Ch. 45
The music blaring from Ozzy's Boneyard suited Dante's mood down to the ground and he cranked the satellite station up louder as he sped through the streets of Port Charles. He knew he was trying unsuccessfully to drown out his thoughts. What was he attempting to escape, though? It wasn't until he saw the flashing blue and red lights behind him that he realized just how fast he was driving. Pulling his Dodge Challenger over to the side of the road, he sheepishly prepared a defense of sorts while fishing for his license and registration. The young officer who knocked on his window was taken aback when he saw who was behind the wheel of the speeding car, saying, "Oh, Detective Falconeri. I didn't recognize your car. Sorry, sir, but you were driving pretty fast…" "Yeah, I was, and don't apologize for doing your job, Tommy. You're totally within your rights to be pulling me over. I wasn't tracking how fast I was driving but that's no excuse." "Well, I'm not gonna give you a ticket, obviously. You haven't been drinking, by any chance, have you, sir?" "Good question, and no, I haven't been, man. Some work-related stuff was getting to me and I took it out on the streets. I actually appreciate you pulling me over, T—who knows what could have happened if I'd have kept going?" "Ok, thanks for that—for not being pissed off with me about this. Like I said, I'm not gonna give you a ticket. I am gonna ask you to either slow down or go somewhere and stew—maybe give the streets a break tonight." "Good advice, man. I'm gonna do both." "That'll work. Take it easy." "You too, Tommy. Stay safe tonight." Dante ruefully shook his head as he drove away from the traffic stop. He hadn't exactly set the best example for any officer patrolling the streets tonight. Going somewhere to stew was actually a good idea. Making a decision, he pointed his car in the direction of Jake's.
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His head was still full of chaos when he walked into the bar and approached Coleman, who was surveilling the floor while wiping down a glass. "Yo, Coleman, set me up with a couple of longnecks, would you?" "Startin' off with two? Rough night, huh?" "Something like that." "You got it, man. Comin' right up." After receiving the beers from Coleman, Dante walked over to a table in the corner of the room and sat with his back facing the wall. He cracked the first beer open and took a long, satisfying swig, sighing a heavy sigh of release once he had swallowed. Closing his eyes and rubbing his forehead, he winced as his mind reviewed the day. He didn't even realize Lulu was standing in front of his table until she called his name twice. "Oh, Lulu, hey," he said when he finally looked up and saw her standing there, "I didn't see you." "I figured that when you walked right past us without saying a word." "My bad. Who is 'us'?" Lulu pointed to a table near the door where Nathan, Maxie and Dillon were sitting. His eyes connected with Nathan's and Nathan raised his eyebrows and cocked his head, silently asking, "Everything ok?" Dante shook his head as if answering, "No, not really," and Nathan shrugged and nodded as he received the message. Maxie noticed the exchange between them and asked, "What's that about?" "Work stuff," she was told. "So you're not gonna tell me?" "No," Nathan said emphatically, "I'm not."
"You want to join us?" asked Lulu. Dante frowned and shook his head again, telling her, "Thanks, no. I'm not really in the head space for company right now. I needed to clear my head and I couldn't do that at the house. Took a ride and ended up getting pulled over for speeding. That's how I ended up here." "Needed to clear your head, huh? I wondered how long it would take…"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I see you're on your own for once. I'm surprised Valerie let you out of her sight—she's usually attached like a leech wherever you go."
"C'mon, Lulu, I don't need-"
"No, you're right. In the spirit of our new agreement, I'll bite my tongue! Why isn't she with you, though?"
"I just needed some space, that's all." Laughing slightly, Lulu acknowledged the seemingly faint annoyance behind the words as she replied, "Yeah. A little of my 'cousin' goes a long way, I'll bet. I knew eventually you'd get tired of her and I can admit it's taken much longer than I thought it would. I guess the question now is 'Where do you go from here?'" Dante looked up at her in confused puzzlement and then he asked, "What are you talking about?" "I'm assuming you had to get away from the penthouse to escape Valerie-" Holding up his hand, Dante stopped her before she could say anything else. "Hang on, Lulu. I think you got the wrong end of the stick, here-" "Well, you said you needed some space and you couldn't get that at the penthouse. Who else would you need space from if it wasn't Valerie?"
