Hustle Read online

  “It’s different.” He slides his arm under the table and places his hand on top of mine.

  “Maybe she can teach you about romance,” Angelo says as he crosses his arms, giving Vinnie a funny look.

  I grab my wineglass with my free hand, gulping it down like I’ve been walking in the desert for days.

  “I know all about romance, brother.”

  “Fine.” Angelo sighs. “Maybe she can teach you about love.”

  I choke and start coughing uncontrollably. Vinnie rubs my back, and the entire table goes silent. Although I’m gasping for air, at least no one’s talking about love, romance, or being a couple anymore.

  “Are you okay, baby?” Vinnie asks with those big green eyes, looking so damn cute.

  I nod and clear my throat, trying to wipe away the tears from my eyes. “I’m great. Never better,” I rasp.

  “How’s training camp going?” Mr. Gallo asks like he’s reading my mind and throwing a Hail Mary my way.

  “It’s great.” Vinnie’s hand hasn’t left my body. “I think I have it locked down.”

  “Is the position the only thing you locked down?” Angelo shifts his eyes to me and then back to his brother.

  Vinnie leans forward, eyes narrowed on Angelo. “I’ll have it all locked down soon.”

  “What are we talking about?” Tilly asks as the cutest little girl I’ve ever seen climbs into her lap.

  “Nothing,” Angelo says, smiling at his girl.

  “Whatcha want, baby doll?” Tilly asks the little girl.

  “That’s Angelo’s kid, Tate,” Vinnie whispers in my ear.

  “I was wondering…” Tate pauses like the wheels are spinning in her head or she knows what she’s about to ask is something big enough that she needs to draw it out as long as possible. “If maybe after dinner…” She toys with the necklace around Tilly’s neck and looks at her with the biggest puppy-dog eyes I’ve ever seen. “…I can pick out two cupcakes for dessert.”

  “Just one, Tate,” Angelo tells her.

  Tate’s shoulders sag forward. “Please,” she begs Tilly like she didn’t even hear her father.

  Tilly brushes a few strands of hair behind Tate’s ear. “Your daddy said one.”

  Tate lets out a loud huff. “Fine, but I’m picking out the biggest one I can find.”

  Tilly laughs. “Whatever you want, sugar.”

  “Everyone, off their ass. The food’s ready,” Mrs. Gallo says with her back to us as she opens the oven door.

  Vinnie leans over. “Her cooking sucks. Just be warned. Don’t take too much.”

  I lift my eyebrows, figuring with all these kids, she was probably an excellent cook. None of them look like they’ve missed a meal a day in their entire life.

  “Okay,” I whisper with my mouth so close to his, I could kiss him.

  That’s the problem.

  I haven’t wanted a man as badly as I want him in so long. That should be a great thing for someone who lives romance. But for a girl on a deadline, it’s the worst possible thing ever.

  Instead of pecking away at the keyboard, I’m daydreaming about Vinnie and his big hands, not to mention the other parts of him that set my body on fire.

  How in the hell did I let myself fall for a guy this hard and this fast when I’ve sworn off men?

  It’s the Vinnie Gallo effect, and I am swept up in it.

  16

  Vinnie

  I haven’t seen Bianca in five days. Training camp has been grueling, and by the time I get home, I’m completely wiped out. My arm is sore, along with everything else in my body, and I spend hours icing my shoulder while sitting on my couch dozing off or reading that dirty book I snagged from her coffee table.

  College Vinnie is gone. The days of partying and then getting by on my God-given talent aren’t enough anymore. Everything is bigger. We run harder, pushing our bodies to the max even when doing more doesn’t seem possible.

  Bianca and I have texted off and on, but she says she’s busy working and that I’m a distraction. I know she’s on a deadline, but the girl has to come up for air sometime. She needs to eat, take care of herself, and step away from the keyboard every once in a while, or she’s going to wear herself out.

