Welcome to Little Italy, Viv

The next day, Leo made his way up to my office just before lunch time. He wanted to apologize to Viv. He had bought flowers for her. A dozen long stem roses.When Viv saw Leo walk through the door she panicked. She froze behind her desk.

"Viv," Leo said to her, "I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. I offer you these flowers as a token of my friendship and a sign of my deep regret for scaring you."

Viv couldn't respond. Leo noticed she was terrified and chuckled. He placed the flowers on her desk and opened the box for her.

"I need your help if we're going to be friends, Viv. This is how things work in Little Italy. Rule number one, you don't take shit from anyone. I come up here and apologize to you. You say, 'Fuck you, Leo'. I ask you if we're good. You say, 'We'll see' and thank me for the flowers. I go down to Gino's and say to my crew. 'You believe the size of the balls on Dante's girl? I bought her flowers and apologized for yesterday. And she says, 'Fuck you, Leo'. Everyone will laugh, break my balls a bit, and take you serious from now on. Got it Viv?" Leo smiled.

Viv was confused for a moment. She replied out of sheer fright, "Fuck you, Leo." Then quickly added, "The flowers are beautiful, thank you!"

Leo smile and replied, "Atta girl. Anyone gives you grief you come to me, got it? Come down in a ten minutes and order an espresso." He turned and left the office.

Viv's heart was pounding. She laughed nervously at herself, not believing that she had just said "fuck you" to a mob boss: the mob boss. She waited exactly ten minutes and headed down to Gino's. Leo's crew watched her as she headed to the counter and ordered an espresso from Marie.

Vinnie called out, "Marie! Whatever Dante's girl wants put it on my tab. It's on me. We good, Viv?" He asked.

Viv turned slowly to face the table of mobsters and stared at Vinnie. "Fuck you, Vinnie," She said the words as if she had spoken them a million times.

The entire crew laughed and clapped. One of the mobsters called out, "Good for you, Dante's girl. Good for you! You got some balls on you!"

Marie looked at Viv and winked as she coyly asked, "Welcome to Little Italy, Dante's Girl. So, you and Dante...you know?"

Viv winked at Marie and whispered, "He's not little."

They both broke out in laughter. Marie whispered back, "Good for you! Dante is a sweet guy, Viv. You want that I should invite you two over for Sunday dinner?"

"Let's see how things go, Marie. It's a bit early. I can't believe I went to bed with him the same day I met him," Viv confided in Marie.

"Pleeease! We aren't in the dark ages, Viv. Why wait?" Marie chuckled.

Uri and Vlad

While Marie and Viv were laughing it up, I arrived at the furniture factory that Uri runs his operation out of. I had called Uri and told him that eight in the morning didn’t work for me. I’d be at his factory around noon. No fucking way I was going to show up at whatever time he told me to. I changed the time on purpose, just as a little ‘fuck you, Uri’. I was frisked and my Beretta was taken away from me. I stared the goon who took my gun down. He smiled and said something to me in Russian. I didn't understand what he said, but I was certain it wasn't pleasant.

I smiled back and replied, "Fuck you very much."

Uri was sitting behind a huge mahogany desk. His number one soldier, Vlad, was standing at attention behind him.

"Dante, welcome to my place of business. Please, sit down." His accent grated my nerves. It was as if he was forcing himself to talk as a baritone.

"I'll stand. You called this meeting. You can't do anything for me, Uri. I'm here to find out if Vlad has the balls to call me a rat to my face," I snarled.

Uri forced a laugh and replied, "I'd be careful what you ask for, Dante. Vlad is Special Forces. He'll cut you up and feed you to the crocodiles at the zoo."

"Take a number and get in line. I've been threatened to be cut up and fed to mammals, fish, and now reptiles. I couldn't give a fuck, Uri. I want to hear him call me a rat to my face, if he's got the balls." I pushed it.

Vlad was pissed. I had insulted him in front of his boss and he couldn't do a damn thing about it. Sweat was pouring out of his shaved head and pouring down his cheeks.

"I think there has been a big misunderstanding, Dante. Vlad never called you a rat, as you put it. He gave Leo the photo, and told him that he should talk to you. He followed my instructions. He's a good soldier and would never disobey an order," Uri calmly explained to me.

