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“Baby Girl...come sit next to your brother.” My tall, dark, and handsome big brother, Xavier, welcomed me with open arms as he’d always done. My protector. My soldier. Xavier St. James owned the streets of Harlem after my ailing father finally stepped down three years ago, preferring to enjoy retirement with my mother as they traveled the world during his last days. My father had been a rarity in the streets. A drug lord who survived and actually retired. Not killed or imprisoned but walked away without the usual repercussions and consequences. Age had caught up, and he battled diabetes and congestive heart failure that he fought with healthy lifestyle changes, including giving up the organization he’d built from the ground up.
“You were supposed to be here an hour ago,” scolded Pierre, my younger brother by a year, though he behaved as if he were older than me. He stood to hug me, and I held him tight. We were the closest because we were the babies in the family. I’d grown up the only girl in a household of boys. Xavier was the oldest and two years older. Next was my paternal cousin Cain, Xavier’s age, who was raised in our home like our blood brother. Then me and Pierre. The four of us had been thick as thieves, causing mayhem and mischief for our parents. I’d always imagined ruling Harlem with my three brothers by my side. Now, it was only three of us, and the man who took Cain away from us was my future husband.
“I’m here now. I got stuck at the hotel.” I managed the family-owned five-star hotel, the Oasis Palms near Central Park, and the southern region of Harlem. My parents bought the hotel over ten years ago to legitimize their millions earned in the streets. I loved Oasis Palms and saw it as a way to not follow my brothers and father into the streets. I worked hard, and since I took over the hotel after graduation from college, I made it a premier hotel for visitors to New York, far and wide.
“That’s always going to be your excuse because you know there’s no way for us to confirm shit.” Pierre shook his head as I eased next to him in the booth. “Your betrothed is here. Did you see him?” He snickered.
“Wow, who taught you how to use big words?” I punched him in the arm, which only hurt my hand. He might be the cute baby in the family with his golden brown skin and light freckles. Still, at 6’3 and two hundred and fifty pounds, he was the biggest man in the family and the enforcer.
“Your future baby daddy.” He covered his mouth with his fist and laughed loudly.
Gavin and my brothers had a few run-ins when we were teens. My brothers were why I had to hide that Gavin and I were together until Cain saw him leaving my Brownstone, and a fight ensued. I broke up the fight and shouted my loyalty to Gavin over my family. Three months later, Cain was murdered at the hands of Gavin.
“Not funny. Why am I the sacrificial lamb for this family?”
Pierre shrugged. “It makes sense, and you know it. You disobeyed Daddy to be with him, almost causing a war between the families, so whatever issues you have with Gavin, fuck it out. The joining of our families protects us from the Brazina family. They want Harlem, but we can’t touch Brazina. DeLucas can.” He leaned closer in the loud club. “Get married, have a baby, and then leave his ass in two years. And if anyone touches a hair on you or his child’s head, the whole fucking clan from Italy will rain down on the stupid, wretched soul. Your child will keep us protected.”
I nodded as I looked at Xavier, who sat slightly across from me and smoked a cigar, quietly assessing Pierre and me. He didn’t want a marriage like me either. Hated joining forces with whom he deemed our enemy. Our father thought it best to offer me to Gavin in exchange for our protection once our men started popping up with sliced necks and bullet-riddled bodies throughout Harlem. Gavin had become the head of his organization after the untimely death of his father. He now had the power to shut down the Brazinos, who my family believed were behind the murders.
Xavier and I had vocalized our dissent during our family meeting. Whereas my parents and Pierre thought it made sense for me to reconcile with Gavin. They didn’t know what I knew. They didn’t know that Gavin had killed Cain. Not even Xavier knew who killed Cain. Xavier’s ego hated to admit that our family would need anyone’s protection, especially under his command. He definitely wouldn’t allow Gavin to live if he knew that he killed our beloved cousin. And if Xavier killed Gavin, the DeLuca family, along with the other Italian families in New York, wouldn’t rest until we were all killed. As much as I wanted Gavin to pay for my cousin, I couldn’t afford the cost.
