Bloodied Hands (Bellandi Crime Syndicate 1)

Sadie's eyes lit with hope, and she nodded. "You gonna give him an actual chance?" There was skepticism in her loud, honey-toned voice. I hated knowing that I'd put it there after twelve years of failed romances and first dates that went nowhere.

"Yes," I agreed. "I'm tired of being alone. It's time I tried to find a decent man, a good man. Someone who can give me a content life, if not an overwhelming romance." I gave a bitter smile, ignoring the pained look on Duke's face. He'd always encouraged me to practice self-healing, to put myself and my mental health before a relationship. I didn't want to disappoint him, but it was time to accept that some things just couldn't be fixed.

I was one of them.

"How's the gym?" I asked, washing some extra mushrooms. I needed the change of conversation desperately, and I knew Duke well enough to know he was too busy worrying about me to be the one to grant it.

Sadie allowed it, thankfully. She knew she'd pushed as far as was intelligent for one day. She twiddled with her loose, wavy dark brown hair as she turned warm honey brown eyes my way. "It's great. You know I love it there and business is booming."

"I'm sure prancing around in your tight little workout clothes has nothing to do with that," I chuckled. She returned the humor, shrugging like she didn't have a care in the world.

"Nobody said I wasn't smart. Mom and Dad miss you though. They said to tell you to stop by for dinner soon."

I smiled. "How about they come here?" I grimaced. Sadie's mom was great at a lot of things.

Cooking was not one of them.

Duke snorted out a laugh, the tension of my agreement to date fading into memory as Sadie and I burst into giggles. "Yeah, let's do that instead."

Two

Matteo

I zipped up my slacks, turning away from the pouty expression on the freckle free face of Jessica, staring up at me from where she'd knelt to suck me off.

Or was it Jennifer?

I shook my head, realizing just how little her name mattered when I'd never see her again.

I saw none of them again.

"Thanks, babe," I said, standing up and making my way to my office door. "Let a bouncer know if you need a ride. They'll call you a cab on me if your friend headed home without you." I shoved the door open, looking back at where she still knelt on the floor, wide eyes turned my way in disbelief.

"I just swallowed your load," she protested, and even I had to admit that there was something so unappealing in the tone of her voice. If she hadn't had those thick lips and the sleek chestnut hair to go along with them, I never would have looked past it long enough to get her mouth on me. "You didn't even get me off, and you're kicking me out?"

"Not at all," I drawled, stepping away from the door and going around the side of my desk to sit in my ergonomic office chair that was closer to a throne in resemblance. I spun around, facing the two-way mirror and looking down on the club floor below me. "You're more than welcome to go back to the party. It looks like a good night."

She stood, slowly jutting out her ass in her slinky, sequined mini that barely covered said ass. "Or I could stay. The fun doesn't have to be over. I have other things to offer." Her hands rested on the opposite edge of my desk, and I eyed them in distaste. The sight of her hands on my desk was enough to send me over the edge, completely distracting me from what should have been a delectable display of cleavage.

I inwardly cursed my cousin Lino. I rarely came to Indulgence, too caught up in running the other side of the business. He was one of very few people I could trust with my legitimate businesses, and despite his more carefree manner, he was dedicated to earning the biggest profit and running a tight ship. "Sorry, didn't think you were so dumb you couldn't tell I was done with you. I don't do seconds. I came, I'm done. That's all you’ll get from me." I turned back to the paperwork resting on my desk, touching the touchpad on my laptop to bring up the digital file I needed to review.

She gasped, huffing her indignation at me when I didn't even bother to look away from my work. Her heels stomped against the hardwood floor as she stormed out of the office. "Shut the door!" I called after her, not even surprised in the slightest when she didn't listen.

"Women, am I right?" Lino said, leaning against the door frame and grinning at me.

"Oh, thank fuck, can I go home now?" I stood, grabbing my jacket off the back of the chair and shoving my arms in. "I can’t handle the music here, not anymore."

"You're getting old, Matteo," Donatello announced, stepping into the room with Scar and my Uncle Gabriele following behind them with a smile.

"You're one to talk, old man." He grinned at me, remaining silent when it became obvious my Uncle had something to say.

"Got a new potential madam who wants to meet with you. High class, and I hear good things about her girls," he said.

"She here?" I asked, buttoning up my suit jacket.

“VIP section. Says she insists on meeting with you if you’re planning to buy her out and add the girls to your roster.” With a nod, we all left my office and Lino locked it behind him. Since we didn’t talk business in public, unless we used it as an intimidation tactic, we walked in silence. I'd be damned if I lost money for someone running his mouth needlessly.

VIP was halfway up to my office, with the main floor visible for the VIPs to survey like they were in charge. They got to play at having power, while Lino and I ruled over it all with an iron thumb. The woman who sat in the VIP section stood immediately when we strolled down the steps. The middle-aged woman had wrapped her body up in a white pencil skirt and elegant black blouse. She’d styled her blond hair into a perfect updo, showing that she was the epitome of class, despite what was a rather questionable profession.