I looked at Vlad and then turned my stare to Uri. "That's not what Leo told me. You calling Leo a liar, Uri? I'm a good soldier too, and I'm working for Leo on this. What's going to happen when I tell Leo that you accused him of lying to me?"

Vlad shouted something in Russian at me. The veins in his head looked like they were going to explode.

"Calm down, Vlad!" Uri ordered. He stood up and glared at me. "The video, and what that drug addict told the cops is bullshit. We all know that. Leo and Po assured me that my product and girls would have a presence in the casino. A sign of good faith, to keep the peace. We all agreed. I will not get fucked out of millions of dollars by anyone. Are we clear? It got back to me that you were working with Po to cut me out of the casino deal that Leo and Po promised me."

"That picture you gave Leo is enough to get me killed, Uri. Why would I want to start a war? What do I have to gain?" I asked.

Vlad leaned and whispered something in Uri's ear.

Uri squinted as he replied to me, "Vlad believes that Po offered you a private security deal for the casino. If you could cut me out. So that he could move more drugs and have more girls working there. You and Po staged the video and were going to turn Leo against me."

"Did Vlad come up with that all by himself? Do you think Po would be stupid enough to try and go behind Leo’s back? The cops have the security contract, you dumb fuck!" I screamed at Vlad. "Nothing was going to happen without the cops! You're too fucking stupid to come up with that yourself. Who told you that?"

Uri turned to Vlad and tilted his head towards me, ordering Vlad to tell me who fed him the information.

Vlad hesitated, he looked at me and said, "I get phone call. I never see his face, no name. I meet him at Chinese Mall in photo booth. I sit inside; he came and said Po want Uri out of casino deal."

"Who does he work for?" I asked him while my mind raced to find some sense in what I had just been told.

"He say Po treat him like shit. He knew I am Spetsnaz. He said he is military, like me. K-9 unit in Chinese army. He show me tattoo on his arm. And maybe Uri give him better job, if he help Uri," Vlad replied.

I took out the picture of Ling kissing me from my jacket pocket and handed it to Uri as I said, "I'm giving this to you, Uri. If Po sees it I'm dead. This has nothing to do with the casino, Leo, you, or me."

Uri grabbed the photo, set it on fire and tossed it in his trash can. "Someone is playing a game that can cost us a lot of money. Tell Leo he has my full co-operation."

I turned to leave, Vlad called out after me, "I hope Chinese pussy is worth you being chopped up, asshole!"

I didn't pay attention to him. K-9 unit. Dogs. Dog trainer. Military. Po has dogs, Chinese fighting dogs, to be exact. Chinese pussy. Ling, young, manipulative, Ling. The dragon lady's promise to her.

“Huh? You mean my dad? He’s a pussy. It’s my mom, you have to watch out for.”

“My mom fucks the help. I caught her, and blackmailed her into talking dad in to hiring you. There is no way I’m marrying that billionaire loser. Mom will make sure of that. She was forced into marrying my dad. She hates him. And she promised me that I would marry the man I wanted.”

I stopped dead in my tracks. "Vlad, did you see his shoes? Did they have buckles?" I asked with my back to both the Russians.

"Yes, I call him a Leprechaun. He laugh, because we are military," Vlad boasted.

"Thank you. I'm sorry for calling you a dumb fuck. It appears I grossly overestimated you, and was much toogenerous in my assessment of your mental capacity," I snarled as I walked out the door.

"Apology not accepted, asshole," Vlad screamed out and smiled at Uri.

I got in my car and called Ling on my way to visit the dragon lady at her restaurant.

“Hey, Dante! Can’t stay away from me, can you?” Ling teased me.

“Stop fucking around, Ling. This is very important. A lot of lives hang in the balance. How did you convince your mom to get your dad to hire me?” I asked her, my tone was all business.

“I told you. I caught her fucking Chang, and threatened to tell dad unless I got something I wanted,” Ling answered.

“It was your idea to hire me? This is important, Ling. Think.”

“Yes, I wanted a bodyguard, you know, to show off at school. Mom was watching the news, when they showed you on the video. She joked about hiring you. I immediately agreed and stood my ground when she tried to talk me out of it. Ling always gets what she wants.” She chuckled.

“Thank you, sweetheart. Two more questions. Chang’s shoes, describe them to me,” I asked her.

