“It’s not your choice.”
“It’s my baby.”
“How do you know?” Tina said, arching an eyebrow. “Are you telling me she only slept with you?”
“She’s willin’ to do the blood test thing, an’ so am I. Besides, she swears it’s mine.”
“And you believe her?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay,” Tina sighed. “I’ll talk to her. But not for you—for her. And Michael . . .”
“Yeah?”
“In future keep your horny little dick to yourself.”
“Little, Tina?”
She couldn’t help giggling. “I never did find out, did I?”
Two days later Tina summoned him back to the house. “How many times did you sleep with her?” she asked.
“Once.”
“Then you must be a one-shot wonder.”
“What d’you mean?”
“I took her to the gyno. She’s five months pregnant, so you must have slept with her right after you moved out of here.”
“Who remembers?” he said, remembering only too well.
It was one of those hot summer nights and he’d been over at Tina and Max’s for dinner. As he left their house, he spotted Beth sitting on the steps outside the house next door. She was wearing a skimpy red halter top and barely there shorts. “Hi, Michael,” she said, waving at him.
He walked over. She was smoking a cigarette, drinking from a can of Coke, and listening to Cuban music on her transistor radio.
“Miss me?” she said, flirting as usual.
He plucked the cigarette out of her hands. “You’re too young to smoke,” he said sternly.
She leapt to her feet. “Give that back!” she yelled, hands on hips.
He took a drag, purposely teasing her. She sucker-punched him in the stomach and grabbed her cigarette from him.
“How are you?” he asked, grinning.
“Bored,” she answered restlessly, sitting down again and stretching out her long legs.
“Where’s Catherine?”
“Away for the weekend.”
“Why didn’t you come over to Max an’ Tina’s for dinner?”
“Then I’d be even more bored.”
“Why? I was there.”
“That’s what I mean.”
“You are a piece of work.”
“Takes one to know one.”
“So,” he said, sitting down next to her, “where are all your boyfriends tonight?”
“Ha!” she said disgustedly. “I told you before—I don’t like boys, I like men.”
“And how old are you now?”
“Old enough to do whatever I want,” she said, staring at him boldly.
“I don’t think so. In my opinion you’re gonna havta make do with boys for the next few years.”
“Really, Michael?” she said, giving him another provocative look.
“Yup.”
“Wow! It’s hot,” she said, fanning herself with her hand.
He couldn’t help noticing that her nipples were erect. The skimpy halter top did not hide much, and it was obvious she was not wearing a bra.
“The freezer thing at the top of our fridge broke and there’s a big chunk of ice stuck there,” she said, totally aware he was checking out her breasts. “Can you please take a look for me?”
“Call the repairman,” he said briskly.
“Please, Michael, please,” she said, standing.
“Okay, okay,” he said, getting up and following her into the house, which had the same layout of rooms as Max and Tina’s, although it was furnished differently, with colorful couches, bright abstract paintings, and ethnic rugs. Aunt Gloria had exhibited very flamboyant taste.
The kitchen was a mess. Dirty dishes and chaos everywhere.
“Catherine does the housekeeping,” Beth explained, bending down to pick up the cat’s dish.
“Where’s this ice problem?” he asked, trying to avoid staring at her butt, so snug and inviting in her short shorts.
She gestured toward the refrigerator. He walked over. She was right behind him, transistor radio blaring salsa.
He could smell her—a heady mixture of sweet vanilla perfume and fresh sweat.
“Michael,” she said.
“Yeah?” he answered, opening the fridge.
“I think you’re very sexy.”
“And I think you’re very young,” he said, peering at a large chunk of ice jamming the door of the freezer section.
“I’m not a virgin,” she announced.
“Let’s hang out the flags,” he said, attempting to dislodge the ice with his hand—a fruitless exercise. “You got an ice pick?”
“Will a hammer do?”
“Guess it’ll have to.”
