These men were dangerous, and she did feel a slight sliver of fear at being around them. They may protect everyone in this town, watch over how things ran, and made sure no one screwed with anyone in their protection, but that didn’t mean that their reputation wasn’t something that nightmares were made of.
Marra set the espresso and cannoli in front of Joey, and just as she was about to turn away he grabbed her wrist, stopping her. She looked at him, her heart in her throat, and sweat starting to bead between her breasts.
“Marra.” His voice was deep, smooth, and held this hint of authority even though he was relaxed and calm right now. “Have you taken me up on my offer for dinner?” He smiled, but it was just the corner of his mouth that lifted.
Marra shook her head, hating that in every other aspect of her life she knew what to say and how to act. But when it came to Joey Bacelli she felt like she was stumbling over her words, unable to control her emotions, and like she was on the verge of jumping off a cliff. He scared her, and rightfully so, but she also wanted him like she had never wanted a man before. She chalked it up to his dangerous life, and that she had to be aroused over the fact he killed men and lived violently.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” she said softly, and she felt him run his thumb along the inside of her wrist right before he let her go. She moved back, breathed out deeply, and then moved her hands and moved them up and down her apron.
“One of these days you’ll give in to me.” Joey grinned, flashing her his straight white teeth, and then turned and started speaking with the other men.
Marra went over to the counter, grabbed a few rags, and slipped behind the back door to the kitchen. There she rested against the counter, closed her eyes, and told herself to get a grip. Every time he came in here for the last year she’d had this reaction to him. Maybe if she just gave into him like he wanted, went out with him for dinner only, he’d back off and she’d calm down around him?
Moving back to the door and cracking it open, she saw Henrietta speaking with the four men. The fluid sound of Italian being spoken filled Marra’s ears, but she was looking right at Joey. He laughed at something Henrietta said, and if she didn’t know the type of man he was, and the rumors she had heard of the things he was capable of, she would have seen him as kind and gentle.
He was big and muscular, but it was the darkness and air of deadly control and authority that surrounded him that made her see who he really was.
Looking at the other three men with him she knew that all of them were just as dangerous as Joey. Although Joey had more men in his crew than she could probably even keep track of, the three that he surrounded himself with on a daily basis were his most trusted guys. Niklo was the younger brother of Joey. He resembled his older brother with his grey eyes and dark hair, but she knew Niklo was more of an enforcer of the family.
He enjoyed the kill, or at least that was what she had heard. Johnny “Little Johnny” Sandino was also an enforcer of sorts, but he got his oxymoron nickname because he was at least six-foot-seven, and built like the Hulk. And then there was Alex Nucchi, a man that she knew had been in prison for the last ten years and was just released, and had been friends with Joey all his life.
Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she hated the fact she wanted Joey as much as she did, and hated the fact that he hadn’t taken the hint and left her alone. But he was definitely a man that didn’t stop until he got what he was clearly after. And Marra knew that what he wanted was her. She didn’t know if she should feel even more aroused by that fact, or let her rational fear lead her in the right direction, and that was as far away from Joey Bacelli as she could run.
3
Joey stared at Marra, who was helping a customer that had just come in and was seated at the counter. Henrietta was speaking to Alex, who had come out of the Pen last month. They had known Henrietta all of their lives, and had even worked at this small café when they were younger.
But things had changed, and Joey was no longer watching his old man run the town he had been born into. Now Joey was the one running things, and he did it with an iron fucking fist, and a .44 to make sure things ran smoothly.
For a damn year he had wanted to get Marra, but for the same length of time she had turned him down. That should have pissed Joey off because he couldn’t get what he wanted, or else had him being smart enough to back the fuck up. He had never wanted to fuck a woman as much as he wanted to be with Marra.
“Joey,” Niklo said and Joey turned his focus away from the woman that was consuming his thoughts.
“What?” Joey said and picked up his espresso, knowing what Niklo was about to say, but not wanting to hear it.
“Just fuck her already,” Niklo said and leaned back in his seat. “You’ve been pining after her for a year, and it’s starting to become a sad sight.”
“Fuck you,” Joey said on a growl, and finished off his drink.
“Just call up Angie. She may not be your girl anymore, but that chick has it hot for you, and will spread at the drop of a hat,” Little Johnny said in his deep voice, and then ate another cannoli. The guy was a beast and ate like he hadn’t had anything in his stomach for months. Although for a man of his size Joey supposed he had to eat constantly.
“I’m sure Angie is all ready to grab her ankles at your order,” Alex said and chuckled. “She’s been after you for the last ten years, Joey, and I swear to fuck when you finally took her to your bed she about had a stroke from her excitement.”
Joey thought about his former side piece, Angie Ronbeni. She had grown up on the same street as Joey, Niklo, and Alex. But she was always too needy, too clingy for his attention. It had annoyed Joey, turned him off even, and he had always kept her away. He didn’t want a woman that relied on him, and sure as hell didn’t want to have to be responsible for anyone but himself.
But then one drunken night had led to Joey fucking Angie. She had been decent, had given him everything he had wanted in the sexual department, and so he had kept her around. He might have felt guilty for using her for sex, but Angie wasn’t mistreated, and in fact, he had given her everything she had needed to live comfortably.
They might have grown up around each other, but aside from the sex, Joey didn’t have any feelings for Angie. Sad but true, and it didn’t help matters that she was a jealous, raving bitch at times, possessive and controlling. She might know what he was capable of, but her psychotic episodes left much to be desired. So, he had dropped her, because he had enough shit in his life right now without her drama.
“Yeah, but sex is all I had in common with Angie, even after knowing her all of these years.” Joey wiped his mouth after finishing off his espresso. “Besides, fucking Angie isn’t going to get Marra out of my head, and I sure as hell don’t want to open that door with Angie again.”
“So what, you think asking her to fuck you again will have her jumping in bed with you?” Alex asked and then shrugged. “I may have not been around for the last ten years, but Niklo filled me in on this obsession you have with the bakery chick.”
“I admit she’s a bella donna for sure, but you need to get your head out of your ass,” Niklo said in good fun. These three men were the only ones that talked to him like this, but they also told him how things were. They were his most trusted allies in everything. He had men in his crew that he relied on, but these three knew him.