Page 47 of Volatile Vice
God, the thought of it…
I draw a breath as I go back to the kitchen. Mom and Raven have cleaned their plates, and Phyllis is setting out the dessert.
“Raven,” I say, “may I have a word?”
“We’re just about to start dessert, Vinnie.” Raven grabs a small plate from Phyllis. “I believe I’ve told you before that Ineverturn down dessert. I will never turn down dessert again.”
Yes, she did say that.
I plunk back into my chair and take a spoonful of the tiramisu that Phyllis placed in front of me.
I’m not a big fan of tiramisu, but it’s my mother’s favorite.
Dessert drags on. It doesn’t help that my mother keeps asking Raven questions, forcing her to slow down her eating. I gobble mine up pretty quickly, leaving a trail of cocoa powder all over the table in my wake. But Raven takes her sweet-ass time. It’s like she knows that this might very well be the last time we’ll share a meal together.
Once my mother and Raven are both done, and Raven—thank God—says no to coffee, I rise. “Raven, can I speak with you outside?”
“Of course.” She smiles at my mom. “Mrs. Gallo, thank you for the lovely dinner. Everything was delicious. It was so wonderful to meet you.”
My mom smiles and gives Raven a hug. “It was a joy to meet you as well.”
Finally, I escort Raven toward the French doors that lead out to the large redwood deck. The guesthouse stands in the distance, and I lead Raven toward it.
She glances around and scratches the side of her head. “Where are we going?”
“This is the guesthouse.” I walk her to the front door. “You and I are going to go in, and I’m going to fuck you.”
Her eyes widen. “But I thought?—”
I look away from her. “You thought what, Raven? That you would show up here and nothing would happen? That’s bullshit. You came here for this. We both want it. And we’re going to have it.”
Raven swallows. “Vinnie, I?—”
I stop walking, grab her shoulders, and force her to face me. “You knew how this was going to end up as well as I did. You knew it when you came here.”
“But I didn’t.” She wriggles out of my grasp. “You live with your mother. I just wanted to see you. I wanted you to say it to my face, Vinnie.”
“Say what to your face?”
She looks down. “That you don’t love me. That you don’t want to be with me.”
I grit my teeth. “You know that isn’t true. It’sbecauseI want to be with you that I can’t be. Not until this business with my family is taken care of.”
She keeps her gaze down, kicking at a pebble. “Then maybe it’s best that we don’t sleep together tonight. Best to”—she looks up at me with those soulful doe eyes—“make a clean cut.”
“I call bullshit.” I grab her hands. “You want me to fuck you, Raven. And I want to fuck you just as badly. Probably more badly.”
“Vinnie…”
“I’m done talking, Raven.” I pull her into my arms, carrying her like a child. She’s no heavier than a feather in my arms, and I walk the rest of the way to the guesthouse.
I push in the code, disarming the security system to the guesthouse, and open the door.
The guesthouse is nearly as lavish as the main house, though it’s quite a bit smaller. A large living and dining room, a smaller kitchen and family area, and three bedrooms round out the one-story home.
With Raven still in my arms, I head down the hallway toward the master bedroom.
I open the door and look her in the eyes.