Loving the view as always, the barista beamed when he saw the assistant from the 18th floor make an appearance in the coffee shop. Dressed more appropriately for a night out than a day job, the diminutive brunette never failed to turn heads when she retrieved coffee for her bosses.
Deflecting his normal attempts to flirt, the assistant still managed to keep the barista perpetually interested through a well-timed wink or a playful lean over the counter whenever she needed an order specially prepared. Not much was asked of her in her position, but everyone knew she could get a great cup of espresso or a mocha latte. So, she made the most of her little trips on the elevator.
Thanking the young man for her freshly prepared order, she grabbed the two cups of coffee, threw in one of those winks and headed back out into the lobby. The form fitting, strapless, green dress adorned with matching heels caused several eyes to follow her across the marble floor. Stepping on the elevator, she kindly asked the gentleman to press the 18th floor. The man finally picked his jaw off the floor and simply uttered “Ma’am?” as he scrambled to press the button.
The elevator doors opened and the sexy little assistant stepped off at the 18th floor. The remaining men on the elevator watched as her stilted legs glided along the gray carpet. The lone female passenger noticed the empty reception area of the exquisitely furnished lobby and wondered: “Just what exactly is Monte Lauro Holdings into?” ...The elevator doors slid shut before she could further scan the floor.
Approaching the large oak doors of the main conference room, the assistant heard Mrs. Abbate and Mr. Ciccone talking. As she arrived, she made out Mrs. Abbate saying: “But, you know damn well he can’t handle it!” Despite having been told to simply re-enter upon returning, the assistant still offered a polite, quiet knock before pushing the solid, heavy door inward. Once inside, the conversation stopped immediately.
Taking the two cups from the assistant, Frank said, “Thank you, Tina.” Mrs. Abbate turned from the window and offered a quick “thank you” as well.
“Would either of you like anything else?” she asked.
“No, no thank you. We’re fine,” Frank answered her.
Tina closed the door behind her and walked back to the reception desk to continue her game of Bejeweled and to respond to the dozen or so text messages she was sure she had missed.
Frank handed the cup of coffee to Isabel and before he could get the lid off his own cup, Isabel began to reiterate her point. “The man snorts more powder than falls in the Poconos every year, you know damn well he can’t handle it, Frank.”
Acknowledging his awareness of the problem, Frank returned, “I know that, Isabel, but that’s just the way things are.”
“Yes, yes.” She replied, “I’m well aware that he’s the next in line, but Carmine ran this business for over 10 years and I don’t think he wanted his family to be left out of everything.”
“You won’t be left out of everything, Isabel,” Frank reassured her. “Things just may go a different way with Joe in charge now. He just might have a different way of doing things than Carmine did. That’s all.”
“Well, what worries me, Frank, is that his ‘way of doing things’ might put my family’s welfare in danger.”
“How’s that Isabel?” Frank paused only briefly. “What is Joe going to do that will jeopardize anyone in your family?”
Playing slightly coy, Isabel turned toward the windows overlooking the distant skyline. “I don’t know exactly, Frank. All I know is that a man with his kind of history and a known drug problem can’t be trusted with a business this size.” She turned back to him, “And he certainly doesn’t have the delicate touch Carmine had in handling all the, shall we say, personalities in this business.”
Frank put his hands on his hips and watched as Isabel again turned away to the windows and raised her coffee to her mouth. But, before she could get it completely to her mouth, still turning, she snuck out one last comment, “The man’s an imbecile.”
“Now, come on, Isabel,” Frank argued. “The man was doing this for almost his entire life. Hell, he was made when he was 32. He was Carmine’s underboss for nearly 7 years!” He almost pleaded with her.
Isabel’s head dropped slightly, but she didn’t turn back from the windows. “I know, Frank. But I always thought that was because he was easily controlled. Now, he’s drunk with power.” She paused. Then, raising her head level again, she said, “Is he keeping you on as consigliere?”
“So far, yes,” he answered.
Reaching between a couple of the leather, high-backed chairs, she placed her cup on the conference table. “And what if he suddenly decides that he doesn’t?”
Frank tossed his hands lightly away from his hips and looking to the other side of the room, shook his head.
“Look, Frank,” Isabel said quietly. She turned to grasp the back of one of those conference chairs. Staring at the opposite wall, she said, “I may just be a woman who is probably overstepping her bounds, but I must insist that my family is provided for.”
“I know, Isabel.” Frank assured her.
She squeezed the leather beneath her fingers. Her stare lost focus, “Maybe Joe having an accident wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.”
Upon hearing this, Frank snapped his head up. He looked at Isabel with just a touch of bewilderment. He wasn’t sure if he’d just heard her correctly or not. ...After a brief moment of contemplation, he decided he wasn’t going to err on the side of caution here.
“Now, now, Isabel,” he spoke. “I’m sure things will be perfectly fine once the transition is complete and things have had a chance to settle down.”
“I hope you’re right, Frank,” a dejected look came across her face. “I hope you’re right...”
“I don’t give a shit, what she thinks she’s entitled to!”
Joe Paggliucci’s fingers rapped quickly on the black cherry wood of his desk. The corner office of the 18th floor was massive and provided magnificent views of the city. But, the current occupant couldn’t care less. He rocked back and forth rapidly, still drumming his fingers as he contemplated the discussion he was having with Frank.
“Carmine’s dead and gone. He was in charge. Not her. I can do what I want with this enterprise!” His eyes darted from corner to corner. “If she thinks she can get one red cent extra from me, she’s sorely mistaken.”
“I don’t think she’s asking for anything more than what’s customary.”
“Customary?! HA!” Joe bolted up from his seat and spun toward the window. Nearly bounding toward the corner windows, he said, “’Customary’ is that she gets to keep whatever Carmine was able to squirrel away. Besides, her kids can earn their keep. Let them take care of her.” Reaching the corner of the office, he quickly reversed direction and paced behind his desk. “That Carmine’s wishes for her to receive regular tributes from the deals he set up while he was in charge is little more than a suggestion to me.”
Joe walked nearly as fast as someone could define “walking”, his fingers constantly in motion. Whether it was fiddling with some loose fabric on his jacket, running through his loose, dark hair, or digging into one of his pockets for nothing important, they never stopped moving.
Frank, attempting to be as diplomatic as he could, remained in his seat on the other side of the desk. When he spoke, he measured his words carefully, always trying to find the most calming and rational argument to Joe’s ravings. “I don’t think she wants anything to do with the business. I just think she planned on having what Carmine arranged for her.”
