Only In the Dark, page 7
But today, we were hosting my parents’ anniversary. And to say I am nervous is an understatement.
I did the best I could to cover my eye up, but it wasn’t healed enough to cover it. And I wasn’t sure how my parents would react.
“You look gorgeous, as always,” Dominick says as he leans on the doorframe, watching me put on the finishing touches to my hair since my makeup was minimal. I told my parents to dress to the nines. So that meant me and Dom had to dress up as well. I wore a simple black dress, and Dom had on a dress shirt with the collar open, and black dress pants.
I walk over to him and lean up to kiss his lips.
“Your parent should be arriving soon.”
“Nervous?”
“A little.”
“You should be fine.”
We head back downstairs, and ten minutes pass before the doorbell rings.
I stand next to Dom as he pulls the door open.
“Geneva!” Mom says with excitement and immediately hugs me. “Are you must be Dom,” she says to him while I greet my dad.
“It’s nice to meet you ma’am.”
“Dad, this is Dominick.”
They shake hands. We take their coats and put them in the spare closet.
My dad grips my face and seeing the bruising around my eye, and he looks at Dominick with anger. “Did you fucking hit my daughter?”
Dominick backs up, holding his hands up, and I pull on my dad’s muscled arm. “Dad, he didn’t do it. He was nowhere near me when it happened.”
Now, mom looks concerned.
“I was mugged at my apartment building.”
“Sorry Dominick.”
“No worries,” he tells him.
“Jesus Christ, Gen. You need to find somewhere safer place to live.” I look to Dom for confirmation to tell them the news, and he nods ever so slightly.
“Mom. Dad. Dominick asked me to move in with him.”
“Don’t you think it’s a little premature,” Mom says, and I know she means well.
“I think when you know you found your person, you just know. Why wait?”
“What about Livia?” Dad asks knowing we were roommates.
“She is living in the guest house for the time being. So she’s close by, and we are safe here.”
My dad looks at Dom. “You can guarantee their safety?”
And as cool as he looks, he responds. “Absolutely.”
“Well, then I guess we don’t have an issue with it. I’d prefer you to be married first, but I know that is old fashioned of me,” Dad adds.
“Dinner is ready,” Belva says, and we are saved from the grilling.
“The table looks stunning,” Mom compliments, then looks at Dom. “And your house is amazing.”
“Thank you.”
We manage to get through dinner, and I’m glad we are all getting along so well. Dom asks my parents a lot of questions as he is genuinely curious about them.
“Would you like a cigar?” Dominick asks my dad.
Dad smiles and says, “Absolutely.”
Mom and I join them in the living room. And my dad and Dominick get into a conversation about me. How my dad is trusting him to protect me. And that he has no issues with him.
Mom bumps my shoulder with hers. “He’s so handsome. And very respectful, which is a good quality.”
“Well, we didn’t start off on the right foot. But I kind of like him,” I tease.
“He clearly only has eyes for you,” Mom adds.
I try to listen in on more of their conversation, and I only hear bits and pieces. Now they are laughing and joking around. And it’s nice to see this side of my dad, and Dom for that matter.
“I can already tell your dad approves of him. And you already know I do, even though I’m meeting him for the time. Are guys serious?”
“We are. He already asked me to be his girlfriend. I know you and dad don’t want this life for me, but I trust Dom.”
One thing I do hear dad say with his thick Italian accent, “Just remember, you break my daughter’s heart. I’ll put a hit out on you.”
But dad laughs like he’s joking, but I’m not so sure.
“I have no intention of doing that, sir.”
“Good.”
Mom stands, and we walk over to the guys. “Thank you for hosting this dinner. It was amazing. But next time, I’ll cook for you both,” she says with a smile.
“I would love that,” Dom responds, smiling.
“Then we will schedule something soon,” she says.
“Yeah, we should go,” Dad adds. “Thank you.” He offers his hand to shake Dom’s, and we walk them to the door.
“Did my dad grill you bad?” I ask when Dominick shuts the door.
“It wasn’t bad, really. I like your family. I can see how close you all are and how protective they are of you. And it proves that we don’t have to be rivals.”
I smile and wrap my arms around his neck. “Yeah.”
Dominick’s phone buzzes, and he looks at the screen. “It’s the private investigator. One sec.”
He unwinds himself from me, and walks into another room. When he reenters the room, he is looking at a text.
“Everything okay?”
“Well, I don’t know. Apparently, there is no other cause of death for my father.”
“I know that’s not the news you were hoping for. And I was hoping it wasn’t true.”
“What are you going to do?”
Chapter Eighteen
DOMINICK
“Ready?” I ask Geneva as we stand on the porch of my childhood home, before we enter.
“As ready as I’ll ever be. I met your dad briefly, and your mom in passing. But this is more intimate.”
With one hand on the small of her back, I knock on the door, as my mom invited us over for dinner.
A maid opens the door and immediately takes our coats. Mom comes around the counter to greet us with her arms outstretched to hug us both. “It’s so good to see you, my Dominicky.” She pats my cheek and turns her attention to Geneva. “And you look as gorgeous as ever,” she tells her.
