Loving Vincent: A Mafia Romance Novella Read online

  “Oh. My. Fuck.” Jenna announced, flopping bonelessly beneath him.

  Vince pulled out of her and rolled over onto his back, one hand resting possessively on her belly. He grinned at the ceiling, his first real, honest to goodness smile in years. “Yeah,” he agreed.

  He’d never felt this way before. Not even close. He brought women home sometimes. Fucked them, sent them on their way. This was different. He already felt a powerful craving for the woman he’d fucked seconds before. He wanted to do it again. His cock was already growing semi-hard as he thought of how he’d fuck her next. On her knees, her chest pressed down into the bed. He’d fuck her pussy and play with her ass, get her used to anal play. He suspected she was an innocent when it came to anal.

  He was in the process of rolling over on top of her again and capturing her face between his palms, when a voice filtered through the door. “Mommy?”

  They both sat up and looked at the door. Or more specifically, the knob that was slowly turning. They scrambled for the blankets, laughing like lunatics as the door swung open.

  Fifteen

  “You will accept Sharon’s help and that’s final,” Vince snapped, giving Jenna a hard stare. “You can’t do everything yourself and I don’t want you alone here all day.”

  Jenna stuck her tongue out at him. It had been two weeks since Jenna and Lola moved into Vince’s home. Two absolutely perfect weeks that Jenna wanted to hold in her heart forever. The man she’d thought was a thug and a merciless kidnapping asshole had transformed into an amazing boyfriend. His every thought and action seemed to be geared toward Jenna’s and Lola’s comfort. He bought them gifts almost daily and took them out for play dates in the city. He child proofed his home in a matter of days and set up a brand new bedroom for Lola. If Jenna had any doubts about his ability to commit, either to her or a child that didn’t belong to him by blood, he’d managed to smash those doubts.

  “First of all,” Jenna started, knowing how much Vince hated when she started a conversation that way. “I don’t have a job anymore. If you recall, some overbearing man stepped in and terminated my employment, which I’m pretty sure is illegal I’d like to add. So, all I do all day long is cook, clean and take care of my daughter.” She went up on her toes and pressed her lips against his. “Thank you for that. I’m very grateful to be in a position to spend this much time with Lola.”

  “Exactly, you need more time with her. Sharon can help with the - ”

  Jenna cut him off again with another kiss. Then leaned back and gave him a no-nonsense look. “Second of all, I’m surrounded by your security team all day long, how exactly am I alone? Jared practically lives in our kitchen. He spends more time here than you do.”

  Vince grunted his annoyance. “That’s another thing. If you stopped making delicious food then he might leave on his own. I’d rather not have to order him back to the job site. He’s like a stray dog, hanging around to pick up any scraps you might throw his way.”

  “He’s super sweet with Lola,” Jenna protested.

  “He has a job to do, he needs to get the fuck back to work instead of having tea parties with Lola and her dolls. If anyone should be having tea, it’s me.”

  Jenna snapped her fingers and pointed at the swear jar on the counter, giving him a pointed look. He was the one to set it up, so he could darn well fill it with coins if he was going to have such a potty mouth. He grumbled under his breath, reached into his pocket, pulled a handful of coins out and dropped them into the jar. After only two weeks it was nearly full. Jenna was starting to suspect he actually intended to pay for Lola’s college tuition this way. Jared and Vince, along with some of the security guys who occasionally came into the house for food and to do a security sweep, contributed.

  After paying into the fund, Vince grabbed Jenna by the back of her neck, wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her up onto her toes while bending toward her for a lingering kiss. His breath swept over her just before his lips captured hers. Her knees went weak almost immediately and she was grateful for his solid body. She leaned heavily against him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

  “My want tisses too!”

  Lola came screeching around the kitchen island and slammed her little body against their legs. They broke apart, Jenna laughing, while Vince bent over to pick the little girl up. He held her tight in his arms and rained kisses all over her face.

