Cruel Summer

Vito chuckles and honestly this whole interaction has stunned me stupid.

Vito and Maximo are always at each other’s throat, always riling each other up, but this… it’s different and surprisingly nice.

I push the thought away as quickly as it comes.

“While any other day I’d be pushing for a conversation where you two aren’t arguing to continue, we have business to attend to,” Giovanni says, stepping up in between them. He has a cigar in his hand and he takes a drag of it, his eyes narrowing slightly before he blows smoke from between his lips. “And I already have plans to stick him into Oak Acres Retirement Home.” A brief smile touches his lips and it's so boyish and charming that it completely disarms me.

Vito chuckles and Maximo’s eyes light up.

It reminds me that they all grew up together, Vito as close to them as a blood brother. Is this how they used to be?

What shattered whatever good relationship that Maximo and Vito had?

What made them so bitter?

“Costas, Bianchi!” A male voice calls out from behind us, breaking up the brief moment of mirth. All three faces in front of me turn to complete stone and I know wherever Enzo is, sitting in the shadows of the club, he’s tense as well.

From what I picked up on, this club belongs to Seven Quad and we’re completely in their territory, outnumbered. None of the men had seemed too concerned about anything real popping off, they wouldn’t have allowed me to accompany them otherwise. But when I’d eyed the guns Vito had strapped to his holsters before we left the house, he’d been clear that it was always better to be safe than sorry.

“This way!” The voice calls out again.

I turn around to find Dox waving us over. He’s in a small roped off section that I’m assuming is the VIP section. There’s three couches, one in the center and two sitting on either side facing each other. A small table sits in between them and I assume it's solely there to hold drinks, while leaving enough room for everyone to be comfortable in the section.

Vito places a hand to the small of my back and ushers me forward, Giovanni in front of us. Maximo brings up the rear. I move my eyes around the club, trying to pick Enzo out, but I give up when I only find tits and bare pussies winking at me.

Two big men stand at either side of the ropes blocking off the section and one of them unhooks the rope to let us inside. Dox is sitting on the center couch in a huge fur coat. It’s currently almost one hundred degrees outside, all day, every day, and I break out in a hot flash just imagining the man wearing the heavy coat in that heat.

There’s two women, sitting on either side of him, dark skinned and beautiful. One of the women is wearing a flashy turquoise sequined bra and bedazzled underwear, her black afro bouncing as she moves her legs across Dox’s lap. He trails his hand up her leg and she giggles.

The other woman isn’t quite as bubbly, but she’s just as beautiful with her curly, highlighted hair. She has on silver eyeshadow that matches the almost futuristic outfit she has on, a short, shiny silver skirt that can’t cover her cheeks if she’s standing and a thin strapless bra that her boobs barely fit in.

Dox gestures for us to take the two free couches.

My gaze wanders around the room and disappointment moves through me when I don’t see Diamond.

Fuck, don’t let this be a wasted trip.

I sit on the couch next to Vito, my thigh brushing against his. Maximo and Giovanni take the one across from us.

Dox remains relaxed, his gaze bouncing between both couches. I swear his gaze lingers on me a second longer than it should.

Did Diamond tell him about our conversation?

I want to ask him, but I also want to ask him more. How did he know my mother? How close were they? Why didn’t he get revenge for her if she were murdered?

I swallow all the questions down, keeping my lips pressed together tightly. Now isn’t the time or place for that.

“Tell me, what is it you want to discuss tonight?” Giovanni says, getting straight to business.

Dox waves a hand, “Now, Giovanni, didn’t your father teach you not to be so crass when conducting business?” he asks, tilting his head to the side slightly.

A muscle jumps in Giovanni’s jaw. “This isn’t a social call.”

“No, but all the same, I have beautiful women here,” Dox’s gaze flicks to me, “And since it seems you’re still liking a little chocolate in your melt, I figured I could give you some diversity.” He snaps his fingers and the two women rise off of him.

The broody woman with the galactic outfit moves over to Giovanni, plopping her ass right down on his lap. By some kind of magic, she catches the beat of the music moving through the club, grinding her ass down onto Giovanni as she moves her hips.

The giggly woman smiles at Vito, straddling his lap. Beside me, I feel him go completely tense. His hands move to catch the woman when it looks like she’s going to fall over, but it appears as if she’s just trying to perform some freaky ass sort of backbend while remaining seated on Vito’s lap.