Braden: A Dark Mafia Romance Page 2

  “Get undressed.” I said as I removed my suit jacket.

  She obeyed without question. It was her job after all. I rubbed my cock until it was hard and bent her over the side of the couch once she was naked. I slid inside of her easily, pressing her against the couch as I buried my cock inside of her cunt. She was nothing but an outlet. I had lost the emotion that usually drove me to the bedroom long ago. I had love once, and it was enough to drive my demons away, but once she was gone, I just sought relief. The whore in front of me would do, even if she wasn’t going to give me much satisfaction beyond a quick nut. I held her tight against the couch and pumped my cock in and out of her cunt as quickly as I could, just looking for the conclusion to the moment. My cock swelled, struggling to fill her canal, despite the fact I was well-endowed. It was tight enough for what I needed, but she would never be a wife to anyone who had self-respect.

  “Oh god, that feels so good!” She said, but I knew her words were lies.

  “Shut up.” I said angrily as I slammed into her.

  The only way she would have felt anything was if I punched her in the ribs while I was fucking her. Her moans were fake. Her pussy had been destroyed every day since the first day she walked into the club and decided to sell her body to us. As a Mafia soldier, I didn’t have to pay her. She wasn’t even worth a penny as far as I was concerned. Thankfully, I felt the end coming so I picked up the pace. It was little more than masturbation with a human sized fleshlight. The pressure built up in my balls and she tried to moan along with my thrusts, but it was annoying me more than turning me on. I pressed her face to the sofa and finally shut her up. I fucked her until I felt the peak and then I exploded inside of her with a grunt. I held her there until the last drop flowed into her pussy. I withdrew and wiped it across her ass.

  “That was great, baby.” She looked up at me and smiled.

  “Get over here.” He grabbed her by the hair and pulled her face to my crotch.

  I used her mouth to clean the remnants of my cum and her vaginal secretions off of my cock and then threw her face back down on the couch. She was used to being treated like trash. It didn’t even faze her. She cleaned me up and then got dressed. I sat down on the couch and lit up another cigar, waiting for her to leave. The good thing about whores was that they didn’t linger. She exited the room and left me there alone. The cigar was better than her wretched cunt, but it was better without blue balls distracting me from my goals. I smoked in silence, thinking about the things to come. I had a lot of work ahead of me. I walked back to the bar and got a refill on my whiskey, watching the people wandering around. The place was a who’s who of Mafia elite, at least for those who carried the same rank as me.

  “Braden!” A full blooded Italian soldier pulled himself up on to the stool next to me.

  “Hey, Nunzio. How have you been?” I really didn’t care, but I couldn’t very well ignore him. It wasn’t polite.

  “I’ve been good! Did you get you a slice?” He motioned to the girls.

  “Yeah, I’m just waiting on The Dentist to finish up with my latest client.” I sipped my whiskey and puffed on my cigar.

  “The Dentist? Damn man, that is hardcore. What did the guy do you?” He motioned for a beer.

  “It’s personal.” I stared into the crowd.

  “Yeah, I get that. Cool, well I think I’m going to go entertain myself.” He slid off of the stool with his beer and started towards the girls.

  I greeted a few more soldiers and then decided it was time to go back and check on the progress. As soon as I got close to the cell, the door opened and The Dentist walked out with the paper in his hand. Apparently, it didn’t take very long at all. He extended his hand to me and I took it, reading through all of Angela’s likes and dislikes. Most of it was basic information, but it was important for my plan. I sat down in a chair and continued reading. Once I was done, I tossed it on the table and looked up at The Dentist, giving him a satisfied nod. He lit a cigarette and sat down next to me. I couldn’t argue with his results. He always managed to get what we needed.

  “No blood?” I asked, looking him over and looking at the paper again.

  “Naw, that little bitch caved before I even got my pliers in his mouth.” He took a drag and held it for a second before he exhaled. “You know I’ll have to charge you extra since I didn’t get to hear him scream.”

