AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER 1
“We were doomed from the start. A lost cause. A losing battle. And yet, in that narrow instant I didn’t give a single fuck.”
—Julie Johnson
Francesco
“My man!”
“Look who the cat dragged in!”
I laughed as I strutted into the bar through the private entrance, glancing around at the garish interior. I hadn’t been inside Gone Wild, the exclusive men’s club catering to the wealthy, powerful, and fucked-up kinky men in New York in almost two years. I’d forgotten how enticing the darkened club had become, the owner encouraging his customers to indulge in their darkest proclivities.
Thankfully, I knew the man well.
From the selection of the best-looking dancers and strippers, and the incredible food creatively prepared by a world-renowned chef to a dance floor rivaling the best clubs in the city, Gone Wild had everything a hungry boy was looking for.
“Woo hoo!” Joey yelled as he stormed toward me, pushing two of our friends out of the way. The loopy grin on his face indicated he’d already had a few. Well, it was his bachelor party. He certainly deserved to have more than one adult beverage.
My buddy, the brooding groom, was the illustrious owner, a guy I’d known for years. We’d run together since high school, both attending Columbia University, ruling the streets in our neighborhood like kids on a mission to tamp down anyone trying to assert control over us. Joey Trelista was an aggressive son of a bitch, his entrepreneurial spirit rivaling mine.
He’d parlayed the once small, seedy club into a showplace, along with three other locations and a national chain floating cash in front of him in an effort to buy him out. He wasn’t selling.
I turned in a full circle in style, doing a few dance moves until the other guys surrounding the oversized table groaned, even tossing peanuts in my direction.
“About goddamn time you got here,” Joey huffed.
“Nah, we don’t need him!” one of the other guys snarked.
“What?” I countered, running my fingers through my slicked-back hair. Tonight I was the epitome of an Italian stallion, a famished man ready to feast on whatever tasty treats were presented. I was also the best man, the wedding less than twenty-four hours away. His beautiful fiancée had just finished threatening me on the phone that if we were late to the church then she’d have our balls kept in a glass jar.
I believed her.
Which meant I’d have to cut Joey off at some point.
Almost as soon as I’d walked in with Dominick Saltori and Mark Cosner in tow, scantily clad female employees giggled and headed in our direction.
“Be careful, ladies,” I told them as two girls rubbed their hands on Dom’s chest. “He’s a man of God. He could condemn you for all eternity.”
Dominick rolled his eyes, snorting as he threw me a hateful look. “Feasting with the eyes is allowed.”
“In what good book, Father?” Mark asked as he punched Dom’s arm.
“Yeah, yeah.” Dom pushed away from the rest of us, heading toward the private bar set up for the bachelor party. Then I headed toward Joey, clapping him on the back.
“I never thought I’d see the day you’d finally settle down,” I told him as I surveyed our other friends. There were six of us, all dangerous men from important families. We were the cream of New York, likely to rule the city at minimum, Carter Franklin determined to rule the country one day given his father was a state senator.
“What day was that? The one I’d become richer than you, my friend?” Joey teased. Then he lifted his beer toward Cayman, the man not only considered a friend by the rest of us, but my Capo was well. Wherever I went, so did he, the Jamaican becoming a confidante after all we’d been through together.
My family was well known in New York, the Arturo–Powers crime syndicate an absolute powerhouse. That meant we had our share of enemies. While no recent threats had been made, that didn’t mean I could allow my guard to fall.
Cayman shook his head. “Ya, man. Joey is a wild man at heart. Just ask anyone he pays off to say so.” The man’s accent was heavier than normal on purpose. He stepped back and threw his arms up before Joey could punch him in the gut.
Everyone laughed.
Joey did as well, then his expression turned somber. “The truth is I never expected to fall in love. I wasn’t even sure I deserved it. You know?”
I knew exactly what he was talking about. Maybe he’d cleaned up his act, but we were still bad men at heart, undeserving of normal lives, my sister and her fairytale romance aside. “I hear you, brother, but you’ve worked hard to get where you are. Now you can take some time and enjoy that beautiful woman of yours.”
