Beware the Snake Read online

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  I’ve got Jess pinned against a wall in the alley by the warehouse, my hand up her skirt cradling her thigh while I kiss the tops of her tits. This has got to be some kind of record for me, from the bar to the alley in about ten minutes. Being a made man with the Mariano’s is like a free pussy pass, which I’ve never had a problem redeeming. But now, even I’m impressed.

  Jess leans back against the brick wall, her creamy tits spilling over the top of her dress. I inch my hand up to her ass. Her back stiffens. She takes my hand in a cold hard grip, stopping me from going any further.

  “Relax,” I whisper soothingly. “We’re going to have a good time tonight.”

  Jess blinks up at me, and takes a shuttering breath. “This is-this is not what I came here for. I shouldn’t-“

  I press my hips into her, letting her feel that I’m already getting hard.

  “It’s wrong, sweetheart. That’s why it feels so good.”

  I lean back in to kiss her, but she crouches down suddenly. I almost knock my head against the bricks. Jess scoots to the side under my arm, out of my grasp. I can already feel the blue balls coming on.

  Jess stands up straight, her chest puffed out. “I need to get back to my friend.”

  I take a deep breath, relaxing my shoulders. I don’t want to fuck this up by coming on too strong.

  “Maybe we can get together sometime in the future. I’ll show you a nice time.” I step towards her, but she takes a step back. Maybe the prom queen is having second thoughts about what she came here to do tonight. “You got a phone?”

  She nods, then takes her phone out of her purse. I take this as good sign. Maybe I’ll need to put a little more work in with this one, which is no big deal. I never back away from a challenge. I grab her phone, add my number to her contacts, then hand it back to her.

  “I’ll be thinking of you tonight,” I say. “Send me something interesting.”

  Jess purses her lips. “I will,” she says, making my dick twitch.

  Back in the warehouse, I search for Bruno. As far as I’m concerned, this night’s a bust. There are other chicks here I can bang, but none of them appeal to me. I can still smell Jess’ shampoo, and that little resistance she gave me only made me want her more.

  I find Bruno smoking a cigar with some well dressed gangsters. His eyelids are heavy, and I can tell he’s drunk. My guess is, people who made money off of him have been buying him shots all night. It takes me a few minutes to get him up from his seat, but soon, we’re ready to go.

  We’re almost to the door, when my phone buzzes in my pocket. It’s a text from a number I don’t recognize. Blood rushes to my cock. It’s her.

  I open the text, hoping for a sexy nude, which makes what I get a royal disappointment. It’s pictures of some kind of documents.

  “What the fuck?” I mutter.

  I tell Bruno to go have one last drink, then I start looking for her.

  Chapter Four

  Jess

  I see Snake when he gets my text. Jesus, his face. It’s so terrifying that I want to run out of here as fast as I can, and give up on everything. He curls his nose, his eyes turning dark and cold, murderous, even. I knew the men I’d be dealing with on this mission would be intimidating, but Snake is formidable. He’s an attractive package, hard, toned muscle wrapped in an elegant suit, dark, almost black, hair that’s impeccably swept back. His face is cleanly shaven, and he smells so good, but his hands were big and rough on my bare thigh. Confidence oozes off of him. I can imagine him having no qualms about putting a bullet in someone’s head, just like he had no qualms about fucking me in the alley.

  Beautiful and dangerous. And he’s looking for me.

  I watch him from the wall I’m leaning against, daring him to find me, hoping he will. I can’t let my fear detract me. I need to remember why I came here, why I’ve searched this city high and low for mob hangouts, and more specifically, a Mariano man. I touch my lower belly, conjuring the burning rage that’s brought me this far.

  Snake spots me quickly, then makes a beeline over. My heart thumps with his precise, determined footsteps. He walks up on me, stopping no more than an inch in front of where I’m pinned against the wall. He bends down slowly, emphasizing how much taller he is than me. His eyes lock on mine when he grabs my wrist, and pulls me forcefully.

  “Come with me.”

