“Because you know you’re behaving like a brat and would deserve it.” I grunted. That boy will be the death of me. “Stay out of trouble today, will you?”
“Are you?”
I hesitated. Today shouldn’t be dangerous. I had my regular meeting with Luigi Pinelli, the boss of the family business. Our meetings were usually as much catching up with an old friend as discussing business. I didn’t always deal with him personally, and since Liam received the orders and passed them down to me, I never met those who hired me.
Except for Luigi.
“That’s what I thought,” Kit yelled. “You’re a hypocrite, Sullivan Matthews.”
There was no winning this argument with him. I hated leaving while he was so upset. He was acting childish and being rebellious, but I couldn’t pretend he didn’t have a reason. He was hurt and frustrated, but if I stayed and entertained the argument, we would only end up in a shouting match like last night. The best thing for us right now was being apart for a while to cool off.
“I’m leaving.” I shrugged on a slim fit down jacket.
“Then don’t come back.”
I snapped my head back. His words were like a knife in my gut.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean it.” Kit peeked around the door. His face was white, as if he was as shaken from saying the words as I was. “Please come back. I’d hate myself if anything happened to you, and I’m angry at you right now for giving me something and then taking it away, but I still like your stupid face very much.”
I smiled at him, the unease melting away. “You sure as hell make my life interesting, you know that?”
“I should hope so.”
He disappeared again.
“Call me if you need anything.”
I closed the door behind me and inhaled the crisp morning air. If I’d stayed a moment longer in that house with Kit, he would have ended up over my knees. It was a wonder his pimp had kept him that long. He was a bratty, mouthy little thing.
I couldn’t imagine my life without him in it.
Twenty minutes later, I parked at the country club where Luigi and I usually met up for an afternoon drink. A few men who I played golf and tennis with greeted me as I walked through the main hall. I nodded at them but didn’t stop. I wasn’t here to play games with a bunch of rich pricks today.
If it had been anyone other than Luigi, I would have canceled today’s meeting. My fight with Kit had put me in a sour mood. I had to get back in the boy’s good graces somehow. Last night he’d climbed into bed in the most revealing silk lingerie. He thought I didn’t know he hadn’t been asleep when he backed his ass up into my crotch on a pretentious sleepy sigh? It had taken everything in me to clamp my eyes shut and clench my teeth.
And lie there.
And do absolutely nothing while he rubbed his ass all over my cock.
Luigi sat at his usual table, and he wasn’t alone. Tommaso, his son by his second wife, was with him. They seemed to be in a deep discussion. As I approached them, they both looked up. The left side of Tommaso’s face was one big bruise.
“Damn, did you win or lose, Tommy?” I asked. He was in his late twenties and often too impulsive, which got him into trouble with Luigi. To be fair, the old man was rather tough on him, but that came with the territory of being a Don and having your favorite son killed.
“What do you think?” Tommy said.
“With you, I can never tell.”
Luigi rose to his feet, and we embraced. Judging from the fresh lines on his face and his tight lips, all wasn’t right with him.
“Good to see you again, Luigi.”
“Same.” He motioned for a server to attend to our table, and one hurried over. I took my seat and ordered a bourbon.
“How’s Mrs. Luigi?” I asked to be polite. She was merely a trophy wife who could never hold a candle to Luigi’s dead first wife. They had separate interests and only showed a united front to the public.
“Good. Somewhere in South America, celebrating our anniversary.”
“Alone?”