Seemingly wearing a trail in the carpet, Joe continued to pace behind is desk. “Who gives a shit what she planned?!” Frantically searching his pockets for a lighter, his quick words made the white cigarette between his lips dance in front of his face. “I’m sure Carmine planned on being alive for another 20 years, but look how that turned out!” Finally finding his lighter, he almost dropped it when his hand practically threw it out of the pocket in which it was found.
“You know what?” Joe suddenly stopped and slapped both his hands on the desk. In a brief period of calm, he sat still, leaned over his hands and looked wide-eyed at Frank. “That bitch never let Carmine be the man he needed to be.” He raised one hand off the desk to take the still unlit cigarette out of his mouth. He pointed the two fingers holding that cigarette at Frank, “If I had gotten to her first, I would have put her in her place from day one.”
Frank stared up at him with nothing but a poker face. Joe smirked and started nodding his head in rhythm with his pointing fingers. He chuckled a little bit, then laughed a little harder as he rose up off his hand. The smirk turned to an “all-knowing” smile and Joe laughed even harder. He popped that cigarette back into his mouth and flicked his lighter to life. Turning, he started bounding behind his desk once again.
“Oh yes... if I had gotten to her I would have molded her into something completely different....
“She wouldn’t have dreamed of asking me for anything extra after I was gone. Hell! She would have been more than thrilled with anything I gave her while I was still alive! Hahaha...” Joe paced and looked up as he talked. It looked as though he was imagining the scenario he was describing.
Frank simply sat there and listened to Joe’s ranting. Frank couldn’t see Isabel even being remotely attracted to Joe no matter the time or the place, but he still began to get angry at the mere suggestion of such a thing. Nonetheless, he wore the poker face better than a priest in a confessional.
Joe suddenly stopped at one end of the office. Taking a long draw from his cigarette, he turned his head to look out the window, and pondered, “I wonder if it’s too late to teach her a lesson?”
At that moment, Isabel’s simple comment about “Joe having an accident” rushed through Frank’s mind.
There was a knock at the door.
Joe took a second to snap out of his daydream. “Yeah?”
Matty walked into the office with his usual broad smile and eagerness. Carrying a large, bulging envelope, he announced he had a “tribute” from one of the local drycleaners. Despite the modern façade of Monte Lauro Holdings, the multiple off shore accounts and a laundry list of attorneys at the ready, much of the business was still carried out in cash. Untraceable and easily laundered, cash only required a few willing mules and a crafty accountant to shuffle around and hide. Carmine never trusted any of those computer geeks to handle the money. Traditionalists liked to see the cash, not just some number on a screen.
Before handing the money to Joe, Matty approached Frank and shook his hand when he rose from his chair. Joe, recovered from his fantasy regarding Isabel, walked around his desk to retrieve the envelope.
“I like these guys!” he smiled and took the cigarette from his mouth. “They always pay on time!” he cheerfully announced, a stark contrast from his mood just a few seconds ago.
“I make sure of that, Mr. Paggliucci,” Matty said with a proud smile as he handed over the envelope.
Joe turned to place the envelope in his desk, and Matty eagerly sputtered out, “Uh, Mr. Paggliucci, I do have some other news for your, though.”
“Oh yeah,” Joe said, not turning to face Matty or Frank. “What’s that?”
“Well...” Matty turned to Frank and back to Joe, making sure they were both attentive. “I caught wind that Phil Marella is planning a meeting.”
Joe froze. “When?”
Matty cautiously looked at Frank before continuing. “Well, I don’t know exactly when just yet, but I know it’s happening.” Joe slowly closed his desk drawer and leaned on the hand he placed on the desk.
“I’ve heard from several sources, sir.” Matty continued. “I know it’s going down. I just don’t know where or when yet.”
Joe calmly stood tall and turned to face the two gentlemen across his desk. Glaring directly between the two of them, he quietly said, “Those fuckers...”
Looking a little confused, Frank and Matty looked back at Joe, then at each other.
Joe, already upset at the perceived slight by the other bosses, became even more enraged that his two men acted surprised that he was upset over it.
“Well, obviously they see me as a weak link in this town!” he growled. “They want to push me out. They’re going to attack me. Why else wouldn’t I have heard about this meeting? It’s been nearly 4 months! They know who’s in charge over here! I’ve been calling the shots ever since that first shovel of dirt hit Carmine’s casket!” He alternated shouting at each of them with every statement.
He pounded his fist against the desk once, then finally turned away from them and sped off to the corner of the office once again.
Frank threw out his hands in an exasperated gesture, rolled his eyes and lowered himself back into his seat. Matty watched him sit, but stood standing, looking at each of the higher ranking men in turn.
Frank clasped his hands in his lap and relaxed into the back of the chair. He just waited to see what Joe’s next rant was going to include. A cloud of smoke collected in the corner around Joe as he seethed with his back to the men. One leg twitched uncontrollably and his head shot from right to left as he tried to consolidate his thoughts.
The nervous energy was having an affect on Matty. He knew better than to say anything, but his eagerness combined with the excited state of his boss was making him anxious. He thrust his hands into his pockets but they constantly fidgeted beneath the finely tailored fabric. At one point, he looked particularly eager to blurt out a suggestion, but one glance at Frank sitting calmly in his chair, made him reconsider making any noise.
“The FUCKERS!!” Joe shouted. The exclamation made Matty jump just a bit and Frank squeezed his eyes shut in anticipation of the heated tirade that was about to come.
“A fucking statement!” Joe said, turning back to his desk. “I need to show these assholes that I’m not about to be ignored! I need to do something to make them respect me!”
A small smile appeared on Matty’s face. He sensed an opportunity for him in this moment. Frank just brought his hand to his face and massaged his forehead.
“I need to do something that will strike a little fear into those pricks and make them think twice about insulting me!” Not noticing either man’s reaction to his statements, he continued. “Yeah, that’s it... Something really bold. Something they’ll have to step back and say, ‘Damn! Joe Paggliucci doesn’t fuck around!’”
With every word, Matty became more and more excited and Frank just continued to collect his thoughts in his chair.
“Someone is going to have to die...” Joe surmised.
SMACK! Frank slapped his hands on the arms of the chair. “Okay, that’s enough for now!”
The action took both Matty and Joe by surprise. Joe stopped in his tracks directly behind his desk.
Frank, sensing that Matty would be more than willing to carry out any order Joe came up with right now, thought it best to get control of the situation. He stood and turned to Matty, “Let’s step outside and let Joe deal with this new information, shall we?”