  I’m standing outside her door with a complete arsenal of things to help her relax. Chinese food and pizza, wine, a candle that’s supposed to help with concentration, and me. It’s Friday night and I have two days off to recuperate, and nothing sounds better than a little Bianca time. After I hounded her for hours, she finally relented and said she’d take a break from her words tonight.

  She opens the door, and my heart skips. Bianca’s wearing those yoga pants I love so much, the ones that show every curve and swell of her ass. The small tank top doesn’t leave anything to the imagination either, and the fact that she isn’t wearing a bra makes it damn near impossible for me to keep my eyes off her breasts.

  “Hey,” she says while I stand there gawking at her like I’ve never seen a woman before. “Come in.”

  She tries to take the bag and pizza box from my hand, but I shake my head. “I got this. You just relax tonight. I don’t want you lifting a finger.”

  Her body moves backward as I walk into her place, wearing less clothing than she is. It’s part of my plan. She keeps giving me the runaround, talking about her break from men and sex, but so far, I’m two-for-two on orgasms and her breaking that promise she keeps throwing around like a security blanket.

  She follows me to the couch and stands next to me as I unpack the bag of food. I glance up, catching her checking out my biceps, licking those beautiful lips like she’s ready to eat me instead of the takeout.

  “Hungry?”

  She nods, finally noticing that I’m watching her as she stares at me. “I haven’t eaten all day.”

  “Baby.” I grab her hand, pulling her down to the floor in front of the coffee table with me. “You have to take better care of yourself. That mind of yours needs fuel to create, and so does your body. No more skipping meals. Coffee is not a food group.”

  She scrunches up her face. “It keeps me going.”

  I grab her hands, holding them tight. “Do I need to have food delivered to you to make sure you’re taking care of yourself while I’m working?”

  She stares at me, not speaking, just blinking like I’m saying something she doesn’t quite understand.

  “Better yet, I’ll have my chef prep your meals for the week, so I don’t have to worry.”

  “I do fine, Vinnie. Don’t be silly.” She lets out a little huff. “You have a chef?”

  “I’m on a strict diet during camp.” I run my hand down my chest, taunting her a little because she keeps staring at me like I’m dinner. “Got to keep this body in top shape for the long season ahead.”

  Her eyes follow my hand and linger. “It looks pretty good to me,” she says softly.

  “You want to touch it, don’t you?” I smirk.

  “You’re so full of yourself.” She smacks my shoulder, but I know the truth. “I’m starving.”

  “Lucky for you, tonight’s my cheat night, or else we’d be having chicken and broccoli.”

  She frowns. “That doesn’t sound so awful.”

  I unpack the bag, taking out the five small containers of food I ordered. “It is compared to this. I got a little of everything because I wasn’t sure what you liked.”

  “I’m easy.”

  I watch her as she opens the containers, and I know she’s the opposite of easy. If she were, I already would’ve slept with her. But Bianca isn’t like most women I’ve known. Maybe that’s what I like most about her. She’s real and doesn’t give two shits about who I am, what I do, or how much money I have in the bank.

  “Want to watch Scandalous Reign?”

  Her beautiful, full lips turn up. “I haven’t had time all week. Are you sure?”

  “I told you I love that show.” I grab the remote and hand it to her. “Put it on.”

  As soon as
the episode starts, I know I’ve hit the jackpot. I remember exactly what happens when Princess Viktoria is being courted. This is hands down the sexiest episode of the entire series.

  “I can’t imagine being betrothed to someone you’ve never met,” Bianca says before shoving a forkful of lo mein into her mouth.

  “That’s because you believe in love, but their marriage is only about power and the bloodline.”

  Her eyes are glued to the television. “She’s in love with Richard, though. My heart’s going to break into a million little pieces.”

  Richard is an earl and doesn’t have a high enough title or the royal blood to get the girl he wants. Viktoria’s a princess and the oldest child of the king and queen and totally screwed at this point. Richard and Viktoria have kissed throughout the show, always fading to black to leave the audience wondering exactly what happened, but in this episode, before she says her wedding vows…they show everything.

