Boss Daddy: Naughty Daddies Series Read online

  He picked up the envelope and thumbed through the cash before making a clicking noise with his tongue and shaking his head. “This was the price two days ago. It’s nearly doubled now; interest, you know.”

  I was expecting it; any gang leader worth his salt would demand more money. It was a shakedown, but I didn’t care. I’d pay anything for Lucas’ safety, so I tossed a second envelope at Bones, which contained an identical amount of cash.

  He quickly counted the money and smiled. “Okay, we’re all set; Mr. Birch is paid in full. It was nice doing business with you.” He disappeared into the building and shut the heavy door.

  “Well, that was easy,” Johnny announced with a look of surprise.

  “Too easy.” Bones may have played sweet and coy, but I knew what he was capable of. I didn’t trust him for a minute, and believed his actions were to knock us off guard.

  My suspicions were confirmed when the door flew open again, and three beefy bastards charged us with knives drawn. I ducked the blade that swung towards my face, and its wielder grunted when I punched him in the gut.

  Sal cried out to my left, and when I instinctively turned to look at him, I caught a fist to the side of the head. Stars burst in my vision until I shook them away, and I focused on my attacker again.

  His eyes were nothing but black dilated pupils, so I knew he had to be on a substance of some kind, making him even more dangerous. Drugs could give a man enhanced strength while diminishing his inhibitions.

  He growled and swung his knife wildly, slashing nothing but air. Luckily, whatever he was on was killing his aim, but he was moving so quickly that it was all I could do to stay out of his path. If I took a moment to try and retrieve the gun I had on me, he’d slice me up before I could pull it free.

  Finally, I got my opportunity to strike back when he lifted his blade above his head. As he tried to plunge it into my chest, I caught his wrist with one hand, and rammed my other palm under his elbow, snapping his arm.

  He cried out and dropped his blade, and I kneed him in the balls (cheap shots are okay when someone’s trying to kill you). When he fell to his knees, I pulled my handgun from my waistband and pressed it to his temple. Finally, the fucker stopped moving.

  It was more than I could say for the men attacking Sal and Johnny. They were still going full force, and my friends were fighting back the best they could, swinging fists and ducking blows. I grimaced when I saw a large red stain growing on Sal’s shirt.

  I screamed for Bones, and eventually, the man appeared in the doorway again. His eyes widened when he saw the man on his knees before me.

  “Call them off or he dies,” I sneered, gripping a handful of the man’s hair and pressing the barrel deeper into his flesh. The asshole actually thought about it for a moment before giving a sharp whistle, signaling for the other two of his goons to back off.

  The second they did, Sal and Johnny both drew their own guns. Unfortunately, so did Bones, who pointed his weapon at my chest.

  “If you shoot me, your men will be dead before I hit the ground,” I warned. They brought knives to a gunfight, and they would lose. Even if I bit the dust, Sal and Johnny would clean up shop.

  After several silent, tense seconds, Bones finally lowered his gun to his side, and the psychopath actually smiled at me. “Easy, now. It was nothing personal; just business. You old fuckers are tougher than you look. But let’s all be chill. Why don’t you let my guy go?”

  “Put your gun on the ground and kick it to me,” I demanded.

  Bones pouted his bottom lip out. “You don’t trust me one bit, do you?”

  “Fuck no.”

  Once again, his mouth drew up into a smile. “Smart man.” He dropped his gun and slid it over with his foot.

  “Now tell them to drop their knives.”

  He sighed dramatically. “Go ahead, boys.” Their metal blades clattered to the ground and Bones propped his hands on his hips. “Are we done?”

  “For now. But if you ever come near me, my guys, or my boy again, I’ll personally splatter your brain onto the ground.”

  He made the clicky tongue noise again. “If you ever wanna use that big dick for something besides threatening me, you give me a call.” The guy had to be nuts; why else would he be flirty and blasé with guns pointed at him?

  “Well, come on then,” Bones said, motioning his men inside. I let the guy in front of me loose, and all three of them followed him into the building with their heads hanging and their tails between their legs.