“Thank you, Mrs. Cantano.”
“Please call me, Anne. And you met Carmine before,” she says as he appears.
“What did you say your name was?”
“Uh. Geneva Castle.”
“Nice to meet ya,” he holds his hand out for her, and she shakes it. And he does the same for me.
“Come in and eat,” Mom calls out.
We all sit down at the table. Dad at one end, Mom at the other. And I sit next to Geneva.
“So, how’s business? Dad asks me.
“It’s great. Making profits as always.”
He points his knife at me. “Just don’t trust anyone son. Everyone is out to get something.”
“I already know that.” If he only knew what I found out.
“This is really good, Mrs. I mean, Anne. It might be better than my mom’s, but don’t tell her that.”
“What do your parents do?” Dad asks Geneva.
“My mom is a homemaker, and my dad is in construction.”
“Oh. I probably know him then.”
I can feel Geneva as she starts to panic.
I interject. “Her dad is Giovanni Fallone.”
Dad stops mid-chew, mom averts her eyes, and my heart pounds fast in my chest. I’m still squeezing Geneva’s hand as she looks down at her plate.
Dad raises from his chair. “I will not allow that name to step foot in this house.” He pounds his fist on the table causing both my mom and Geneva to jump.
“Well, it was fine when she dug that bullet out of you. And you have beef with her father, not her.”
“Get out of my house!” he screams.
I release Geneva’s hand and stand. “She isn’t going anywhere.”
Geneva pulls on my hand. “It’s okay, Dom.”
“No, it’s not. So, dad. Why you don’t tell all of us here how you had my father killed so you could take over. And take our whole family over.”
“What!? That is the most absurd thing I have ever heard.”
“But it’s not.” I reach for the photos that are in my suit pocket and throw them down in front of him. “Proof.”
“Where did you get these?”
“That shouldn’t be your first concern.” I look to mom, and she looks horrified and hurt as she starts to cry.
Mom raises from the table. “Did you have my boy’s father killed Carmine? So help me, God, you better say something.”
I swiftly move next to Carmine, pull out my gun and press it on his temple. “Start talking.”
“This is just a misunderstanding.”
Mom was seeing straight through him. “Don’t bother. You make me sick!” She looks at me as if giving me approval.
She turns her back, and I fire the shot. Geneva and my mother both jump again. His body falls to the floor. “Go in the other room, so you don’t see this,” I urge them both.
Geneva gets up from her chair and coaxes mom into the formal dining room, and I hear her soft cries as Gen consoles her. “I’m so sorry it came to this,” I hear.
Digging for my phone, I call a number. My guy that fixes shit like this.
With blood splattered on my face and my shirt, I reach for the cloth napkin to clean my face and walk to my mom.
Her fists pound on my chest, and I let it go for a minute, then I take her arms and pin them while I engulf her with mine. “I’m sorry, mama.”
The wail in her cries is breaking me, and Geneva is gutted as well as she watches.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” mom asks.
“Because I didn’t want anyone to know until I was ready to take care of it. Now we’ll have the funeral and play the loving family we always portray, then I’m taking over.”
“You’re gonna get yourself killed, Dom.”
“I won’t. The bastards get greedy, and that’s how they get killed.
“Promise me, boy.”
“I promise. Now I have someone on the way to clean this up. After, you can start making calls about Carmine having a heart attack. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Go upstairs, and I’ll let you know when to come back down.”
She disappears from my view, and I look at Geneva and immediately bring her into my arms. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”
Her grip is tight on both arms as she rests her head. “It’s okay. I signed up for this.”
That statement guts me. “It won’t always be like this. I promise.”
***
We stand at Carmine’s funeral and play the part as best as we can. Today is the last day in my childhood home, because Mom no longer wants to stay in that house so she agreed to come stay with me and Geneva until she figures out what she wants to do.
After the funeral, everyone comes to the house and pay their respects to my mother and me. And while I have all of Carmine’s people here, I make a round to speak to each one individually to stay back so we can have a meeting.
I make my way to Geneva and bring her close to me, kissing the top of her head. “Don’t be nervous when I call you into the meeting. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Show your superiority.”
She nods and offers a tight smile.
When everyone else started filtering out, I pulled my mom aside. “When Carmine men are the only ones left, bring them to the office.” She nods in response.
I am no stranger to taking over the business. I had my own shit I was doing, and I never tried to step on anyone’s toes. But filling a much bigger role, I can’t say I wasn’t nervous.
In the office, I sat behind the desk and got comfortable in the chair, and the guys started filtering in.
“What is this meeting about, Dom?” Ricardo, dad’s right-hand man asks.
“Have a seat, gentlemen,” I motioned for the them. I clasp my hands together in a praying form and get down to business.
“I wanted to bring you all here to bring it to your attention that I will be taking over Carmine’s operation. I know you guys are old-school, so we will have to work together to keep everything going as normal. That being said, we would like to add an addition to protect the families, and there won’t be any bloodshed.”
