Kristen Ashley - Rock Chick Revolution

On this thought, I really hoped my next meeting would go well, and I’d already really been hoping it would.

There were a number of doors off the hall, the Zano offices way bigger than mine, and I had to guess which one was his.

But I knew he was in because I saw his Caddy in the parking garage.

I made my choice, tapped on a closed door, heard an impatient, “What?” and found I chose right.

I opened the door and stuck my head in. “Hey, Mr. Zano. Got a second?”

He’d looked up from his desk looking ornery when I’d opened the door, but the minute he saw me his face was wreathed in smiles.

“Ally,” he called, getting up and throwing his arms out. “A pleasant surprise. Of course I have a second for you.”

I entered, closed the door and turned back only to have Vito on me, hands firm on my biceps. I made a mental note that the old guy could move when he pulled me in, kissed one cheek, then the next, then pushed me back and jiggled me.

“And you don’t call me Mr. Zano. Uncle Vito!” he declared.

“Right,” I murmured.

He let me go with one hand and pulled me deeper in the office with the other. “Now, why do I have this pleasure?”

“I was just across the hall checking out the progress on my offices and thought I’d pop by.”

Lie.

It was totally planned.

I then stopped lying. “Ren’s busy so I needed to wait and I didn’t want to wait in reception. Dawn…” I trailed off as we stopped by one of the chairs in front of his desk and I gave him a look.

“Ah, Dawn,” he mumbled, indicating a chair with his hand so I sat. He moved around the desk and continued talking. “Not hard to look at.” He sat behind his desk and leveled his eyes on me. “But sometimes something pretty on the outside can hide…” he paused and stated extremely diplomatically, “interesting things on the inside.”

He had that right.

And he had Dawn’s number.

Then again, no one would mistake Vito Zano for dumb.

“I hope you don’t mind me interrupting you,” I said, and he again threw out a hand.

“Not at all. I’ve been wantin’ to hear how your meetin’ went with Father Paolo.”

Hmm.

“I haven’t spoken with him yet Mist… uh, Uncle Vito.”

He ticked a finger back and forth at me. “Don’t delay, cara. Catholic classes last a year.”

They did?

A whole year?

Yikes!

“I’ve been kinda busy,” I told him.

He nodded and watched me closely. “The business at Smithie’s.” He shook his head. “I heard. Very disturbing.”

He had that right, too.

“It’s done now. Time to heal,” I shared.

“I would say that last part would be the part you and your Rock Chicks would be involved in. Not the…” another meaningful pause, “other.”

He knew I was stripping.

“You do what you have to do to get the job done,” I informed him

His eyes narrowed and he leaned toward me, but I got there before him and leaned toward him, putting my hand on his desk.

“Don’t, Uncle Vito. With respect, I’ve worked this out with Ren and my family. I understand and appreciate your concern, but they’ve come around, and although that’s important to me, bottom line, it’s my job, my choice. And, no offense, truth be told, what you need to focus on is not me or what’s happening with Ren and me or Catholic classes. It’s doing everything in your power not to lose your son.”

I heard his swift intake of breath and caught the flash of pain in his eyes he couldn’t quite keep hidden before his expression turned scary.

But I was a Nightingale. This didn’t affect me.

So I kept going.

“You’re hurting him with this. He’s torn between loyalty to you, loyalty to his mother and where he’s at in his soul. You’re the only father he’s ever known. Are you really okay with attempting to bend him to your will? Even understanding his will was forged through your own blood, so you know that won’t ever happen? Thus forcing him to make decisions that will hurt people he loves?”

“This is not your business, Ally,” he clipped, eyes cold.

“Ren is absolutely my business, Uncle Vito,” I returned.

We went into staredown.

I didn’t back down.

He didn’t either.

This meant our tense silence lasted a long time.

Surprisingly, Vito broke it.

“I’ll not discuss this with you,” he stated.

“I’m okay with that,” I replied. “Just as long as I know you heard me.”

He scowled at me and said nothing.

He heard me.

“I’m gonna see if Ren’s free,” I said.

“You do that.”

Meeting done, and by the look on his face, I didn’t make a friend.

God.

Vito.

Stubborn.

I nodded and got up.

But once up, I looked down at him and fired my parting shot.

“I love him. He’s my world. So obviously I want him to be happy. This dissension is making him unhappy. I also want to work across the hall from him so we can carpool. He wants that, too. And I know you want him to be happy. There is no way the man who looked after Ren and his family, the man who gave a father to a fatherless son, the man who stepped up for Ava and Sadie, would hurt someone he cared about. Not that deeply. And it would be disappointing to me, devastating to the man I love, to learn that’s not true.”

On that, I took off.

But I’d seen his head jerk and I hoped I got in there.

I closed the door behind me and headed to Ren’s office, wanting Lee to be gone. Not because I didn’t love my big bro, but because I didn’t want to delay in breaking in Ren’s desk.

I didn’t stop at Ren’s door because I heard a voice in reception. It was Dom’s, and he sounded angry.

I was Ally. Always curious. So I moved stealthily toward the mouth of the hall, but stopped when I could hear and not be seen.

“…IT guys and they found that shit,” Dom bit out.

“I—” Dawn started.

“Fuck no,” Dom cut her off. “That’s your written warning. From now on, company email only. Not that bullshit you been writing to your girls. That’s fucked.”