“Did you know he would be here?” I asked Xavier since it was his idea to hang out at this club that played a mixture of house, pop, and hip-hop, attracting a diverse crowd.
“No. I wouldn’t have chosen this club if I knew the motherfucker was here.” He sneered, “I should’ve realized that he would be down here, trying to get some black pussy.”
“Can you not?” I warned and glanced down at the bar. Gavin’s blue eyes sparkled as he flirted with a black woman with one of the biggest asses I’d ever seen. He was an ass man and used to love to smack mine playfully when we were a couple. Being with him allowed me an escape from the demands of being a member of a powerful family with death constantly around the corner. Neither of us brought the outside world into our relationship. As far as we were concerned, he was a real estate mogul and not a member of the most feared mob family in the world. With me, he was Gavin, a beautiful man who took good care of me and loved every inch of me. With everyone else, Gavin DeLuca was a savage who would kill with no remorse.
Pierre started to rise. “Maybe I need to have a talk with him. People are watching, and he’s supposed to be with you. He can’t publicly be seen with other women...at least not until we can fool the Brazino family that your union is real.”
“No, I can handle him.” I pulled my brother back down and rose, straightening my black halter Prada dress. I smoothed my sleek ponytail as I strode down the stairs to remind him that I would soon be wearing his ring on my finger. As I approached, Gavin quirked a brow as he continued to flirt with the woman. Brocco, his older brother, perched on a stool with his legs gaped. A woman who wasn’t his wife danced in between his legs.
I continued walking until I stood directly before him, ignoring the woman who sipped on a cocktail, hoping Gavin would take her home. I folded my arms and demanded, “When are you coming home? Out here with these bitches like you’re not mine.”
The woman’s neck snapped. “Excuse me?”
I placed my hand rudely in her face. “Walk. He’s mine.”
“Bitch.” She tried to push my hand away, and my hand didn’t budge.
With a slow smile, Gavin shook his head and ordered, “Walk.” When the woman hesitated. “Don’t think you want this to be your last day on Earth.”
Her eyes widened, and she scurried away. I glared at the man who invaded my dreams and nightmares. “Don’t embarrass me with bitches. At least find a high-class ho if you plan to be out here like this.”
“I forgot you have a fucking mouth like a damn Italian.” Gavin tugged me to him and wrapped his arms around my waist, though I remained stiff with folded arms. “She’s willing to do anything to be on my label. It’s been years since I’ve seen you. I only spoke to her to get your attention. Looks like it worked.” In the last three years, as he rose to power, he started a record label and had already succeeded with pop and hip-hop artists.
“Maybe next time, try texting me if you want my attention. If we’re doing this, no other woman, Gavin.”
“Even if I got caught with another woman, Paulie Brazino wouldn’t suspect a damn thing. Cheating is as common as spaghetti in my world.”
“Is that your way of saying you plan to cheat?” I tilted my head.
“Fuck me, and I won’t.” His eyes were now hooded as his gaze drifted to my mouth.
“You’re lucky we’re in public.” I unfolded my arms and curved them around his neck, making sure to press my breasts against his chest. His beautiful mouth gaped slightly open, anticipating my kiss as I tiptoed and whispered, “I will never fuck you again. This marriage is in name only. You might have convinced my father that you only wanted the best for me and never stopped loving me. I know different. I’ll rot in hell before I fucking let you fuck me.” I wiped my lipstick off his lips lovingly to anyone looking though I bit out, “You don’t know how much I hate you.”
Gavin’s eyes hardened, and his grip tightened around my waist. “You don’t hate me. You hate the way I make you feel. Hate that as much as you want to forget about me, you can’t. The memory of us has you dying for my touch. You can’t wait until I’m eating that pussy out again.”
“You’re such a fucking ego maniac. I stopped thinking about you when Cain was murdered.” I stopped short of accusing him in this very public space. Never knew who may overhear us.