She fetched a hammer from the kitchen drawer and handed it to him.
As he turned to take it, she suddenly flung her arms around his neck and kissed him. A big, warm, wet one right on the lips, with plenty of tongue involved.
“Beth—” he began. Too late. Like clockwork, his dick sprung to attention.
She was no slouch. She felt his erection, and before he could even consider what was about to happen next, she unzipped his pants and inserted her hand.
Christ! What could he do? He was only human, after all.
Within seconds she was untying her halter top, revealing the most perfect small breasts with delectable erect nipples. “I want you,” she murmured in a husky whisper. “I want you, Michael. I want you now.”
He fingered her nipples. She moaned and began moving her hand on him.
The hell with how old she was, he was at the point of no return, and he wasn’t going anywhere.
They sank down onto the cold linoleum-covered floor. He ripped off her shorts, only to discover she was wearing no underwear. Nor was he.
Her skin was hot, clammy, and inviting. After sucking on her nipples for a few moments, he thrust his hand between her legs, and then mounted her.
She moaned with pleasure, moving under him, undulating her hips toward his, somehow writhing in time to the throbbing music.
It was a thrill ride for both of them. So good that after a few minutes’ respite he was ready to go again. And he did.
Then, suffused with guilt, he never went near her again.
That was five months ago. Now this.
“Anyway,” Tina said, in full take-charge mode. “It’s too late for an abortion.”
“That nails it,” he said decisively. “She’ll have the baby, an’ I’ll marry her.”
“Sorry to shatter your wonderful fantasy of every woman begging to be your wife,” Tina said, “but as you know, she doesn’t want to do that.”
He wasn’t in the mood for Tina’s jibes. “What then?” he said shortly.
“She says she’ll move in with you.”
“I don’t get it,” he said, puzzled. “One minute she won’t marry me, an’ now she wants to move in with me?”
“She thinks living with you is a good idea.”
“I don’t want to live with anybody.”
“Why? You were willing to marry her.”
“That’s different.”
“Well,” Tina continued, “I imagine this’ll teach you to keep your pecker in your pants.”
Why did he have a feeling that Tina was enjoying every moment of his uncomfortable situation?
Businesswise, things were on the rise. Working with Gus and his crew suited him fine, and he was making plenty of money investing Karl Edgington’s cash and skimming off ten percent of the profits before transferring the balance to a numbered Swiss bank account. It was complicated, but Karl had the whole deal worked out. He never made a wrong call about what stocks to invest in. The man was a genius, and Michael was getting rich.
Meanwhile Gus’s crew was involved in everything from loan sharking to the protection racket. Once in a while they pulled off a major hijacking. It kept Michael just busy enough.
“If anyone ever needs m
e to take anythin’ to Vegas, it’s what I used to do,” he said, passing the word along.
Gus laughed in his face. “Mr. Lucchese don’t shift drugs that way,” he said. “He’s smarter than that.”
“Drugs? I thought I was carryin’ cash.”
“Vito Giovanni had you runnin’ narcotics,” Gus said. “You’re freakin’ lucky you didn’t get busted. You wouldn’t be walkin’ around today if the Feds had nailed your sorry ass.”
Shit! He’d been ferrying drugs back and forth across state lines without knowing it. What kind of an idiot was he? And why hadn’t Mamie warned him? She was a bitch for not doing so.
He’d noticed that one of Dante Lucchese’s men seemed to go out of his way to avoid him. The man’s name was Bone, and that’s exactly how he looked. Pale skin and bones stretched over a skeletal face, with ice pick eyes, droopy gray eyelids, and a stooped frame. He had to be getting up there—almost fifty. Everyone knew he was Mr. Lucchese’s enforcer. If someone needed to be terminated, Bone was the man who took care of it. Michael wasn’t into that side of the business. Killing was not for him. The only killing he cared to make was in the stock market.
“Has Bone got a problem with me?” he asked Gus one day.