“Mmm, I like being called sweetheart. If I tell you, will you listen to me cum? I’m rubbing my tight pussy right now, just for you, Dante,” She purred.

“Yes, I will. Tell me about the shoes first.”

“They’re fucking ugly. All his shoes have buckles on them,” Ling chuckled.

“Your dad’s dogs, did your dad buy them?”

“No, mom got them for their twentieth wedding anniversary. She's at our restaurant now, planning their twenty third anniversary for tomorrow night. Why?” Ling asked.

“Thank you, Ling. Gonna have to take a rain check on the cumming part. Listen, you are going to hear some nasty stuff. I want you to remember that you have your whole life ahead of you. And that you are a very smart, very beautiful, and very special girl. Okay? Now, get your dad to drive you someplace. I don't care how you do it, or where you go. His life depends on it. And stay away from the dogs. Text me as soon as you and your dad are out. Leo will contact your dad.” I ended the call.

I called Hollywood Nick and asked him to bring his surveillance and recording gear, and meet me at Po's restaurant. Pronto.

I pulled into the Po's restaurant's parking lot and waited for Nick. I lit up a smoke and my mind wandered to Ling. Poor girl. Her mother used her to conspire with Chang to murder her dad. Nick arrived, drove by my car and handed me a tie-clip with a transmitter built into it. He parked and went inside. Ling texted me that she was at the mall with her dad. I got out of my car and made my way to the dragon lady.

Chang and the Dragon Lady

I spotted the dragon lady and Chang at a corner table. Nick was at the bar, ready to record the conversation that I was about to have.

"Hello, Mrs. Po," I greeted her as I approached the table. My gut was in a knot. She had used her own daughter to plot the murder of her husband.

"Mr. A-brack-a-vando," She greeted me, butchering the proper pronunciation of my last name in the process. "Your name translates to 'he who embraces the wind'. Wind is one of the five elements. Please, join us." She smiled and pointed to an empty chair.

I had no idea what the fuck that was supposed to mean. And I really didn’t give a fuck.

I sat down next to Chang, choosing the chair to his right. I saw the bulge of his holster on the left side of his jacket. We are both right handed. Sitting to his right gave me the advantage of the draw … if we had to go for our guns.

"I don't think we have met," I said to Chang.

The dragon lady interrupted and coldly asked, "What is it you want? Defiling my daughter wasn't enough for you? Are you here to gloat?"

I got mad. The fucking nerve of this woman. "I'm here to prevent your husband from being murdered," I snarled.

Chang moved his right hand towards his jacket, reaching for his gun.

"Don't, Chang. I'll beat you to the draw and I'll put you down," I snarled at him.

He looked at the dragon lady, she shook her head. His hand moved away from his jacket.

"Does my husband know?" She calmly asked me.

"He will. Nice touch, if I say so myself. Having the dogs maul him to death on your wedding anniversary. The dogs you bought him are weapons trained by Chang, not pets. Very smart using the casino and me as a diversion. Playing everyone against each other. Making us chase our tails, excuse the pun," I grinned at her. "But why all the drama? You could have just as easily skipped the bullshit about the Russians and me. A lot of people could have died because of you two fucking morons," I snarled.

"I must ask you to leave," She hissed at me.

"Not a chance in hell that's gonna happen. The Russians helped me identify Dr. Dolittle here." I motioned to Chang with my head. "And Ling told me you and Chang fuck. Winslow is gonna love that. You'll both end up as dog food. Poetic justice, wouldn't you say? Tell me how it was supposed to go down," I grinned at Chang.

He looked at the dragon lady, she nodded.

"First, tell me how you knew it was me," Chang said.

"The video, and your shoes. You were there that Sunday morning when the hit was supposed to happen. You were caught on video. No way to recognize you. But the buckles on your shoes gave you away. Vlad remembered your shoes from your meeting with him. And I confirmed it with Ling on my way over here," I told him.

"You're too late. I'm not telling you shit. You can't prove anything if Po is dead," Chang smirked.

"Ling and her dad are not at the house. Call him if you don't believe me," I smirked back at the prick.

The dragon lady rambled off something in Chinese to Chang. He picked up his phone and called Po. No answer. He turned to me and laughed. The dragon lady smirked and huffed at me.

