Taking Care Of The Mobster

“You want me to...wash your hair...,” I mutter stupidly. What had I expected? Had I really thought he wanted me in that way? I must have lost my mind for a second there.

“Please?” Carlos says with an imploring smile.

“Sure! Of course.”

I position myself behind his chair, conscious of his naked upper body covered in fascinating dark ink. I take the shampoo bottle from him and pour some of the liquid onto his head. I weave my fingers into the dark rich curls of his hair, slowly massaging the soap into his scalp with some water. Carlos throws his head back and closes his eyes, a deep rich sound emitting from his throat.

I bite down hard on my lower lip, trying to take my mind off his mindless throaty moans. I wish he’d stop making those particular sounds. I keep getting strange feelings in the area between my thighs...I can feel my lady parts growing wet with each thrilling moan of pleasure that unconsciously slips from his lips.

“Lean forward now,” I say, awkwardly clearing my throat. I wonder why my voice has suddenly gone husky, and I hope Carlos doesn’t take note of that. “It’s time to rinse out the foam.”

Carlos wordlessly obliges. I rinse out the shampoo from his hair and dry it with a towel. “All done,” I say, leaning back against the edge of the sink. “I suppose you feel better?”

Carlos lets out a huge sigh and smiles at me. “Thank you. I feel like I’ve just conquered the world.”

I laugh at that. “Now, that’s a....” My eyes go wide as Carlos stands swiftly and places a quick kiss on my lips. He searches my face afterward and slowly lowers his lips to mine again. This time, the kiss is deeper and more intentional.

His lips mold perfectly against mine, sending my head into a mindless spin. The feeling of his lips against mine is...inexplicable. Shocking tingles run down my body in waves, intensifying the ache in my core.

Still, in shock by this sudden development, I place my hand hesitantly on his chest, unsure whether the gesture is to pull him closer or push him away. As if jolted by the gesture, Carlos jerks away from me. His dark eyes seem momentarily dazed as if he’s genuinely surprised by his own action.

“What...” I say breathlessly.

“I’m... I’m sorry,” Carlos says, shaking his head. His eyes hold a hint of frustration behind all the shades of confusion playing in their depths. “I...I shouldn’t have done that. I must have lost my mind for a second there. I...”

“It’s fine,” I say, managing to dredge up a smile. “You don’t have to apologize.”

I turn around and walk right out of his bathroom as fast as my legs can carry me.

It’s a good thing Sarah didn’t drop by today because she would have noticed my foul mood, and I would have had to come up with an excuse or pretend to be fine.

But how can I be fine after what happened yesterday?

A man kissed me and apologized right after. Typical.

I pour myself another glass of wine and take a long gulp. I really don’t know why I’m drinking, but after receiving Beth’s call, I felt like I needed a release of some kind.

The wine bottle had just been right there, staring at me from Carlos’s mini-bar. As if that wasn’t enough that I couldn’t sleep all last night thinking about Carlos and everything he’s aroused in me, Beth called earlier to inform me of Mom’s disintegrating health.

I place a hand on my head to stop the sudden spinning that threatens to overwhelm me. I raise the wine bottle to eye level and squint at the seemingly unintelligible scribblings on it.

“Abby?”

I jerk toward the familiar voice. I chuckle slightly and hold the wine bottle out to Carlos. “Hi, Boss. Want some of this?”

Carlos lowers himself beside me on his long sofa, and his brows pulled together in a concerned frown. “Are you okay, Abby?” he asks gently.

“Of course,” I say with an ironic snicker. “I’m just...dandy. Dandy drunk. Isn’t that funny?”

Carlos seems somewhat hesitant, but I’m not too sure because I’m busy trying to focus on stopping the silly urge to lean over and cover his mouth with mine. Must be too much alcohol in my system.

“Shouldn’t you be in bed?” I ask, wagging a finger at him. “I believe I told you to stay in bed just minutes ago.”

“You haven’t been to my room today, Abby,” Carlos says. “And now I come down here to find you half drunk. If this is about what happened yesterday, I’m....”

“Don’t,” I cut in, raising a hand to stop him. “Don’t you dare apologize. Again. Listen to me, Carlos... You don’t kiss me and apologize like I’m some momentary lapse of judgment. How does that make you different from Simon?”