  The gentle smoothness of his voice is gone. He’s now cold, calculating, professional. The high heels shuffle beneath me as I keep up with him. I steady my beating heart with deep breaths. I shouldn’t have texted him now. That was stupid and rash. I should’ve waited for a better time, like, when I wasn’t in the same building as him. But I couldn’t wait. In the back of my mind, I know I texted him because I wanted to see him again. I didn’t want this night to be over. But I’m not willing to admit that right now. I can salvage this. I just need him to listen.

  We’re back in the alley. Snake pushes me against the wall. He grabs both of my wrists in one hand, and pins them over my head.

  “What the fuck is this?” Snake holds his phone close to my face, so close, my eyes can’t focus. But I know what it is.

  “A business opportunity.” My voice is weak, pinched. I clear my throat to remedy this.

  Snake laughs, a deep, curt sounds that makes me shiver. “Business? I don’t talk business with someone I don’t know.” He puts away the phone, then leans in so close to me, I can almost feel the tip of his nose against mine. “Who the fuck are you?”

  I know what he’s trying to do. He’s trying to intimidate me. This is what men like him do. They want to scare us away so we don’t meddle in their business. It’s what Jake did.

  “I’m Jess Hunt. I’m the Digital Marketing Coordinator at ShopSuite Enterprises. Have you heard of ShopSuite?”

  Snake smirks. “Is that a joke? Everyone has. Let me ask you something. Where’s your friend? You lied, didn’t you. You came here looking for me.”

  “I came here looking for a business partner.”

  Snake tightens his grip on my wrists. I stay cool, not reacting.

  “Are you cop?” he asks.

  “No.”

  “Did the Lombardi’s send you? Huh? Tell me?”

  He’s right in my face, yelling at me. I don’t feel so much threatened as thoroughly pissed off, and I can’t quell my reaction this time. I jerk my knee as hard as I can, and get him in the stomach. Snake doubles over, releasing my wrists. In a self defense class I took a lifetime ago, our instructor told us that one move won’t be enough against someone that’s bigger than you, so I give him a quick jab right in the lip.

  Snake obviously wasn’t expecting that. I’m sure this asshole is always used to getting his way, and people not fighting back. He wipes the blood off of his lips, confused for a moment. I get away from the wall, positioning myself so I could run out of the alley if I have to. Snake looks at the blood on his hand, then at me. His mouth twitches in a small smile. I pause. He seems impressed.

  “If we could just talk like civilized human beings,” I start. “Like you said, we’re all here for a specific action. I’m here for the same reason you are. Money. Did you even look at what I sent you?”

  Snake stands up, straightens his tie, and dusts off the arms of his suit. “Credit card numbers. Are you trying to incriminate me?”

  Snake licks the wound on his lip. He folds his hands in front of him. His posture is nonthreatening, which somehow makes me fear him more.

  “How are you making money these days? Fixing fights? I have access to the financials of millions of people. What I sent you is just the tip of the iceberg. We could skim a little from those cards, a dollar here, there. Small charges no one would notice, but it would add up for us.”

  He’s quiet for a moment, staring me down. I have to focus to keep myself from cowering away.

  “What’s in it for you?” he asks.

  “A cut. Money laundering. Protection.”

  Snake nods, pullin
g his phone from his pocket. He holds it up, showing me as he deletes the texts I sent him. He walks up to me, then bends down to my eye line.

  “Get the fuck out of here. I never want to see you around here again. Understood?”

  I stay quiet, not confirming this. He laughs sarcastically, then hits me with his shoulder as he passes me by.

  “Keep my number though,” he calls back. “If you ever need your brains fucked out, let me know.”

  Chapter Five

  Snake

  I sit in a corner, keeping to myself. I don’t want to talk to anyone. I don’t want to make eye contact. I don’t even want to show my face around here. But this is a required meeting with Monty, our capo, even if I don’t have any funds to kick up.

  Our crew’s headquarters are at MTB Concrete Supply. It’s a massive warehouse, stocked with inventory that hasn’t been touched in years. Back in the day, this place made a lot of money, providing most of the revenue for the entire crew. Monty had an in with every contractor in town, and most law enforcement and politicians were in his pocket. Nothing got built in the city of LA without using MTB Concrete Supply. Monty sold his inventory at a highly inflated price, and in return, he fixed the bids, so the contractors that were loyal to him always got the job. The business was also used to clean cash from other rackets that benefited the family. That ended with a series of articles in the LA Times that blew the lid off of the Mariano’s stronghold of the construction industry. The politicians and contractors couldn’t handle the heat, and that racket went belly up.

