Page 40 of King of the Bronx

“So I’m going from one mafia to another?” she asked.

“You’ve been lucky so far. You can’t run a business like that in the Bronx by yourself. You need protection.”

I was surprised this was the first time she has had any major issues. Raven was tough, but she wasn’t shit compared to the bad men out there in the underground world. The Irish were only the tip of the iceberg. If other people found out that a woman was running the brothel with no other outside protection, they wouldn’t hesitate to take it over.

“So, I’d have to give you a cut of my profits? Just like the Irish?”

“We’ll talk about it once I buy it.”

She pushed her food away from her. “You realize you’re putting me in the same situation I’ve been trying to get out of, right? I don’t want someone else to own my business.”

“It would still be your business. You can still run it, but the house will belong to me…to Cosa Nostra. We’ll control the money and the security.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? So I’m just supposed to be like an employee?”

I shrugged again. “If that’s how you want to think about it.”

She glared at me from across the island. Her eyes flashed with hatred, but it didn’t bother me in the least. I’m doing what’s right for her even if she doesn’t want to see it. The brothel could make way more money, and I could stabilize the business if I owned it.

“I didn’t get involved in this business so that I could collect a paycheck. Why do you need me if that’s your plan?”

“Would you want me to put someone else in your position?” I challenged. That isn’t what she wants. Raven had a soft spot for the women, and she wouldn’t turn her back and let someone else run the place. I walked around the island to stand next to her. The scent of vanilla filled my nose. She looked up at me from the stool. Her eyes held a mixture of confusion and stress. I realized it’s the lack of control that bothers her. The idea of me owning the business terrified her. She didn’t trust me, and she had no reason to yet. I’d have to prove to her that she can trust me. There’s something about this woman that made me want to earn her trust. We could run this business together like a king and queen. She could still do what she’s been doing, but no one would dare cross her unless they had a death wish. She would have all the respect in the world with me on her side.

“We can make this work if you would stop resisting,” I said.

“Resisting? You’re talking about taking my business.” Her hand twitched like she wanted to slap me.

“No, I’m talking about buying a business from the Irish. You never owned it.”

Her eyes flickered away from me back down to the table. Her shoulders slumped down as she accepted that she didn’t have any other option.

“I want to be able to make decisions. My girls should be able to keep most of their money.”

“We’ll talk about it.” There’s no way in hell the girls would keep the same percentage they’re currently keeping, but I didn't feel like arguing about it right now.

“I should go to bed,” she said.

I looked at the clock on the wall. It’s three a.m., which is probably early for her. Still, it’s just an excuse to get away from me. My eyes flicker to her breasts again, and I imagine her in my bed with her tits pressed against me. My dick hardens at the thought.

“You can always sleep in my bed,” I offer. As if on cue, she looks down at my crouch. The outline of my dick is obvious. She pulls her bottom lip into her mouth as if thinking about it. She has a war going on inside her. She hates me but wants me at the same time. Instead of hearing her rejection, I turn and walk to my bedroom.

*****

“I heard you have a bit of a situation,” Giovanni said, sitting across from me at his dining room table.

“I need to buy the brothel from the Irish,” I blurted out. I had to get the go-ahead from Giovanni before making a move. If this was a regular business, it would be no problem, but since another organization had been thrown into the mix, I had to cover all my bases.

Giovanni was already shaking his head. “No way in hell. We just squashed a lot of shit with the Irish. I’m not going to start anything with them. I want some distance between the two of us for a while.”

Damn, I should have saw that coming. Tommy did warn me about Cosa Nostra’s recent issues with the Irish.

“I need to buy it. Raven—"

“Raven?” he asked, narrowing his dark eyes on me. “This is because of a girl? I thought you just wanted to expand some of your business. I’m not poking at the Irish because of a girlfriend.” He let out a grunt as if annoyed that I’d even asked him in the first place. He leaned back in the chair and lit a blunt. I clenched my fists under the table, trying not to show my irritation. I had to buy this brothel from the Irish or else Raven would be shit out of luck. There was no other options. Then, an idea popped in my head.

“What about a wife?” I asked.

Giovanni froze. “Excuse me?”

“What if my wife was in danger?”

Giovanni stared me down and a shiver ran down my spine. I had to tread very carefully. Wives of made men were held with the utmost respect. Even after a made man died, we continued to take care of widows. After my father died, my mother needed the help that Cosa Nostra gave. She never had to worry a day in her life. Was I really willing to give that sort of opportunity to Raven? Right now, she hated my guts. Our relationship was far from what most people would consider romantic.

“Wives have a different status, you know that. If you had a wife that was in danger, it would be considered a personal issue for us.”

I stood up from the table and started to walk away.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Giovanni called after me, but it was too late.

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