  “Yeah, I know.” I dug into my pocket and thumbed through an envelope, withdrawing a stack of hundreds.

  “If it was anyone but you, I would have taken a few of his teeth before I even offered him the paper, but I know you’re a man of your word.” He took the money and stuffed it in his pocket.

  “My word is all I have left.” I clasped him on the shoulder. “It has to count for something.”

  It was difficult to explain honor to someone like The Dentist who made his living delivering cruelty in order to force individuals to divulge information. I had known men like him my whole life, from the shores of America, to Iraq, and then back on my home soil. I would never be able to call myself a good man. That title was reserved for priests and the few who had managed to hold on to their sanity. The only thing I followed was my Mafia Family’s code and it demanded an eye for an eye. Angela was technically innocent, as was Ronald, but guilt came by association, by blood, and it there was no way I could turn back without seeing that guilt brought into the light. It was unfortunate, but it was necessary. Sometimes pain was required in order for vengeance to be served, and sometimes innocents had to suffer in order for the guilty to truly feel the pain they had inflicted.

  Chapter 3: Angela

  Today

  The champagne lingered on my lips again as I took sips from another glass behind a pillar. I could feel it coursing through my veins, and it made me happy. I could practically feel Ronald’s voice in my head telling me that I shouldn’t have more than one. I knew I shouldn’t, but everything around me was boring. In my younger years, my father was proud to introduce me. Now, those introductions came with questions about where I went to school and what my occupation was. Being a socialite was good enough for my mother, but it wasn’t as respected as it once was. My father would have probably preferred to introduce them to Danielle, who was trying to follow in his footsteps, but she wasn’t mature enough to stand by his side. If he could have fused us together, we would have been the perfect daughter, but each of us had our strengths and weaknesses.

  “Mr. Fallon.” I strolled up beside him and looked out into the crowd. “Why aren’t you dancing?”

  “Perhaps I was waiting on someone beautiful enough for the dance floor.” He extended his hand.

  “So now you want to talk to me?” I took his hand and let him lead me into the crowd.

  “I had business to discuss with your father. Now, business is done.” He twirled me as the music started up again.

  “Does that mean you tucked your check into his pocket?” I let him pull me close and did my best to emulate his dance steps.

  “Of course, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t intend to make a donation.” He spun me around and dipped me as the music hit a high note. “Your father is going to bring down the Mafia.”

  “You know he used to represent criminals, right?” I grinned as he pulled me close.

  “That is why he’s the right man for the job. He knows them.” He pushed me back and drew me close, perfectly tuned to the instrumentals.

  Richard Fallon was nice enough, but I knew he didn’t want anything more than a dance. I could see it in his eyes as he finished the dance and twirled me back to the edge of the crowd. Another partner was in his hands before the music picked up again. So much for waiting on someone beautiful enough for the floor—I was just a momentary distraction. I made my way back to the bar and took another glass, disappearing behind the pillar so I could drink it out of sight. I stared at my phone again, still confused that Ronald hadn’t called me back. I actually started to get worried that he was finally over me, and he had found someo
ne more interesting to take him away. Of course, I would never feel the same way about him that he felt about me, but that didn’t mean someone else wouldn’t find him to be quite a catch. I looked into the crowd and for an instant, I saw a pair of steel colored eyes locked on me, but when I tried to focus on them, they were gone.

  “Did Mr. Fallon ask for your number?” My mother startled me and I hid my glass.

  “No, of course not.” I shook my head at her.

  “Don’t bother to hide the glass, Angela. I know you wouldn’t be out there on the floor if you weren’t drinking.” She lightly sipped her glass and motioned for me to follow her.

  “Like mother, like daughter.” I said with a smile as I finished it and followed behind her.

  “If I was your age, there wouldn’t be an eye in this room that wasn’t locked on me.” We walked up to the balcony again.

  “We’re in a room full of millionaires and billionaires, mother. They have no use for the daughter of our District Attorney.” I pressed my fingers to the balcony.

