4. Paolo

Power Roast Coffee Bar was as busy as ever, and this was a good thing as it allowed Paolo, Danilo, Taine, and Bear to blend in amongst the crowd.

Well, kind of.

It wasn't every day that a collection of four such handsome men were sat around the same table sipping on espresso. And this was a fact not lost on Taine…

‘We look like we're in a God damned coffee commercial,' Taine laughed, rubbing his hand over his three day stubble. ‘Bear, you've done some modelling, right?'

Bear didn't look impressed.

‘Yeah, that's me,' Bear replied dryly. ‘I'm Mr. Runway.'

Bear's path in life had seen him go from bodyguard for a New York family of mobsters known as the Mafia Daddies NYC, to free agent enforcer, to academy instructor. But one thing the gruff Bear had never done of course was model – and that wasn't likely to change any time soon.

Bear might have been a hulking, handsome Daddy, but he preferred to keep himself to himself. The very thought of being looked at and photographed by strangers sent a shiver down his spine.

‘Don't knock it until you've tried it,' Taine continued. ‘I did some modelling work after my first comeback fight. And I've got to say, it beat the hell out of getting kicks to the head.'

The four Daddies all laughed.

As much as Paolo was used to living a solitary life, he was starting to truly appreciate his regular meetups with the other academy Daddies. There was something bordering on wholesome about the way they would get together and simply shoot the shit over an espresso or four.

And with the hustle and bustle of the Power Roast clientele around them, it was a time where they could drop their guards a little and focus on subjects outside of work.

But try as he might, Paolo couldn't quite get Tommy from his mind – and it didn't take long for Danilo to notice…

‘Okay, okay, guys,' Danilo said, putting his hands in the air. ‘I think we've got a situation. Anyone else notice that our man Paolo seems a little bit distracted?'

‘Yup,' Bear chimed in. ‘And I think I know that look too… it's a boy thing.'

‘Ha! I'd bet my last hundred dollars on it,' Taine quipped. ‘And I'd double down on the fact it was either Tommy Jane or Olivier Rennes.'

Paolo didn't respond.

But Paolo could see by the looks on his friends' faces that no response wasn't really going to be an option. And the fact was, they were right.

Ever since the incident in the woods, Paolo hadn't been able to take his mind off Tommy. There had been something so infuriating about the way that Tommy had ignored his words back at the academy and then proceeded to screw up the training exercise in the woods – and what made it worse was that Paolo could see just how much potential Tommy had.

It was hard to say why, but Paolo knew that Tommy had it in him to make a great support sniper. But all the potential in the world meant nothing if the boy couldn't listen or follow instructions.

‘The boy is a smartass,' Paolo said, breaking his silence. ‘I'm talking about Tommy. But… he's got something.'

The other Daddies gave one another knowing looks.

‘And it's up to you to bring that something out,' Danilo said, sipping on his espresso. ‘That's what I'm paying you for. If Tommy already had everything he needed to be a sniper, then I wouldn't be paying you to train him, would I?'

‘That's true,' Paolo replied, smiling. ‘I just need to find what buttons to press. There's a psychological barrier between us that I need to work around.'

‘And I give you permission to use any means you deem necessary,' Danilo said. ‘If the boy is a smartass as you say, then you must put him firmly in his place. If he doesn't listen, then you must make him listen. The truth is that if Tommy has any chance of becoming a real Ice Bear, he needs to show he can handle what might be ahead.'

‘In other words, break out the paddle on his juicy ass,' Bear roared, reaching across the table and fist-bumping Taine.

‘Bear's got a point,' Taine laughed. ‘Trust me, it works.'

Paolo smiled.

It was true that Taine had used some stern discipline to get Donovan on board with his training methods. And the two of them were now a happy couple. But there was no way that Paolo could take things that far, not with his trust issues. However that wasn't to say that a spanking or two for purely educational purposes wouldn't go amiss.

And with Danilo giving the okay for him to try out whatever methods he thought were suitable, Paolo's mind began to whir with possibilities.

Suddenly, Paolo had a fresh idea for how he was going to make Tommy realize his potential…

As the night sky drew in and the city turned dark, Paolo was perfectly placed across the street from Tommy and Olivier's apartment. Having access to the Doni family's vast range of empty apartments certainly had its advantages, and no more so than in that moment as Paolo used his binoculars to focus in on Tommy's place…

‘Okay, so it's a night in alone for Tommy…' Paolo muttered, watching as Olivier left, looking very much like he was in for a late night of partying.

Olivier had listened well during the training, but Paolo's instincts told him that the boy wasn't a natural sniper. It was nothing personal, but he knew that Olivier would have to find his own specialty when it came to matters off the ice. That wasn't to say that Paolo wouldn't still train Olivier in the basics, but the real focus had to be on Tommy, that much was clear.

Speaking of Tommy…

Paolo knew there was an ethical line in spying on someone, but regular ethics didn't apply when it came to the mafia. The business was the business. They operated in a different world that would shock regular civilians, and surveillance was just another part of that as far as Paolo was concerned.

And anyway, this was all part of Tommy's training – he just didn't know it yet.

