A taste

An undedited excerpt from my, as yet, untitled single author anthology coming out from Lethe Press.

Enjoy a little Vito and Don:

His statement caught me off guard. I stammered. "That's it?" I don’t know what I was expecting. I mean, I was back on the clock and all, but seemed odd to do the fun, gotta run routine.

"It?" Like he knew what I was thinking, Vito smirked.

"I mean, well, earlier." I was trying to put the jumble in brain into words and it wasn’t working real well. "We're done?"

"Yeah," Vito leaned in close and whispered, "for now."

I didn't really want it to be done. "I mean, you know," I hedged, "I could go for more. If you want?"

That got Vito laughing. "Ahh, you're so young." He teased.

"I'm thirty." I protested.

"And I'm past fifty." Vito slapped my chest with the back of his hand. I got to laugh when Vito hissed and shook out his hand. Kevlar hurt when you smacked it. "So," Vito glared, "you're young, just get used to that. I don't need it." His expression switched to one of his super sexy and naughty grins. "Fact, I can wait. I want to wait. 'Cause when I get you all naked and sweaty." Being naked and sweaty with Vito sounded like heaven. "I want to really enjoy it. When you mellow out a little, you start to figure out, a little delayed gratification adds that edge. Come on, wasn't there ever a guy you wanted so much and you had to wait and wait and when it finally happened…"

I didn't have much choice, about the waiting. Still, I could yank him some for making me. "Crappiest lay I ever had." I even managed to dead pan the statement.

Vito rolled his eyes and spread his palms up and out. "God hates me." Turning away, he walked out of the shed still talking, "I'm trying to teach you something," he lectured, "and you just ruin it." When I came up behind him, he twisted a little and whispered, "I'll try not to be the second crappiest lay you ever had."

"You're a piece of work, Vito."

"Took a lot of years to get here." Vito smacked my ass this time. I'm sure my eyes went huge, 'cause he started laughing. "Go on, kid." Vito stepped away and shooed me off with a flick of his hand. "Go back to work and be all amped up. 'Cause, I tell you, when you're with me…we go slow, goditi la vita. You need to stop trying to make it. Enjoy where you are."

"What, give up achieving?" I didn't leave. I didn't want to stop just hanging out with Vito. "Forget trying for Lieutenant?"

"No, but why make Sergeant if you can't enjoy being a Sergeant, ah?" He shrugged. "Take the time to really live." I thought he was going to hit me with more advice. Instead, he stepped away again and belted out in his deep rich voice, "It's now or never come hold me tight, kiss me my darling, be mine tonight. Tomorrow will be too late it's now or never, my love won't wait."

I jerked around, making sure no one was close. "What the hell?" There's being out and there's just plain drawing attention to things.

"Not hell, Caruso." Vito laughed. As he walked backwards, Vito sang, "Ma n'atu sole chiã, bello oi nã." Shit, the man could sing. "O sole mio sta 'nfronte a te!" And he was singing…to me. In Italian.

How fucking corney.

Sappy.

Goddamn romantic.

Shithead.