“What kinda problem?” Gus said, vigorously chewing gum.
“The asshole never says a word to me, never. I don’t even get a nod.”
“Dunno,” Gus said, picking at a hangnail. “You should try talkin’ t’ him. S’matter of fact, he used to work for your old boss.”
“He did?”
“Yeah, he was with the Giovanni family. It must’ve been before your time. I heard he was tight with the old lady’s cousin.”
“Mamie Giovanni’s cousin Roy?”
“Yeah. Hey—ain’t that the jerk you told me set you up?”
“Right.”
“Maybe Bone don’t think you should be here.”
“How’s that?”
“I dunno. Talk to him.”
But he didn’t. There was something about Bone that did not invite conversation.
The Delagado twins had several relatives scattered across the country. This was useful, because while Beth was busy moving into the house Michael had found for them, Catherine elected to visit with a distant cousin. Catherine, the quiet twin, was most upset by Beth’s pregnancy. She felt Michael had taken advantage of her sister.
“How come we’re doin’ this?” Michael asked Beth as they unpacked boxes. “It’s crazy. We should be gettin’ married.”
“Why?” she said simply. “You don’t love me, and I don’t love you.”
“ ’Cause we’re havin’ a baby,” he said, attempting to get through to her. “An’ we want this kid to grow up feelin’ he’s got parents, right?”
“What makes you think it’s a boy?” she asked, busy removing T-shirts from a box and placing them in an untidy pile.
“It’ll be a boy,” he said confidently.
“Don’t be so sure,” she said, patting her stomach. “I think the sex is determined by the person who’s the most dominating force.” A wicked grin. “And that’s me.”
“You would think that, wouldn’t you?”
She smiled at him again, that tempting, tantalizing smile that had gotten him into trouble in the first place.
Recently he’d found himself visiting Max and Tina’s more than usual. He enjoyed playing with the kids. Little Harry was a real toughie, and Susie was a cute tomboy. But girls weren’t the same as boys, and he wanted a son, a boy he could teach things to, a mirror image of himself he could be proud of.
It wouldn’t be like the relationship he’d had with his dad. Vinny had never given him any attention or love. His son would get the works.
“I’m getting so fat,” Beth wailed, catching a glimpse of herself in a mirror. “I look like a big old hog.”
“No way,” he assured her, wondering what he was supposed to do about his other girlfriends now that they were moving in together. There were two or three that he saw on a regular basis. Was he supposed to give them up?
“Yes, I do,” Beth complained, turning sideways. “Look at me, I’m a disgrace.”
“You’re funny,” he said, amused at her dismay because there was no sign of a baby growing inside her stomach; she still looked sensational.
Angrily she turned on him. “Oh,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “So you think being fat is funny?”
“You’re somethin’ else, Beth,” he said, laughing. “When you grow up you’ll make someone a very happy man.”
“And that someone is not you, is it, Michael?” she said, suddenly turning all serious.
“No, we both agreed this is a temporary arrangement until you have the baby. Then we’ll figure out our next move. In the meantime, we’re both free to do what we want.”
“If we want,” she corrected.
“Hey,” he said. “I’ve seen all the guys coming on to you when you lived next door to Tina and Max. You think I didn’t notice? So go out, have fun. I’ll do the same.”
“I never actually screwed any of them,” she said innocently. “You were the only one I fucked. And someone in Cuba when I was fourteen.”
“Jeez—Beth!” he exclaimed. “Anyone ever mention you got a mouth like a sailor?”
She tilted her head on one side. “Something wrong with that?”
“You look so innocent sometimes, then whammo—you open that mouth of yours, an’ watch out! Sailor alert!”
“Sorry, Michael,” she said sarcastically. “Am I offending your tender ears?”
He wasn’t in the mood for her smart-ass answers. “Anyway,” he said. “What’s with the you-never-screwed-any-of-them? When we got together, you were not a virgin.”
“That’s right,” she said.