Led out by Frank who grabbed his arm, Matty was instantly frustrated and confused at Frank’s reaction. He couldn’t even muster a protest as Frank literally pushed him out of the room and shut the door behind him.
What the hell just happened? Matty stood on the other side of the door, his jaw slack. He sensed a prime opportunity when he presented his news and in a matter of seconds, he was shut out.
From outside the office, he could hear Frank speaking to Joe. Frank spoke too softly to hear exactly what he was saying, but Joe’s responses were quite clear.
“What the fuck do you mean ‘calm down’???”
“Oh bullshit!”
“You can’t be serious!...”
But then, both of their voices became quiet enough that Matty couldn’t make out a word. He coughed out a chortle of disgust and anxiously wandered outside the office door.
Finally, Frank exited the office. Matty craned his neck to see if Joe was coming out into the hallway with him, but Frank closed the door quickly. “Come on, kid,” he said and put his arm around him.
“But what...” Matty tried to protest.
“No, no...” Frank led him down the hallway. “Joe needs some time to calm down and look at this news in a more rational light. We need to know more about this meeting.”
“But what else could it mean besides what Joe said it did?”
“I don’t know, kid. It could mean a lot of things. We just need to find out to be sure.” Pulling on Matty’s shoulder, he stopped them both in the middle of the hallway. “If I can tell you anything from all my experience, it’s that nothing good comes from rash decisions, son.” He looked into Matty’s eyes to make sure he got the message and understood the implied order to stand down. Matty reluctantly nodded in agreement.
“Good.” Frank spun him in the right direction again and continued guiding him down the hallway.
As they approached the lobby, Isabel appeared out of one of the offices.
“Ah, Isabel,” Frank called out. “What are you still doing here?”
“I had a few phone calls to make, so I stepped into one of the empty offices,” she explained as the two men approached her. “I hope that was all right?”
“Certainly!” Frank assured her.
“Mrs. Abbate,” Matty reached his hand out to Isabel and greeted her.
“Hello, Matty.”
“Are you heading home now, Isabel?” Frank asked.
“Yes. Yes I am.”
“Perfect! I’ll have Matty here give you a ride back to your townhome.”
Still stunned from the turn of events after delivering his news, Matty took a few seconds to acknowledge the request. Both Frank and Isabel turned to Matty and waited for him to answer.
“Oh... Oh! Absolutely!” he finally snapped to. “I’d be honored to escort you home, Ma’am.”
“Excellent,” Frank was relieved to find a quick exit for at least one of the hotheads in this office. “As always, a pleasure to see you, Isabel.”
“You too, Frank.”
Matty offered his arm to Isabel, “Shall we?” Isabel reached through to take it and he started leading her toward the elevator. Frank was already halfway down the hallway returning to Joe’s office.
Racing through Matty’s head were thoughts about why Frank ushered him out of the office. Joe seemed so excited to prove his worth to the other bosses. Why would Frank be against that? It’s the perfect time for it. The old boss is gone. The new boss needs to make a mark. The other asshole bosses have given him a good reason. What’s the problem? Matty’s basic logic traced a simple enough plan in his mind. He still couldn’t figure it out.
Isabel made small talk with Matty as they weaved through the busy city streets in his car. While Matty worked the wheel, she touched upon such banal observations as eateries, shops, common acquaintances and other niceties. But, behind his effervescent charm, she could still detect a bit of distraction. Coupled with Frank’s odd, hurried behavior when they left, she knew something had happened. Time to do a little digging...
“What about Anthony?” Isabel asked. The name broke through Matty’s fog and he was suddenly intently focused on what Isabel had to say.
“I said, ‘How is Anthony?’” she repeated.
“Oh, he’s good.” The question begged the follow-up, “Don’t you get to see him a lot more now, ma’am?”
“Well, yes, he did move back into the house after the funeral, but he’s in and out so much that I don’t really get to talk to him.”
“He is a bit busy, I suppose.” Matty tried to reassure her. “He does have some additional duties with Carmine being gone.”
Isabel didn’t move at the mention of her deceased husband’s name, but Matty still offered further condolences, “I’m sorry again, Mrs. Abbate.”
“Oh, it’s all right, Matty.” Staring out the window, she added, “and you can call me Isabel.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
Isabel shot him the look of a disapproving school teacher when she heard “ma’am” again. Upon glancing over at her, Matty caught the look and half laughed, “Uh, Isabel... Sorry.”
“That’s better.” She turned her head back to the window.
Getting back to the original topic, Matty said, “Your son is still pretty upset and even though he’s got more to do, I don’t think he sees it as a step up. I think that’s really starting to get to him.”
“Oh really?”
“Yeah...” Matty swerved to miss a speedy yellow cab.
“How so?”
He glared at the cabbie through the rear-view mirror, but remained pleasant to Isabel. “Oh, he’s just been working a lot on stuff that he doesn’t report to Joe about. I don’t know if it’s a special assignment or what. And he always seems to be particularly on edge.”
“Sounds like Anthony...” Isabel lamented.
“I do know he wishes he had more say in how the family was run. He thinks he deserves to be in charge of more since he was the boss’ son.”
“Unfortunately, Anthony was always a bit too short-tempered to be the guy in charge,” Isabel reasoned.
“Really?” Matty asked.
“Oh sure.” She turned to him in the passenger seat. “You remember playing with him back in the neighborhood, don’t you? He was always the easiest to get off his game. He never took teasing all that well. He was fine when he was winning, but if you ever pushed him toward the ropes, he’d start going ballistic.” She turned back away once again, “I swear, that kid slammed so many doors when he came home...”
“Yeah, I guess I do remember that. I just thought he was competitive.” Matty shrugged it off.
Isabel at least had Matty’s attention now. The issue in the office didn’t seem to concern Anthony. Keep digging. She queried about one of Carmine’s more flippant lieutenants. Nothing... A couple capos. Nothing.
“Hhhmmm...” The thought crossed her mind that perhaps she was underestimating Matty. For all of his over-eagerness and seemingly simplistic mind, Matty never gave Carmine cause to have a problem with the way he conducted his business. Perhaps Matty was really misleading her on purpose.
Before she could dig deeper, Matty turned on to her building’s street. She had one more name she wanted to probe about when his cell phone went off.
Matty reached into his pocket, pulled the cell phone out and answered it. Isabel expected to hear the high-pitched whine of one of the girls in Matty’s stable, but instead heard the muted voice of her son through the phone at Matty’s ear.
