#3—Chapter 3
Gentlemen Discussion
Giovanni stared at the pinot noir swirling in his wine glass. He took a sip of it. A light and crispy texture, it befitted his superior palate very well. Just what he liked.
The taste itself reminded him of the first time he’d dined with Jay on the night he’d declared he wanted her as his lover. His eyebrows slanted upward, a devilish grin curving his lips.
Fuck! The thought excited him.
His heartbeat drummed rapidly, his pulse speeding up at the memory of their first night together. Now he wanted to be back home at Cory Mansion, snuggling next to Jay, embracing her with his warmth.
But he couldn’t. This was an important meeting among his business associates and close friends. Although he was a mafia boss, he did have legitimate businesses outside of the dark underground circle.
He was making his way out of that circle slowly. Even Giuseppe had said it. The world of the mafia would only end in bloodshed. Since he’d found his Jennifer again, the idea of gangsters and fights revolted him. His future plan… he wanted to excel in the proper business arena, legitimately.
Giovanni listened to the conversation around him. Something Dawson had said caught his attention. Swinging his eyes up, he said, “Repeat that.”
Dawson, his business partner and close friend, smiled calmly at him. “You’re looking happy today. Found yourself a new pet?”
“You could say that,” Giovanni replied. “A cute pink bunny.” A smile decorated his lips again, and a look of delight passed his eyes. “I’m keeping this one, though. Permanently.”
His eyes snapped to the other two men in the room, Julian Devereux and Justin Valenti. Both also knew his current background as the mafia boss to the Dente Group. Their relationship stemmed from the different businesses in which they collaborated. Julian in the stock market and Justin in real estate. Not to mention Justin was also half Italian, like him.
Julian smirked, cutting into his sirloin steak. He said nonchalantly, “Thought you had your other pet, Melena or something.”
“She’s not my pet. She’s a pest,” Giovanni spat out, disgusted at having to even hear her name. The memory caused him to shudder.
“And here I thought this Melena babe was a gift from your underling, Leo or something, who, may I add, might be a mole working under the Lorenzo Group,” Dawson added amusedly.
Giovanni knew all about the Lorenzo Group. Nikolas Lorenzo, his arch-nemesis. They were one of the mafia clans that were always at odds with the Dente Group. Considering they managed different sectors, he couldn’t understand why they’d been so zealous in taking down his group. If they kept to their own territory, Chicago, then there shouldn’t be any problem, since his territories were Las Vegas and New York City.
But what hit a nerve was the thought that maybe Dawson was right; Leo might be a mole working for the Lorenzo Group. If Leo knew the ins and outs of the Dente Group, who knew when the war between the two clans would start. He had to discuss this matter with Giuseppe.
“You’re not worried about the Bianca Group taking over your territory?” Justin commented for the first time, his tone so cold it could freeze the room.
Giovanni lifted his gaze to see his other close friend, Justin Valenti. Justin was one of the few who knew who he was and where he’d come from. Giovanni knew Justin didn’t become a billionaire by magically snapping his fingers and asking for all this wealth. Justin was born poor, so fucking poor it wasn’t even funny. That was what Justin had told him in the past.
Yeah, his life was not that spectacular, either. After getting kicked out of the house by his stepfather for having a strong personality and a foul mouth, with only the clothing on his back, he lived on the streets until Giuseppe literally kicked his ass and brought him up in his clan.
He thanked the old man. Without him, he was sure he’d be a corpse buried six feet under already. Now, though, he was the big boss, controlling hundreds of employees in the underground mafia world, and tens of thousands in the legit world.
In fact, that was how he came to know Justin. He was in one of the fights his group had organized. He went to watch the man fight, and fuck, was it gruesome. Justin hit his opponent with no mercy, leaving the man within just an inch of his life.
He had to admit, Justin back then looked like Thor, the Greek God of Thunder. If he hadn’t looked Italian, Giovanni would have assumed he was Thor.