Chang leaned against me and whispered, "Fuck you, Dante.

You don't have the balls to call Po, not after that picture I sent to the Russians. You're bluffing. Why all the bullshit, you ask? Po is paranoid; he triple checks everything anyone does. We needed him distracted. The timing of the casino deal was perfect. Our plan made him believe that it might be delayed, or that a mob war was about to explode in the streets. It gave me the perfect opportunity to make my move. I had the phones in the house upgraded. Fed Po a bullshit story about increased communication security. He went for it, and he was too busy to snoop around and watch what was going on. I control the phones in the house from my cell phone. When the dogs hear the attack command, they will tear apart anyone that's in a room with them. I set that command as the ringtone on Leo's office phone. I just called him. No answer. It's done. The dogs have served their purpose. The dogs snapped and turned on their master. Open and shut case. You got nothing. Now, get the fuck out of here and let the newly widowed Mrs. Po mourn her husband's tragic passing."

"What's going to happen to the dogs?" I asked.

"What the fuck do you care? They'll be put down. Get the fuck out of the restaurant, greaseball!" Chang raised his voice.

"Greaseball? Chang, you hurt my feelings. You should seriously consider sensitivity therapy. What you called me is frowned upon, and not socially acceptable. I'm very disappointed in you. What if no one was in Po's office? What would the dogs attack?"

"I trained them. If no one is around when the command is given, they do nothing. What the fuck do you care about the dogs for? Po just got torn to shreds." Chang looked at me as if I had two heads.

"When I was a kid, I had a dog. Someone had abandoned him as a pup, in High Park. I found him and took him home. Sparky got sick after about a year I had him. The vet said there was nothing that could be done to save him. I got a soft spot for all animals. Except for spiders, fuck spiders. Tell me what the attack command is."

"It's wiped clean already. It was a recording of Mrs. Po's voice, saying she loves me in Mandarin. Something she could never say out loud. Like I said, you got shit on us. Now, fuck off, greaseball!" Chang grinned as he purposefully insulted me again.

I had all I needed. Hollywood Nick recorded the entire conversation and was sending it to Leo. Minus the part about me and Ling of course. Leo would call Po and inform him of what Chang and his wife conspired.

"Call me a greaseball one more time, you fucking prick," I dared Chang.

Before he could say a word, I grabbed his head and bounced it off the table till he was unconscious.

I stood up, buttoned my jacket and stared at the dragon lady. "That was for the dogs, not for this prick calling me a greaseball," I snarled at her. "And you should be ashamed of yourself for using your daughter like you did."

I joined Hollywood Nick at the bar and ordered two shots of Jack Daniels.

"Salut, Nicky," I smiled at him.

"Salut, Dante," he replied. We downed the shots. "I remember Sparky; he was a good dog, Dante. Everybody from the neighborhood loved him and still misses him. I'll take Po's dogs if no one wants them. I could use them to guard the property. What are the chances of them ever hearing the attack command in Mandarin, in Little Italy?"

I smiled at Nick and said, "Thank you, Nicky. I miss Sparky every day. You're a good friend, Nicky. Now, let’s get the fuck outta here."

I did my job. The fate of Chang and the dragon lady were in Po's hands. I wrapped my arm around Nicky's shoulder and we walked out of the restaurant.

The case was solved. But I didn’t feel much like celebrating. All I could think of was Ling, and how she was going to react to the events that had transpired. I thought of Sparky, and how much I still miss him. I loved that dog.

Leo invited me to dinner with the Russians. It was his way of making sure there were no hard feelings left over. I declined. I told him that I was going to stay home, that I needed some down time. Besides, I still needed to sort out my feelings for Viv.

A knock on my door

There was a knock on my apartment door just after ten o’clock that evening. I wasn’t expecting company. I thought maybe it was Gino stopping by to check on me. I opened the door and was surprised and happy, to see Viv smiling and holding up a bottle of wine and a box of cannoli.

“Gino told me you were feeling down. I hope you don’t mind me showing up at your door unannounced. I couldn’t stand the thought of you being alone and feeling blue.” She smiled at me as she spoke.

“Are you kidding me, Viv? No way I mind. Are those chocolate cannoli?” I asked, kissed her on the cheek and reached for the box.

“Hands off the cannoli, Dante. Where’s your fridge? The wine and cannoli are for later,” She snickered.