  “You can have all the kisses you want, brat,” Vince told her before setting her back on the floor.

  It made Jenna’s heart ache in a good way every time she saw them together. They fit like two peas in a pod. Vince made time for Lola every day, asking her questions, buying her puzzles and books and getting down on the floor to play with her. Jenna thought he was putting in the effort for her sake, but the more she saw them together the more she believed he truly loved her daughter. This was the type of relationship she’d always wanted Lola to develop with her father. It was becoming more clear by the day that Zach had rarely interacted with his daughter. Lola never asked about him, while she asked daily when Vince or Jared were coming home. Once Lola asked about a former nanny and a couple of times she asked if she was going back to her old house, but Zach didn’t even register for Lola. Which, for Jenna, was both sad and a relief. She would hate to take away someone Lola truly loved.

  Vince pointed at Jenna. “Sharon will be here tomorrow morning at 9, I expect you to put her to work.”

  Jenna bit his finger. When he jerked it out of her mouth she said, “Fine, I’ll be perfectly polite and let her fold laundry. I hate laundry anyway.”

  “Good,” he grunted, dropped another kiss on her lips and left for work.

  “Shut up, he did not!” Sharon exclaimed, leaning forward against the island where Jenna was pouring ingredients into a bowl.

  “Yes! He broke into my house and tried to terrorize me into doing his dirty work. I nearly had a heart attack, I was so freaked out. He’s lucky I didn’t call the cops and get him put him in jail right then and there.”

  “More like you’re the lucky one, judging from that sex mussed hair I saw this morning,” Sharon teased, making Jenna blush and let out a laugh.

  It had been a little over a week since Sharon started working in the house as a part time housekeeper and nanny. She and Jenna had become fast friends and, after a few days and a few glasses of wine, no topic of conversation was off limits between them. Sharon was formerly part of some kind of clubhouse that Vince and Jared had belonged to. Apparently things went bad, the gang tried to betray the two men and Sharon was caught in the middle. She’d gone to Vince with some information about the betrayal, saving his life and making her a target of the club. Jenna wasn’t sure of the specifics, wasn’t sure she wanted to know, but the club was now gone and Vince ran things in their absence. His protection extended to Sharon, Jared and couple of other former club members who went to his side.

  Sharon was an interesting woman. She was covered head to foot in tattoos, only her face escaping the ink. She vaped like only a former chain-smoker could and drank and swore like a sailor. Except when she was around Lola. She became a doting aunt with perfect vocabulary and the instincts of a mama lion. She was a perfect addition to the household and Jenna was glad she let Vince convince her to give Sharon a chance.

  They were busy making cookies together and chatting about Jenna and Vince. A popular topic of conversation since the relationship was fairly new and Jenna still had stars in her eyes. The sex was amazing and happened almost every night, often multiple times per night until Jenna begged Vince to let her get some sleep and give her tired girl parts a break.

  “Shit, we’re out of butter,” Sharon said, searching the fridge.

  “Hmmm,” Jenna leaned across her and peeked in the fridge. “We’ll need to get more.”

  “I’ll go.” Sharon straightened up. “You need to stay and pull the batch in the oven out when they’re done.”

  Jenna shook her head. “I’ll go, I want to get Lola
out of the house for a few minutes. Fresh air and all that good stuff. Plus, I have a few other things I want to pick up while I’m out.”

  “Take the security guys with you,” Sharon said in her no-nonsense voice.

  For the most part Jenna barely noticed the security guys unless they were in the house. She tried to treat them more like friends and less like people who were responsible for keeping her and Lola safe. It felt weird being with a man who might be a target. She understood the need for security, she just didn’t know quite how to deal with them yet. She felt like she was bothering them every time she made a request. She actually paused for a moment and seriously considered letting Sharon go to the store instead so she wouldn’t have to ask for an escort. Finally, she decided that it was important to get Lola out of the house and go about her life as normally as she could with a couple of dark-clad sunglass-wearing gentlemen following her around.