Jet-black hair tied in a ponytail and that soaring eagle tattoo on his chest… Justin looked ruthless. No surprise there, since his body was built to fight.
History had it that he’d survived by earning money from boxing during his college years. These days, though, he managed Valenti Enterprises, a conglomerate in real estate and development.
Justin was a mystery. Since the seven years they’d been friends, the only clue he had to his past was that ring around his middle finger. He had a glimpse of it once when he took that ring off. There was a passage engraved on the inside of the ring.
‘Infect me with your love.’
What the fuck was with that slogan? Sounded sick.
Then again, Justin’s love story was even sicker than that slogan. He’d had a college sweetheart, only to break up because Justin was too fucking poor to support her flashy lifestyle.
Fuck! Nothing could top that.
Imagine the pain he had to have gone through. All the times they’d fucked. All the memories they’d shared. Only to be a constant reminder of how poor he was. He couldn’t imagine going through all that trauma. At least his story with Jay wasn’t that dramatic.
Thinking about Jay had his dick shooting up like a stick. Fuck! Got to tame himself. Now was not the time to show his manpower. He’d get to Jay soon enough. Maybe tonight he’d have her for dessert until he was sated.
“Bianca Group?” Giovanni calmly sipped his drink, reeling his mind back to their current conversation. “Why should I worry about them? I could squeeze them between my fingers, and they’d all be fucking dead.”
“Never underestimate them, Giovanni. They might slip through your fingers and slash your throat without you knowing.” Yeah, that comment came from Justin. Wouldn’t disagree with that since the man came out with scars from his relationship.
“I never underestimate anyone, Justin,” he calmly said.
“You’re not saying that because of your mother?” Julian prodded.
Giovanni scoffed and shook his sly head. Unlike Julian, who’d sacrificed everything for the sake of his mother, even enticing a pawn into his dark revenge, he could never see himself doing such a distasteful thing.
Julian’s mother was a goddess who cherished and protected him. The woman Giovanni once called mother was nothing but a whimsical woman, choosing to stay with her second husband, Rocco Bianca, instead of protecting her only son when he got kicked out of the house.
Fuck, he didn’t want to be reminded of the memory. Every time his mother’s face surfaced, his mood always turned sour.
“No. I’m not saying that because of that woman. I’m saying that because they are in debt. They borrowed twenty million from our lending company.”Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.
“And they didn’t know the company belongs to the kid they kicked out all those years ago?” Dawson commented.
“Possibly not.” Giovanni twisted his lips into an evil grin. His eyes lit up brightly, as if some evil thought were running through his mind. He leaned forward, then spoke quietly. “Rumor has it my step-bastard of a brother has gambled away all their fortune; that’s why they wanted to start fresh. What a fucking loser,” he laughed, throwing back the last of his chardonnay before filling up another glass.
“You never want to see your mother or stepbrother again?” Julian asked quietly.
“Why would I?” he said, slamming his glass down. “That part of my life is dead. Now I’m Giovanni Dente, not Giovanni Bianca.”
“If only Rocco knew how far you’ve come. You could take over their territory,” Dawson chimed in, shaking his head in astonishment.
“Not interested in that swampland. Ain’t fucking making any money from that area.” Giovanni swallowed another portion of his wine.
“So, when do we get to see this new little bunny of yours?” Dawson asked, changing the subject.
Giovanni was only too pleased with the new topic. His foul mood dissolved in an instant. The thought of Jay and her cute smile warmed his heart. Fuck. He couldn’t wait to get home.
“You guys want to see her?” he questioned them with a smirk.
“Fuck, yeah.” Dawson was the first to respond. “Always interested in your pets.”
Giovanni thought for a bit, then smirked. Justin and Dawson were heading back to their respective homes in Singapore tomorrow. Julian was already planning to do a deal with one of his clients in Singapore next week, too. And he was sure Jay’s mid-semester break was just around the corner sometime. This would make it the perfect opportunity to show Jay off to his friends. That’s right. He’d take Jay to Singapore.