  When the door shut again, Sal and I kept our guns pointed at it while Johnny collected the weapons from the ground. Then we bolted. The only reason I let those men go and didn’t try to take them out was that I couldn’t be sure if there were more of Bones’ goons waiting inside.

  If I fired a few rounds to kill the four men outside, who’s to say twelve more guys wouldn’t jump out and gun us all down? I wouldn’t risk my life or those of my friends’. We had the opportunity to leave, and it was best if we took it. Besides, Bones now knew what we were capable of, and hopefully our paths wouldn’t cross again.

  We didn’t slow down until we reached Johnny’s SUV. When I saw that no one was following us, I turned to Sal, inspecting the blood on his shirt. “Were you stabbed?”

  He shook his head no. “The guy’s blade cut me, but I don’t think it’s deep.”

  “Let me see.” He raised his shirt to reveal a gash just below his left nipple; it wasn’t too deep, but it was about six inches long and bleeding steadily. “Jesus, Sal. You need checked out.”

  “I’m okay,” he argued, but I wasn’t having it.

  “Listen, I know you’re a tough old bastard, but that doesn’t change the fact that you need stitches; this thing is just going to keep bleeding if you leave it alone.” He finally nodded his agreement; he knew I wouldn't let it go. "Good, I'll call Doc."

  'Doc' was what we called Dr. Jeremy Morgan, a man who worked for us. Dr. Morgan used to be a high roller in our casino, but he didn't know when to quit. He got himself into big financial trouble and risked losing his medical practice. Once again, I played the savior and offered him a deal; I'd forgive his debts if he would provide care for me and my friends at no charge with no questions, and to keep everything he saw a secret.

  He agreed, and I set the rules; beyond signing the non-disclosure agreement, he was to be at our beck and call, and respond no matter what we needed or when we needed it. He opened his clinic up for us at any time and treated us however necessary. He patched us up in secret without ever involving the police or filing reports that would just make things worse.

  "In the meantime, hold pressure on it with this." I unzipped my jacket and pressed the fabric to Sal's wound, and he gave me a warm smile. "Don't look at me like that. I just don't want you to get blood all over Johnny's car; I'd have to buy him a new one."

  It was bullshit, of course; I cared about my friend, and maybe being around Lucas unlocked a little of my nurturing side. But I had an image to protect…even if my friends knew differently.

  "Thanks, Vinny."

  "Yeah, yeah. Come on, let's get you to Doc."

  Chapter Six

  Bones

  I closed the door and turned slowly to look at my team. Their faces were set in stone, but their eyes held a flicker of fear.

  "Can someone explain to me what the actual fuck happened out there?"

  They had one job; to take out the old bastards outside. I even let them use their preferred weapons; shooting them would've been quicker, but my guys liked to slice up their opponents. I thought they could handle it, but apparently I was wrong.

  "My guy got the drop on me," Don admitted. He was the one who attacked Vinny.

  Yes, I knew Vinny, but until tonight, hadn't met him in person. I knew him by reputation only, and hadn't been impressed. He was a two bit player; a small fish in a big pond. He stuck to safe jobs and what I assumed would be small payouts. Until tonight.

  The man handed over nearly
thirty grand like it was nothing and without a fight, all for a boy he just met. That meant he had greater resources than I imagined, and that he was bigger competition than I gave him credit for.

  People feared me. They respected me. They knew my name and sought me out for jobs because they knew I had no limits. I couldn't let some wrinkly balled asshole take my place. My men were supposed to wipe him out, but they failed me. Which reminds me.

  I took a serrated knife from my pocket and instructed Don, "Give me your hand."

  His eyes widened and the flicker of fear burgeoned into a wildfire. "Please, boss; it won't happen again."

  "You're damn right it won't, and this will be your motivation. You're lucky I'm not putting a bullet in your head." The truth was, I needed him, along with my other men. They had strength that I lacked, though they were indisputably under my control.

  Don held out a shaking hand and in one swift strike of my blade, I removed his pinky. It'd make a nice addition to my chain. Don barely made a sound when I cut him; he was on enough drugs to make a bull elephant feel no pain. I liked to keep my guys keyed up to get the most out of their strength. But he'd feel it when he came down from his high. And if he knew what was good for him, he wouldn't fail me again.

