The Promise Read online

  When it did, I looked from the woman standing in my living room to my father.

  “Tell me this is a fucking joke,” I demanded.

  “Frankie,” Ben said softly beside me.

  I felt him get close, but I didn’t tear my eyes away from my father.

  “Francesca,” Dad clipped, the jovial, nothing-gets-him-down-because-he-wouldn’t-let-it look evaporating and anger replacing it.

  I looked quickly to the woman, who I noted distractedly was very attractive, but she had also turned very pale. “No offense to you. You’re probably awesome. But…” I looked back to Dad. “Are you fucking serious?”

  “We came down to share our good news with you personally, spread the joy, and this is what we get?” Dad asked back sharply.

  I, again, quickly looked at the woman and repeated, “Again, no offense to you…” My eyes returned to my father. “But, just sayin’, next time, spread the joy over the phone.”

  Dad planted his hands on his hips and returned, “I do not believe you’re actin’ this way.”

  “You don’t?” I asked, leaning back and pulling my hand from Ben’s so I could throw both up. Then I lifted one and pressed a finger to my face. “Well, let me see…why would I react this way when you’ve gotten a woman pregnant?” I threw my hand out and finished sarcastically, “Oh, I know! You’re bringin’ a kid into this world, and you’re the kind of man who had another kid who got shot and you” —I leaned toward him, screaming— “did not even go see her in the hospital!”

  I heard the door close behind me, meaning Ben closed it, but he got back to me quickly and I knew this when I felt his arm hook around my waist. He pulled me back a foot and then positioned in front of me, slightly to my side.

  I was totally pissed way the hell off, but still, him doing that…

  God.

  Seriously.

  Benny.

  “You got shot?” the woman asked, her voice sounding dismayed, and I looked around Benny to her.

  “Yeah, it was on the news,” I shared.

  “I don’t watch the news,” she said quietly, her eyes going to Dad. “Did you know this, Enzo?”

  “Yeah, he did, since my ma called him the night it happened,” Ben put in but didn’t allow further reaction to this news. Being the awesomeness of Benny, he immediately moved to end our brief scene. “Now, congratulations on your news. Wish the best for you,” he said to the woman, then turned to Dad and went on, “But this didn’t go too good and you got a long drive ahead of you, so I’m thinkin’ we should cut this here before it deteriorates.”

  Ben’s rational suggestion was ignored while the woman stared at my dad and my dad, who read her stare, stated, “Sweetheart, that happened to Frankie around the time you told me you were havin’ my baby.”

  “And I told you I was havin’ your baby and you seemed pretty excited, Enzo, but you didn’t take me on a six-month-long celebration cruise with no phones, Internet, or Morse code machines,” she snapped back, and I felt my body jerk and my eyes get big.

  None of Dad’s women ever spoke to him like that.

  Not a one.

  Except maybe my ma.

  “Chrissy, sweetheart, I didn’t want anything to—” Dad started.

  “Do not utter another word, Enzo Concetti,” she hissed, leaning toward him. Then her eyes cut to me, and Ben crowded me, even as I pressed into the side of his back at the look in her eyes. “Are you okay?” she asked, then tossed a hand my way. “I mean, after the shooting.”

  “Uh…yeah. It was ages ago.”

  “Was it random?” she bit out.

  “Um…no. I was kidnapped by a crime lord and taken to a lakeside community. I escaped and ran for my life through the forest with another lady. The crime lord caught up with us and shot me. Then Ben” —I made a lame gesture in the air beside me to indicate Benny— “and his cousin, Cal, the boyfriend of the lady I was with, shot him. Seein’ as Cal shot him in the head, he didn’t survive. Though, Ben shot him in the gut, where the guy shot me, and I can attest that, even if that was all he’d had, he wouldn’t have been doin’ very well for a while. Luckily, though, he’s dead, and I don’t say that because I’m a bad person. I say that because he was a crazy person and he shot me.”

  When I was done rambling, her narrowed eyes slowly cut to my father.

  “She was kidnapped and shot?” she asked.

