(Lorenzo)
I felt a warm hand touch my face and I opened my eyes, it was Marianas'. She had the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. They were light brown with some specks of green that were almost not noticeable. She tried to remove her hands but I stopped her and pulled her closer towards me.
She looked at me, her eyes searching mine. I knew I shouldn't pursue this any further, I knew I had to stop leading her on but I couldn't seem to stop myself. Mariana made me feel some way I could not seem to put a pin on, an emotion that felt really strange to me. But I couldn't get distracted. I had to end this here and now.
I took in a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression last night,It was just a one-night thing, nothing more". I could see the shock and sadness in her face, I felt a pang of guilt in my chest. I slowly let go of her hand and get up from the bed. I needed to get dressed and leave this room, I couldn't bear to even look at her right now, and not feel my heart crack a bit
. "Wait, what?" What do you mean? So you're trying to tell me last night meant nothing to you at all?"
I pretended not to notice her and began buttoning my shirt. I had to keep a cool countenance and my emotions in check.
"Lorenzo! I'm talking to you." She walked up to me and stared at me, anger clouding her features. I buttoned up my shirt and looked at her, giving her the most intimidating stare I could summon at that moment.
"Mariana,what happened last night was nothing serious. It was a one night stand,I'm sure you know what that means." I picked up my car keys and phones."You're not the first to end up in my bed and I'm pretty sure you won't be the last so suck it up and stop being such a crybaby about it. Declan would take you back to the hostel once you're fully dressed."
I stole a quick glance at her and saw her eyes glistening, tears daring to fall, I felt a sharp pain in my chest. The moment I stepped out the door I let out a sigh of regret. I knew I shouldn't have gone that far but why did I feel that way? I had done this to countless other women and I had never felt this way. So, why was Mariana different? I pushed away my thoughts and feelings and headed out the house. I met Declan standing by my car.
"I need you to take her back to the hostel as soon as she's dressed" I ordered.
"Yes boss" he replied.
"Stand by the door until she's out. You never can tell what she's planning." I knew Mariana's defiance couldn't be snuffed out that easily. I got in my car and drove to my office.
"Lorenzo!" Giovanni yelled my name. I blinked my eyes in confusion. "What, what were you saying?" I replied, trying to remember all that Giovanni had been saying.
"I've been talking for close to ten minutes now and you haven't been listening." He says. "Are you good?"
"Yeah I'm fine. I'm just out of it this morning." I replied. Giovanni didn't look like he was bought my explanation. "Lack of coffee" I added.
I had been thinking of Mariana all morning. From the night we spent together till this morning. I hurt her, I feel horrible because of that and I didn't know why I felt that way. I shouldn't care about little things like this. My confusion slowly started to turn to frustration.
The more I thought of it, the angrier I became. Why should I let Marianna under my skin? She's a nobody. Just another number to add to the list of women I've slept with. Nothing more, nothing less.
Giovanni's phone rang, pulling me out of my thoughts. "Hey, What's up?" I heard him say. He headed outside to continue his phone call.
Minutes later Giovanni returned and turned to me "The boys found Mikey trying to run away with your stash."
"What? He tried to steal from me!?" I yelled, my voice filled with anger. "Where is he?" I asked calmly.
" He's at the warehouse," Giovanni replied.
"Get the car ready "
"Yes boss" Giovanni left the office. I had one rule in my business, no one and I mean no one steals from me and gets away with it. I had to make an example out of him.
As I wait for Giovanni to come back, my anger only grows. Partly from my inability to pinpoint what I felt for Mariana and from the fact that one of my men tried to steal from me. I shouldn't be surprised because this happens at least once in a while but I protected Mikey, I gave him a job, fed him, gave him a purpose when he was a crack addict on the streets of New York.
I even looked after his old mother while he was in prison. I received a text from Giovanni informing me that the car was ready and he was waiting downstairs. I headed towards the parking lot where Giovanni was waiting.