  She pulled her phone out of her pocket and texted Avery, the head security guy: Going to the grocery store with Lola.

  Seconds later she received a text back: Bradshaw and Hanes will accompany you.

  Jenna texted: I’m taking the Lincoln, they can follow.

  She didn’t wait for another message, instead putting her phone away. She knew what was coming next, Avery would try to convince her to let the men drive them, and when she refused he would call Vince, who would call Jenna and demand she go with the security men instead of in her own car. But Jenna wanted some alone time with her daughter, even if it was a short twenty-minute run to the store. As much as she was learning to love and appreciate the newfound supports she was receiving in Vince, Jared, Sharon and the security team, she was almost never alone. She wanted to take a selfish moment and keep Lola all to herself. And drive the beautiful SUV Vince bought for her.

  “Be back in a few!” she said to Sharon sailing out of the kitchen and picking Lola up from her spot in the living room, surrounded by a mess of Mega blocks that Vince had bought, insisting his little girl was going to grow up to become an engineer.

  She had them bundled up in their outdoor gear in record time and flew into the garage where she buckled Lola into her car seat behind the driver’s seat. Climbing into her seat, Jenna adjusted the mirror and chair for her shorter frame. Vince had taken his motorbike to work that morning, leaving the Lincoln for Jenna if she needed it. She hit the garage door opener and backed out onto the street, waving in her mirror as Bradshaw and Hanes pulled up behind her.

  Jenna lost her tail somewhere around the third light and sent a quick voice message letting the guys know what store she was going to. They immediately responded, telling her to stay put in the parking lot until they arrived. “So bossy,” she said to Lola winking in the rearview at her chattering daughter.

  When they arrived, Jenna glanced around, looking for the security guys. When she didn’t see them she shrugged and pulled into a spot. There was enough empty spaces on either side for the guys to park next to her. As she climbed out a van pulled into the spot right next to her. She frowned in annoyance and flattened herself against the Lincoln as the guy finished parking.

  “There are a million empty spots and you have to park right next to me?” she muttered in annoyance, opening the rear passenger door. She reached for the buckle on Lola’s car seat.

  The scrape of a shoe on the pavement right behind her caught her attention, and just as she heard the slide of a van door and turned around to look she was grabbed from behind. She was yanked into someone’s body, a man she guessed, the one driving the van. She let out a yelp before she was flung around and shoved headfirst into the back of a van.

  Sixteen

  Before she could react and twist around and look at her attacker, her arms were seized, yanked behind her back and tied. She kicked out, her running shoe connecting with something soft. The man cried out in pain and shoved her legs into the van. Jenna could hear Lola’s screams and her heart nearly burst out of her chest. Would he go after Lola next? Would he hurt her?

  Jenna began screaming as he slammed the door shut. Even though she was closed in, she continued to scream, trying to get someone’s attention, as he climbed into the driver’s seat and reversed out of the space with enough force to send Jenna rolling across the dirty hard surface of the empty back of the van. She slammed into the side, curling into a ball so her head wouldn’t hit anything.

  As soon as she was able to roll onto her back she began screaming bloody murder again.

  The guy twisted in his seat to look at her and snarled, “Shut the fuck up, Jenna!”

  “Zach!” she gasped, staring at him in disbelief.

  He didn’t respond but turned his attention back to the road where he sped away from the grocery store taking almost every turn he saw. Jenna figured he was trying to lose her security team. It wouldn’t take Jenna’s security long to realize what happened and come after them.

  “You motherfucking spineless asshole!” Jenna screeched going up onto her knees and crawling forward toward him. “You left our daughter in a parking lot!”

  “You’d rather I grabbed her too?” he asked, his voice low and ugly, as though he’d reached the end of his sanity.

  “I’d rather you stop being a kidnapping stalker!” she yelled back.