  “You just don’t know how to present yourself, darling. You don’t dance with the first man who asks you out on the floor. Give them something to think about as they twirl soulless broads around the room.” She leaned over and yanked on my dress.

  “What the hell?” I pulled away.

  “Well you have to give them something to think about.” Her adjustment had made my breasts pop out and lowered my neckline enough to expose my cleavage.

  “I don’t think it is quite as easy as showing a pretty face—or a pair of half-naked breasts—to the room. Men want something else now. You have that, you’re married to the District Attorney, and so they know you have his ear. I’m just his uneducated daughter who knows more about making the perfect cocktail than rubbing shoulders with the elite.” I shrugged and sighed.

  “There’s always Ronald.” She looked over at me and turned the edge of her mouth into a slight grin.

  “Ronald won’t even return my calls.” I dug out my phone and stared at it again.

  “Maybe he’s just playing hard to get and giving you something to think about.” She nudged me with her elbow.

  “He’s not that smart, mother.” I stared into the crowd again and then tapped her arm. “Who is that?”

  “Who?” She followed my arm, but when I looked back again, he was gone.

  “Nobody, I guess. I swear there has been this guy looking at me all night, but he’s always in the corner of my eye.” I scanned the room with my brow wrinkling in frustration.

  “There are a hundred men in this room, Angela. I’m sure it is just your eyes playing tricks on you.” She started towards the stairs. “Your father is trapped between a personal injury attorney and a lobbyist. I have to go save him.”

  Her real concern, of course, was that both of them were beautiful and flirting with my father. They were peas in a pod, and that is what made them perfect for each other. I sighed and walked towards the stairs that led to the upstairs area of the Grand Ballroom. With my mother and father distracted, I could sneak away for a cigarette. Neither of them would have approved, but I always kept it a secret. The only person who knew was Ronald, who constantly scolded me for my habit, despite the fact he kept a lighter in his pocket for me. The music played below me as I stepped into the darkness. I had attended enough events at the Grand Ballroom to know that the upstairs was always closed off during the evening, and there were a few windows that could be pushed open a little bit.

  “Where the fuck are you, Ronald?” I said angrily as I cracked a window and lit my cigarette, furiously firing off another text message to him.

  In great detail, and with a good bit of profanity, I laid into him like I usually did when I was slightly intoxicated. I told him that I was at the Grand Ballroom and he was a bastard for not returning my texts. Once it was sent, I stared at it and waited for a replay. For some reason I believed my increased anger would be transmitted in the text and bring a response. Instead I was met with more silence. I furiously smoked my cigarette and cursed him with every word I could think of from asshole to useless. I didn’t get to finish the alphabet in my head because I heard someone coming up the stairs. I crushed out my cigarette and fiercely swung my arms in the air to get rid of the smoke.

  “I wondered where you ran off to.” A voice pierced the darkness. A second later, I saw steel colored eyes illuminated by the dim light from the window.

  “You…” I said as he walked into view. “You’ve been watching me all night.”

  “I have.” He admitted as he stepped into the light and lit a thin cigar.

  “Wait a second, I know you! You were at the Maroon the other night.” I remembered him approaching me, and remembered Ronald stepping in to let him know I didn’t need another drink.

  “I was…” He nodded as he exhaled smoke. “And now we’re both here. Maybe that’s fate.”

  “Fate? More like stalking. I’m Angela.” I dug into my purse for another cigarette and he lit it as soon as it touched my lips.

  “I’m Braden. Where is your boyfriend? Shouldn’t he be running me off about now?” He pushed the window open further and held his cigar up to it, brushing past me as he did.

  “Ronald? Oh, he’s not my boyfriend. He’s just my overprotective best friend.” I smiled and narrowed my eyes at him.

  “Of course he is. You’re far too beautiful for him.” Braden cracked a smile and leaned against the wall.