"Let's go," I ordered, my voice cold and hard.
Giovanni nodded and drove off.
We arrived at the warehouse and Mikey was tied up to a chair. He was blindfolded and his mouth gagged. I moved closer to him and signaled one of my men to take off the blindfold and the gag.
Mikey squinted his eyes, trying to adjust his eyes to the light. Once his eyes met mine, I noticed the fear in his eyes. I moved my face closer to him, staring deep into his soul. He looked away in fear.
"Please, please boss, I'm so sorry. It won't happen again" he pleaded, tears welling up in his eyes.
"You tried to steal from me and run away with my goods" I said, grabbing his hair, forcing him to look at me. "In what world did you think that would have worked?" I pushed his head back aggressively.
"I'm so sorry. It won't happen again boss" he began to plead.
"Of course Mikey" I muttered eerily, picking up the hot rod in the fire beside him. "It won't happen again because you won't be alive to try it again." I placed the rod on his left eyelid watching him scream in pain.
"Please! Mr Lorenzo Sir, it won't happen again. Please have mercy" he splutters. The more he begged, the more satisfied I felt. I felt a dark aura engulfing me, taking control.
"Mercy you say" I picked up a crowbar from the floor. "Mercy is for the weak. Consequences are to be accepted and taken head on."
I hit him with the crow bar, he kept on crying so I hit him again and again and again, ignoring his groans, until someone touched my shoulder bringing me back to my senses. It was Giovanni. I looked back at Mikey and saw he was unconscious, blood dripping down his head, his face disfigured. I dropped the crowbar and head out of the warehouse.
Outside the warehouse, I brought out a cigarette and began to smoke. Breathing in the smoke from my mouth and letting it out through my nose, creating a hazy look around me. My thoughts drifted back to Mariana. I a span of how many hours she had managed to trigger countless emotions. I let her get into my head and now she refuses to leave, I took in another puff letting it out slowly. Giovanni came out some minutes later and opened the car for me since he was with the car keys.
He started the engine and looks at me through the rearview mirror.
"Where to?" He asked.
I looked outside thoughtfully. "Take me to the club, I need a drink."
Since the club was really busy, I decided to head upstairs where there were not a lot of sweaty people dancing to weird music. I ordered a bottle of brandy and began drinking my anger away.
Part of me was here for Marianna even if I didn't want to admit it. I wasn't here to talk to her or make out with her, I just wanted to be sure she was okay. I sighed in frustration as I gulped another cup of brandy down my throat.
Why was I worried about Mariana? This wasn't the first time I've slept with a beautiful woman. So why was she different? I poured in more brandy into the glass and chug it down.
"Must be a pretty bad night huh" I heard a female voice. I looked up and see a beautiful brunette smiling at me.
"What do you think." I replied, pouring myself another drink. She giggled and sat beside me. I wasn't in any mood to indulge anybody right now but maybe this was what I needed, another woman to flush Mariana out of my system. I looked up at a couple sitting not too far from me and coincidentally I saw Mariana heading towards them. It felt like everything just stopped once I saw her, I could see nothing but her. She looked tired, probably from working.
She served the couple their drinks and just as she was about to leave, her gaze caught mine. Her expression went from tiredness to surprise and maybe, a little hurt. The woman beside me said something but I couldn't care any less. But I needed to end whatever was going on between me and Mariana. I broke eye contact first and turned towards the woman with a smile.
"I must say, you have quite a beautiful smile" I said with a grin.
"Oh,thank you," she giggled. She snuggled closer to me, giving me a seductive smile.
I glanced back at the spot where Mariana was and she was already gone. I focused my attention back at the beautiful brunette staring right at me. I traced my fingers down her hand until I reach her wrist where I noticed a little butterfly tattoo.
"Do you like it?" She asked, bringing her face closer to mine because of the loud music.
"I could show you another one if you'd like to see." She smiled at me, biting her lips in a subtle way. I smiled back at her and nodded my head slowly. She got up, grabbed my hand and led me towards the bathroom.