  “Oh my God,” Bianca whispers. “Are they going to do it?” She glances at me with wide eyes before turning back to the screen before I can answer.

  They very much do it, and it’s hot as fuck too. Bianca’s fork is in front of her mouth, but she isn’t eating. She can’t take her eyes off the television as Richard’s fingers work the ties on the back of Viktoria’s dress. When it slips to the floor, exposing her backside to the camera, Bianca sucks in a breath and rocks backward.

  The dress is pooled at Viktoria’s feet as Richard squeezes her ass, and he kisses her deeply. It’s soft-core porn, but there’s something about the fact that their love and this act are forbidden that makes it even hotter.

  Bianca squirms so slightly, I almost don’t notice. “I’ve been waiting forever for this,” she says.

  “It’s worth the wait. Trust me.”

  “Everything that’s good usually is.”

  I smile, staring at her profile and picking at my pizza, finding food not all that interesting when compared to Bianca. She’s oblivious to the fact that I’m watching her and not the television as I rake my eyes over her body, soaking in all her hotness.

  She’s naturally beautiful. Even when she’s wearing barely any makeup, I’d call her drop-dead gorgeous. Most women I’ve been with typically look nothing like the person I went to bed with when I wake up the next morning. It was like waking up with a complete stranger instead of the girl I was balls deep in the night before. But that’s not Bianca. Everything about her is real.

  She places her fork down on the table and covers her face with her hands. “Oh God, they’re going to get caught. I can’t look.”

  “They don’t get caught.”

  She turns her face, opening her fingers to see me. “Do not ruin this for me.”

  “Ruin what? Your eyes are covered. You’re not even watching.”

  She lifts her chin as her hand falls away from her eyes. “I am watching. Do not tell me what’s going to happen.”

  “Then watch. It’s about to get good.”

  She grunts as she turns back toward the television. “You’re probably the same asshole who reads the last chapter of a book before starting the first page.”

  “I am not.”

  She waves me off and shushes me like my talking is making it impossible for her to follow what’s going on, even though they’re not speaking. The only sounds in the apartment are the moans coming from the television. Bianca’s breathing slows as she stares at the screen, and Richard takes the princess’s nipple in his mouth as he lays her on the bed and slides between her legs. The angle changes to a view from above, showing the guy’s entire ass, which isn’t even that impressive, but Bianca shifts backward as Richard rocks into Viktoria over and over again until finally fading to black.

  I scoot closer to Bianca and touch her hand. She glances at me, and at first, I think she’s going to tell me off again. But instead, she darts her tongue out and sweeps it across her lips. My cock twitches, growing harder and throbbing for some relief.

  “Let me see you naked,” she says so innocently, like she’s asking what the weather’s like outside.

  “What?” I’m pretty sure I didn’t hear her right and that my cock has somehow taken over my brain.

  “Take off your clothes. I want to look at you.”

  “Now?”

  She nods, and that damn tongue comes back out, sweeping across those full lips again. “Yes, now.”

  Never the type to be bashful, I stand quickly and pull down my pants. When my cock springs free and waves as I straighten my body, her eyes widen. Her face is only a few feet from my cock, her eyes staring at my dick like she’s never seen anything more amazing.

  She moves closer, eyes locked on my cock. “Touch it,” she tells me. “Put your hand around it, and stroke yourself.”

  I didn’t come here to jack myself off, but if this is what it takes to make Bianca happy, I’ll do it.

  She parts her lips as I palm my cock and wrap my fingers around the shaft. “Your body’s perfect,” she says, sweeping her eyes up my abs before sliding them right back to my dick. “It’s like a work of art. You’re so hard…everywhere.”

  “This is because of you, Bianca.” I stroke harder, gripping my cock so tightly, my hips move to chase my palm.

  In all my sexual experiences, I don’t think I’ve ever rubbed one out in front of a chick. That I could do alone, and I’ve never found the thought all that appealing. But with the way she’s looking at me, telling me how to touch myself, it’s the biggest turn-on in the world.

