18. Paolo

THREE MONTHS LATER

‘I trust the hotel suite is up to my darling boy's standard?' Paolo said, standing at the floor to ceiling window that overlooked the bright lights of Las Vegas. ‘I told Danilo that only the best would do for this mission.'

‘Yup, I'm happy,' Tommy replied, walking with Noodles in his hand and standing next to Paolo. ‘Who are we killing again?'

‘We aren't killing anyone,' Paolo said, a gruffness in his voice. ‘I'm doing the shooting and you're here to act as lookout, emergency gunman, and getaway driver.'

‘No fair,' Tommy said, pouting. ‘But, whatever, it's cool to be here with you.'

Paolo smiled and put his arm around Tommy's shoulder.

They had come a long way in a short space of time. Tommy was now fully moved into Paolo's apartment and the place was certainly starting to look more and more like a Little friendly pad. The Daddy touches of class were still apparent, but with an ever increasing number of toys, books, and stuffies around there was certainly a different vibe.

The Vegas hotel suite though was a classy affair all round.

Aside from the panoramic views of the strip, the room itself came with a huge living area, a sumptuous bathroom, and a TV so big it could have been mistaken for a screen at a multiplex.

But it wasn't the luxury environment that made the trip, it was the company.

Paolo loved spending time with Tommy. And the longer they were together, the more Paolo was able to open up about his past. Paolo had even gone into all the details of what happened between him and his former boy all those years ago.

Tommy had listened patiently, asked questions, and offered his emotional support as Paolo broke everything down and finally let go of it all once and for all.

But it wasn't just one way traffic.

Paolo had offered his ear and Tommy explained how difficult it had been for him to extricate himself from his old ways, and notably the fake friends he had fallen in with during his terrible injury. Paolo could see that Tommy had come a long way in life and wanted to go further still.

The key, as far as Paolo could see, was that both he and Tommy wanted to be happy. There was no need for outside distractions, fancy things, or wild living. They had one another, and they had their purposes in life. For Tommy, it was about being an Ice Bear. And for Paolo it was about continuing the tradition of the mafia hitman – a dangerous, serious, but honorable way of life when followed correctly.

Speaking of which, Paolo looked at his watch. It was nearly time to leave the hotel suite and hit the town. With an evening of reconnaissance work to get done, Paolo knew that the sooner they got going, the sooner they could come back to the hotel and have some X-rated fun in the hotel suite's infrared sauna.

‘Come on boy, we've got work to do,' Paolo said, leaning over and planting a kiss on his most beautiful boy's forehead. ‘A Daddy and his Little. Hitting the town with serious intentions. Could you ever have predicted it?'

Tommy laughed and shook his head.

‘Now let's go and do what we do best,' Paolo said, taking Tommy by the hand.

No further words were needed. The two of them were happy together and knew exactly how fortunate they were to have one another in their lives.