Luca killed the sheriff’s wife and unborn child that night, and was sentenced—by the court, but really by thefamiglia—on my seventh birthday. A week later, my ma changed her name to Maggie Beautiful, and that’s what I called her from that day forward.
* * *
Brando
Ten years later
“I didn’t think it was going to fit,” the girl said, taking one last look. Then she laughed a little, her smile lingering.
Yeah, how many times did she say that? At this point, it was fucking cliché.
“That thing you did…at the end.” Her cheeks turned bright red. “I’ve never—I mean. It was sexy to watch.”
She took a step forward, reaching out a hand to run along my chest. Sweat coated her naked body and her face was flushed. I took a step back, zipping up my jeans. She watched as I slipped my shirt back on.
“Wait, don’t cover up,” she said. “You haven’t even kissed me yet.”
“I don’t kiss.” I made that clear before, but for some reason or another, she thought that I’d change my mind after we fucked. Most of them did. There was something about the thought of swapping saliva that did nasty things to my stomach. My lips touched skin, but not the mouth.
“You’re not…” She bit her lip. “You’re leaving?”
“Yeah,” I said, looking for my hat. She had flung it off.
“No, don’t leave!” She came to stand in front of me. “We can…are you hungry? We can watch a movie. I have those quick noodles we can heat up and eat. Or…we can go to the diner? And then come back and watch a movie? Or go see a movie! I heard there’s a really good one playing.”
I sidestepped her, looking through the mess on the floor. I liked the hat. It was from one of the colleges offering me a scholarship—baseball and academic.
“Can you give me a second? That’s theleastyou can do!”
Fuck me.She was going to make a scene. I’d just have to get another hat.
“Listen,” she said, taking her voice down. “I—this is all new to me.” She waved her arms around, meaning her room. “College. I’m sure you understand.”
She thought I was older. Most of them did.
“It’s—I’ve been having a hard time adjusting to a new scene. This new place freaks me out. I hear noises. It’sold. Can you stay the night? Please? We can have sex again. I promise I won’t ask to cuddle!”
“Nah,” I said. “I have rules.”
“Rules?” She scrunched up her face. “You don’t seem like the kind of man to abide by rules.”
“Rules,” I said. “Mine. I don’t sleep and I don’t linger.”
“And you don’t kiss.”
I nodded once.
“Rules are made to be broken.”
“Not mine,” I said.
She stuck her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes. “Theleastyou can do is stay, after all we did. The only exception to your rules, it seems—you just fucked my brains out!”
That particular expression never made sense to me—I was too literal. I turned to go, but she snatched my shirt, yanking back.
“Please! I don’t feel safe! You make me feel safe—for the first time in a long time!”
“I’m not your daddy,” I said. “Consider me just a man that fucked your brains out. A man you’ll never see again.” I wouldn’t even remember her face after this. It was almost an itch to take a shower and get her sweat off my skin.
