Black Widow's Bite

Good Morning Giada

Giada entered her family’s home with an exhausted sigh. She was working so much lately she was burning the candles at both ends and usually her go-to method of choice for stress relief was s*x with whatever man of choice at her beck and call. Vigorous and relentless s*x usually helped but it wasn’t an option this morning. Unfortunately, her current partner was being strangely quiet and unresponsive. It was time to cut him loose and find someone new.

She heard quiet murmuring from the kitchen and followed the sound and saw her mom cutting her dad’s hair at the kitchen table. They married nearly thirty-five years ago and despite their ups and downs, they were still loving, sweet people to one another.

She knew in her father’s line of work, relationships were hit and miss and more often than not, men like him kept mistresses all over the world. She once asked him point blank if he’d ever taken a lover, no judgement on her end, curiosity only, and he’d questioned why he would go out for burger when he had the finest filet at home.

Her mom, Lia, was the typical Jersey Shore character with the big hair, fake tan, eyelashes which looked like spiders attached to her eyelids and eyebrows so heavily penciled she looked surprised all the time. Her mother was loud, boisterous and ran a hair salon which catered to women exactly like her.

Her dad was the opposite. Quiet, reserved, never speaking unless there was something important to say. Most people in their circle considered him cold, cruel, and unyielding. He was though the number one to a mafia Don and reputation was fifty percent of his business. The other fifty was solidly based on fact. He could be a brutal son of a b***h but never to his wife and daughter. Not ever. They came first. Every single time.

She admitted she was far more like her father than her mother. She hated the fake eyelashes and manicured fingers got in the way of pulling a trigger or stabbing a man. She would cop to occasionally getting a fake tan, but she preferred the real thing from being on the beach. At best, she did enjoy wearing lots of jewelry but each piece she wore was purposeful. She was also as ruthless as her father, being his right hand since she was younger.

Her father’s day job, his cover as he called it, was to operate a limousine service. They usually drove the rich and fabulous everywhere and anywhere. Assigned to Ermano for the last five years, she and her dad split the driving duties. A month ago, Ermano faced another hit attempt, and her dad took the bullet. She was still pissed the two security details in the car with them at the time let it escalate.

Giada leaned against the doorway to the kitchen and watched her father, wearing his white wifebeater, the scar from the bullet which hit his right shoulder in a bright red starburst pattern blazing at her while he sat patiently as his wife tended to him.

“You should put a bowl on his head. It would be cute,” she grinned knowing her father heard her coming before she’d even put a key in the lock.

“Very funny, Giada,” her mother shook her head. “Why are you only coming in now?”

“Had a job.”

“It’s six in the morning. Girls need their beauty rest.”

“She had a job,” her father spoke quietly, “leave it, Lia.”

She smiled and winked in his direction. “How’s the shoulder, pops?”

“Hurts like a bitch.”

“You should take something for it,” her mother suggested.

“And get addicted to the s**t we peddle? I think not.” He gave a shake of his head and then accepted the smack to the head she gave him for moving. He looked at Giada, “your godfather wants to see you this morning.”

“Does he?” she smiled at the mention of Ermano. “Why?”

“Yeah, but he’ll tell you.”

“I’ll go now.”

“You need to sleep,” her mother protested.

“I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”

“Well, you’ll be dead sooner rather than later if you keep up this pace,” her mother commented angrily. “Bed.”

“No can do,” she moved to the fridge, grabbed a can of coke, guzzled it, and then belched loudly earning a grunt from her father. “There, I’m awake.”

“Gilberto, you have to put a stop to this. He uses her too much.”

“Giada, do you want to stop?” When she shook her head, he gave a one-shouldered shrug, “she doesn’t want to stop.”

“It’s not natural.”

“Neither is your hair,” she teased her mother, tugging the extensions. Her mother slapped at her, and she danced away from her reach. “I’ll be back later.” She started back towards the door, but her father said her name in a quiet command. Grinning, she turned back, bent, and kissed his cheek. “I love you, papa.”

“I love you,” he said seriously. “You be careful.”

“Yes sir.” She kissed her mother’s cheek noisily and left. Hopping into her car she revved the engine to make her way to Ermano’s estate twenty minutes away.

Her heart fluttered at the incoming call. “Don Baldasarre Saputo. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

The mob boss from Las Vegas owned a voice smoother than silk and hotter than molten lava. He’d been her secret desire for much too long now. He was her every fantasy come to life. “The pleasure is all mine, I assure you.”

“Oh, it definitely is,” she answered cheekily. “What can I do for you?”

“It is what I can do for you. I was on a date earlier this evening and she physically reminded me of you.”

“Oh really? How so?”