  "How will it look when the word gets out about what happened tonight?" I asked the room. "When news spreads about three gray haired bastards sending this crew running?"

  "What can we do?" Michael, another one of my guys, asked.

  "Tail him. Find out where he lives and where he goes. But leave him to me." Michael nodded and left to start his mission.

  I turned to Tim and ordered, "Find Steve for me." I needed to relieve some tension and Stevey's body was my favorite way to relax. A little blow and a wad of cash was my key to do anything I wanted to him.

  Tim left as well, and I let my mind get to work on how to take care of Vinny.

  Chapter Seven

  Vinny

  "So, are you going to brag to your boy about saving our asses tonight?" Johnny asked as we passed through the entry gate and into my driveway.

  We'd just dropped Sal off at his place after a visit with Doc. Luckily, the damage to his torso was only skin deep, and he was as good as new after a line of stitches. He'd have a scar, but Sal didn't mind; he actually seemed excited. He and Johnny already planned another trip to the strip club after his bandage came off because apparently 'chicks love scars'.

  "No, I'm not telling Lucas anything that happened tonight. I don't want him to worry."

  Johnny smirked, but there was warmth behind it. "I've never seen you like this."

  "Yeah, well…" I had nothing else to say. I'd never been like this. Just looking at my house and knowing that Lucas was inside made my stomach flip. Since it was obvious that I was hiding nothing from my friend and was itching to tell someone, I thought what the hell and added, "He's the one, Johnny. I know it."

  He didn't laugh or tease me like I figured he would. Instead, his lips curled into a full fledged smile. "I'm happy for you."

  It was nice to share a tender moment with him, but also kinda weird, so I broke it up with a joke. "You could find the one too if you'd stop going to the strip club so damn much."

  His smile morphed into a disgusted snarl. "I'm not looking to be tied down. I'm all about good times and loose women 'til I die."

  "Well, good luck with that," I chuckled as I stepped out of his car. Before I closed the door, I told him, "Thanks for everything tonight. I would've been toast on my own."

  "We're always here for you, boss." He winked and I shut the door before watching him leave through the gate.

  I bounded up my front steps and entered my home, excited to see Lucas. After everything that happened, I needed to feel him in my arms and love on his beautiful body. I had it bad for my boy and wouldn't even try to deny it.

  I hustled down the hall calling for him, but he didn't answer. He wasn't in the bathroom or kitchen, so I made my way upstairs. My heart stopped at the sound of his voice coming from behind a closed door at the end of the hall.

  "Yes, Angelo! Faster! You're almost there! Yes!"

  What. The. Fuck? Rage surged inside me. I'll kill the old man for touching my boy. Then a hefty dose of despair joined in, swirling in my gut. My boy. How could he do this to me? Especially after everything I've done for him?

  I stormed down the hall and threw open the door to a large sitting room, where I found Angelo and Lucas on either side of the sofa, a bowl of popcorn between them, and a game controller in each of their hands. The television screen in front of them displayed little cartoon characters in race cars. One that looked awfully similar to Angelo was shaking a trophy over its head.

  Lucas looked over his shoulder and his face lit up when he saw me. "Daddy!" He leapt from the couch cushion and tossed his controller onto it before charging at me. He wrapped me in a hug that was way tighter than he should've been capable of and nuzzled his face into my chest.

  "You're...playing video games together," I stated like a moron.

  Lucas nodded and looked up at me. "I was a mess after you left. I couldn't stop pacing and worrying, so Angelo offered to play with me as a distraction. Is that okay?"

  I'm such an asshole. How could I think such horrible things about my perfect boy? Luckily, Lucas didn't seem to notice my suspicions or anger when I barrelled in. Angelo, on the other hand, was staring at me with disappointment and irritation etched on his face. I gave him an apologetic smile, but he just flipped me off. He'll get over it.

  I hugged Lucas back just as tightly. "Of course it's okay. I'm glad you weren’t alone."

