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Let Me In Part II
Original composition by Tatienne Richard exclusively for My Fiction. If you’re reading this elsewhere it has been stolen from the platform.
He splashed some water on his face and removed his shirt and
tossed it on the counter.
“Hey.”
The quiet comment from the doorway made him look sideways in surprise.
“Hey.” He gave a smile at January as she lounged against the door. “Where’s Kaylee?”
“Doing her homework. I told her to work on it while I came to talk to you. I called down to the room service and asked them to put together a pasta feast for ten people with appetizers, mains, and desserts. Saved me picking out a bunch of things.” She stared at him worriedly, “are you okay?”
“Of course.”
“Gulliver,” she entered the bathroom and put her hand on his forearm, “talk to me.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” he leaned closer and kissed her forehead.
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“Gulliver, eight years ago, misunderstandings happened because you didn’t trust me enough to let me in. Don’t shut me out.
Please.”
He stared at his beautiful wife and wondered how he’d been so fucking blessed to have her. He reached his hands out and grabbed her by the hips and lifted her, so she was sitting on the edge of the bathroom counter. He stepped between her legs and then rested his forehead against hers. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” she answered with a smile as she let her fingers trace the scruff of his jaw. “What’s going on?”
“My grandfather is making bad decisions as vovoi. Taking over the family before he dies was never meant to be in the cards. His own father ruled the family until he was well into his nineties, and he was as sharp on the day he died as the day he took over his family. My grandfather is healthy as a horse, strong an ox but his mind is slipping. He’s making foolish decisions and not paying attention to the threats of our family. He needs to retire and I need to take over but it’s not a conversation I relish.”
“Oh Gulliver.”
He shook his head, “he didn’t just let two men who were loyal to Ziogas close to him, he was letting them stay in the room while he held meetings. It means information he might have spewed in their presence may already be in Davis’s hands if they gave the information to Duchess‘ grandfather and he got it back to them
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then it’s a huge security leak.”
“Shit.”
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“It’s fine because I will manage it, but I do not relish the task of telling the man I love and respect he needs to willingly step down.”
“That’s a lot on your shoulders.”
“Yes. However, dealing with his ineptitude is not coming at a good time. Dealing with Davis being a blast from the past instead of simply some fed who has a hard on to try to catch a mafia boss is an added complexity. He’s putting us all in danger because he wants to take revenge and in his twisted mind, his need for revenge includes taking my wife and making her his. His sick and twisted and I want to simply shoot him in the head and be done with it.” He gave a toss of his head, “I just might you know.”
“Whatever you do, I support you, Gulliver. Kill him. Don’t kill him. Lock him up in a tower and torture him or drown him in an ocean. I support you.”
“Well, hold onto that staunch supportive stance because in about forty–five minutes two of the biggest assholes of the planet are going to converge in this room and be at each other’s throats. Do you think being vovoi is hard? Wait until you watch me play referee to Glenn and my father. I have so many other things I need to deal with tonight. I have plans to put in place. I have
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soldiers to command. I have lawyers to consult with. I have security to sort out. I have a wife I want to woo and a daughter I want to get to know better. Instead, I need to deal with my parents showing up uninvited as if they don’t need to obey the rules of the family. It’s a fucking headache, January and while it’s my mother and father, they stress me the fuck out.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss to his lips, “this morning you helped me with my mother who was behaving like an asshole. I will help you tonight. Lean on me Gulliver. Trust me to have your back and support you. I’m here for you.”
“Yeah?” he asked with a smile.
“Yeah. You don’t need to carry it all on your own. You have a wife to help manage the family interpersonal stuff. I might not be great at dealing with lawyers and soldiers and planning attacks on federal agents who are trying to fuck us up before we even get started again but maybe I can help with your parents.”
“I fucking love you.”
“I love you too.” She grinned at him.
“Are you kissing?”
Kaylee’s voice cut into the room and she grinned as they both turned their heads to look at her, foreheads still touching.
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“Why aren’t you working on your homework?” January asked her with a grin.
“Because I need help with my math. Dad are you done shaving? I bet you’re better at my math than Mom is.”
“Tell you what,” he said with a grin, “bring your book in here and you can ask me the questions, and I will answer them while I shave. Multitasking.”
“What is Mom going to do while I do homework and you shave?”
January laughed, “I’m going to nap.”
“Oh no you’re not.” Gulliver shook his head. “You wanted to help me, wife?” he teased her. “How about,” he reached past her and grabbed a can of shaving foam, “you shave me? I’m very tired and I think I need a little TLC from my wife. You used to shave me all the time. Think you can remember how to do it?”
Gulliver smiled while Kaylee ran to get her notebook and January started digging through his kit for his razor. He plunked down on the closed toilet seat and watched his wife. Perhaps letting her in and accepting her help, even if it were only to give him a few moments of peace and love, was exactly what he needed.
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