“Later?” I asked her, “Why later?”

She kissed me as she replied, “You’ve been in my bed, now I want to be in your bed. You can show me how you like to fuck.”

“Ooo! Again with the potty mouth, Viv,” I chuckled and playfully smacked her ass.

“Maybe I like having my ass smacked by you, and say those things on purpose?” She chuckled.

“Not for nothing, Viv. You have a very sexy ass, and I do like to smack it,” I laughed.

Viv grinned and replied, “Anytime, Dante. If you want, you can handcuff me.”

What is it with women and handcuffs?

I smiled and whispered to her, "Sono il tuo mostro?" Am I your monster?

She nodded and whispered back to me, "Si, il mio bellissimo mostro." Yes, my beautiful monster.

I scooped her up in my arms and carried her to her bed. She kissed me with an urgency that was life or death. Viv slipped off her skirt, pulled off her top and kneeled on my bed. She helped me get out of my suit. When I was naked, she took my hand and pulled me on top of her. Her legs spread wide, inviting me inside her.

I gruffly whispered to her in between kisses, "Sei mia?" Are you mine?

She panted back, "Si, sono tua, sei mi voi." Yes, I am yours. If you want me.

I slid the full length of my cock inside her and kissed her harder. Viv shivered and let out long, low moan as she wrapped her legs around my waist.

I pulled out of her and kept my cock aimed at her slit. "Sei tutta mia?" Are you all mine?

She moaned and gasped her reply as I slid back inside her, "Ohhh, si! Tutta tua!" Ohhh, yes! All yours!

I started to fuck her hard and deep. She dug her nails into my back and met each of my thrusts with an upward thrust of her hips.

I growled at her as I continued to pound my cock into her, "Si sei tutta mia, viene per me, sollamente per me!" If you are all mine, cum for me, only for me!

"Ohhh, Dante!" Viv shrieked out as she came.

My lungs were burning, I couldn't catch my breath as I watched her cum and felt her squeeze me deep inside her. My balls tightened, my cock swelled and twitched one last time, I filled her with my cum. Viv grabbed my ass and held me buried inside her as she shivered at the sensation of hot cum being pumped and splashed inside ofher.

She moaned in a gurgling, low, throaty voice, "Riempi'mi!" Fill me!

I did.

I collapsed on top of her. She wrapped her arms and legs around me and held me tight to her warm body as soft moans escaped her lips.

I lifted myself up on my elbows and looked down at her, “Sei bellissima,” I softly growled.

"Mmm, no," She purred.

"Sei mia?" I asked, playing along with her.

"No," she purred and giggled.

"Viviana?" I asked as I kissed her eyes.

"No, no and no," She pouted.

"Viv?" I asked as I nibbled on her neck.

"Nooo," She moaned as my nibble sent shivers through her.

"Dante's girl?" I asked as I sucked on her nipple.

"Yes, I am Dante's girl," She panted.

Little Italy and The Fucking Apocalypse!

The next day I had a meeting with Leo. He told me that he had spoken with Uri and Po, and everything had been sorted out. There was no bad blood between the three clans. And that Po wasn’t going to chop me up. He was well aware of his daughter’s promiscuous behavior. He was going to send Ling and his wife to China. Ling had no choice in who she was going to marry. The union of the two families would allow Po to expand his business globally. I chuckled and thought to myself: Ling had more than just a say in what her father had planned for her. I’d give seven-to-one odds that Ling wouldn’t step foot on the plane.

Chang had disappeared. No one asked any questions about him.

I pulled up in front of my office and parked my car. Gino was pacing in front of his restaurant and taking long drags on a cigarette. He spotted me and frantically waved at me to go to him.

Marie called Viv and laughed as she said to her, "Viv, you're gonna want to come down and watch the G and D drama queen show."

Viv went down and took a seat at a table with Marie and Angelina. It was a hot summer's day. The front windows of restaurant were open.

"D! Thank God you're here. I'm losing my fucking mind!" Gino said in a panic.

Whatever it was that had Gino spooked, was bad, very bad, for him to call me D.

"Take a deep breath, buddy. What's wrong?" I asked as I helped him sit down on a chair on the small patio in front of the open windows. I sat down across from him.