“Brunette, great rack, incredible ass.”

“She sounds smoking.”

“Yes, but then she opened her mouth. I wanted to put a bullet in her head. She has the IQ of a snail. I realized there are women in this world who might compare to you physically, but never intellectually and the ones I encounter who match you intellectually lack physically. Then there are the ones who match your skills in other areas of our business, and they have nothing on your form or they’re men. Overall, I feel I should simply have the real deal. Come to Vegas and I will treat you like the queen you deserve.”

“Don Saputo,” she spoke with a smile in her voice, “you’re flattering me. I am unsure why. What are you up to, you sneaky devil?”

He chuckled, “I am not lying. I can send you the photo of the girl. Unbelievably beautiful. Eyes as vacant as my soul.”

She was certain there was truth to his words. “Was there something specific you wanted this morning? It is still fairly early there.”

“Aside from wanting you in my bed? I am sitting in my office in my hotel dealing with a complaint brought to my attention this morning involving our mutual enemy.”

“Greco?”

“Yes. Do you happen to know where Teo Greco is?”

“Don Saputo,” she reverted to the formal, “you know such information only comes from Don Amato, not from me.”

“He agreed to let me kill him when the time was right.”

“Yes, but he didn’t agree you could request intel from me.”

“True but I was hoping for some quid pro quo.”

“Such as?”

“Name your price, Giada. I’ll give you whatever you want. Anything.”

“Don.”

“Tsk, tsk,” he corrected her. “You are being far too formal considering you saw me naked.”

She licked her teeth with the memory. “You make it sound far more sordid than me simply opening a door I shouldn’t have.”

“I do wish it was sordid. Say my name, Giada.” His command skated along her skin the way her car was gliding along the asphalt, slick and smooth.

“Sarre,” she whispered unable to stop herself, “you’re flirting.”

“I am and you like it. Name your price. Then tell me if you know where the little worm Teo Greco is.”

“I can’t have you kill him yet.”

“I agree but he knows the location of someone else I want. Through him, I will find the other family member of his not off limits to either of us right now.”

“I am going to have to decline your delicious offer, Sarre.”

He gave a sigh, “I knew you would. You are loyal to your family.”

“I am. My blood, despite my mother’s Puglisi blood or my father’s Amalfi blood, somehow runs Amato red.”

“Another reason you would be my perfect lover. Think of the alliance.”

“Yes, but you would not be able to stay faithful to me, Sarre. You would grow bored in a week, and I would be forced to kill all my romantic rivals. Think of the have messes you would need to clean up every single night.”

He gave a bark of laughter at her words, “we were talking lovers but, if you let me put a ring on your finger and be my bride, you will have my undevoted loyalty until the day I die.”

Dear god why was she considering the madness of him. “You do know, Don Baldasarre Saputo, I work with daily with men in this line of work.”

“Your point?”

“Your word is only good until you change your mind.”

“I will pretend I am not offended by your comment, sweet Giada.” Noise in the background caught her ears before he came back to her, “it seems I have a lead on my own.”

“You know where Teo is?”

“Mm, it seems I do.”

“Interesting.”

“I can share information with you, for a price,” he chuckled warmly.

“I cannot afford your fees, Sarre.” She laughed back.

“I will give you the family discount.”

“I am not your family.”

“You can be.”

“I have too much to do before I settle down,” she quipped back, the bite of regret at not being able to have it all. She noted the mansion in the distance. “I am almost at my destination. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“No. Think of my offer, Giada. I would be honored if you would consider my proposal.”

She gave a serious nod. “Right.”

“Good night, Giada.”

“Good day, Sarre.” She ended the call exhaling sharply.

Baldasarre Saputo was a dangerous man. Her New Jersey family was often brash, bold and in your face with the way they managed their business. He was slick, smooth and the modern-day equivalent of a Frank Sinatra meets James Bond Villain. Charming and charismatic, he could coax you into thinking you were his best friend right before he blew your brains all over the room.

Six months ago, he made an offer to her Don involving her as the bride to his groom. She’d been flattered and terrified out of her mind. He was the kind of man she would lose herself in and then be strangled to death for pissing him off. The notion of dying by the hands of the man she loved was not one she wanted to engage in, and she wasn’t stupid enough to think she wasn’t in love with him. Her snippy mouth would likely piss him off to the point he murdered her where she stood. However, since the offer was made, it wasn’t anything she could get out of her head. She wanted to. Oh boy, did she want to. If he didn’t live a half country away, she’d be dressed in white skipping down the aisle.

Parking her car, she shook her head and put him out of her mind. She had more important things to do this morning. “Focus Giada, time to do your job.”