  Braden didn’t look like he belonged in the Grand Ballroom. There was something off about him. His tuxedo was new and didn’t look like it had ever seen a dry cleaner’s starch. There was a faint wrinkle underneath his neckline which would have easily been erased if it was pressed. I could also see a tattoo peeking out from the edge of his cuff when he held his cigar up to the window. When I saw him at the club, he was dressed like every other douche dancing under the lights, and his current attire looked like it wouldn’t have even been in that guy’s closet. Maybe that should have been enough of a warning, but when his steel colored eyes were looking into my emerald gems, I felt like I was almost entranced. The silence between us was almost electric and I had to take a step back from him just to feel like I could speak again.

  “You’re not here by accident, are you? This isn’t fate.” I blew smoke towards the window as he tilted his head.

  “No. I guess you see right through me, don’t you?” He laughed a little bit. “I know who you are and who your father is.”

  My heart started beating into my ears. “Oh?”

  “My father is…” He lifted his eyebrows slightly. “An associate of his… When I heard about this event, I just couldn’t pass it up.”

  “So what are you then?” I glared at him and rolled my eyes upwards as I tried to figure out the mystery. “I’m guessing you’re the son of an attorney or a lobbyist? The rebel without a cause, spending your father’s money?”

  “Nah, I have a cause.” He smirked and took another drag off of his cigar. “Right now that cause is figuring out what I have to do convince you not to go back downstairs.”

  Every muscle in my body told me I should just leave the mysterious Braden standing there by the window and rejoin the crowd downstairs. Ronald had already vetted him with a glance and sent him on his way a few days prior. Unfortunately, Ronald wasn’t there to tell me whether the electricity I felt was because of the champagne flowing through my veins or something primal. Braden was mesmerizing, and it had been a while since I had felt any sort of attraction towards a man. I was so used to the rich boys trying to score with the size of their daddy’s wallet that it had practically sealed my legs closed when I wasn’t pleasuring myself. I could tell there something different about Braden. He carried himself with a certain confidence that seemed to be genuine—plus his bowtie was the exact shade of purple I loved. What did Ronald know anyway? He had an agenda that involved my heart and what was between my legs—even if they were out of his league. I felt both of them twinging as Braden tilted his h
ead and looked into my eyes, drawing me further into his steel colored gaze.

  Chapter 4: Braden

  A few hours earlier.

  Ronald had given me all of the information I needed about Angela Madison. His knowledge of the woman he loved was enough to draw her into my trap. In a way, I felt sorry for him. He had spent his life chasing a pussy he couldn’t conquer. With his father’s money and his place as heir to it all, he could have had a million bitches swallowing his cock. Instead, he just threw away all of that potential pursuing the one he wasn’t man enough to take. I wondered if I should deliver it to him in a box when it was all over so that he had something to remember her by. No, that was too cruel, even for me. The Dentist would have gotten the information whether it came with pain or terror; Ronald was fortunate that he was such a weak, pathetic human, because it had spared him an awful lot of torment. I stood by the mirror positioning my purple bowtie.

  “Where the hell are you going?” A voice cut into my thoughts.

  “This doesn’t concern you, Stefano.” I slipped my jacket over my shoulders.

  “No, but it does concern me.” A man walked past Stefano and stared at my reflection in the mirror.

  “Don Abrami?” I turned and drew a hurried breath. “What are you doing here?”

  Don Abrami was the boss, someone that we were all forced to respect, but mine was genuine. He had been a father figure to me after I returned from Iraq, helping me get integrated into the family. My real father certainly helped, but Don Abrami was always a mentor. I had a long way to go before I was man enough to follow in my father’s footsteps, but I intended to sit at Don Abrami’s table one day, just as he once did. He looked me over from head to toe, nodding as if he was pondering my costume for the evening. He knew what I intended to do, even if I hadn’t told him everything. My actions had been clear enough when I hauled Ronald into one of our cells and placed a call to The Dentist. Whatever information he lacked from that was likely filled in by Stefano.