Illicit Temptations (Tempted Series Book 1) (6 page)

“I’m right here Jimmy. If you’ve got something to ask me why don’t you do so?” Mikey said through clenched teeth. I watched as his jaw ticked and his foot tapped nervously against the concrete step.

I looked back and forth between Mikey and Jimmy just as Anthony stepped outside. I was thankful the big brute came out when he did because I didn’t know how to handle a pissed off Mikey. What he was pissed off about had something to do with my father and I was anxious to know what that was actually about.

“Mike… Grace ordered some pizza’s do you want to stay or do you want to head back to my place?” Anthony asked.

“So I guess it’s been decided that I’m staying with you while I’m here?” Mikey said, sounding rather perturbed, and a bit defeated all in the same breath.

“Like Victor would let you stay in his house with his daughter that you’re cozying up to,” Jimmy laughed. “I doubt he forgot the scene we walked in on when we came and got your ass,” he lifted an eyebrow displaying a rather impressed facial expression. “Hell, I didn’t,” his laugh turned into a smoker’s cough.

Mikey stood up abruptly turning around to glare at Jimmy. I’m pretty sure he was about to lay into him when a horn sounded. We turned around to see a white Chevy Tahoe double parked in front of my parent’s house. Rico turned off the truck and hopped out of it. In true Rico form, he strutted around the truck, ignoring his surroundings. He flashed me his signature smile not paying any attention to the men that surrounded me on the stoop. He climbed the stairs two at a time eating up the space between us. He leaned in smashing his mouth against mine.

There wasn’t much I could do other than kiss him back despite the audience, I was aware we had. I pressed my hand against his chest and leaned back breaking the kiss after a moment.

“What’re you doing here?” I asked nervously although I wasn’t sure why I was actually nervous.

“It’s nice to see you too babe,” Rico said with a laugh before he glanced around the stoop. He nodded to Jimmy and Anthony acknowledging their presence. He took my hands and pulled me to my feet before he wrapped his arm around my waist. He looked at Mikey for a minute, sizing him up.

“Who’s this?” He asked me as he kept his eyes on Mikey’s.

Mikey leaned against the railing of the banister crossing his arms against his chest. He glanced at Anthony quickly before turning to face Rico again. “Let me guess… Rico?”

“Yeah. I didn’t catch your name,” Rico said as he tightened his grip on my waist.

“I didn’t say it,” Mikey clipped. He looked at me for a second before he looked at Jimmy and Anthony. “So pizza yeah? Sounds good,” he said, climbing the remaining steps he reached behind Anthony and pulled open the storm door. Without speaking another word, he walked back inside my parent’s house. Jimmy stared at the closed door and then back at us a sly grin spread across his face and I rolled my eyes. The poor bastard lived for this shit.

“What the fuck is his problem and who the fuck is he?” Rico said into my ear.

“That’s Michael; he’s a good friend of the family. His mom just passed away, so he’s not really acting himself,” I said, scrambling for an excuse as to why Mikey was so rude to him. Anthony stared at me with an expressionless face before lifting one eyebrow questioning my reply to Rico. I replayed my words in my head and I realized I had no idea if Mikey was acting himself. Ten years was a long time and as much as I had changed, I'm sure Mikey had too. Anthony opened the storm door, holding it open for Rico and me. Well, dinner would be interesting that was for sure.

I leaned back in my chair, chewing on the mouthwatering slice of pizza. It was true what they said New York had the best pizza. It was like heaven in my mouth. Grace must’ve noticed that I was thoroughly enjoying it because she placed another slice on my plate before dropping a kiss on the top of my head. It was a motherly thing to do, and I welcomed the sentiment treating her with a rare smile. She smiled back before I set my lips in a straight line after swallowing the rest of the food in my mouth. I glanced across the table and watched Nikki intently. She played with the folded slice of pizza her eyes lifted feeling my stare she peered at me through her long eyelashes. Christ when did she get so fucking pretty? She was always pretty even through the awkward stages, but now she was drop dead gorgeous.

I didn’t care that she caught me staring at her, nor could I stop if I tried. I watched intently as her tongue peeked out and ran along her plump lips before her teeth sank into her bottom lip. I wanted to be the one nibbling on those lips, tasting them with my own tongue. I bet she tastes fucking delicious. I lifted my eyes from her mouth and stared into her chocolate brown eyes. They were mysterious and sexy eyes that bore into you and made you want to know all the secrets they held. More importantly, they had the ability to make me forget my own fucked up life.

Her douche bag boyfriend cupped the back of her neck, startling her out of our stare down. She twisted to face him turning her lips upward and offered him a smile. I may not have seen Nikki in years, but she was very transparent people who don’t have a phony bone in their body usually are. Their facial expressions could never hide what they were truly thinking or feeling. Nikki put on a forced smile as she looked at Rico.

“Babe grab me a drink,” he said before releasing her neck, his fingers lingered by her collarbone and the prick stared at her mouth just as I had been.

She rolled her eyes prying his fingers from her exposed olive skin. “Get your own drink,” she said with her voice full of sugar and sass. I bit the inside of my cheek to stop the smile that threatened.

“Nicole!” Grace chastised. “May be Rico doesn’t feel comfortable helping himself.”

Nikki looked at her mother for a minute and then granted her with another roll of her eyes. She pointed her thumb towards Rico. “Like he’s ever been shy,” she looked back at Rico. “Get your own drink
babe
.”