"It's Leo, G. High blood sugar. The doctor said it's nothing to worry about. He just has to watch what he eats," Gino was almost in tears as he gave me the news.

"Thank God he's okay!" I crossed myself and looked up to the sky.

Gino slumped in his chair and I thought I heard him sob. "There's something else, D. It's the end of the world. The fucking apocalypse begins in Little Italy. Ma decided that we should all show our support for Leo."

I placed my hand on his arm and said, "Look at me, G. You're mom has a heart of gold. She's like Mother Teresa. It's a good idea; we should all be there for Leo." I turned in my seat to face the women and said to Angelina, "A heart of gold, you hear me, Angelina. A heart of gold, that's what you got. You're a saint! I love you so much!"

Gino took a deep breath and said, "Ma decided not to make cannoli for a week. So Leo won't be tempted."

The world came crashing down around me. My chest tightened, everything got blurry. I thought I was going to pass out. Two words that should never be said in the same sentence 'no cannoli' echoed in my head.

Marie leaned over to Viv and snickered, "Here it comes, Viv. Sit back and enjoy the show."

Gino said something that I couldn't make out over the buzzing in my head.

"D! Come back to us. Don't go into the light!" He panicked as he shook my arm. “Marie, Viv, Ma, call an ambulance, we’re losing D! I think he’s got PMS!”

Viv didn't know what to make of what she was witnessing. She turned to Marie and mouthed the letters P-M-S.

Marie shook her head, laughed and explained to Viv, “He means PTSD. They’re both extra special morons when they get like this.”

Angelina looked at Viv and said, "Two grown men throwing a temper tantrum. You believe this, Viv? You see what I had to put up with when they were growing up? I can't tell you how many times they sat in those same chairs, as a punishment, for something stupid they got themselves into. Sometimes I think they're both not right in the head." She turned to Marie and said, "Marie, tell Viv how my Gino proposed to you."

Marie laughed and began to tell the story, "I was twelve years old the first time. G and D were fourteen. And neck deep in royal shit, as usual. They were grounded and weren’t allowed to attend the school dance. G had promised to dance with me, after I had to threaten him about a million times to get him to agree. The night of the dance we all walked by here, to tell D and G that we were sorry they were grounded. I told G that that he stilled owed me a dance. He started to cry. He was so cute."

Gino cut Marie off. "I didn't cry, Viv. I had allergies when I was a kid. Doctor Moranti said it was a miracle I didn't die from them."

Viv snickered and asked, "Just like D and his spider bite?"

Marie laughed out loud and hugged Viv, “Good one! Welcome to the neighborhood, Viv!”

Gino gasped and squeezed my arm, "Don't listen to them, D. It's crazy talk."

Marie continued to tell the story. "With tears in his eyes, he got down on one knee and took my hand. He made me promise to wait for him, no matter how long it took for him to get out. Like he was serving a sentence in jail. He promised that he was going to marry me and dance with me every day. I fell in love with him on the spot."

Viv rubbed G's shoulder and said, "Awww, G. That was so romantic."

Gino shrugged and replied, "Ya, a friggin' romantic with no cannoli."

I placed my hand on G's arm and sobbed, "G, I can’t remember what your mom’s cannoli taste like. The sun ain't gonna shine anymore, G. The sun ain't gonna shine anymore."

Gino sniffed and replied, "You're poet, D. You're a friggin poet. You captured the pain in my heart. That’s beautiful. It should be song. Something only Tony Bennett could sing."

Marie reached over and slapped Gino. "That's a friggin' Frankie Valli song! You're both thick as bricks!"

"Nice, Marie, nice. Kick a man when he's down why don't you! Don't listen to her, D, she’s just being hurtful," Gino comforted me.

Viv laughed and asked me, "Dante, you have an appointment with a potential client in fifteen minutes. You want me to cancel it?"

"No, no, Viv. I'll pray to God to send me the strength to meet with them," I struggled to get the words out.

G and I stood up and hugged each other. Viv slipped her arm around mine and walked me to my office. I sat in my chair and slumped over my desk. Viv locked my office door.

I sighed, looked up at her and asked, "Who's the appointment, Viv?"

She walked slowly towards me as she unbuttoned her blouse. "I am," She coyly smiled.

Suddenly, I wasn't thinking of cannoli anymore.

~FIN~