Yes! The idea was perfect. He was sure Jay would appreciate it, too. Though, he had to admit, he hadn’t been the best boyfriend lately. He’d neglected her mental health. After all, Jay was no longer his maid. She had been elevated to lover status. And a lover must be treated differently than a maid. Love and care. That’s right. Jay was his prize, a gift he’d been waiting for his entire life. What she needed from now on was love and care. Fuck! Just thinking about her had him all giddy again.
He snapped his attention to his friends, who sat looking at him, smiling like they knew what was going through his mind. “How about we all meet up in Singapore next week? I’ll bring her along.”
They all agreed. And their meeting came to a close.
Giovanni stood up, dusting invisible lint off his Armani suit.
“Gentlemen,” he said to his friends. “Have a good night. I’m off. My little bunny needs me.”
“In that much of a hurry?” Dawson asked jokingly. “Must be a very important bunny you got there.”
“Very important. And she’s hungry. Got to feed her.”
“You’re hungry, or your little bunny?” Julian asked, laughing.
“We’re both hungry.” Giovanni smirked before walking out the door.
Heath and Bobby were waiting in the car. It took them thirty minutes to reach their private jet. It took them another thirty minutes to land in New York City. Another forty minutes was eaten up by traffic.
During this time, Giovanni had his laptop open, eyes fixated on the little figure on his screen.
It was a picture of his Jay, huddled up to her neck in the luxurious bed in his bedroom. After declaring she was to be his lover, he’d demanded she stay in his bedroom. That was the privilege of being his lover. At that moment, Jay was reading a textbook the size of a concrete block.
Shit! College students these days must have it bad. Giovanni himself didn’t go to college. He didn’t have a degree like his other friends did. No, he went through the school of hard knocks, mentored only by Giuseppe. Stuff like textbooks did his mind in. He didn’t read that crap. He only read the stuff real businessmen read.
While Jay’s focus was on that textbook, his focus was on her.
Fuck!
The more he stared at her, the more his mouth ran dry. She was turning him on, even when they were separated by hundreds of miles.
His fingers touched the screen. He pushed one of the buttons on the keyboard, and the screen zoomed to her face.
She was fucking beautiful. Those few freckles lightly adorning her nose and her soft brown hair scattering on the pillow made him wish he could jump through the laptop screen and be transported to his bedroom. All for the sake of wanting to caress her hair and cheeks.
But it was the sight of her reading so peacefully and unguardedly that had his body going berserk and his cock turning hard. Fucking hell! He almost couldn’t stand it. She affected him more than any girls he’d ever fucked.
“Step on it, Heath.” He barked out his order when the car moved to a slow halt. The car sped up again, and before too long, they arrived in front of Cory Mansion.
Giovanni flew out even before Bobby opened the door for him. With hurried steps, he reached their bedroom, his hand turning the doorknob.
The sight of Jay sleeping so blissfully suddenly pissed him off. He’d imagined them romping around in bed, fucking through the night. But the damned girl was sleeping like a log, her mouth open like a flytrap.
Damn! He just didn’t have the guts to wake her up just for the sake of sating his lust.
Then he smirked, shed his clothing, and got into the shower to wash off today’s grime. After he was done, he stood beside the bed, gazing at the girl sleeping there.
Fucking hot! He was so damned fucking hot again just from the sight of Jay sleeping. He’d already sated himself in the shower, but that didn’t bloody do him any good. There was only one way around it.
Giovanni lifted the bedsheet and got in bed himself, his naked body nestling against Jay’s. Skin against skin, every inch of their bodies was intimately connected.
Giovanni gave thanks and burrowed his nose at the nape of Jay’s neck. Even if he didn’t get to have sex with her tonight, at least he got to embrace her. Although, he swore to himself that when light hit, he’d sate his appetite.