“What’s up?”
The voice was distinguishable; the exact words were not.
“No, no, no. I’ll take care of that. No problem.” ... “Yeah, I got that too.” ... “Sure. Sure.” ... “Oh, hey man, we really need to talk about Joe.”
Isabel clearly could make out Anthony’s response to that: “What about Joe?”
“I just came from the office and after I turned in C&C’s piece, he and Frank kind of got into it.” ... “Well, not really, but it was weird.” ... “No. Yeah. Okay.” ... “Sure, I’ll be there.” ... “All right.”
Matty touched the screen to end the call and let out an exasperated sigh.
“That sounded like my son” Isabel stated.
“Oh, yeah. Sorry about that, Ma’am, I mean, Isabel. He wants me to meet him at your place in a couple hours.”
“Well then why don’t you just stay at the house until he gets there? I wouldn’t mind the company for a little while.”
“Are you sure? I mean, it’s no problem for me to find something else to do until Anthony shows up.”
“No.” Isabel crossed her left leg over her right, causing her smart skirt to inch up her leg. “It’s perfect.”
The elevator doors slid open revealing the foyer of the Abbate penthouse. Located just a few blocks from the traditional neighborhood, Carmine didn’t want to get too far out of touch from his roots. Yet, he still wanted to enjoy the spoils of his exploits. The penthouse of the Edgling Tower came available via a few well placed, cash “gifts” and only one “unpleasant” visit about 5 years ago. Since then, the Abbates have enjoyed the luxury and privacy the building afforded them.
Isabel dropped her clutch onto the table just inside the foyer. “You can put your coat here in the closet,” she pointed to the door next to the table. The click-clack of her heels hitting the marble floor rang through the spacious apartment as she walked toward the main room.
Matty had only been to the Abbate’s penthouse a few times before. But even then, it was usually just to pick up or visit Anthony. So, he followed Isabel slowly into the main room after hanging his jacket in the closet.
Revealing her bare shoulders and spaghetti-strapped top, Isabel removed her jacket and deposited it on one of the chairs on her way to the bar. Pivoting on one foot, she continued to the bar walking backwards, “Care to join me for a drink?”
“Sure.” Matty responded and followed her.
Isabel walked behind the bar and grabbed a couple glasses. Matty arrived at the bar and pulled out one of the stools. Sitting down, he turned to admire the penthouse. The main room was furnished in very modern furniture. A large flat screen TV was hung on one wall, but not all the furniture was positioned facing it. The floor had two levels; a higher one that lined the lower level and contained the bar at which he was sitting. It wrapped around the great room and led to hallways at either end. On the lower level, a couple couches, a few chairs, and a couple tables were arranged to create an interactive environment. The lighting was modern and simple with a few elaborate floor lamps and recessed lighting scattered along the rim of the upper floor. Still being mid-afternoon, the room was awash with natural light as the entire south wall was glass, offering a fantastic view of the large balcony and the city outside.
Matty heard the glass hit the black marbled bar in front of him and turned to see Isabel with a glass of her own. “To the family,” she said, raising her glass.
Grabbing the cocktail, Matty raised it to hers, “To the family.”
Clink!
The two toasted and then sipped from their drinks.
“Whoa!” Matty exclaimed after swallowing. “What the heck was that?”
Isabel laughed, “It’s scotch, Matty. A good one, too. 18 year single malt.” She raised her glass to eye level and admired the drink. Taking another sip, she smiled through the glass at Matty looking quizzically into his glass.
“Yeah, I’m not a scotch man...” he lamented.
Putting down her glass, Isabel said, “That’s all right. What do you like to drink? I’ve got plenty of stuff back here.”
“Oh... You know. Rum and coke, beer, tequila shots some nights... The usual stuff.”
Isabel smiled at him. Such a young buck.
Giggling at him, she turned to look at the shelves behind her. “Well, I don’t know if I have any tequila back here. But, here’s some rum.” She grabbed a bottle of light rum and put it on the bar.
“That’ll work,” Matty said. Next, Isabel placed a can of cola in front of him. She located another glass, filled it with ice and put that next to the can.
While Matty went about making his own drink, Isabel grabbed her glass and took another sip. Finished making his drink, Matty took a big chug of his rum and coke, “Ahhh... Now, that’s better.”
Isabel put down her glass and let out a sigh, “I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve done shots,” she said, looking down at the bar.
Matty didn’t say anything in response, he just took another swallow from his drink.
Suddenly, Isabel spun quickly on her heels and scanned the shelves again. Matty could see her head darting back and forth as she looked over the selection. The shelves could easily rival any well-stocked bar, so Matty had no idea what she was looking for.
“Aha!” she exclaimed and reached for a bottle to her right. Spinning back toward Matty, she placed the bottle on the bar and just as quickly, disappeared below the bar.
Matty recognized the tequila simply by the shape of the bottle, and surmised from the rattling underneath the bar that Isabel was looking for shot glasses.
Isabel popped back up again with a broad smile on her face, two shot glasses pinched between her fingers. She held her hand over the bar and let them drop. She put her hands on the bar and stared at Matty with a look of excitement.
“What do you say, Matty? She asked with a big smile on her face. “Do you wanna do one with me?
Matty was a little shocked and just stared at the two shot glasses for a second. He let loose of his glass, put his hands on the edge of the bar and pushed his chest back. He let out a big breath and then finally decided, “Why not?” He looked up at Isabel and smiled back at her.
“Excellent!” Isabel nearly hopped with anticipation. “We need limes and salt don’t we?”
“Uh, yeah,” Matty replied, still a little out of sorts.
“You pour ‘em,” Isabel said while she was rummaging through the refrigerator behind the bar.
Matty uncorked the premium tequila and began pouring the shots. Isabel, hurried with excitement, slammed the refrigerator door shut. Reaching alongside the fridge, she located the salt. When she turned back around, she found two full shots waiting on the bar.
“Oooo...” she cooed. She put her handful of limes on the bar and placed the salt shaker next to them. “So, how does it go, again?”
“Man, it must have been a while since you’ve done this,” Matty teased. “It’s lick it, slam it, suck it.”
“Okay, okay,” Isabel said, practically giddy.
Watching Matty as he licked the back of his hand and grabbed the salt shaker, she thought ahead and selected a lime wedge. Matty shook out some salt onto his hand then replaced the shaker back in front of Isabel. Licking her hand first, she took the salt and poured some onto the moist spot.