Once we reached the bathroom, she locked the door and threw herself at me. She hungrily kissed down to my ear, rubbing her hands around my chest. I groaned, closing my eyes and an image of Mariana popped up. I opened my eyes quickly, stopping myself.
I grabbed her neck and placed my other hand on her waist lifting her onto the basin. I lifted her gown above her waist and slide my fingers into her causing her to moan. She held my hand guiding me into her and when I couldn't take it anymore. I unbuckled my belt, adjusted my jeans and thrust into her. She placed her hand on my shoulders trying to balance herself. I thrusted in deeper and harder. Images of Marina just kept flooding my mind, the way her face looked when she climaxed with me a night before.
The brunette's grip on me starts to tighten, signaling she had almost reached her climax. I began to thrust in harder and faster, she gasped, her grip on me tightening, "Fuck", I grunted. I dropped my head to the crook of her neck. Even though I tried to get Mariana's face out of my mind, it was of no use.
"Fuck I'm coming!"She screamed as she spasmed in my hands while I pulled out emptying my seeds in the basin beside her with a groan, solely thinking about Marianna.
(Mariana) It had been two weeks. Two weeks since the incident between me and Lorenzo. A moment I was still stuck on. I was pretty sure Lorenzo had probably forgotten that I existed and had sunk his claws into another woman. I dipped the rag into a bowl of water, squeezed it and continued cleaning the tables. I guess I just had to accept the reality that there could never be anything serious between me and Lorenzo. "Let him go, Mariana," I whispered to myself. With a sigh I headed to the next table. The days at the club were becoming more dreadful as the days went by. My plan to escape has gone nowhere. My mind has been so preoccupied with Lorenzo that I forgot that I needed to escape from this hell hole. I needed to push Lorenzo out of my mind and focus all my energy into escaping so I could have my life back, get my freedom back. "Are you almost done Mariana?" Samantha called out my name from the other side of the bar. We were both cleaning the tables. Samantha was the only
(Lorenzo) I sat in my office handling some paperworks, signing off documents that I had been putting off for a while now. I picked up my cup of coffee and sipped it slowly reading through the company's financial record. It was a monthly ritual, just to make sure no one was stealing from me. It had been two weeks since Mariana. I had been with countless women after that but I still couldn't get her out of my system. Giovanni walked in with a serious look on his face. "Boss, our recent gun shipment got sabotaged." "What?" I yelled, enraged. "Who was stupid enough to do something like that?" "I've already put my men on it, and we managed to catch one of the men who was responsible." Giovanni said. "He's a member of the Blood Crust gang." "Blood Crust?" I replied, confused. The Blood Crust gang was one of the biggest gangs in South LA. Why would they do something so reckless? Were they trying to trigger a war, or were they just trying to piss me off? "Have you gotten anything out
(Mariana) The guard moved to the side letting me go into the room. I turned the knob and pushed the door open. I looked around the room and my eyes landed on Janet. I rushed over to her side.She was on a little bed by the corner,her neck was bandaged and she looked pale, almost like she was dead. I sat on the vacant seat by the bed and lightly squeezed her hand, tears welled up in my eyes. I never thought Janet would try something like this, she didn't show any signs. She was always smiling, always trying to cheer me up when I was down. It was because of this place, this toxic hellhole. The club, the hostel, Lorenzo. Yes, it was all Lorenzo's fault. He had kidnapped us and kept us here against our will, he forced us to work for him like slaves and then when he didn't find anymore use for us, he disposed of us. Lorenzo Mclaren, I hated him. I looked around the room and I spotted him at the corner staring at me. All the anger and the pain welled up inside of me. I hated him, he was