Grace shook her head as she pushed out her chair and went to stand. I assumed she was about to go fetch prick face a drink. She reminded me so much of my mom at that moment. I knew she wasn’t about to let a guest in her home help themselves no, women like Grace and my mom were old school. They tended to their guests needs, striving to make them as comfortable in their home as possible. They were good women, but fuck me if I didn’t want to tell Grace to sit the hell down and let the schmuck get his own drink.

I had just met the guy and I couldn’t stand the arrogant bastard he treated Nikki as if she was some kind of trophy to him I didn’t like him one bit.

“Grace sit down. Rico you know where the drinks are,” Victor said evenly. I looked over at him, noting the man was unmoved and didn’t even glance up as he spoke instead, he just continued with his meal. He reached for the bottle of wine refilling his glass by himself, setting an example as he raised his full glass towards Rico. “Salute,” he said with a nod of his head.

Rico pushed back his chair and stood. He bent down whispering something I couldn’t hear in Nikki’s ear before taking her earlobe between his lips and giving it a little tug. I looked out the corner of my eye to see if Victor was watching the display this jerk off was putting on. He didn’t react, he remained impartial, and I thought that was odd. Victor wasn’t the type to let some guy grope his daughter at the dining room table. I couldn’t figure him out I was certain he had to be playing some sort of
angle. I was just as sure that if I couldn’t stand the fucker and I knew Anthony didn’t either there was no fucking way Victor was welcoming this son of a bitch with open arms.

Nikki’s eyes met mine once again as she touched her earlobe.

“Michael are you going to be staying with us? I can make up Adrianna’s old room for you,” Grace said, forcing me to look towards her and away from her daughter.

“No, I wouldn’t want you to go to any trouble. I am going to stay with Anthony,” I looked over at the silent brute and he lifted his head to look at me.

“Don’t expect me to make up a room bud. Just be glad I change the sheets,” he said reaching for his beer and winking at Grace. It was the first time I saw him do something other than grunt or look annoyed.

“It wouldn’t have been any trouble,” Grace said.

I took a large sip of water from the glass in front of me wishing it were something a hell of a lot stronger wondering when I last had a drink.

“Have you decided if you’ll be staying after the service?” Grace asked me softly. Her eyes hopeful as they found mine. “We’d really love to have you back home.”

I felt everyone’s eyes fall onto me, causing me to shift in my seat and twist my body to glance at Victor. He looked at me expectantly before averting his eyes back towards his wife.

“I offered Michael a management position at Temptations,” his gaze wandered back to me. “Still waiting for that answer myself.”

I blew out a breath as I sat back in my chair. I really didn’t want to have this conversation now, especially with an audience.

“The grand opening is just around the corner…,” Victor started to say, but was cut off by Nikki.

“Speaking of the grand opening Daddy seems like you have a few decisions of your own to still make,” her tone was a matter of fact as she winked at me. I looked at her skeptically and then realized she was giving me an out. I raised my glass to my lips making a mental note to thank her for the save later on.

Rico took his seat next to me as I looked at my father. “You still didn’t give Rico an answer if he could work the opening,” I said. Normally I wouldn’t bust my father’s balls about giving Rico the gig at the grand opening but I opened my big fat mouth at the risk of hearing shit from both my dad and Rico. Rico didn’t like asking my dad for favors he didn’t need him. He was a self-proclaimed disc jockey who worked the hottest nightclubs in Manhattan. He didn’t need the work or the exposure, but I had thrown his name out to my father when I had overheard his plans for the grand opening. Initially, he sort of brushed the idea aside and told me he’d think about it. When I had told Rico that I brought up him headlining the grand opening well it caused a major argument between us that resulted in me throwing a pair of six hundred dollar Christian Louboutin’s at his head. Nothing says, “Fuck off” like being smacked in the head with a pair of red bottoms wouldn’t you agree?

So the only reason I brought it up again was to take the heat off Mikey who looked like he wanted to hightail it out of the dining room at the mention of him sticking around. I’d pin him as a flight risk, but still I decided to put my ass on the line and give him a pass. In my defense, I’ve been acting like a blithering fool since he walked in the door so what was one more thing to add to the list?

“Babe,” Rico said warningly as he placed his hand over my kneecap squeezing it underneath the table. He leaned into me. “Drop it,” his voice deep with agitation.

I pried his palm off my knee and squeezed his hand just as hard before dropping his hand in his lap. “What’s the big deal Rico? You’re awesome and have an incredible following,” I looked back at my dad. “If you made Rico the headliner, he’d definitely draw in a major crowd for the opening night.”

“I said I’d think about it,” he paused. “I’m still thinking,” my dad looked at Rico. “Rico you don’t even seem enthused with the idea.”

“Well with all due respect Victor I don’t really need your opening night gig. It’s not going to change my life, whether you decide to have me work the mix or not. But being as it’s an important night for you and your family I’d be happy to do you the favor.”

I winced at my boyfriend’s words. Did he really just say he’d be happy to grant my father a favor? Christ. Jimmy chuckled beside my father. Even the old fool knew his words were almost comical. I glanced at Mikey, which was another mistake because the look in his eyes scared the shit out of me. He stared at Rico expressionless, but his eyes, they were calculating and spoke volumes. Did I mention I have a big fat mouth and needed to learn to zip it?

I bravely stole a glance at my dad. Ah, shit. That would be mistake number seven hundred and sixty five. I was on a roll. He gave Rico a silent lethal stare before looking back at me. I offered him my best smile, hoping the daddy’s little girl card still had some merit.