  Those days are gone, gone before my time. I find this place fucking depressing. All anyone can talk about is the glory days when they were drowning in cash. I feel like one of those millennials that graduated from college in the middle of a recession.

  Salvatore and Bruno walk in. I try not to make eye contact with them. I’m not in the mood to talk. But they walk over to me anyway.

  “Yo, Snake,” Bruno says, sitting across from me.

  “What’s up, man,” I say to Bruno, and give Salvatore a respectful nod. I turn back to Bruno. “Your pretty face is healing nicely.”

  “It always does,” Bruno says, cockily.

  Salvatore smacks Bruno on the shoulder. “Those licks you took gave me a nice little payday. Congrats on the win.”

  “My pleasure,” Bruno says, then looks at me and shrugs. “By the way, what happened with you and the professional looking brunette the other night? I was too drunk off of free shots to get the details.”

  I rub my hands together, smiling discreetly. “You know, the usual.”

  “No, I don’t know,” Bruno says. “Give us the details. That was one hot piece you had there. What did her tits look like?”

  I don’t know why, or where it comes from, but something about that questions pisses me off. My skin burns hot underneath my suit. Jess wasn’t a quick hookup. She’s not that at all. She’s a stuck up bitch, yes, but Bruno has no right to be asking about her tits. If he had any idea about the steel balls on that chick, he’d think of her with a little more respect. I still can’t get over the fact that she waltzed into that fight and proposed a business opportunity. I’d take her up on it just for the chance to get her into bed, but my gut’s telling something’s suspicious about the whole thing.

  Bruno raises an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you struck out.”

  “I’m not telling you that,” I say.

  Anthony walks in, striding through like he owns the place, and shooting darts with his eyes at everyone there.

  “This isn’t fucking gossip hour,” Anthony says, walking up to our table. “This is business. Show some respect.”

  Bruno holds his hands up, showing his palms. “Nothing but respect here, chief.”

  Anthony glares at Bruno, then turns to Salvatore. “What’s the beast doing here anyway? He’s not made.” He turns to Bruno with a smile. “Someone check him for a wire.”

  Bruno starts to stand from his seat. I grab his arm.

  “Easy,” I say.

  Anthony and Bruno stare at each for a few tense seconds. Salvatore pats Anthony on the back.

  “Stand down, cuz,” Salvatore says, wryly. “Since when do you have such a stick up your ass about the rules? Relax.” Salvatore gives Bruno a warning look. “You too.”

  No one says anything else until Monty shows up. When the capo walks in, the entire crew straightens up. He’s a middle aged, balding guy, thick around the middle, and mafia to the core. You can tell by his confident swagger and mannerisms that this is a man who’s lived outside of the law his entire life. Without saying anything, he walks around the room, collecting envelopes of cash from all the soldiers. Some envelopes are thick, some are thin, a few have nothing at all. Monty’s understanding with the empty-handed guys. He knows it’s harder than ever to get something going in this business climate.

  Monty gets to us. Salvatore and Anthony both hand him envelopes stuffed with cash. He turns to me.

  “Sorry, capo. I’ve come empty-handed.” I hold my hands up and look down as a sign of respect.

  “Again?” Monty asks in his gruff voice.

  “Look, it’s not for lack of trying. Things just kept falling through.” I glare at Bruno from the side of my eye.

  “You’re not the only one,” Monty says, cocking his head. “Have something for me next month.”

  “I will.” I hope it’s a promise I can make good on.

  Monty holds the envelopes in a stack under his arm, and stands in the center of the room to address the crew.

  “Now, a lot of you guys have been asking, so I’m going to tell you. We’ll split the pool evenly among soldiers, even those that didn’t pay their dues. These past couple of years have been hard on everyone, and we don’t let our soldiers starve.”

