rentboy?”
Marino shrugged. “It’s complicated.”
“I bet. Especially for a married man.” Sebastiano pushed them back together, leaving the one with the kiss on top of the pile. “Does your wife know?”
Marino waved the question off. “Spiteful little asshole, are you?”
Sebastiano scoffed. “Let’s stay civil.”
Marino ground his teeth together, looking every bit the caged predator behind his yuppie façade. “So, what do you want?”
“No. We’re not at that stage yet.”
“Yeah, I cut the gloating stage short. Sorry, my bad.” Marino gave him a poisonous stare. “Please, continue.”
Sebastiano couldn’t help it, he was a little bit impressed by Marino’s guts and intelligence, even though it masqueraded as passive-aggressiveness. The man thought well on his feet, and Sebastiano tended to like that in his opponents. “Now, these photos prove only something about your sexual orientation. But it’s not illegal to be gay.
It’s not even illegal to cheat on your wife. And while he looks young, he’s most likely completely legal.”
Marino sat straight up in his chair. “Leave him out of it.”
Ouch. First weakness. So it wasn’t a rentboy at al . Or maybe he was a regular customer. “Who’s the young man?”
“He under investigation, too?”
“I’ll take what I can get.”
“Then concentrate on me. If you’re after what you believe is the head of a crime family, why mess around with outsiders?”
“He’s your weakness.”
“What else do you have?”
Nothing yet, but soon. He wouldn’t get through on that topic.
He looked down at the image, a ful -bodied hug, a tight, deep kiss, closed eyes, the younger man mostly naked, Marino mostly dressed.
It did look terribly intimate, much more so than the blowjob. He was a lover, not a whore.
“Okay, I’ll let that one slide. I’m grateful you’re still here, too. You haven’t yet threatened me, either.”
Marino waved his hand again. “Yeah, I noticed. What else do you have?”
“Now, this is evidence. But as they teach you in law school on the first day, there’s permissible evidence in court, and non-permissible evidence. This here is not permissible. This is just dust our big Federal broom has kicked up.”
“Lucky you were there to catch it,” Marino sneered.
“Lucky indeed.”
Marino was the first mafioso Sebastiano actually liked. The civilized layer and emotional vulnerability made for a welcome change from trying to pick his way through the glaciers other mafiosi put up in self-defense when their puny egos and fake honor were challenged. “This doesn’t mean, though, that I can’t use them, if you know what I mean.”
“You’re not seriously trying to catch me offering a bribe to a US
Attorney. You can’t think I’m that fucking stupid.”
Yep, he definitely liked him. “No. The time for bribing is over, but I’m willing to cut you a deal.”
Marino nodded. “What’s your plan? I’ll see if I can accommodate it.”
“The plan is quite simple. These photos here . . . I have no use for them. I’ll find out who your lover is, maybe question him.”
“That wouldn’t be a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“He’s . . . he won’t answer any questions. My best bet is, he’ll kill you.”
“Really?”
“Really.” Marino shook his head. “He’s not good with anticipating consequences. He’ll just do it. And I don’t want him to die.”
“You’re pretty fond of him, aren’t you?”
Marino shook his head, refusing to answer the question. Of course, that was an answer all by itself.
“See, nothing stops me leaking these to the press. Society pages. Married Italian Millionaire Meets Sexy Lover in Love Nest.”
Sebastiano lifted his hands and traced the imaginary headline. “It would be worth a story for a tabloid. I don’t think it would make the national news, but in this city? Absolutely.”
Marino stared at him and at the photo. “You’d do that.”
“Of course, your
Marino shrugged. “It’s complicated.”
“I bet. Especially for a married man.” Sebastiano pushed them back together, leaving the one with the kiss on top of the pile. “Does your wife know?”
Marino waved the question off. “Spiteful little asshole, are you?”
Sebastiano scoffed. “Let’s stay civil.”
Marino ground his teeth together, looking every bit the caged predator behind his yuppie façade. “So, what do you want?”
“No. We’re not at that stage yet.”
“Yeah, I cut the gloating stage short. Sorry, my bad.” Marino gave him a poisonous stare. “Please, continue.”
Sebastiano couldn’t help it, he was a little bit impressed by Marino’s guts and intelligence, even though it masqueraded as passive-aggressiveness. The man thought well on his feet, and Sebastiano tended to like that in his opponents. “Now, these photos prove only something about your sexual orientation. But it’s not illegal to be gay.
It’s not even illegal to cheat on your wife. And while he looks young, he’s most likely completely legal.”
Marino sat straight up in his chair. “Leave him out of it.”
Ouch. First weakness. So it wasn’t a rentboy at al . Or maybe he was a regular customer. “Who’s the young man?”
“He under investigation, too?”
“I’ll take what I can get.”
“Then concentrate on me. If you’re after what you believe is the head of a crime family, why mess around with outsiders?”
“He’s your weakness.”
“What else do you have?”
Nothing yet, but soon. He wouldn’t get through on that topic.
He looked down at the image, a ful -bodied hug, a tight, deep kiss, closed eyes, the younger man mostly naked, Marino mostly dressed.
It did look terribly intimate, much more so than the blowjob. He was a lover, not a whore.
“Okay, I’ll let that one slide. I’m grateful you’re still here, too. You haven’t yet threatened me, either.”
Marino waved his hand again. “Yeah, I noticed. What else do you have?”
“Now, this is evidence. But as they teach you in law school on the first day, there’s permissible evidence in court, and non-permissible evidence. This here is not permissible. This is just dust our big Federal broom has kicked up.”
“Lucky you were there to catch it,” Marino sneered.
“Lucky indeed.”
Marino was the first mafioso Sebastiano actually liked. The civilized layer and emotional vulnerability made for a welcome change from trying to pick his way through the glaciers other mafiosi put up in self-defense when their puny egos and fake honor were challenged. “This doesn’t mean, though, that I can’t use them, if you know what I mean.”
“You’re not seriously trying to catch me offering a bribe to a US
Attorney. You can’t think I’m that fucking stupid.”
Yep, he definitely liked him. “No. The time for bribing is over, but I’m willing to cut you a deal.”
Marino nodded. “What’s your plan? I’ll see if I can accommodate it.”
“The plan is quite simple. These photos here . . . I have no use for them. I’ll find out who your lover is, maybe question him.”
“That wouldn’t be a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“He’s . . . he won’t answer any questions. My best bet is, he’ll kill you.”
“Really?”
“Really.” Marino shook his head. “He’s not good with anticipating consequences. He’ll just do it. And I don’t want him to die.”
“You’re pretty fond of him, aren’t you?”
Marino shook his head, refusing to answer the question. Of course, that was an answer all by itself.
“See, nothing stops me leaking these to the press. Society pages. Married Italian Millionaire Meets Sexy Lover in Love Nest.”
Sebastiano lifted his hands and traced the imaginary headline. “It would be worth a story for a tabloid. I don’t think it would make the national news, but in this city? Absolutely.”
Marino stared at him and at the photo. “You’d do that.”
“Of course, your
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