Paolo watched as Tommy briefly disappeared into the bedroom. But just as his frustrations were about to rise, Paolo's jaw nearly hit the floor as Tommy walked back into the main living area wearing nothing but what appeared to be a very small pair of briefs…

‘Are they… panties?' Paolo muttered quietly, his eyes laser focused on Tommy as he twirled and pirouetted across the room.

Paolo couldn't quite make it out from his vantage point, but Tommy's briefs were so small and high cut on the hips that that could easily have been a pair of women's panties. Certainly the way that they were riding up and exposing a large chunk of Tommy's butt cheeks suggested that they might just be a pair of feminine panties.

‘Interesting,' Paolo said, momentarily losing all thoughts of his watching brief and instead allowing his eyes to feast on the sight of Tommy's supple, strong upper body and his equally toned and athletic legs.

Paolo could feel his cock hardening.

But this wasn't the time to be indulging in filthy thoughts about the boy. Far from it. This was in fact the perfect time to put his plan into action…

After a swift run out of the apartment and across the street, Paolo expertly moved through Tommy's lobby and up toward his apartment. Paolo had learned many things over his years as an assassin, and moving without detection was one of them.

And armed with a master key that he had swiped from the concierge desk on the way in, Paolo very quietly opened Tommy's apartment door.

With music playing to cover his tracks, Paolo moved in complete silence.

And as he crept closer to an unsuspecting Tommy, Paolo paused briefly to watch the boy dancing around in his scant underwear. With a cute monkey stuffie watching on from the couch and some coloring books and felt tip pens scattered across the floor, Paolo could see that Tommy truly was a Little. But as sweet as that was, Paolo's attention was very much being held by just how sexy Tommy was.

That back…

Those legs…

That ass…

Paolo knew he was here to do business. This wasn't anything sexual, no matter how hot Tommy may or may not have looked as he twirled and danced unawares.

As he reached into his pocket and pulled out his gun, Paolo felt a wicked smile come onto his face. The boy was about to learn a lesson. And it was going to be the harshest one of all…

Three.

Two.

One… fire.

With that, Paolo fired a cold jet of water from his imitation Magnum water pistol that hit Tommy directly on the back of his neck.

‘What the hell!' Tommy cried out, immediately spinning around and taking another shot of cold water to the chest. ‘What the actual hell?'

‘Now do you understand why you need to listen to my teachings?' Paolo asked, his eyes giving Tommy a once over from head to toe and back again.

Tommy stomped his feet on the floor and had a look of pure Little brattishness on his face.

‘No fair! You spoiled my fun!' Tommy protested. ‘I'm off work hours! You can't do this.'

‘Work hours?' Paolo laughed, quickly becoming serious once more. ‘You're an Ice Bear now. There's no such thing. And if you want any damn chance of making it at this franchise, it's time you stopped playing games and got wise to the situation.'

Suddenly, Paolo could see that Tommy was actually listening.

‘From this point onward, training will be mostly one on one,' Paolo said, his voice low and full of menace. ‘You could easily have been taken out just now. You'd have been dead and not even known it. And rule number one of being a hitman is you need to be able to assess the threat to your life ahead of anything else.'

‘Yeah, but-'

‘Don't even think about trying to but me,' Paolo said, stepping closer to Tommy and seeing the water dripping over the boy's pink nipples and down over his smooth, flat stomach. ‘Danilo has given me permission to do whatever it takes to get you into shape. And I intend to follow through on that. But I need your consent.'

‘My consent?' Tommy replied, a confused look on his face. ‘I mean, I'm at the academy already, so…'

‘No, I need your consent for me to do things my way,' Paolo growled. ‘I'll ask again. Do you agree to enter into my way of doing things? It might be tough, and you will have to push yourself. But I promise you, if you listen to me and take whatever comes your way, you'll come out the other side of it as a true Ice Bear.'

Paolo could see that Tommy was thinking it over.

But he didn't have to wait long for the boy to respond.

‘I want to do it,' Tommy said, his voice half nervous and half full of determination. ‘And I'll do it your way too.'

‘Good,' Paolo replied. ‘Now, enjoy your evening.'

Paolo knew that he had Tommy precisely where he wanted him. The boy had agreed to follow his training methods and from here on out it would very much be a case of doing things Paolo's way.

But Paolo knew that he would have to work hard to keep things professional. And judging by the prominent protrusion at the front of Tommy's little briefs, then the same would apply to the boy too.

Paolo wasn't going to get involved with another boy, that simply wasn't an option on the table for him. Not today, and probably not ever. He would need to use every inch of his relentless and ruthless professionalism to keep things above board and strictly business.

As far as Paolo was concerned, this wouldn't be too much of a problem.

Paolo had killed many men, risking his own life over and over in doing so. A boy, no matter how cute, wasn't going to be able to distract him from his mission. Tommy Jane might have been cute as all hell and full of sass, but Paolo Totti was made of the sternest mafia metal there was.

The boy is mine.

I'll turn him into a true killing machine.

And then it'll be on to the next boy without even giving Tommy a second thought…