Matty had already picked up his shot glass. He sat back on his stool waiting for Isabel to finish preparing. Isabel quickly discarded the salt shaker and took her shot off the bar. She saw Matty already holding his lime, so she copied him, grabbing her lime off the bar.
“Ready?” Matty asked.
“Ready!”
“Okay. One. Two. Three!”
In quick fashion, both licked the salt off their hand, then tilted their heads back to down the shot. The liquor swallowed, they each chased the tequila with the lime to their lips, sucking heartily.
Matty tossed the lime onto the bar. “Woooo!” he exclaimed.
Isabel was savoring the lime a little longer, but eventually pulled it from her mouth and let loose a satisfied, “Ahhhhh.”
“Way to go, Mrs.-, I mean, Isabel!” Matty had to catch himself once again. “You’re a champ!”
“Wow!” she quietly said, replacing the lime and the shot glass on the counter. She took a few seconds to regain her composure, but the smile never left her face.
In the same strained quiet voice, she joked, “Just like I remember...”
“Hahaha...” Matty laughed. “No, no. Good job, Isabel.”
She rapidly shook her head in an attempt to clear the haze. Matty laughed a little more.
“Maybe you’d better stick to your scotch,” he half-jokingly teased.
“No!” she playfully responded. “It’s been forever since I’ve done shots or anything like that. I’m not stopping with just one.” She reached for the tequila bottle. Matty beat her to it.
“Whoa!” he said, covering the bottle with his hands. “Let’s do something else first before we go back to the tequila.” Isabel reached for another lime, nodding, “yeah, okay.”
Sucking the green pulp, she turned to face the bottles again.
Matty spotted an iPod docking station on a table next to the bar. “Hey, Isabel. Are you in the mood for some tunes?”
She looked back over her shoulder. “Oh, yes! Put on some party music!”
Matty sprung out of his chair and reached into his pocket to pull out his iPod. He had no idea why Mrs. Abbate was suddenly acting like this, but he was not about to miss out on an opportunity to party a little. Setting the iPod into the cradle, he asked Isabel, “Party music? Like what?”
“Oh, whatever you like to listen to when you go out,” was the answer from behind the bar.
Matty spun through his playlists and selected one. The speakers sprang to life with a club mix causing Isabel to bounce and sway behind the bar. Matty saw this when he turned back around and laughed again.
“You like this?” he asked her.
Without turning around, she replied, “Never heard it. But, I like the beat.”
A half-hour later, the couple had 4 different bottles out on the bar. Isabel’s smartphone was on the counter showing a shooter recipe and several bar utensils were strewn about. Each of them laughed loudly and heartily. Isabel had moved to the stools in front while Matty had taken up station behind the bar.
“Oh god!” Isabel nearly yelled as she tried to catch her breath. “I haven’t felt like this in a long time!” Her laughter carried over her statement. Matty laughed along with her.
“I’m surprised, Isabel. You’re good at it.”
“At what? Partying?”
“Yeah!” Matty affirmed, thrusting his drink in her direction. “You’ve kept up with me shot for shot!” he said, also trying to slow his laughter.
“Oh... Back in the day, I could keep up with the best of them,” she said, looking up at the ceiling.
“Bullshit!” Matty yelled. “What’s this ‘back in the day’ crap?! You’re doing it right now! Good for you!”
“Hahahaha... Thanks!” She raised her very own rum and coke to toast Matty. “I just mean, you get older, you start to worry about things and you slow down a bit,” she said staring down into her drink after taking a pull from it.
“Bullshit, again!” Matty countered. “You’re not old, you should have nothing to worry about now and you don’t look too slow to me.”
Isabel looked up from her drink, “Awww, thanks Matty. I guess I shouldn’t worry too much about the business. Joe’s got things under control.”
“Yes. Yes he does.” Matty assured her before taking a drink himself.
“Speaking of Joe, what was it you wanted to talk to Anthony about?”
“Huh?” Matty replied.
“About Joe. What was it you wanted to tell Anthony?”
“OH! Yeah!. I don’t know. I came in today and handed off my delivery. And Frank and Joe both seemed to be in really good moods.”
“Uh-huh...”
“And, then I told them both about the news I discovered and everything got weird!”
“What do you mean?” Isabel pressed. “What did you discover?”
Matty took a drink, set the glass down and stared at the bar. “Well, I caught wind of all the heads of the other families getting together. I checked around and found out that Joe wasn’t going to be invited. It sounded fishy to me, so I told Joe and Frank about it.”
“And what did they do that was weird?”
Matty looked up at Isabel. He became very animated. “Well, I expected Joe to be pissed! And he was! He was all fired up and wanted to send them a message. But, Frank... Frank wasn’t nearly as upset and pretty much just threw me out of the office right after that.” His hands flopped on the bar, “I just don’t get it. It would be the perfect chance to flex a little muscle and it would be totally warranted!” He pointed at Isabel to emphasize his statement. “Totally warranted!”
Isabel just looked at him, wide-eyed, and took a sip of her drink. Now that she had the ball rolling, he didn’t need any more encouragement. He was obviously getting pretty riled up.
“Man!” He looked down at the bar again. “We should have come up with a plan right then! We could have called in all the lieutenants and figured out how to take it to the other families!”
“Hahahaha!” Isabel laughed. Matty looked up at her quizzically. He saw her pointing at him with an all-knowing look in her eye. “That’s what I’m talking about! Eventually, everyone gets all worked up about something out of their control! They get all worried and then they slow down! They get old! They lose everything slowly but surely!”
Matty chuckled and hung his head. “You’re right...”
“Just for that, do another shot,” she ordered.
Matty begrudgingly accepted his penance. He took his shot glass and placed it on the bar in front of her. Grasping one of the bottles, she filled the tiny glass. Matty raised it up and offered a toast, “To not slowing down!”
Raising her drink, Isabel repeated, “To not slowing down!”
Matty downed the shot and held back a little wince from the vodka. He turned his attention to Isabel who was still laughing across the bar.
“May I say, Isabel,” he said, “that you have not slowed down a bit.”
She sat back. “What do you mean by that?”
“I mean look at you! You’re taking shots like a champ! You’re keeping tabs on Joe. You’re making sure Frank stays with it. And if you don’t mind,” he leaned forward onto his elbows on the bar, “you’re pretty fucking hot!”
Isabel averted her eyes at the last compliment. “Oh... Why thank you, Matty. ...I don’t know about all that, but thank you.”
