he went out on a date with almost severed the friendship between him and Wylder. That guy was a total douche nozzle, only wanting Delaney for his connections and money, not for the amazing man he is.

“I’ve thought about it, paced the walls thinking about it. I even went through my closet trying to figure out which suit I’d wear. Only to give up because what if Pierre and I do hit it off only for us to have a falling out? I don’t want to lose my best friend, and Wylder is your brother. It’s tricky. While I love you for wanting me happy, I don’t think it’s a great idea; there are too many fingers in the pot.” I want to battle this out with him, but what could I say to make him see that Wylder and I would never ever be upset with either of them if Pierre and Delaney didn’t hit it off? Even if I know with every cell in my body that they would. Monica, my brother’s human resources manager, agrees.

“Well, I for one understand, though I don’t like your answer. Maybe next time we have a get-together like, say, brunch, you could at least join us and see for yourself how utterly handsome Pierre is, and don’t get me started on his Parisian accent.” I fan myself thinking about how sexy accents are. It makes perfect sense on part of the reason I’m attracted to Nico, since he’s got one of his own, and when he murmurs in my ear while thrusting inside of me all the dirty things he’s doing to my body, it rocks my world.

“That I wouldn’t be opposed to, but take your time making the plans.” Delaney holds up two shirts on hangers. Both are basic tops, ones that I wear probably more than a fashion blogger should, but when I’m not on Instalook, I’m all about comfort.

“Keep. I’ll take my time. Not too much, though, okay? You deserve to find happiness just like the rest of us. Don’t let that asshat make you think you’re only worth your money. That’s just bull.” I get up from my spot on the floor. Delaney has done a lot, way more than I have, and at this rate, we’ll be here a lot longer than he signed on for. It might be a good thing for me, but it’s not for him.

“I love you. I could say the same for you, Journey. We both have so much love to give and no one to give it to, it seems.” My arms wrap around my friend. He hugs me back, and I feel the whisper of a kiss on the crown of my head. Delaney was at the charity gala last night, much like a lot of our friends and family who are always there to help support the cause at hand.

“One day, we will. Now, ready to really tackle this closet? I’ll order us dinner seeing as how we’re going to be here for at least another couple of hours,” I mutter into his chest. He squeezes me one last time, then I step away. “God, this place is a freaking mess. I don’t know why you even offered to help me with this, but I’m thankful.”

“Me neither, but if I don’t have to cook or deal with deciding what to order, I’m more than okay with helping, plus this will calm my ass down on wanting to do this to my whole house.” You’d think with Delaney being my best friend, I’d tell him everything regarding Nico and me. That isn’t the case. My stomach is in knots, the acid burning at the back of my throat at knowing I’m keeping this big secret from him even if it’s for my own good as well as his. You see, Nico’s family has lived through some dark times as well as some light times. Lately, since he’s taken over the business, it’s more about proving that he can handle things, not showing any sign of weakness, a weakness he admitted is me.

“Then I’ll take care of the ordering and decision-making. Think we can get this done before the food gets here?” I tease while grabbing my phone from the closet island, already knowing that after a weekend like this, comfort food is what I’m after in the form of pizza, the cheesy pepperoni and pineapple goodness, dipping the crust in a garlic butter sauce with a salad on the side because that’s how Delaney and I roll. Extra carbohydrates on days like these with a side of health thrown in the mix.

“That will depend on you getting your ass moving.” He laughs. It’s full and has me doing the same thing in return, not realizing just how much I needed that.

FIVE

Nico

I didn’t wantto leave Journey, even if I was able to spend more than a few hours with her like our usual time together. Today was an unlikely occurrence, getting more twelve hours with her, any way I could have her. I can still taste her on my tongue. My hands still feel her body in mine. It didn’t matter that I went home, showered, brushed my teeth, did all the things I needed to for appearances purposes to be where I am right now.

“Boss,” Enzo states after I walk through the door in the back of the kitchen where our meetings take place with the men. Some will leave here to work on collecting fees, others to work their streets, making their presence known in the eyes of Petrov and his men.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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