“So?”
“So I told you—there was a man in Cuba.”
“Who was he?”
“My secret lover.”
“Which I guess means you don’t want to tell me.”
She grinned. “Right.”
“I gotta go out,” he said. “I’ve left money on the kitchen table. You’d better buy a crib and all that shit. We gotta get organized here.”
“You mean we’re not doing it together like some newly married couple?”
“Beth, don’t push me.”
“Hey,” she said vehemently. “I’m having the baby for you, so don’t you push me.”
“Let’s remember that you’re havin’ the baby ’cause it’s too late for you to get rid of it.”
“I hate you,” she said, suddenly acting her age. “I really, really hate you.”
“Wow! Feelings. That makes a nice change.”
“I’ve always had feelings for you, Michael,” she said, switching moods. “From the first time I saw you, I knew I’d get you. And now I’ve really got you.”
“I don’t understand you,” he said, shaking his head. “I would’ve married you, but no—you didn’t want that.”
“It’s better to see if we can get along without all that legal stuff, don’t you think?”
And she looked at him with her big brown eyes, and it suddenly occurred to him that he could be falling in love with this sexy child-woman who was carrying his baby.
Sometimes he wondered what was really going on in her head. “You’re so casual about this,” he said.
“Why shouldn’t I be?”
“By the way—for the record, you do not look disgusting. In fact, you look kinda beautiful. You got that glow thing happenin’.”
That smile again, lighting up her face. “I do?”
“Yeah,” he said ruefully. “Unfortunately for me, you are a very beautiful child.”
“You know I’m not a child,” she said with a wicked grin.
“So you keep telling me.”
“Well,” she added seductively, “since I’m pregnant anyway, and it’s quite obvious we’ve done the deed, shouldn’t we maybe celebrate?” As she spoke, she put her arms around his neck
, bringing her lips close to his ear.
“Beth,” he said, shaking his head, “you are one big tease.”
“Michael,” she whispered, her tongue licking inside his ear, “I am not teasing.”
Four months later, Beth awoke in the middle of the night and started screaming like a banshee. “I’m having a baby!” she yelled hysterically. “And it fucking hurts!”
Michael leapt up, hurriedly dressed, ran outside, hailed a cab, and they got in and raced to the hospital. Beth continued to yell, scream, and curse all the way.
The nurses were shocked. “Kindly tell your wife to calm down, Mr. Castellino. Her language is not acceptable.”
“She’s not my wife.”
“Are you her uncle?”
“No,” he laughed. “I’m the baby’s dad.”
“Oh,” the nurse said, tight-lipped.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, as Beth’s ear-splitting screams and curses filled the air. “I offered to marry her. She told me no.”
“Silly girl,” the nurse said primly.
“I’d say so,” he agreed.
While the nurse wheeled Beth into the delivery room, he ran to a pay phone and called Max and Tina. “You’d better get over here fast,” he announced. “We’re havin’ a baby.”
“We’re on our way,” Max assured him.
By the time they arrived, Beth had given birth to a healthy baby girl. The baby weighed eight pounds six ounces and had a full mop of thick, black, curly hair.
“We’re calling her Madison,” Beth announced, lying in the hospital bed holding her baby, her long, dark hair damp with sweat, a content smile on her face.
“What kind of a name is that?” Michael asked.
“It’s a special name,” she replied softly, “for a special girl.”
“I don’t got no say?”
“Get used to it,” Max laughed. “That’s the way it is. Married or not—the female always gets her own way.”
“Here,” Beth said. “You take her.” And she handed Michael the newly named Madison.
Gingerly he took the baby and held her in his arms.
Madison.
She was a beauty, exactly like her mother.
Dani—1971
Recently Sam’s lawyer had contacted Dani to inform her that Sam wished to arrange visitation rights with his son. When she confided in Gemini over lunch at the Desert Inn, her friend was adamant that she tell the lawyer the truth.