Gian Conti was busy playing pool. He was scrutinizing the table, trying to decide what move he was going to make next. It would be a bit tricky but he could do it.
"Well Gian, what is your next move going to be?" Lucio asked. He was smiling and looking at his boss. They had grown up together and he knew that his friend and boss had a strong competitive streak. He really hated to lose. He never even had that word in his vocabulary. He would not make a move until he had studied the layout of the table and figured out exactly how he was going to win. He assumed that that was why Gian was so successful. He just did not accept that he could ever fail at anything. He always went into a venture to succeed. He made strategic moves that ensured that he would always get what he wanted.
His ice gray eyes focused on the perfect shot. He was ready now. He went up to the table. He positioned the cue stick and moved it back and forth before hitting a ball. It went right into the pocket without touching another ball.
"Damn it!" Lucio whispered.
Gian was happy. He looked over at his friend and indicated that it was his turn. His face was a makes that could not be read. He always looked that way no matter what. He watched Lucio go up to the table. He was really trying to figure out what he could do here. He looked tense and anyone could tell what his situation was. Gian was tired of telling him that he needed to change that. He needed to find his poker face. His father had taught him that. He never let people know when he was doubtful about something. That is what made him a success. He had learned a lot from his father and he had come up with his own set of rules. That worked to his benefit as well.
He had never ever thought that he would have been in the position that he was in now. He was a mob boss. He had inherited that from his father and he had not disappointed him in any way. Though he was a mob boss, he had a certain level of respect for the law. He loved watching shows that had cops in it. He soon discovered that what cops did was the opposite of what his dad did. He would have to find a balance.
His father Salvatore Conti came to the United States from Italy. He was tall and wiry. He firmly believed what he was taught from his own parents. He had always been a hard worker. He paid his own fare to get to the states and as soon as he landed he started to look for any job he could do to earn some money. He never shirked from work. Soon he was able to open up his own shop selling produce. He would talk a good game to get the best and freshest produce from the suppliers. He was always one step ahead of his competitors. As a result of that he became popular in no time. His name was on everybody's lips.
He met Gian's mother when she came into the shop to buy some vegetables and they became an item. He married her and they had six children. He soon moved on to bigger business. He opened a small pizzeria. He got the money from some scrupulous men. They used the store as a front for dealing in weapons and drugs. Salvatore facilitated them and he would get a cut of their profits. Even some cops were involved and he got numerous favors from them. They ignored the illegal goings on and he helped them out with certain things. The arrangement worked and there were no major problems popped up over the years.
Gian was different from his father though. He never liked that his father was so cut-throat. He would never take more than he was supposed to get. He did threaten but that was just to get them to remember who he was and the clout he had. That worked quite well for him. He was also more hand son than his father had been. He would deal with the distributors of the weapons and drugs directly. He made more when he did that.
He had been running his father’s business for the past seven years. He had expanded it. He not only ran the restaurant but he also opened a club and a fine dining restaurant. The businesses were all very profitable. He was making much more than his father ever did. He was the man everyone went to when they had to get business done. He was not one to brag about it either. He was always well dressed and he always had some nice young lady on his arm when he went out.
Well he did until one of them managed to get him to marry her. He had met her at the club and he was not sure what she did but it worked. He married her. Her name was Violet and she was a 5' 9" brunette bombshell. She was a strong woman and was never afraid to share her opinions. She never took no for an answer either. Maybe that was what he liked about her. She was a go-getter. She was nothing like his mother. She had been so calm and nice and always knew how to diffuse a hostile situation. He loved to watch Violet in action. She softened up to no one but him. He had made sure of that. He was the one in charge and she and all the men who worked for him were aware of that.
They had hit a rough patch in their marriage about eight months ago and they are currently separated. He really wondered what had drawn him to her as now he really hated her. Maybe marriage just was not his thing. He still couldn't figure out how they got that far. He yearned for a companion that loved him and who he would love just as equally. He envied his father for that as he had found his true mate. He had found out over the years that Violet was only with him for the status and of course the money. When she slept with him she realized he was a full package. He was a handsome man and he had a nice tanned complexion that turned women on and he could more than hold his own in the bedroom.