“No! No!” Matty continued. “I’m serious! You’re smoking! I’ve been with 20 year olds that have nothing on you Isabel!”
“Well, that’s nice of you to say, Matty.” She continued to glance away from him, putting her drink between her hands, and staring down into it.
“I’m telling the truth, Isabel,” Matty insisted. “You are definitely a hottie! Don’t think any different!”
Isabel smiled embarrassingly and finally looked up at Matty. “Thank you, Matty.”
“You’re welcome!” Matty offered up his glass for yet another toast.
Isabel straightened her back and raised her glass to match his.
“To being hot!” Matty bellowed.
Nearly doubling over with laughter, Isabel turned her head to the side, her glass falling to counter.
“What?!” Matty feigned indignation.
“No.” Isabel regained her composure. She sat up straight, glass in the air, “To being hot!” she repeated. Their glasses clinked and they both took a drink.
“Now, what do party girls do nowadays that I didn’t get to do?” she asked.
“Uhmm...” Matty thought out loud. “I don’t know...” He turned this way and that searching for an answer. He knew what he would say to any other girl in this situation, but with Isabel, he had to tread lightly. “Well, I’m not really sure that’s appropriate.”
“Don’t patronize me, Matty. I have always made my own decisions and I just want to have fun right now.” The look on her face and tone in her voice Matty realized that he had inadvertently insulted her. He then decided to just be himself.
“Ever done a body shot???” he asked her.
“A body shot??? I don’t think so.”
“Perfect!” he clapped his hands once in celebration. “You’ll love it!”
Slightly confused, she watched him jog around from behind the bar. “Okay, do you want to take one first or do you want me to do one?”
Taking a cue from his excitement, she said, “Let me go first!”
“All right.” He started moving everything off to the side of the bar. The bottles, the glasses, the spent limes, everything was shifted to the edge of the bar. “Okay, what shot do you want to do?”
“Huh?”
“What do you want to drink?”
“Oh, I’ll do the vodka.”
“Okay.” Matty grabbed the vodka and placed it on the edge of the bar next to him. He then started unbuttoning his shirt.
Isabel looked perplexed, yet still excited as Matty pulled his shirt from his belt. He pulled his arms out and then yanked his white tank undershirt over his head.
Isabel took in his well-built frame. Matty spent plenty of time in the gym and it showed. His dark hair matched the hair on his chest, but it didn’t hide his sizeable chest and large arms. Isabel admired the way his muscles rippled when he hoisted himself up onto the bar. He sat on the bar, grabbed the vodka bottle and then started to lay back.
“What the hell are you doing?” Isabel asked.
Matty laughed. “You’ll see...” He lay prone on the bar and handed the vodka bottle to her.
“Now. A body shot is just a shot that you take off someone else’s body.”
“What do you mean ‘off someone else’s body’?”
“You pour a shot onto someone else’s body... And hey, I happen to have one right here! And you drink the shot off of them.”
Isabel was confused. “Where?”
“Well, the easiest place is the belly button, but you can get creative.” He flexed for her and pointed out the dimple in the middle of his chest between his pectorals at the top of his abs.
“Ooo...” Isabel admired Matty’s physique. She surveyed him in a veiled attempt to determine where to pour the shot. He displayed a full, muscular chest, thick, strong abs, solid legs and of course, the source of his nickname was quite evident as he lay prone on the bar.
Finally, she chose a spot. Treating his belly button as if it were a tiny shot glass, she poured the vodka into it. Careful not to spill a drop, she filled the little crevice.
“Now, just go get it,” Matty explained.
With the excitement of a little girl on her birthday, she smiled at Matty. She pulled her hair back, holding it with one hand. She placed her other hand on the bar and lowered her lips to his stomach. She sealed her lips around his belly button, the little hairs tickling her chin, and tried to suck the liquor out. She pulled most of it out, but gravity fought her. So after she swallowed most of the vodka, she extended her tongue into Matty’s naval and licked out the remaining liquid.
Matty enjoyed every second. Propping his head up on one hand, he looked down at Isabel as she essentially kissed his skin with her soft lips and tongue.
“Oh yes!” he congratulated her on her performance. “That’s a body shot!”
Isabel stood back up. She held her hand under her mouth to catch any drips, laughing through her fingers. “That was fun!” she said between giggles.
Matty propped himself up on his elbows. “I know, right?”
“No, no, no... Lay back down. I wanna do it again!”
Matty was not about to argue as Isabel reached for the vodka once more. He laced his fingers behind his head and relaxed on the bar.
“No. Flex again.”
“Oh. Okay.” Matty brought his hands down and contracted his whole torso. Isabel wasn’t so careful with the vodka this time, pouring it in the dimple formed by his muscles just under his chest, but allowing it to overflow and run over his skin down to the bar top.
“Oops!” She giggled.
Placing the bottle back on the bar, she threw her hair to one side, stuck out her tongue and slowly licked at the vodka on Matty’s body. She traced one of the trails on the side of his body, up to the pool on his chest. Pressing her lips to his skin, she slurped up the bulk of the vodka. Not finished, she ran her tongue around the dimple, first one side, then the other. Placing her left hand on his chest and her right on his leg, she leaned over him to collect the vodka that ran down the other side of his body.
Matty felt her warm tongue run along his skin. When she leaned over him, her breasts press into his side. Matty was really starting to enjoy this.
Isabel nearly rested her entire chest on top of Matty when she chased the vodka on the opposite side of him. Matty felt the pressure of her hands pressing into his chest and legs when she reached as far as she could over him. Despite that extra pressure, Matty couldn’t take his mind off Isabel’s tongue on his skin. She was taking her time, getting all the vodka she could, apparently.
She finally rose up off of him much more deliberately than last time. “Mmmmm...” she hummed. “Oh yeah, I like these body shots.”
Matty replied, “I thought you might. Is it my turn now?”
“Oh yes!” she replied excitedly.
The couple worked to switch places. Matty jumped down off the bar, and Isabel got out of his way. Trying to figure out a way onto the counter, she was surveying the bar when Matty put a hand on her shoulder. “Here, let me help.” He spun her around so that she was facing him. He put his hands underneath her arms and lifted her up onto the bar in one quick motion.
“Oo! That works!” Now on the bar top, she spun on her butt and lay out on the length of it. She lifted up her blouse to reveal her midsection. “What kind of liquor are you going to do?”
