No More Tears in the End (18 page)

“I’m good.”

She was quiet, uncharacteristically quiet, after what we had just been through. The last time there was gunplay involved in our evening, Rain was on fire. But not this time; this time Rain was meek, almost innocent acting, and I wondered why?

Once I had the key, I went to get Rain from the car, but she wasn’t there. I looked around and saw her standing a little ways down the street.

I took my time walking to her. I figured she needed some space or time to think, or maybe she just needed some air. I don’t know which it was, but I was determined to let her have it.

Rain’s back was turned so she didn’t see me coming and was startled when I touched her shoulder.

“You okay?” I asked again.

Rain turned around quickly. “Yeah,” she said and started walking back toward the motel.

Once we got to the room and went inside, Rain tossed her purse on the bed and was all over me. She kissed me a few times and began fumbling with my belt. This time I didn’t pull up.

I didn’t want to.

I wanted her.

I wasn’t exactly sure why, for the moment I didn’t care. I ripped her blouse open and squeezed her breasts until Rain got my pants undone and dropped to her knees.

I took off my shirt and looked down as Rain slid her lips across every inch of it. Then she took me into her mouth. My excitement intensified as I watched my dick going in and out of her mouth.

Rain lifted her skirt a little and began massaging her clit. When she moaned from the pleasure she was giving herself, I took the opportunity to pull her up by her shoulders. Her body was beautiful. Rain threw her arms around me and kissed me before turning and leaning over the bed. She reached for her purse and pulled out a three-pack of condoms.

I stepped out of my pants and fell in behind her. I ran my hands over her ass and then up and down her back. Rain’s body shook a little when I ran one finger down from her ass, along her lips to her clit. Rain moaned, “What are you waiting for?” I put on a condom, spread her lips, and pushed myself inside her; Rain moaned louder. “Oooh, yeah. Fuck me!”

I leaned forward, grabbed Rain by the shoulders, and began slamming myself in and out of her. When I let go of her hips Rain began grinding herself back at me, furiously pounding that juicy ass into me until her body started to tremble. “Ooooooooh!” I grabbed one of her cheeks and squeezed it as Rain began to buck harder and harder and I smacked her ass. I reached between her legs, fingering her clit with one hand and squeezing her breast with the other.

I closed my eyes and saw Wanda’s face. I quickly opened them and pushed the image out of my mind.

Rain screamed and moved away from me. She rolled over on her back and lifted her legs. “Come get this pussy.”

When I got up on the bed, Rain sat up and took me into her mouth again. I laid down on the bed. She began kissing me passionately and stroking my erection; her hands were all over my body. I closed my eyes and lost myself in the sensation of hands and lips against my chest and then down to my throbbing erection. I watched her head move up and down quickly.

Rain got on top of me, grabbed her hips, and slowly slid down on me. With her eyes squeezed tightly shut, Rain rode me slowly; grinding her hips until I was so deep inside her that her body started to tremble. “Damn, this dick is so fuckin’ good.”

Rain’s words excited me; I arched my back and pushed myself as deep and as hard as I could into her. The force knocked Rain forward and she collapsed on my chest. Rain shoved her tongue in my mouth and kept her ass moving. I kissed her until she sat straight up and I took a nipple into my mouth.

Rain grabbed the back of my head and I licked and sucked her nipples and continued to push myself inside her. Her head drifted back, her eyes opened wide; she screamed and slipped off me.

Rain rolled on her back and I eased myself inside her. I began a steady motion and Rain wrapped her legs around my waist. Rain worked her hips and inner-muscles while licking my nipples. Now it was me whose body began to tremble and Rain who was pounding her hips furiously. My body went rigid and I exploded inside her.

Chapter 28

Mike Black

“Where to, boss?” Kevon asked me after we dropped Wanda off.

“Get Bobby on the phone. Find out where he is and take me to him.”

Wanda wasn’t happy when she got out the car, and to be honest, if it was me I’d be feeling the same way. I knew she didn’t like me closing her out, but she understands. So she didn’t push it too hard when I made up that bullshit about Crazy Joe.

“I know Angelo didn’t leave his hole just to talk about Crazy Joe, but I’ll leave it alone.”

But when I excluded her from the meeting with Martin and then wouldn’t tell her what we talked about, she lost her mind.

“What do you mean you didn’t talk about anything in particular? The two of you were sure gone a long time for just small talk.”

“It didn’t seem that long to me.”

“Mike, I understand you keeping me out of the loop with Angelo, but Martin is another matter. Unless you’re telling me otherwise, then Martin Marshall is a legitimate business contact and I should have been there with you.”

As far as Wanda knew, we hadn’t had business in years. She doesn’t know that Martin and I have some fresh history. I never told her that Martin had any involvement in or knowledge of Cassandra’s death. I intended to keep it way.

“Bobby is at the club, boss,” Kevon informed me and headed in that direction.

“Let me see the phone.” Kevon handed me the phone and I dialed Monika’s number.

“Hello,” Monika said tentatively.

“Hello, Monika. This is Mike Black. Did I call at a bad time?”

“No. I don’t get a lot of calls and I didn’t recognize the number. In fact, I don’t remember giving it to you. Not that it’s a problem,” Monika said quickly.

“Nick told it to me once.”

“Once?”

“I’m good with numbers.”

“Ooo–kay,” she said like she didn’t believe me, but I am. “So what’s up?”

“Does the name Eileen McManus mean anything to you?”

“Eileen McManus? The name sounds familiar, but I don’t know from where. Who is she?”

“I don’t know. But see how she fits in with that thing we talked about.”

“Got yah.”