  “Chrissy—”

  “Did you know about the kidnapping?” Chrissy demanded.

  Dad didn’t say a word, but he looked uncomfortable.

  Ben said a word, though, and it was, “Yep.”

  Chrissy looked fit to be tied for a good long time. While I reached out a hand to catch Benny’s, trying to breathe in the air clogged by a pregnant woman’s fury, I fought back the desire to laugh. Hard.

  Finally, she looked to me, and the further fury on her face made me press closer to Benny.

  Then it faded clean away and she whispered, “I’m sorry.”

  I stared at her wondering if that just happened.

  Ben was not quite as dumbfounded.

  I knew this when he stated, “You don’t have to be. You didn’t know. You aren’t blood.” Ben jerked his head Dad’s way. “But he should be.”

  “I—” Dad began.

  “Shut it,” Benny suddenly barked with such ferocity, my whole body jerked. “You do not get to do this. I didn’t know where Francesca would be at when I let you in, but now I know. So now I’m gonna tell you, this is the last time you perpetrate a scene like this with Frankie. You were not a good father. You are not a good man. You’re selfish and stupid, thinkin’ for however many years you been on this earth primarily with your dick. Your girl laid in a hospital bed after draggin’ her bleedin’ body through leaves, and that was after she ran for her life, and you got the fuckin’ balls to show at her house unannounced and drop a bomb on her, not even sayin’ word fuckin’ one about what she went through without the support of her goddamned family?”

  Ben shook his head, his eyes pinning Dad to the spot across the room, and he kept going.

  “No. Frankie will put up with that shit because she’s a good woman, a good daughter. She’s Frankie. But I’m her man and I’m tellin’ you right now, I won’t.”

  Dad squared his shoulders and declared, “Maybe we should leave.”

  “Good idea,” Ben shot back, shifting immediately, taking me with him so we were no longer barring the door.

  It was then that Dad did what Dad did when anything threatened to drag him down.

  He escaped the situation immediately.

  And in this instance, that meant him not looking at a single soul—not even the woman carrying his child, standing right there, not the daughter he’d come to see—and walking right out the door.

  “This was a very bad idea and I’m so sorry,” Chrissy said quietly, moving to follow him.

  “Again, not your place to apologize,” Ben said.

  She nodded to him and would have only given me an embarrassed glance and a chin dip to say good-bye, but I didn’t let her.

  As she passed me, I grabbed her hand.

  She stopped and looked at me.

  “Am I havin’ a brother or sister?”

  Hope flared in her eyes and I got further ticked at my father, because seeing it, I knew she wanted this to go a whole lot better than it did. I also knew giving her child family was important. So I knew if I ever got to know her, I’d probably like her.

  “Sister,” she answered.

  I smiled. It was small but I gave her that and whispered, “You probably need to go, but call Enzo Junior. Get my number. Keep in touch.”

  Bright filled her eyes and she whispered back, “I thought this would be a happy surprise. I never would have come with Enzo if I’d known—”

  I cut her off with my hand tightening around hers. “I’m sorry for you it wasn’t. But I do wish you the best bringin’ my little sister into the world.”

  She nodded and squeez
ed my hand back, saying softly, “Thanks, Francesca. And I’ll call your brother. Get your number.”

  “Good,” I replied. “Now make him be safe driving you two home,” I ordered, dipping my head to her belly.

  She grinned at me, no bright in her eyes this time, nodded again, and hurried out the door.

  The instant it closed, Ben stated, “Pure fuckin’ Frankie.”

  I looked his way. “What?”

  “Your best bet is to steer clear of that situation, which is right now not good with the forecast of gettin’ real fuckin’ messy, and you tell her to keep in touch.”

  “She’s carrying my baby sister,” I returned.

  “Yeah. Pure fuckin’ Frankie.”

  It was then I processed the look on his face.

  So I smiled.

  Ben didn’t smile.

  He ordered, “Come here, Francesca.”

  Our happy reunion delayed by a crazy one, unusually, I immediately did what I was told.

