Page 25 of Mafia Baby

By the sinks, I take out my phone and see a message from my mother. I’m not calling her back right now. Then I scroll down to Dom’s number that he gave me.

Being in the bathroom now, I have flashbacks of us at the fundraiser. The way he lifted me up onto the counter and bent me over so I could watch as he thrust into my core and tore me open. Turned me into Jello and made me come against the door. Fuck.

I came here to stop thinking about Dom, but now I’m not just thinking about him; I’m getting wet at the thought of him. I jump up onto the counter and turn on my selfie camera. Angling my phone from above my head, I snap a selfie and send it to Dom with the caption:

G: Remember when you had me just like this?

I can see that the message was delivered. I wait a few minutes to see if he’ll reply to me, but he doesn’t, so I go back out to have another drink. There’s a nineties love song playing as I step into the bar area, and I give an uninvited karaoke session to the elder men sitting on their stools. They all clap for me when I’m done.

Sitting down to catch my breath and sip on my drink, I pull my phone out again and see that Dom has replied to me. My heart skips a beat, literally, as I squint my eyes to read it.

D: Where are you?

I smile. He wants me.

We can go back into that bathroom and repeat the scene from the fundraiser. That’s what I need right now.

I quickly text back the address and then use my phone’s camera to check my makeup.

The bartender comes up to ask if I’m okay, and I tell her I’m great and that a friend is about to join me.

I know already that I won’t come back here, but that’s okay. It’ll be about forty years before I fit in with this crowd.

***

“Gianna.” Dom’s voice is loud over the music.

I turn around quickly. Too quickly. I lose my balance and end up falling over the bar stool behind me. He’s faster, though, stepping forward to catch me and stop my face from hitting the floor.

He helps me stand up and I see him looking around the bar, confused. “What are you doing?”

“I just…came here to unwind.” I hold up my iced tea.

“Unwind,” Dom scoffs. “If that’s what you call it. Let’s go. Do you need to pay your tab?”

“I’ve paid it,” I say. I’m sure I’ve paid, but I look at the bartender to be sure. She gives me a thumbs up and smiles at me. “It’s paid.” I confirm, more for myself than for Dom.

“I’ve got a car waiting outside,” Dom says, and I laugh. The thought of his driver waiting outside for us seems ridiculous.

“Dom,” I half-whisper to him. “You can’t make the driver wait for us…”

“There’s no waiting. We’re leaving.” He looks confused, which is a funny look on this huge hulk of a man.

“But the bathroom…” I wink at him, trying to be discreet, but from the chuckles around me, I failed that.

“Gianna, are you drunk? You need to get home. It’s not safe for you to be hanging out alone in bars, even if you’re not drinking.” Something in his tone switches off my flirty side and turns on the stubborn side.

“Excuse me, but are you my father? I sent you a message so that you could join me, not so that you could boss me around.” I fold my arms and stare at him.

“I’ll go home when I’m ready to go home. I know how to call a cab, thanks.”

Dom sighs. “Gianna please. I’ve had a long, bloody day. I don’t have the energy to try and convince you to do anything, but I’m not here to join you.” I hear the “long bloody day” and wonder if he means long and bloody. I bury the thought as fast as it comes up.

I tone down my stubbornness for a minute and brush his arm. He doesn’t have a jacket on tonight, I can see more of his tattoos. There’s one of a grim reaper with a cloud above its head. There’s also one of an animal paw, which seems out of place.

Looking up at his face, I no longer feel horny. I’m starting to feel tired and sick, which seems to be a daily thing now that I’m pregnant.

“I’m sorry. We can go home.” Grabbing my bag, I start walking toward the door, hearing his steps behind me.

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