“Call me at this number if you get something.”

“I will.”

“And I haven’t forgot about that other thing we talked about.”

“See that you don’t,” Monika said and ended the call.

When we got to the club, I made my way toward the office. The club was packed. As I pushed my way through the crowd I wondered if CeCe was in there some place. If she was she’d be sitting somewhere near the office. I didn’t see her, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t there. I walked up the steps and thought about why I went out of my way to avoid her.

I was perfectly willing to fuck just about every other woman who set it out for me. Why not her? I thought about what she said the last time we talked.
I’m diggin’ you, Mike Black. I think I’ve made that plain.

I walked into Bobby’s office and decided that I had too much goin’ on to worry about that now. A convenient excuse, but it is what it is.

“What’s up, Mike?” Bobby said, leaning back in his chair.

“I got something we need to talk about,” I said and sat down.

“I don’t like the sound of this already, what’s up?”

“Angelo Collette came to see me tonight.”

Bobby sat straight up. “Came to see you where?”

“At Cuisine. Just showed up at the door.”

Bobby stood up and went to the bar. “What he want?” he asked and poured us a drink.

“He wanted to talk about Stark.”

“He wants you to get them together or something?” Bobby handed me the glass and went behind his desk.

“He wants more than that, Bob. His exact words were that he was hopin’ for something a little more than just an introduction.”

“Like what?” Bobby asked and sat down.

“That he was thinkin’ that maybe I would take more of an active role. I could be kind of a stabilizing influence. You know, keep problems down.”

“What you tell him?”

“I told him that I would set up a meeting, but I would have to think about that influence shit.”

“How’d he take it?”

“He said that he would consider it a personal favor if I would do that for him.”

“What you gonna do?”

“You know what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna tell him no.”

“How do you think he’ll take that?”

“I don’t know.”

“Angelo has done a lot for you over the years.”

“I know. How do I say no?”

“First off, what does he mean by stabilizing influence?”

“I didn’t ask him.”

Bobby laughed. “Wasn’t tryin’ to hear that shit, were you?”

“No.” I laughed too, but the shit wasn’t funny. “This couldn’t happen at a worse time.”

“I know. Why now, when he knows we’re tryin’ to go another way? Why drop that shit on you now?”

“I wish I knew for sure, Bob. What I do know is that Angelo has problems of his own.”

“With who?”

“FBI, DEA, I didn’t ask him and I didn’t wanna know. But he wants to do business with Stark.”

“But he doesn’t want that heat now.”

“That’s where we come in.”

“You gotta think that what he means by stabilizing influence is that you deal with Stark. Any problems come up, you deal with it. Any heat, you catch it.”

“Naturally, I could charge a fee for my services.”

“Naturally.”

“What do you think we should do?”

“You know,” Bobby said and took a sip of his drink. “My first thought is that we should go ahead and do it.”

“But—”

“But I’m only thinking about the money. With Angelo behind Stark, and with our muscle and organization, we should takeover the city. At that point it’s just business. Same business we used to be a part of.”

“But—” I said and Bobby cut me off again.

“But, with that comes the flipside. The cops and the fuckin’ DEA start looking at you.” Bobby paused. “You know when you first came to me and said you wanted to get out of the dope game, I wasn’t for it.”

“I remember.”

“But I went along. Now I truly believe that it was the best decision we ever made. We’re not in jail because nobody cares if a muthafucka loses his money gambling or borrows money or he gets some pussy. They think what we do is a harmless vice. And as long as we payoff the right people, nobody bothers us.”

“I agree. It’s what put us in a position to move this thing to the left.”

“I was startin’ to get into this legit thing; having meetings with Meka Brazil. That’s a bad bitch. By the why, if you’re not gonna fuck her I will,” Bobby promised.

“Go ahead; it’s a free country, Bob. Go for it, but I don’t think she likes you.”

“I don’t think she does, either. But that’s what makes it fun.”

“Whatever, Bob. So you agree with me, you don’t think we should do it?”

“I don’t know. But here again, I’m only thinkin’ about the money.”

“Is the money worth what we stand to lose?”

“No. So, what you gonna do?”

“I’ll setup the meeting with Stark and back away.”

“Then what?”

“I’ll think of something. Then there’s Martin Marshall.”

“What his punk-ass got to do with this?”

“Nothing. I went to see him about Vinnelli tonight.”

“I thought you were lettin’ that go?”

“I can’t. Not until he’s dead.”

Bobby shook his head. “What about Martin?”

“He’s running for congress. Vinnelli can tie him to DeFrancisco and Diego’s mess. Vinnelli’s a loose end that he can’t afford.”

“That’s where you come in. You take care of Vinnelli for him. You were gonna kill him anyway.”

“He said he was expecting me.”

“What?”

“Said he knew after I took care of DeFrancisco that I’d come back to him to get Vinnelli.”

“That makes sense.”

“He knew that we’re responsible for Mylo and Masters. He even knew that I had Monika tryin’ to get something on Vinnelli.”

Bobby’s expression changed. “How’s old sexy one-eye doin’, anyway? I wouldn’t mind fuckin’ her ass either.”

“Is there anybody you wouldn’t mind fuckin’?”

“Yes, but she ain’t one of them. But anyway, how’s Martin know all that shit?”

“I’m glad you caught that. The answer is, I don’t know. Martin’s been a state senator for a long time. We have no idea how much power he’s carryin’ or how more powerful he’d be if he wins this election. That’s the direction we need to be movin’ in.”

“So you got Angelo on one side and Martin on the other. Martin can’t afford for you to be hooked up with Angelo or Stark.”