  He hit the brakes, stopping fast for a light. Jenna was flung into his seat and then onto her back, knocking the wind out of her and crushing her hands underneath her. She yelped in pain and rolled onto her side. The van started moving again.

  “He made me sign custody documents, airtight, I’ll never get to see my daughter again, never see you again,” Zach said venomously. “He threatened my life. This was the only way I would get to see you again, Jenna. You have to understand.” His voice turned pathetic, wheedling.

  “You left our daughter in a parking lot!” she shouted back, rage flowing through her with enough force that she was incapable of thinking logically. She wanted him to drop dead instantly. She didn’t care if he took her with him, she wanted to fucking main him in the worst way. He’d caused years of misery with his accusations and legal fights. The final straw was leaving his screaming daughter vulnerable in a parking lot, strapped into her chair. What if the security team didn’t find Lola right away? She had to get back to her!

  That thought calmed some of her rage. She had to try to reason with him. “Zach, we have to go back! We have to go get Lola. You can’t just leave her there for anyone to grab.”

  She saw the back of his head go side to side in a negative shake. “We can’t go back.”

  “She’s our daughter, she could get hurt!” she shouted in disbelief.

  “We’ll make a new child,” he said pleadingly.

  She stared at him. Did he actually say that? That they would leave their precious girl behind and go make a new one? Images of his broken bleeding body slashed through her mind giving her small comfort as she worried over what would happen to Lola.

  “What’s wrong with you?” she cried angrily. “How did you turn into such a monster? I used to love you, Zach. If any part of you still cares for me please, please go back and get Lola.”

  He seemed to think about it for a second, then shook his head. “We can’t. You have to understand, Jenna, if I go back that place is going to be crawling in Corey’s guys. He’ll take you away, grab me and have me killed. Might even do it himself.”

  Jenna had never been so angry in her life, not even when Zach was dragging her through the mud, trying to convince the world she was a terrible mother who deserved to lose her daughter. At least back then Lola had been protected, in the care of nannies while Zach tried desperately to keep Jenna in his life. Now, he had what he wanted and it was clear Lola meant nothing to him, dead or alive.

  “I want you to die!” Jenna growled, and kicked out with all her might, slamming her feet into the back of his chair. She kept kicking, venting her rage and wriggling closer so she could do some real damage.

  “Stop it! Jenna, fuck!” he shouted, trying to shove her f
lailing legs away.

  “No!” She screamed and slammed her feet into the back of his head sending him flying forward into the steering wheel. He hadn’t bothered to put on a seatbelt.

  The only warning Jenna had that they were about to crash was the screeching of the tires as Zach hit the brakes. She rolled onto her side and tucked herself against the seats just as they impacted. The air was shoved from her body as her back slammed into the seats with enough force that Jenna lost consciousness for a few seconds.

  When she came to, she blinked into the gloom of the back of the van and took a quick inventory of her body. Sore hands from where they were tied behind her back, bump on the head, no broken bones that she could tell. She wriggled her fingers and found the knot on the rope had come loose. It took about a minute of working her fingers against the rough rope before she managed to free herself. She pushed herself onto her knees and looked into the front seat.

  Zach was slumped over the steering wheel, unconscious and bleeding from his head. The entire windscreen was smashed, probably from the impact with his head.

  “You motherfucker!”

  Jenna slammed her fist down onto his shoulder, uncaring that he might have a cracked skull. She was going to finish the job, kill the kidnapping, child abandoning fucker. She smashed her fists into him over and over again, catching him on the face, head and torso, hitting him wherever she could. He didn’t move.

  The door next to her was jerked open and Jenna let out a yelp of surprise and twisted around to see who was behind her. Vince stood in the doorway, his face a mask of relief, before it melted into something so truly scary even Jenna cringed back. Then she remembered how much he cared about her and Lola. She pointed at her bleeding, broken and unconscious ex-husband and yelled, “He left Lola alone in a parking lot!”