“Figures,” she whispered and her voice was tight.
“You got somethin’ to say about Cal?” Benny prompted.
“Who is she?” Frankie asked and Benny pressed his lips together. Then she went on and her voice was lower but lighter. Apologetic. “Benny –”
“When’d it become your business who I fuck?” Benny asked.
“Ben,” she whispered.
“That sign went up on the restaurant, Frankie, but when it did I didn’t become a millionaire. Got no more than Pop which wasn’t good enough for you. Not gonna give you the chance to wrap your golden cunt around my cock and get me to sell into a franchise like you tried to talk Vinnie into talkin’ Pop into doin’.”
In a flash he felt her attitude hit the hall.
“You’re talkin’ that trash to me and I used to be a member of your family,” she hissed.
“You came to my house in the middle of the night with info about Cal and you’re leadin’ with this shit so brace, babe, ‘cause you brought it on yourself. You gave up your position in this family when you led Vinnie by his dick straight to Sal. I’ll remind you, this isn’t the first time after we lost him you tried to get it from me and I told you before, that shit is not fuckin’ happening. You came here to say something, say it.”
“I needed to be with someone who loved him like I did,” she snapped in her defense.
“Yeah, bet he was smilin’ down from heaven when he saw you tryin’ to shove your hand down my pants,” Benny fired back.
“We were both emotional. Things got outta hand.”
“No, nothin’ got in your hand.”
“You kissed me,” she returned.
Benny leaned in and got in her face. “Bullshit, you pressed up against me, laid it on me and I was wasted.”
“I was wasted too.”
“Woman, your boyfriend had been whacked.”
“And your brother had been whacked.”
Benny wanted to relive this like he wanted to be kicked in the gonads therefore he went silent and started counting to ten.
He got to three when Frankie kept at him. “You still kissed me.”
“Babe, tits like yours, I’m blotto, doesn’t matter who you are, they’re pressed against me and they got a mouth attached to the same body, it’s on mine, I’m gonna stick my tongue in it.”
She reared back. “God, Ben, I forgot how much of a fuckin’ dick you are. Always were. I shouldn’t have even come here.”
“Now we’re talkin’ about what I wanna talk about. Why did you?”
“’Cause Cal never treated me like shit and Sal ordered a hit on Hart and it went bad. Word’s spreadin’ fast that Hart’s gonna be aimin’ for Cal, someone’s gotta warn him, I don’t have his number and I couldn’t go to your Dad so, stupid me, I came to you.”
Benny went solid for half a second. Then he moved. Leaving Francesca where she stood, he hit the stairs and took them three at a time.
He turned on the light and Carla moaned, turned then got up on a forearm. By the time she did this Benny had laid his gun on the dresser and was pulling on a t-shirt.
“Whas goin’ on?” she asked, pulling hair from her face and Benny looked at her.
Knockout. Fantastic lips, just like he remembered. Great tits. Frankie’s were better, he knew that even if he hadn’t seen them or touched them, only had them pressed against him once but Carla’s were sweet.
Still, he’d had his fill of Carla.
“Darlin’, you need to go on home,” he said, going to the dresser and grabbing some socks.
“What?” she asked, blinking.
“You need to go home, Carla,” Benny repeated and walked to the bed, sitting on the edge of it, “now.”
He had his socks on and was reaching for his boots when he noticed she hadn’t moved so he looked at her. She was looking at the door so Benny’s head swung that way to see Frankie standing in it.
“Pretty, honey,” Frankie muttered, “you always had good taste.”
Benny’s mouth got tight and he pulled on a boot.
“Who’s she?” Carla asked.
Benny didn’t answer instead he ordered, “Out of bed, babe. Go home.”
Carla was up on her ass with the sheet to her chest and her narrowed eyes were glued to the door. “Who’s she?” she repeated.
Benny pulled on his second boot, saw Frankie hadn’t moved but was smiling her smile that made his dick start to get hard.
There was a reason Vinnie gave it all for her. The bitch was beyond a knockout. Only a quarter Italian, the rest of her was mutt and she got the best of it all. Almond-shaped eyes with light brown irises and naturally long, curling lashes. A thick head of rich, dark brown hair she always wore long. Flawless light skin that made your mouth water just to taste it and made you wonder if that creamy skin was the same everywhere. Fantastic tits, great ass and a tiny waist which were the only things that made her long legs not look like they went straight to her throat.
And the way she smiled that smile, like she had a secret, a really fucking good one you had to know and the only way she’d tell you was when you were close, deep inside and she’d whisper it in your ear. The perfect package from top to toe.
He straightened from the bed and looked down at Carla. “Not gonna say it again, babe.”
Carla looked at him. “Are you tellin’ me that you just let me suck your cock and then I let you fuck me and you wake me up in the middle of the night to shift me out for round two? You’re good, Benny Bianchi, fuckin’ great, like they all said but nothin’s good enough to put up with that.”
Benny put his hands to his hips. “See this failed to sink in, woman, but I just got dressed and put my boots on. I’m gonna fuck someone else, she’s standin’ in line at the fuckin’ bedroom door, would I put my clothes on?” She opened her mouth to speak but he didn’t wait for her to answer. “I got somethin’ to do, somethin’ before the crack of dawn, somethin’ fuckin’ important. I asked nice, now I’ll say it straight. Get your ass outta my bed, get dressed and get the fuck outta my house.”
She glared at him and then asked sarcastically, “You think maybe she can leave while I get dressed?”
Benny walked to the dresser and grabbed his gun. Carla’s eyes rounded on it, the situation of a wakeup call at that hour dawned on her and her body went still but Frankie spoke.
“Sure,” she said, turned and walked from the door.
Benny waited while Carla dressed and she hurried out the door not sparing him a glance and not getting close. This was either because he’d been a dick or because he was still carrying his gun but he didn’t much care which. She was gone.
He went to his nightstand and tagged his phone. Scrolling down, he called Cal while he shoved his gun in the waistband of his jeans. He waited for a pick up but there was none. It went to voicemail.
Benny figured, he had Vi in his bed, he would likely not pick up the phone at that hour either because he was busy with something not worth disturbing to answer the phone or sleeping after being exhausted by doing something that wasn’t worth disturbing to answer the phone. Benny disconnected the call and tried again. Voicemail. On the third try when he got voicemail, he left a message.
“Cugino. Benny. It’s urgent. Call me.”
He left the room and Frankie was waiting at the bottom of the stairs.
He stopped in her space. “Did I ask you to stay?”
“Will you call me when you find out everything’s all right?”
Benny clenched his teeth. She was worried. He heard it. She didn’t even try to hide it.
He knew her life since losing Vinnie had been totally fucked. He thought she’d move on but she didn’t. He didn’t want to know but he had to admit he’d gone out of his way to keep tabs. Alone, she didn’t date, didn’t even look as far as he knew. She went to work. She came home. She’d go to Rico’s by herself once in awhile and she’d go home by herself. She went on vacation by herself. All in all, she just kept herself to herself.