I grinned.

Ren had had Dom check her emails.

And I’d been right. She was catting with her girls on company time.

Now she was getting a written warning.

This was so totally a happy day.

“And, just sayin’,” Dom continued. “That fucked up shit you been tellin’ your girls about what’s gonna go down between you and me, get that shit outta your head. I’m married. I got a wife I love and a kid I also love. I’m not gonna do jack to fuck with that. Not with you. Not with anybody. And, babe, just sayin’, take a good look at my wife the next time she comes in. I know you think your shit don’t stink, but you don’t hold a candle to her.”

Suddenly I decided I liked Dom.

Unfortunately done tearing Dawn a new one, he stalked into the hall and scowled at me.

“That was righteous,” I whispered when he got close.

“That bitch is a bitch,” he replied, not in a whisper.

I couldn’t argue that.

Dom continued stalking down the hall.

For (hopefully) future reference of the lay of the land at Zano Holdings, I made note of which office he went into.

Then I went to Ren’s, knocked and entered when he called, “Yeah?”

“Hey,” I greeted, closing the door behind me, noting Lee wasn’t there, so no delays to nookie.

“Hey,” he replied, getting up and making to move around the desk.

“You don’t have to get up, babe,” I told him, moving to him.

We met up. He lifted a hand to cup my jaw and tip my head back before he bent to give me a quick kiss.

When he lifted his head he said, “Yeah, I do.”

Stand up kissing with Ren. Only second best to lying down kissing with Ren.

So I agreed, “Yeah, you do.”

He slid his arms around me. “How’s the office?”

“Operational come Thursday.”

He gave me a squeeze and murmured, “Good, baby.”

“I told Lee about Snookie Rivers,” I informed him.

“Yeah. I got that.”

I bet he did.

“Any news on that?” I asked.

“Not yet,” he answered. “But I suspect there soon will be. Both Santo and Lucky are on it. I was just about to go in and talk with Vito and Dom so they’d know Santo and Lucky have a priority mission and are unavailable. Lee and I agreed to tracking you. He’s having a device put on your car, he wants one in your bag and he’s going to get Brody to track your phone.”

My man so loved me.

So did my brother.

“I’m cool with that,” I told him then asked, “Anything I can do?”

“Although Lee’ll be keepin’ an eye on you, I still want you to let someone know where you are, or alternately where you’re gonna be, and when you expect to get there and do that at all times.”

I could do that.

So I replied, “Copy that.”

He shook his head but his lips quirked.

“Okay, so, I have to get to Smithie and check in. But first, I have to have sex with my man on his desk. Can we do that pronto so I can get a move on?”

It wasn’t a flowery statement or a seductive one, but on the word “sex”, his eyes heated and his body moved, backing to his desk and taking me with him. This I took as him agreeing to my plan.

And he did. He just had additions.

“First, you go down on me in my chair. Then I fuck you on the desk.”

Total happy place spasm so big it sent quivers down my inner thighs.

“You get that, then I get you returning the favor with me on your desk,” I bartered.

Ren was an easy sell.

I knew this when his mouth came to mine, his eyes burning, and he replied, “Done.”

Then his arms closed tight and he kissed me.

In the end, I really couldn’t tell you which phase of sex on (and around) Ren’s desk was the highlight.

So I figured we had to do it again, and soon, just so I could make sure.

Really hoped Vito would cave so my man could be close to me.

Seriously.

And not just so we could carpool.

One week later…

I drove my Mustang into underground parking at my office.

It was nearly noon and I was still working mornings at Fortnum’s because Indy was still in the throes of morning sickness, and according to her doctors, would be for a while.

Although this was gross, she now had so much practice hurling, a quick, “Hang on,” dash to the bathroom, return, “I’m back” happened frequently.

My BFF.

Nothing fazed her.

All was settling in Rock Chick/Hot Bunch Land, which also meant in Ren and Ally Land.

For me, it was mornings at Fortnum’s, work my cases, evenings with Ren.

For Ren, it was work enduring a Vito freeze-out and thus working to wrap things up in order to leave, then evenings with me where I tried to make him feel better.

He hid it, but it was wearing on him.

I’d done what I could do with Vito.

The rest was up to Ren to decide.

That was, of course, if I didn’t lose it, charge into Vito’s office and rip him a new one. Though, I suspected that wouldn’t help.

And I had cases. Two of them. One, Shirleen (and thus Lee) had punted me. One was from a friend who had a friend who needed help.

Surprisingly, when I shared that I didn’t accept gift cards or discounts as payment anymore; she said she’d talk to her friend and share this info. Then her friend came in and chatted with Daisy. After that, she hired me.

Both cases were domestics and I was working them with Matt. From experience, neither case would last long. That said, it was interesting having a partner.

Interesting in a good way.

Matt was kind of the Unknown Hot Bunch Guy. I’d spent time around him. Partied with him. Shot the shit with him. I knew his girlfriend, Daphne. I knew he was hot in a boy next door kind of way. But other than that, not much.

Now I knew he was good at his job.

Oh, and since we were working the job together and this necessitated communicating, I also now knew that he’d bought Daphne a ring. I further knew that the day of the Big Ask was this coming Saturday.

“And if you tell even a single Rock Chick, Ally, I’ll shoot you,” he’d warned me with a not-very boy next door look on his face.

So Matt could be badass.

Good to know.