  "And I'm glad you're home safe."

  “I told you nothing would happen to me.” Somehow Lucas squeezed me even tighter, and I kissed the top of his head.

  “Well, since you’re home, I think I’ll retire for the night,” Angelo said as he rose from the sofa, grabbing the bowl of popcorn.

  “Thanks for hanging out with me,” Lucas told him. “I had a lot of fun.”

  “I did too,” the old man smiled. “Let me know when you want to play again.”

  “Definitely.”

  I stopped Angelo on his trip to the doorway. “I appreciate you keeping my boy company.” Now that I know you didn’t fuck him. Obviously I kept that part to myself. “Why don’t you take tomorrow morning off and sleep in? I’ll take Lucas out for breakfast.”

  Angelo’s smirk told me that he knew this was my version of an apology. “If you insist.” Good, all is forgiven. “Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight,” we both replied, and Angelo headed towards his bedroom.

  “So, did everything go okay?” Lucas asked with a nervous look.

  “Yep. Your debt is paid and your name is free and clear.”

  “Thank you so much.” He balanced on his tiptoes for a kiss to my lips and rubbed his hands over my chest. “Hey, where did your jacket go?”

  “Oh...I must have left it in Johnny’s car.” I wasn’t about to tell him that it served as a bandage following a knife fight I was involved in. “I’ll get it next time I see him.” If it’s not ruined.

  Lucas nodded before thumbing over his shoulder. “Do you want to play for a while? It might help you relax.”

  He was sweet, and I definitely wanted to play with him, but I didn’t give two shits about video games. “I think you’ve had enough of those tonight; they’ll rot your brain.” He snorted a laugh, but didn’t fight me. “Go turn it off for the night.”

  Lucas did as I asked, and I smiled as I watched him put his game cartridge back in its case and replace his controllers on the charging stand. He took good care of his gift and appreciated everything I did for him.

  “All set?” He nodded and took my outstretched hand, and I led him into our bedroom.

  The moment we crossed the threshold, the mood changed. We were alone in our safe space after hours of being apart. That little bit of distance made me crave him even more. All I wanted was to claim his body as my own and take cont
rol. So what’s stopping me?

  I gently gripped the back of his neck and hauled him into a searing kiss. I trailed my tongue along the seam of Lucas’ lips, and he granted me entry. I licked against him as I trailed my hands down his back and slipped them beneath the hem of his shirt. I tickled his smooth skin and he moaned into my mouth.

  Lucas pawed at me as well, stuffing his hands under my shirt and petting the hair on my chest and stomach. Our tongues twisted around each other and our breathing grew ragged. I couldn’t touch him fast enough or get my tongue far enough inside his sweet mouth. I needed more of him; all of him. I needed everything.

  If I kissed him one moment longer, I thought my body would burst into flames. “You drive me fucking crazy,” I said when I ripped my lips away. Lucas answered me with lust-blown pupils and a heaving chest.

  I raked my eyes over his body, noting the lump in his pajama pants, and his cute bare feet. “Get on the bed.” Lucas scrambled onto the mattress and lay perfectly still on his back. “You’re so good for Daddy,” I crooned as I kicked off my shoes and crawled onto the bed with him. It’d been too long since I heard it, so I demanded, “Tell me who you belong to.”

  “You, Daddy.” I could hear it every day and it wouldn’t be enough.

  “Damn straight.”

  I tucked my fingers beneath his t-shirt again and slowly pushed it up his torso, revealing inch after inch of creamy skin, and two light brown nipples peaked with excitement. Lucas lifted his arms over his head and once his face popped through the hole, a naughty idea struck me. I rested the fabric around his elbows, keeping his arms up and bound together. “Leave them there.”

  “Yes, Daddy.”

  “Good boy.” I kissed down his neck and onto his smooth chest, flicking my tongue across his pointed beads. I’d never shown this type of attention to anyone else’s body, but Lucas was special; cared for, and I wanted him to feel it.

  I continued on my travels, kissing and lapping at his skin until I reached the thin patch of hair below his navel. I trapped it between my teeth and pulled, making Lucas hiss.