“What do you mean families?”
I pressed the speaker button on the phone for Geneva to come in. And when she opened the door, she held her head high and came over to stand beside me.
“Gentlemen, this is Geneva Castle, formally known as Fallone.”
The men were shocked and began talking among themselves. I stood from the chair and roared. “Gentlemen!”
Once the attention was back on me, I continued speaking. “If this is something you cannot work with, you are free to go. I won’t stop you. If you stay, I expect the same loyalty you gave my father.” I hated referencing him to that, but this was for them to get the hint.
Chapter Nineteen
GENEVA
When Dom was speaking in the office, to his step-dad’s men, he commanded the room. And for the most part, I could tell they respected him. But I wasn’t stupid, this could easily backfire and put a target on his back.
“Geneva and I, the Fallones’ and the LaRoccas’ will be one alliance. This is better for everyone.”
Dom retrieves a knife from his suit pocket and extends the knife-blade. I hold my hand out flat as he runs the blade along my skin, and he does the same on his hand. We shake hands, now we have a blood bond, and it is the most sacred bond that can never be torn apart.
This was a pact made the minute Carmine was being put into the ground. When Dom approached my father about both families becoming one alliance, and after some serious discussion, my father gave Dom his blessing. It made sense. And sense I was smack dab in the middle of this, my father insisted on passing some of his duties onto me, and I was floored by the gesture. It’s nothing crazy, but it’s something. Dom insisted he will teach me everything he knows so we can fully be in this together.
“That’ll be all, gentlemen,” Dom says as he buttons his suit jacket.
Surprisingly, after they shake Dom’s hand, they shake mine as well. Another meeting is scheduled for a few weeks ahead, one my father can attend, which he had to inform his own men about this.
It was just me and Dom in the office now, and when I catch his gaze, I can see the heated look in his eyes and that wicked smile he gives. While sitting down, he reaches for me. “Come here, my Queen.”
He pulls me onto his lap, and when I rub on his hardness, it sends shivers down my spine. With a hand on the back of my neck, he brings my head forward and kisses me deep and heavy. The demand from him is noticeable as he is not patient. Sliding his tongue along the seam of my lips, he pulls on my bottom lip with his teeth, coaxing a moan from me. My black dress is raised over my head, and I sit naked on him. We continue kissing while he caresses my boobs, and running his thumb over my nipples.
He takes one boob into his mouth, and it causes my head to tilt back as I grind on his cock that is aching for relief.
He stands with me still attached to him, and with one hand, he clears the desk and lays me down.
“Undo my belt,” he says with ragged breath.
I unclip his belt and pull it through the loops. He continues breathing heavy and edges my hand over his thick hardness, and I rush to undo his pants. His cock springs free. When he yanks my hand up to his face, his tongue sticks out, and he licks my blood-soaked palm like a fiend.
“Need to feel you inside me,” I whisper, barely getting the words out.
A wicked grin plays on his lips, and as I lay back, he towers over me, showing off the powerful man that he is. My King.
He pumps in and out while he grabs my nipples and lightly pulls on them. This is a different side of Dom I’m seeing. His dark and powerful side. And I love it.
In a swift move, he flips me over so my stomach is on the desk.
“Better hold on,” he instructs.
I grip the edge of the desk, and he continues pumping in and out. I’m already on the brink. When he pulls on my hair and brings my head back, I am completely gone.
“Fuck.”
“Come for me,” he growls in my ear, and it sends shivers all over my skin.
He works my pussy with two fingers in a circular motion while still pumping inside me. I clench around his cock and come undone as the orgasm overtakes me. My body shakes, and my knees are weak as Dom holds into my hair with one hand, while his other hand rests on my ass.
“Oh fuck! Yes!” he growls. As he releases his orgasm, he has a firm grip on my ass cheek, and it almost hurts, but it doesn’t.
He straightens up, and I can lean back up and I spin to face him. This time, I bring his face to mine and take control of his lips and tongue. He smiles against my lips and says, “I’d love to take you again, but we should go.”
In that moment, I forget where we are, and it takes a second to register. I run a hand along the desk. “At least we christened your new desk.” I smile and gather my dress.
I clear my throat, run a hand over my hair to smooth it out, and make sure my dress is on correctly, then Dom pulls the door to the office open. When I look up at him, he flashes a wink and allows me to exit the office first.
“Where is my mother?” Dom calls out.
“In the kitchen.”
Before we round the corner, I say, “Smells heavenly.” Then I am halted by Dom’s arm. When we step fully into the kitchen, my mouth drops and tears flood my eyes.
“Took you two long enough.” The man has an arm around Anne’s neck and a gun pointed at her temple.
Dom holds his hands up. “What do you want, Ricardo?”
“I want the money Carmine owes me.”
“How much?”
“Thirty-eight thousand dollars. Where is it?”
“I don’t know what you are talking about, but if you let me reach in my suit jacket, I can write you a check personally, and this can be done. But lower your gun first.”