Matty ran behind the bar to survey the other liquors available to him. “I want something with a little flavor,” he said scanning the bottles. He selected a cherry flavored vodka and turned to see Isabel sitting up removing her blouse. He simply stood wide-eyed, staring at her until she removed her top and then noticed him.
She realized his surprise when she tossed the top off to the side. Assuring him, she said, “It bunched up underneath me and was uncomfortable, so I took it off.” The look she gave him as she lay back again indicated that her excuse was as flimsy as the top she had just removed.
Matty accepted her excuse whole-heartedly, though. With her lying flat on the bar, Matty paused to look upon her body. Isabel has taken care of herself. Her stomach was still quite flat, her breasts still appeared to be quite firm beneath the lacey bra and her slender hips fit beautifully into that skirt.
Wearing more of a business suit, Isabel interpreted Matty’s pause that he was concerned about damaging the skirt with the alcohol since it rode a little higher than the modern fashions usually worn by Matty’s normal prey. “Oh, yeah. I’d better do something about that, too,” she said. She raised her hips up off the bar to reach the zipper at the small of her back. Her skirt loosened, she shimmied the skirt down off her hips a bit to give Matt plenty of skin to work with.
Matty was at a loss for words, but his excitement was definitely growing. He was having a great time partying 1-on-1 with Isabel and she had just raised the stakes. Matty stepped up next to the bar and started to lower the liquor bottle to her skin.
Nearing her belly button he said, “We’ll start with the easy one, like you did.”
She giggled and shuddered when the first drops of alcohol hit her skin. Matty filled her little crevice, only over-flowing it a little.
“Oops. I’ll get that,” he said, eagerly. He quickly dipped down to attempt to catch the drops racing down the side of her stomach. He missed much of it, but traced the trail of liquor back up to her naval.
The warmth of his tongue counteracted the cool liquid on her stomach. Matty dipped his tongue into her naval before slurping all the vodka out of it. He rapidly swirled his tongue underneath his lips, a sensation Isabel found both arousing and confusing. The action of his tongue was erotic, but the randomness and speed with which it worked was too unspecific to complete the effect. Still, she enjoyed herself.
When Matty finished, he stood up and announced, “Hell yes! Those are fun! Woo!”
Isabel admired his spirit, undoubtedly aided by the alcohol, but present nonetheless. So, she continued to egg him on. “I wanna help you get creative,” she said, turning herself over onto her side and then her stomach. She reached behind her back and unclasped her bra. The straps sprung free and fell to either side of her. Lying on her chest, she folded her arms on the bar top and rested her head on them. “Now, let’s see how this works.”
Matty was beyond surprised, now. He was just plain excited. Isabel’s age, her status, her family, nothing mattered anymore. She was a hot, fun, half-drunk member of the opposite sex and Matty was all about that. He saw the smooth bare back exposed to him and only wanted to touch it.
He took the vodka bottle and poured a trail along her spine, from the small of her back to right between her shoulders.
“Oooo! That’s cold!” she said as he poured.
“Don’t worry. I’ll fix it.” He set the bottle down and threw his arm over her back, placing each of his hands next to her on the bar. She could sense his chest over top of her as his tongue followed the path the vodka had made on her back. Matty’s tongue pushed the vodka along the shallow channel causing much of it to trickle out and down the sides of her body. He stopped once or twice to collect as much as he could, but derived much more pleasure from running his tongue along her exposed skin.
Isabel felt the warm tongue, the cool vodka running in random rivers over her sides and the collecting liquid beneath her. The varying sensations started to get to her as well.
Matty was diligent; he attempted to gather as much of the vodka as possible. Touching nearly every inch of bare skin on her back, he worked to clean up his shot.
Isabel enjoyed his tongue on her back, but wanted a different sensation. “Okay. Let’s try one more.” Matty rose up off her and stood aside the bar. Isabel rolled on the bar, holding her unfastened bra against her chest. She lay on her back once again. Alternating arms, she fished them out of the bra’s shoulder straps, still holding the cups against her chest. Finished, she held out her hand to the vodka bottle Matty held. Handing it to her, Matty simply smiled. Carefully, Isabel poured the vodka on to the front of her body as best she could. She filled her naval, ran a trail up to her chest and strained to complete the trail all the way to her neck. She failed miserably with most of the vodka spilling off her on to the bar. But, the implied challenge was readily apparent to Matty. He stood excitedly next to her. Her last pour was an awkward dash of vodka on the small of her neck. Moving deliberately, she handed the vodka bottle to Matty. Without saying a word, she let loose her arm holding the bra and lowered each of them to her sides. The bra lay loose on top of her breasts as she relaxed calmly upon the bar top.
Matty put the bottle down beneath the bar and tried to contain his excitement. He glanced her over, up and down before nearly jumping completely onto the bar. He placed his hands on either side of her abdomen and quickly went about lapping up the vodka.
There was no pattern to his movements; his tongue whipped this way and that, up and down, roughly tracking all over her stomach. Like an eager puppy digging into its food bowl, his head dashed back and forth over her skin. After a few seconds spent on her stomach, he brought his head up her body. Like the same puppy, he nosed the bra up her chest, following it with his tongue between her breasts. He licked and licked until he got to her neck. The small pool of vodka had collected in the crook of her neck and he nuzzled his mouth down to it to suck it out. Isabel’s bra had been pushed up underneath her chin leaving her breasts bare. Matty, finished with the vodka, traced back down her chest. He quickly veered toward one of her breasts and immediately sucked on her nipple.
Isabel moaned with pleasure. Matty’s enthusiastic assault on her chest was far too wild and untamed to bring much pleasure, but she loved it when her nipples were stimulated. Matty’s tongue flicked over it rapidly while his hand finally came up off the table and massaged her breast.
“Nnnnn...” Isabel responded. Matty was encouraged by her moan and brought his other hand up to squeeze her other breast.
Isabel bowed her back slightly, but otherwise lay still. She wanted Matty to have his way with her while she was on this bar top.
Matty had become even more excited. He enthusiastically sucked on one breast and then the other. His hands rapidly squeezed at her breasts and pawed at her sides in complete randomness. His breathing had increased, and even included the occasional grunt or moan.
In a sudden movement Matty’s head popped up. Breathing hard, mouth open, he turned to look at Isabel. His eyes locked onto her mouth and he dove his head toward her. He thrust his tongue between her lips. She could do nothing but accept it into her mouth. He moved his head quickly in all directions while his tongue did the same in her mouth. Had she not been drinking, she would have found this “technique” distracting. As it was, she was still becoming aroused with this “sloppy” version of partying.
