Page 26 of Joey

MAX

The safe in Dante’s study is a huge old thing that’s been around since the time of his grandfather. It was cutting edge in its day, but now it’s outdated and needs an upgrade. I guess it serves a purpose though—it keeps most people out. I can’t remember the last time I looked inside there. I’m not sure I’ve ever paid much attention to what goes in there. Money? Important papers? I have the codes to get into it. That’s how much he trusts me. If he walked in here and found me with my head in that safe, he wouldn’t think anything of it. And that’s why even the thought of looking inside when he or Lorenzo isn’t here makes my skin crawl. It shouldn’t have even entered my head, but this thing with Kristin and Vito nags at me constantly. What the hell is this video recording Vito has? Do Dante and Lorenzo even know about it? Maybe I should just ask them?

I made my little sister a promise that I wouldn’t tell them she exists or that she’s in Chicago, but that was before I found out that my long-lost uncle could have a video of the Morettis involved in a murder. Given that I know Dante and Lorenzo so well, I figure it’s probably something to do with their father. But I can’t keep it from them much longer. I don’t care if Kristin’s father told her the Morettis can’t be trusted, they’re the only family I’ve ever had and I’ve never had a single reason to doubt them.

I don’t look inside the safe. It would be a betrayal of their trust in me. Instead, I put the paperwork regarding the new casino on Dante’s desk and leave the room, closing the door behind me. Stretching my neck, I sigh when it cracks. Fuck, I need to get rid of some of this tension I’m holding onto. It’s been two long days since I fucked Joey Moretti, and I can’t stop thinking about how good she felt and how good it would feel to have her again. Just one more taste.

Is she here? I usually know her every move, but I’ve backed off since the other night. It’s the least she deserves.

“Hey, asshole.” The sound of her voice stops me in my tracks.

I spin around, and she’s standing in the doorway of the den, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed over her chest.

I stride back down the hallway toward her. “Asshole?”

She flashes me a wicked grin. “Hmm. Kinda.”

“And why is that, Guiseppina?”

Her features darken. “Don’t call me that, Max.” She hates her full name and has insisted on being called Joey from the moment she could say the word.

“Then don’t call me an asshole.”

“Fine.” She sighs. “Anyway, I was hoping you’d stop by. I need your help with something.”

“What is it?”

She catches her bottom lip between her teeth and draws in a breath that makes her perfect tits rise and fall. I try to keep my eyes on her face, but I glance down, and she sees me do it too. Busted.

“Well, I was thinking, since you were my first fu—”

“Joey,” I whisper harshly, cutting her off as I push her back through the open doorway to the den. “What the fuck are you doing?”

She laughs. “Relax. Nobody’s home.”

I close the door anyway to give us a little privacy. “There are guards here. Your brothers have ears everywhere.”

“The guards are only ever by the front door or outside now. You know that,” she says with a roll of her eyes. It’s true that since Dante’s daughter was born, the guards’ presence has been restricted within the house. Kat insisted on a friendlier atmosphere to raise their children. But they’re still here, and who knows when one might go wandering somewhere they shouldn’t.

“You’re going to get me fucking killed.”

She puts her hands on my chest. “I would never put you in harm’s way, Max. You know that. I was just playing. I’m sorry,” she whispers.

I narrow my eyes at her. I have no idea if that’s true. Joey Moretti likes to live life on the edge, and I’m flirting with death by even being alone in a room with her. Now that I know how good her lips taste and how tight and hot her pussy is, I’m always partially hard around her and it takes all my effort not to touch her. Fucking her in the alley the other night plays on a loop in my head. I’ve jerked off to the memory way more times than could be considered healthy—even for a red-blooded single man in his early thirties. “Did you actually need my help with something or are you just trying to push my buttons?” I ask, trying to distract myself.

“Oh, I’d love to push every single one of your buttons.” She giggles, her hands brushing down my chest toward my stomach.

I take hold of her wrists before those hands move any lower. “Joey?”

“Yes, I do need your help. But you cut me off before I could finish my sentence,” she says, pouting.

What the fuck is she up to?

“I guess it’s more of a proposition than anything. You know how inexperienced I am when it comes to sex, right?”

Yes. Because I had your tight-as-fuck pussy squeezing my cock and I can’t stop thinking about it. “Hmm.”

“Well, I’m inexperienced ineveryway. You know what I mean? I only ever kissed a guy before you.”