  * * * * *

  “Frankie, tesorina, stop.”

  I closed my eyes, slid Benny out of my mouth, and took my time looking up at him.

  It was after the scene with Dad, time for the good reunion after the bad, and things hadn’t started great.

  And that was all on me.

  It might have been being wound up by Dad’s visit and his news. It could also be what he’d said about me scoring the good Bianchi.

  But it was mostly about me thinking that it was high time I saw to something I hadn’t seen to since Benny and I got physical.

  He frequently went down on me to spectacular results every single time.

  Either due to unconsciously avoiding it or the fact that Ben guided things in bed (completely), I’d never returned the favor.

  Now, I was.

  And I was tense, in my head, knowing he knew from Vinnie that I wasn’t good at it, worried he was thinking the same thing, and trying too hard.

  I opened my eyes and looked his way and there it was. I wasn’t good at it. Ben’s face did not look at all like the dark hunger I was used to seeing when we were naked.

  “Come here, baby.”

  I didn’t want to go there.

  I wanted to grab my phone and run to the bathroom, lock myself in, and exist on pizza and Chinese deliveries through the window until I knew Benny was gone and he’d made the decision never to see me again.

  “Frankie, come here,” Ben repeated.

  I still didn’t move, because I was frozen with humiliation.

  I’d been embarrassed a lot in my life.

  Like when I was seven and my mother wore that black, slinky, wraparound dress to church that had so much cleavage, it almost showed nipple, and Father Patrick’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head when he came out to give mass. Not to mention, when he gave it, his face was tight and I knew he was displeased with my mother and the fact that all the men were paying more attention to her breasts than his sermon.

  Also the many times my father would run into someone he didn’t get along with too well, and it wouldn’t matter where we were—at a Cubs’ game, at a Burger King—he couldn’t ignore it. He’d say something smartass and the guy would return it and it was never pretty. He’d even once goaded a man who was with his wife and kids and didn’t want to be drawn in. But Dad didn’t stand down until the man had no choice but to call him out.

  That one ended bloody, for both men, and not only had Dad done that in front of his kids without thought, he’d pushed that man into doing the same in front of his.

  But even with all that, and worse, I was never more embarrassed than I was right then.

  This, of course, made me freeze, perpetuating my embarrassment, seeing as I was on all fours close to Benny’s cock, staring at him, unmoving.

  “Fuck,” Ben muttered, did an ab curl, grabbed me under my arms, and hauled me up his body. He rolled and covered me.

  “I think I need to go to the bathroom,” I whispered, staring into his eyes probably like a deer in a road stared at the light coming its way.

  “No you don’t. You need to talk to me. What’s fuckin’ with your head?”

  My gaze drifted to his ear.

  His hand lifted to my jaw and he ordered, “Frankie, look at me.”

  I looked at him.

  “What’s in your head?” he asked.

  “I’m not good at that,” I admitted.

  “Why?” he asked, and I blinked at his absurd question.

  If I knew why, I’d be a whole lot better at it.

  “Why?” I repeated, not knowing what else to say.

  “Yeah, why?”

  “Uh…I think you need to give the reasons for that, Benny,” I pointed out the obvious, but even doing it, that didn’t mean at that moment I wanted him to give me the reasons for it.

  He shook his head but said (scarily), “You want that, I will, honey. But for now, I wanna know how you go hot and give it your all, lose control at a kiss, but get tense when you’re goin’ down on me.”

  “I know you know I’m not good at it,” I explained.

  “Okay. Is there more?”

  “Isn’t that enough?”

  Something moved over his face I didn’t get before he asked, “That shit with your dad eatin’ you?”

  I nodded.

  “Anything else?” he pushed.

  My voice sounded as horrified as I felt when I reminded him, “He said I’d scored ‘the good Bianchi.’”

  “Think it’s been proved conclusively that your dad’s an asshole, babe,” Benny replied.

  “That comment was more asshole than your garden-variety asshole, Benny,” I noted.