  Monty looks over his soldiers. We’re all watching him silently, at attention. The capo nods, then goes back to his office. That’s when the soldiers that don’t agree with what he said start to groan. Anthony is one of those guys. He looks right at me.

  I stand up calmly. “You got something you want to say?”

  Anthony looks me up and down, then laughs. “It’s not your fault this family has gone to shit. It started with whatever idiot decided to allow half-breeds in.” He eyes Bruno. “And let the children of snitches live.”

  I immediately put my hand on Bruno’s shoulder. I feel him swell underneath me. But this bitch, Anthony, never knows when to shut up.

  “How do we know it wasn’t Bruno that talked to that reporter, and blew everything up,” Anthony says. “Like father, like son.”

  I don’t even try to hold Bruno back. For a big guy, he’s fucking fast. He’s out of his seat in a flash, delivering a sharp jab to Anthony’s nose. The other soldiers go silent and look to see what’s happening. Salvatore steps in quickly to diffuse the situation. He puts his hand on Anthony’s shoulder.

  “You can’t go mouthing off like that,” Salvatore says. “That’s a fucked up thing to say. We got the leak, remember? Plugged it up good. Show Bruno some respect. A son shouldn’t pay for the sins of his father.”

  Anthony wipes the blood from his nose, shaking his head. “It doesn’t hurt anyway. I don’t care about my nose. I care about my money. Around here, dead weight is cut loose to sink on its own. Remember that.”

  When Anthony leaves, the entire room watches him silently. He slams the warehouse door, and people start talking again.

  “What the fuck’s his problem?” I ask Salvatore.

  “He’s got problems, trust me. Nothing to do with you,” Salvatore says.

  “Like what?” Bruno asks. He’s staring at the door Anthony just went out of, his face red.

  “Look, don’t breathe a word of this to anyone,” Salvatore says. “But the doctors think his wife has cancer.”

  “Jesus.” I do the sign of the cross, not for Anthony, but for his wife, Clarissa. I’ve met her a few times, and she’s a real class act.

  “Doesn’t give him the right to act
like a prick,” Bruno says.

  “It doesn’t,” Sal says, lighting a cigarette. “But he’s right about one thing. You need to bring in more revenue. It won’t be long until the boss starts getting impatient.”

  I rake my fingers through my hair. “I’m trying. You know that.”

  “The boss wants results,” Salvatore says, blowing out a thick plume of smoke.

  “What’s he going to do? I’m made. That means for life.”

  “Not exactly,” Salvatore says. “I never told you this, but when I recommended you to be made, I had to fight for you. A lot of the guys didn’t want you on account of your heritage. I convinced them to take you on a probationary period.” He points his cigarette towards Monty’s office. “According to Pop, the guys at the top are starting to get anxious. I believe that probationary period is coming to an end.”

  I plant my elbows on the desk, and drop my head into my hands. All this time I’ve been comfortable, knowing that nothing would happen to me. Now, I feel out in the open. At any moment I could fall out of the boss’ favor. Soldiers don’t get fired. They get hit.

  “Fuck me,” I groan.

  Chapter Six

  Jess

  I close the door to my office, and sit behind my desk, closing my eyes to clear my head. What happened with Snake was just a bump in the road. I can recover from this. I can’t blame him for being suspicious of me, for being hesitant to go into an illegal business with a complete stranger. Maybe he just needs some time to think things through. Through my research, I know he’s desperate. The entire Mariano family is hard up for cash.

  Jesus, why did I have to fuck everything up? After weeks of looking, Snake was the first Mariano man I’d found. I don’t know what I was thinking when I texted him those documents. I should’ve brought it up to his face, when we first met, but I didn’t want to talk business when all Snake could think about was fucking me.

  A hot blush warms my cheeks when I remember our time in the alley. He’d wanted me badly. I could feel it in the heat of his kiss, in the eager way his hard body pressed against me, pinning me to the wall, giving me no hope of escape. In fact, I bet if I texted him right now, he’d still be ready and willing. I stare at my cell phone on the desk. Of course, I wouldn’t do that. After all, it’s not him I’m attracted to, it’s just that I haven’t been touched like that for so long. That accounts for why I can’t stop thinking about him.