Page 38 of Straightened Out

Not this time.

Not when it comes to her.

The amusement leaves Uncle Vic’s face and he narrows his eyes at me.

“What about her?” he questions.

“What the hell am I supposed to do with her?”

“I don’t give a fuck what you do with the girl. Now, Joaquin has a bigger set of balls than you, he’ll man up. You just be on that fucking plane.”

“Look, there’s got to be somebody else. What about Jimmy Gold? Isn’t he your underboss? This is his fucking gig, not mine.”

“Jimmy Gold is rotting away in jail with half his body burned,” Uncle Vic seethes. “If you paid attention to anything but your dick, you’d know that. Now, get your fucking head out of your ass. If there was someone else, I wouldn’t be wasting my time with you.”

“You’re not hearing me.”

“No, Rocco, you’re not hearingme. Be at the airport at six in the morning.”

~*~

Openingthe door to my apartment, I feel around the wall for the light switch and flick it on before kicking the door shut. Startled, Omar jumps up from the couch looking disoriented. Must be nice to fall asleep. I don’t remember the last time I got a full night’s rest.

“Where’s Joaquin?” I ask, tossing my keys on the console table.

He glances at his watch before jutting his thumb over his shoulder toward the hallway.

“An hour after he depleted your liquor cabinet, he crashed in the guest room.”

My how the tables have turned.

“And Violet?”

“She came out of the bedroom a little while after you left and tried to talk to Joaquin, but he wasn’t having it. She made herself some tea and went back into your room. Hasn’t come out since, so I’m gonna guess she finally fell asleep too.” He pauses. “What about you? Everything go good with Vic?”

Shrugging off my jacket, I scoff.

“Not exactly,” I say, taking a seat on the couch across from where he stands. “I have to be at the airport in a couple of hours to go back to New York. Obviously, Joaquin is staying here. The original plan was for him to run the nightclub and take care of the rental properties while I’m gone, but I don’t know where his head is at so I’m relying on you to keep me in the loop.”

“Whatever you need,” he says, taking a seat. “What about his sister? What do you want to do with her?”

I undo the top two buttons of my dress shirt and glance toward the hallway.

“I’ve got Violet, you just worry about Joaquin.”

“Absolutely.”

Slapping my hands to my thighs, I draw out a breath.

“I need to take a shower and try to get an hour or two of sleep before I deal with my fucking uncle. Have the car downstairs at five.”

He gives me a nod and I stand. I make my way to my bedroom and find Violet asleep on my bed. Thankfully, she decided to take one of my t-shirts out of the drawer and cover herself up. But even with the clothes and the comforter pulled over her, a part of me yearns to touch her. Giving in to temptation, I lean forward and gently brush a strand of her hair away from her face. She stirs slightly but doesn’t wake. I pull my hand away and undo the rest of the buttons of my shirt. Tearing my eyes away from her, I head for the bathroom. Another second and I’m not sure I’ll be able to control myself.

Once I’m inside the bathroom, I quickly strip and turn on the shower. Stepping inside, I close the glass doors and let the hot water rain down on me. Everything that’s happened in the last twenty-four hours finally catches up to me and tension fills every inch of my body. I close my eyes and lean my forehead against the tiles. It doesn’t take long for my mind to wander to Violet and how I peeled the dress from her body inside this very shower.

I didn’t let myself look at her, but I wish I had. I wish I would’ve taken her face in my hands and pulled her lips to mine. I would’ve fucked her mouth like it was my job and gave her at least one good memory for her birthday.

Christ.

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