Cont'd (Marianna) Samantha laughed "Thank you very much, I cooked it myself" She takes another spoonful of soup and holds it up to my mouth. " Here, have some more."I opened my mouth and let her feed me again. "Thank you Samantha" I said, after swallowing the second spoon. " I really mean it, you've done a lot for me today."" Oh it's okay. You were going through a lot, you needed support even if it was just a little," She shrugged. "When it was me, no one cared. Everyone was going through one thing or another so no one had time for anyone but themselves. I had to deal with my shit all alone." "I'm sorry to hear that" I say to her." It's fine," she says, shaking off the thought."Enough of the sad stories, let's eat more.""Let's?" I ask, raising an eyebrow in question."Yeah, did you really think I'd make something this delicious and not eat out of it?" She said with a smirk and brought out another spoon from the tray which caused me to giggle.We continued like that, eating
(Lorenzo)I gazed out of the window of my office, the bustling streets of the city laid out before me. The sidewalks were crowded with people, like ants scurried about their business. The sun was setting, and the sky was aflame with orange and pink hues. I heard the door open behind me, and I turned to see Giovanni standing there."Boss, everything's ready," he said, his voice steady and confident. I nodded and followed him out of the office.We walked down the corridor and headed towards the elevator. My thoughts were clouded as we rode down to the parking lot.The elevator door opened with a ding, and we stepped out into the empty parking lot. The silence was deafening,and the only sound was the echo of our footsteps on the concrete floor. We made our way towards the car and I got in the backseat while Giovanni had taken the driver's seat."Let's go." I said and he started the engine taking me to the warehouse.By the time we reached the warehouse,It was dark. Giovanni pulled the car
(Mariana)It had been days since I had last seen Janet, and I couldn't help but feel worried. I had visited the basement at different times, but each time I went, I was told that I wasn't allowed inside."What's on your mind?" Theo asked, a kind smile on his face."I could use a drink," I replied, trying to keep my voice light. Theo was the bartender here. He was a friendly guy who worked part time. Theo nodded in understanding, his hands busy as he wiped the glass cups. "I wish I could serve you a drink," he said, "but you know how Margot is, she'd kill us if she found us drinking on the job""I know, I know," I said, a hint of disappointment in my voice.Theo gave me a sympathetic look. "Maybe if you'd tell me what's troubling you I could help" He said and bent forward on the counter. "A problem shared is a problem half solved." "I can't." I said with a sigh and placed my head on the counter."Poor Mariana." He said and patted my head before he went back to clean the glasses.My t
(Lorenzo)My mind flashbacked to my visit at the club the other day. I went to talk to Margot if she must have heard anything."Wait,what. You think someone's derailing you." She asked surprised by my suspicions."Yes Margot. There's something more to this. Another one of my shipments got sabotaged again, my gun shipments. It's hard to ignore now""Why don't you want to believe it is as the blood crust boys? They could be lying you know""I know but they aren't. The last man we captured at the scene of the last sabotage, he looked himself Marge, Cyanide.""Cyanide!" She exclaimed"Yup. Why would he kill himself if he wasn't trying to hide something important""You're right. It's getting really fishy. Don't worry I'll keep my ears out for anything suspicious I hear at the club""Yeah. Thanks Marge."She was just as clueless as I was. I roughened my hair in frustration, this wild goose chase was getting the better of me. I stood up and headed for the coffee machine and poured myself wha
(Mariana)The club was its usual busy self tonight. There were people everywhere. The music was really loud, the bass line thrummed through the floor, reverberating through my chest. The air was thick with the scent of perfume and smoke, and the heat of the bodies packed in the room was suffocating. I had been running up and down serving drinks. I didn't even have space to breathe. As I made my way through the crowded room, I weaved between tables and people, balancing a tray of drinks on my arm. I was used to the hustle and bustle of the club, but tonight it felt especially hectic. I kept my head down, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone, just focused on getting the drinks to their tables.But as I made my way to the other side of the room, I heard a voice calling my name."Mariana! VIP lounge 5. They need margaritas and whiskey" A girl yelled through the crowd"Coming right up!" I yelled back. The music was really loud so we could hardly hear ourselves. I ran over to the bar si