Chapter 22

A few weeks later and things had settled down. With Sloane out of the picture, there was a semblance of normality in Antonio’s often crazy world. That wasn’t to say there was peace in the city, there never was. But at least things had returned to normal.

Antonio had been commended by the top-level family bosses, and as reward for his good work had been allowed some time off.

Of course, Antonio turned this down and instead merely asked for some guaranteed time away from front line action. Instead, Antonio had been working on a new strategy that would place mafia men inside the police and allow them to work from the ground upward. This was an old tactic, one that rarely worked. But with Antonio’s vision, he felt like he could make it succeed. Hopefully one day they would never need to worry about another Sloane situation happening and getting so out of control.

But that was work. Today was a day of rest and relaxation…

‘Best cigars in the city,’ Antonio said, puffing on the juicy Cuban cigar in his hand. ‘No, best in the state.’

‘Agreed,’ Damian said, his own cigar burning red at the tip as he inhaled.

‘You don’t need me to confirm it,’ Luca said. ‘I’m the man who brought these bad boys here!’

The three men laughed together. Sitting in the park together around a dark wooden picnic table, all three of them were in great spirits. The park was busy, and everywhere Antonio looked people were laughing, having fun, and generally living what looked like a carefree life.

Not a single person in the park would ever have guessed how many kills that Antonio, Damian, and Luca had racked up between them. And that was the way Antonio liked it.

‘But… who was the best brother who brought the whiskey?’ Damian laughed, taking out his hip flask and passing it along to Antonio. ‘Drink up. It’s not often we get a day like this. No drama. No death. And no responsibilities either.’

‘Apart from those boys you mean!’ Luca interjected, pointing across the grass toward Lyle, Jake, and Tommy as they sat and chatted together, no doubt gossiping about everything that had gone down.

Antonio and Damian laughed.

‘Well, a good paddling usually does the trick!’ Antonio laughed. ‘You sure you don’t like what you see in Tommy, Luca? He’s single, as I’m sure you know.’

‘Pffft. Cute ass or not, I’m not looking for a boy,’ Luca said. ‘I’ve still got way too much going on to settle down. I’m not ready to be a house cat just yet!’

‘Hmmm,’ Damian said. ‘I think you might be more interested in Tommy than you’re letting on.’

‘Shut your mouth and smoke your damn cigar,’ Luca bellowed, taking a slug of whiskey from the hip flask. ‘Who knows what the future will bring.’

Antonio listened as Damian and Luca continued to banter back and forth. But before long, their voices faded into the background. Antonio found himself transfixed by the sight of Lyle laughing and joking with his friends. Lyle was smart, sexy, and just a perfect vision as the hot sun beat down on him.

As Lyle laughed and continued to have fun with his friends, Antonio realized that all the years of being so caught up with his constant strategizing and problem solving had made him forget to listen to his heart. It was a tactical decision to send Lyle away – and a decision that put Lyle in danger.

Yes, Antonio had done it for the right reason. He wanted to protect the boy from danger. And maybe in theory it was the safest choice. But had Antonio listened to his heart and kept Lyle close, then perhaps none of what Lyle had to experience would even have happened.

I can’t believe I nearly lost the boy.

That won’t happen again.

I’ll make sure of that…

It was a lesson learned for Antonio. He may have been a tactical genius, but now he had another string to his bow too – and that was his heart. It might have been a heart with a dark edge, but it was a heart all the same.

Antonio watched as Lyle, Jake, and Tommy began to whip their t-shirts off and lie back for some impromptu sunbathing.

He already knew it to be true, but Antonio swore to himself in that moment that no harm would ever come to Lyle again. Antonio took a big breath in through his nose and slowly let it out again. Antonio was a calm, calculating character, but when it came to Lyle, it was all about pure passion.

Back at home, Antonio was fiddling with the settings for his brand-new espresso machine. It was early afternoon and the perfect time for a double espresso – if Antonio could get the machine working that was!

‘God damn it!’ Antonio said, growling as the machine pumped out hot water with not a trace of dark, rich coffee. ‘What was wrong with my old machine? This is all on you, boy!’

Antonio felt a surge of anger as Lyle simply giggled in response.

‘Antonio!’ Lyle said, lying on the thick blood-red rug on the floor as he held his iPad aloft and worked on research for a new article. ‘Let me make you a coffee!’

Antonio rolled his eyes at Lyle’s suggestion but couldn’t help smiling as he saw just how happy Lyle was.

Antonio had been happy to see how comfortable Lyle had become at what was now their home. Antonio could see that Lyle was comfortable being his true self both at work and at home, and it meant a lot to Antonio that he was a part of that.

For Antonio, having Lyle permanently in his life helped him immensely. Not since Gio had Antonio felt like he had a true reason to come home every day. Antonio was now spending far less time at his secret offices around the city. He would use them for work purposes, but when it came down to it the place he wanted to be more than anywhere else was home.

Gio was one hell of a boy.

But he’s gone.

Now I have all I’ll ever need…

Antonio went back to fiddling and fumbling with his new espresso machine. It had cost thousands, and Antonio had needed to be very persuasive with the company to manufacture a specially personalized design that bore both his and Lyle’s initials on it.

But at that moment, the only place the machine was likely to end up was out on the street…

‘Work!’ Antonio said, giving the machine a firm tap on the bean grinding slot.

And just like that, the machine began to work. It worked well too, pumping out the best espresso Antonio had tasted in many a year.

‘See, I told you it would work!’ Lyle giggled as he got up and walked over to collect his drink. ‘Look, we can drink coffee together now.’

Lyle smiled sweetly as he to slurp on his espresso.

‘No more after this one, young man,’ Antonio said, a disapproving tone in his voice. ‘You need to keep a clear head. No coffee jitters. I want you feeling fresh for what I have planned…’

‘Huh?’ Lyle replied. ‘I… I… I… don’t know what you mean?’

Lyle was struggling not to giggle.

Antonio felt his hands, not to mention his cock, tingle with excitement.

‘I think it’s time I took your shorts off, and showed me that butt plug all nestled inside you,’ Antonio said, his pupils dilating as he shifted very much into Dom mode. ‘I’m going to spank those sweet cheeks until you’re crying out for mercy and then fill that tight hole all the way up.’

‘Master!’ Lyle cried out, his cheeks flushing red.

‘I’m only doing it because I love you, boy,’ Antonio said, his cock hardening by the second. ‘I love you more than anything, you know that right?’

‘I do,’ Lyle said. ‘And I love you too.’

‘I’ll never involve you in the dark side of my life again, I swear,’ Antonio said, taking Lyle firmly in his hands. ‘I know how traumatic all of that was for you.’

‘No!’ Lyle replied. ‘You need to involve me! How else am I going to bring down every corrupt official in the city?’

Antonio grinned and nodded in agreement. They had a shared goal. One that they could work on cooperatively when they needed to. Antonio loved Lyle’s ambition, his work ethic, and his desire for a career all of his own. It felt good, and very reassuring for Antonio. He wouldn’t have minded if Lyle quit work and stayed at home. But seeing Lyle so keen to get back to his passion was even better.

But speaking of passion, as far as Antonio was concerned it was time for a good old-fashioned spanking across his lap…