  “Think it’s been proved your dad’s more asshole than your garden-variety asshole, Frankie,” Ben returned.

  “You looked pissed,” I told him.

  “I wasn’t pissed at what he said. He said it and I saw your reaction, and that made me pissed. I also knew what was waitin’ for you inside. He followed me out so I didn’t have my shot at warnin’ you, which made me more pissed. Not to mention, the fuckwad had his hand on me.”

  He did.

  “I’m sorry, Benny,” I said quietly.

  “Why the women in his life apologize for him is beyond me. He’s the asshole, not you.”

  “He’s my dad.”

  “He’s not. He’s the man whose seed made you. I got a good dad, babe. I know the difference.”

  I stared at him, his profound words hitting me.

  I was not my father. I did not behave like him. I did not live like him. He helped create me, but now…

  Well, now, I was me.

  And it was beginning to seep in that I’d been me a long time.

  As in…always.

  And that was huge.

  As huge as it was, naked in bed with Ben after giving him a terrible blowjob that was so bad, Ben felt the need to halt the festivities and have a chat, I didn’t share this latest epiphany.

  Instead, I said, “You’re lucky, Benny.”

  “I know, Frankie,” Ben stated. “Now enough about him. Is that it?”

  “I think so.”

  “Work good?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Your sisters or brother phone you recently?” he went on.

  I shook my head.

  “Good. So now, do you have any fuckin’ clue how unbelievably hot it is to see you and that body of yours, with all that crazy-beautiful hair all over my gut and thighs, takin’ my cock with your mouth?”

  My body jerked, even as I felt a spasm between my legs.

  “No,” I whispered.

  “Thought I was gonna come just you touchin’ the tip with your lips. You took all of me…fuck.”

  With that, his expression changed to the one I was used to when we were naked, and I felt my legs shift restlessly.

  “I—” I started, but his face dipped close and I cut myself off.

  “Lick, baby,” he whispered, and I felt a surge replace the spasm between my legs. “Taste me. A
ll of me. Take your time. Suck. Glide. Get me wet. Nothin’s off-limits. Look at me while you take me. Watch what you do to me. Or, you want, I’ll get you there with you sittin’ on my face while you go down on me. I got my mouth on you, you won’t think of anything but that and my cock.”

  Oh God, I wanted that. And he was right. If his mouth was on me, I wouldn’t think of anything but what he was doing, doing it with him in my mouth.

  I kept shifting.

  “Or you can kneel in the bed next to me and give me your pussy. I’ll play with you while you suck me off.”

  At that, I stopped shifting and started squirming because I wanted that too.

  Immediately.

  My hands started moving all over Benny.

  “Or,” he kept going, “I’ll take my feet, you kneel in front of me, and I’ll do the work and fuck your face.”

  And at that, I planted a foot in the bed and rolled him.

  “You make a choice?” he asked when I was on top and he was on his back.

  “Shut up, Benny.”

  He grinned at me.

  That grin was a dare.

  And I was suddenly feeling like a daredevil.

  I moved down his chest and found for the first time, with Benny not taking charge, I had the time to discover that I’d never had before.

  And all the magnificence of him was laid out before me, so I took that time with my fingers, with my mouth, with my teeth and tongue. There was a lot of him, all of it solid silk that was unbelievably fascinating. The taste of him thrilling. The feel of his fingers in my hair, or reaching to cop a feel, titillating. The noises he made to the way I made his body shift with turned-on agitation taking me straight out of my head and making me all about what I was doing to Benny.

  Making me all about giving him more.

  So by the time I reached my destination, I was so ready, I actually wanted to grasp his cock, climb on, and ride it.

  Instead, I positioned between his legs and took it in another part of me.

  The minute I did, Ben growled.

  My eyes shot from what I was doing to his face, his cock still in my mouth.

  When they met his heated ones, he groaned, “Fuck, baby.”

  Watching him, I slid up then took him as deep as I could.

  His legs cocked, his head fell back, I got a view of muscular throat and all that was Benny, and a pulse thrummed between my legs.