  She reaches out and touches my legs, gripping my thighs with both her hands as she scoots across the floor. She’s so close, I can feel her warm breath brushing against the head of my cock, only making me harder.

  She turns my body and rests her back against the couch, facing the television and my cock. The moaning returns from Viktoria and Richard going at it again, and one of Bianca’s hands leaves my leg. My eyes follow its movement, and I nearly swallow my tongue as she dips her fingers into the waistband of her yoga pants.

  There I am, standing completely naked, stroking my cock, while this hot-as-fuck girl touches herself and watches me.

  This woman has me all kinds of sideways.

  I’m pretty sure this is the best Friday night I’ve ever had, and I know in an instant there’s no place I’d rather be.

  17

  Bianca

  Vinnie places two fingers under my chin, tipping my head back. “This isn’t right,” he says softly, still stroking his cock with one hand. “I need to be inside you.”

  His eyes move to my hand, which is still inside my yoga pants, working my clit. I’m so close to orgasm. So close, my damn toes are curling, and the last thing I want to do is stop.

  “I want to kiss your beautiful lips as you moan my name and come with my cock buried so deep inside you, you’ll feel me there long after I’ve left.”

  He says such dirty and delicious things. Just like the guys I write in my books. And just like them too, his body is pure perfection. I could watch him touch himself all night and never grow bored.

  There’s something so sexy about the way a man touches himself. It’s always been a secret obsession I’ve had, and my internet browsing history is proof.

  I want to have sex with him. What woman in her right mind wouldn’t? But we’ve already muddied the waters so quickly, I’m not ready for the next step. I know Vinnie’s type. Notorious playboy who jumps from woman to woman like it’s an Olympic sport. Sure, he wants me, but he’s all about the chase.

  The moment I give in and surrender myself to him completely, he’ll hop to the next because he’ll have taken what he wanted.

  I move my head away from his fingers and scoot forward as he continues to stroke his cock with his other hand. Even with him saying all the right things, I know having sex with him at this moment would be all kinds of bad for my head. I line my mouth up with his cock and peer up at him with a small grin. I stick out my tongue, swiping it across the soft head of his dick.
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  He rocks backward as he sucks in a harsh breath. “You don’t play fair.”

  I reach behind him, placing my hand on his ass, which is rock-hard and fucking spectacular. “I need to taste you.” I smirk, knowing I have him right where I want him.

  He doesn’t argue. What man would? I pull him toward me, opening my mouth and closing my lips around the head of his cock. He moans as his hand falls away from his shaft, and he thrusts forward, giving me exactly what I want.

  His body shakes with pleasure as I take him deeper, sliding his hard, velvety length against my tongue until my gag reflex starts to kick in. Although I want my orgasm almost as much as I need air in my lungs, I have to control the depth of his cock and give him an orgasm that’s going to rock his world.

  “Oh God. Just like that,” he says as I wrap my hand around his slick shaft. He tangles his fingers in my hair, tightening his hold as I grip him roughly and suck him off like a pro.

  There’s something so powerful about giving head. Holding a man in my hands and loving him with my mouth until he’s spiraling to orgasm so quickly, his knees practically give out.

  I work his length, twisting my hand and creating a perfect connection with my lips. I go all out, giving him everything I’ve got until my eyes water and my jaw aches. I look up as he stiffens and his eyes close, lips parted and looking hotter than ever. When his body starts to shake uncontrollably, I know I have him.

  I use my hand more, leaving my tongue on the top of the head and working the sensitive spot underneath. The last thing I want to do is have him squirt down my throat, making me gag and heave because, let’s face it…come isn’t the tasty life-force I claim it is in my romance novels.

  Vinnie doesn’t seem to notice as his body rocks backward and forward, fucking my wet hand and my soft lips. He calls out my name as I pull my mouth away, watching his body ride the waves of orgasm. I slow my pace, drawing every aftershock out of him before finally releasing my hold on him.