Matty’s hand came away from her breast. Pressing it flat against her stomach, he slid it down her body. Forcefully, he thrust his hand beneath the loosened skirt. His fingers pressed underneath the underwear. Isabel responded by spreading her legs as much as the skirt would allow.
Fishing through her underwear as though he was digging in his pockets for loose change, Matty’s fingers wrestled their way under the panties, finally finding her already wet lips. Extending his reach, he muscled the panties from between her legs to make room for his hand. His fingers then roughly pressed into her in an excited flurry.
Isabel was nearly overwhelmed by this drunken, unfocused assault on her senses. Deciding that she had to direct the action in a better way, she reached out with her hand and felt for his beltline. Feeling his stomach, then locating his waist, she deftly undid his belt with one hand and quickly slid the zipper down. With even more skill, she slipped the metal clasp of the slacks free. Matty continued his assault.
Finally, she slipped her hand between the pants and his skin to undo the button. Working the button free, the pants came loose. With a gentle tug, his pants fell from his hips. Her hand immediately lowered to his crotch. Feeling the mass of flesh beneath his boxers, she confirmed that Matty had earned his nickname. She began to stroke his shaft over the material. My god! If it weren’t for this, I don’t know how much longer I could take this.
Matty’s fingers were pushing in and out of her while he continued to kiss her. Isabel brought her free hand up to Matty’s face to try and control his movements, but her effort failed. He was simply too excited to take hints or instruction.
Isabel let loose of Matty’s underwear to reach beneath it. She felt past the curled mass of hair to find his bare shaft. Wrapping her fingers around it, she began to stroke it again. She pulled on him harder and faster in response to his enthusiasm. Fully erect, he strained against the underwear as Isabel worked him.
Eventually, Isabel tired of the untrained techniques Matty employed. Grabbing his hair on the back of his head, she pulled him away from her face. She looked up at him with determination in her eyes. “Fuck me!” she told him in a guttural voice.
Matty immediately removed his hand from beneath her skirt. He stepped back and went to work removing his shoes, pants and boxers. Isabel sat upon the bar, her bra falling from her neck onto her lap. Tossing that aside, she spun to place her feet over the edge and then slipped off, landing safely on the floor. Matty walked around the bar and approached her, his penis jutting away from his body, pointing at her.
He briefly attempted to kiss her, but Isabel bent over at her waist to remove her skirt and panties completely. Standing back up, she stepped out of them, her heels still on her feet. Matty reached for her, but Isabel spun out of his grasp. She put her elbows on the bar and bowed her back, presenting her ass to him. She looked over her shoulder and repeated her command, “Fuck me!”
Matty obeyed. Grasping his cock, he positioned himself behind her. Straight-legged, Isabel spread her feet apart for him. She brought one hand to her face and licked her fingers. She then placed those fingers down between her legs and moistened the lips covering her opening. The head of Matty’s cock was pressing between her cheeks, well off the mark. So, she reached further between her legs. She rocked forward and his cock fell free, directly onto her fingers. She cradled it between her fingers and guided it to the mark as Matty thrust forward.
When he felt the heat on his cock, he pressed into her. He loved the sensation of splitting a woman with his huge cock and this one was special. Isabel had made him so hot, he thought it an incredible privilege. But, with the way she behaved, he also thought it was his duty to grace her with the same experience all those other young girls had had before her. Thus, he smiled proudly as his hips met her ass.
Isabel drew a breath as Matty’s cock filled her. It had been a long time since something that large had penetrated her. “Oh god!” she moaned as the walls of her vagina barely accommodated the long cock.
The reaction to his massive member was what Matty lived for. The girl’s body stiffening, the girl holding her breath, the exclamation of ecstasy when he was completely inside her was a moment of utter pride. In this brief moment, his drunken, clouded state cleared. He savored the sensation with Isabel in this instant. But quickly, the moment passed and his inebriated mind took over once again.
Grabbing Isabel’s hips, he slid his cock out of her, only to thrust back into her quickly. It was only a few deep drives into her before he increased his pace. He started to fuck her forcefully, bouncing her ass off him as she leaned on the bar.
Isabel loved the power Matty possessed. His strong hands dug into her hips as they pulled her onto him. His legs stood solidly behind her, a rock she couldn’t budge. With every thrust, his hips pressed against her, driving his full length deep into her, uncomfortable, yet extremely arousing at the same time.
Moving one hand up, he hooked it over her shoulder. He now pulled her even harder back onto his erection. Her body felt like a rag doll as he fucked her from behind. Her arms slid on the bar with each thrust forward. Her breasts bounced underneath her. She began to sweat, the alcohol and sex making her back glisten.
Matty started to moan louder. He felt the orgasm beginning. His thrusts became more pronounced and deliberate. Isabel wanted to keep the frantic pace, so she pressed back against him. Matty tried to keep up. The orgasm came to him quickly.
“UHHNNNNGGGG!!” Digging his fingers into her flesh, he pounded his hips dramatically. After a few powerful strokes, he held her on his pulsing cock. Deep inside of her, it emptied as he cried out again. “AHHHHGGGGHHH!!!!”
Isabel tensed up and sat against his strong body. She put her head down between her arms trying to catch her breath.
The elevator doors opened. Anthony could hear the television and voices coming from the main room. He walked in to see his mother and Matty sitting on opposite ends of a couch, talking.
“There he is!” his mother announced.
“Good evening, Mother.”
“I was just keeping Matty company while he waited for you.” Smelling the strong scent of booze, Anthony asked, “How long have you been here?”
“Oh, just a little while,” was Matty’s response.
“Did you come from a bar??? Geez...”
“Oh, uh, yeah. I was meeting someone and had a few drinks before I came over.” He looked at Isabel and she shrugged her shoulders as if to say, “Sure, why not?”
“And your mother here gave me a couple more.”
“It’s only polite, Anthony,” she affirmed.
“Yeah, yeah... Come on, Matty. I’ve got something to show you.”
Matty hopped up from his seat and followed Anthony down the hallway. He glanced back at Isabel, but she only took another sip from her drink with her eyes fixed on the TV.
When Matty arrived at Anthony’s door, Anthony closed it behind him.
Handing Matty an envelope, he said, “Tonight, we make it clear who should be running this family.”
Matty opened the flap to the envelope and started to pull out the contents. The first photograph was blurry except for two figures in the center of the photo. Obviously taken from a distance, it showed Vincent shaking hands with the underboss of the Fasano family.