"I wasn't tryin' to get away from VAL, just my thoughts about her! Your cousin can be the most reckless, heedless, risk-taking woman I've ever met, and after being with YOU, that's sayin' somethin'! She makes me crazy and some of the stuff she does frightens me! Her courage is terrifyin' but I just realized somethin'. She's a Spencer! I didn't think about what that really meant until just now!"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You all have this gene, this wild propensity for runnin' headlong into danger without thinkin' about the consequences! At least, most of you do," he went on, mumbling to himself, adding, "maybe not Carly, but she wasn't raised a Spencer. No, now that I think about it, she has it, too-"
"What are you babbling about, Dante?"
"I was just comin' to a realization about somethin', that's all. I was upset with Val because she did somethin' on the job that scared the crap out of me but that's just who she is. She has an absolute ability to take somethin' straight on without fear and once she commits, that's it—game on. No lookin' back! That's one of the things I love about her, actually, but-"
"WHAT?" Dante was halted in the middle of musing aloud by Lulu's sharply asked question and he put his hand to his head as his eyes closed tightly. "I'm sorry, Lulu-"
"YOU LOVE HER? Are you actually saying you love that home wrecking skank? Since when? I thought this was only something temporary, some itch you needed to scratch until you got her out of your system completely! How could you possibly think you're in love with her?"
"'Home wreckin' skank'? What happened to 'you realize you have your life and I have mine'? Yeah, I love her, ok? If you can't be civil when you're talkin' about her to me, then-"
"Civil? CIVIL! I don't have to be civil when I'm talking about the trick who ruined my life!" "So then all that talk at your place was just that-TALK, huh? You're really not interested in us gettin' along at all!"
"I said that because I thought that eventually, you'd come to your senses and realize what you had thrown away! I was taking the high road!"
"Sounds more like you were lyin' again, that's what I'm gettin'. Tellin' me one thing when you meant somethin' totally different. And I don't feel like I threw anything away here! I gave you my reasons for endin' our marriage, and they still stand! I'm sorry if you thought I was just markin' time but that's not what I've been doin' at all—I don't play those kinds of games!"
"You didn't even know who she was this time last year and now you're all in love with her? Give me a break, Dante! I'm starting to think you don't even know what love is!"
"But you're the expert, right? You're gonna school me on what love means? Please, don't bother! You have your own double standard when it comes to love, Lulu, so when it comes to choosin' a definition, I'll take mine over yours any day! I didn't come in here lookin' for a fight but thanks for this, anyway! You helped me make some things real clear in my mind, whether that was your intention or not!" Dante angrily launched himself up from the table and stalked out of Jake's without a backward glance, leaving his second beer untouched. He hated arguing with Lulu, he thought as he drove away, but it had been a good thing, after all. It crystalized some things in his mind and heart, things he needed to share with Val.
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"Val? Valerie! You here?" he called out after entering the penthouse and shrugging out of his coat. He was hanging it up in the front closet when Val came flying down the stairs and into his arms. "Dante!" she exclaimed in relief as she held him, further saying, "I'm so sorry-" "No, Angel," he affirmed as he peppered her face with kisses, "I'M sorry!" He held her tightly in return, slightly swaying back and forth with her and then he leaned back to look her in the eye. They held one another's gazes before Dante whispered, "I love you." Her eyes began tearing up at that—the sense of comfort she received from his softly uttered words was immense. A tear slowly rolled down her cheek as she explained, "You were so angry with me when you left that I wasn't sure you were coming back." He kissed the tear away and then led her to the couch. Once they had sat down he turned to her and said, "I'm sorry, baby. I really am. I need you to know something, though. Something I didn't even understand at first. It wasn't anger. It was fear. Reaction setting in when I thought of you in a room with Joey Robbs without back up. When I think of what could have happened to you—what he could have done to you… Your courage scares me to death, Angel! You put yourself in that dangerous situation and what if I had lost you because of it? I didn't know anything about it—I wouldn't have been able to help you! The thought of all that-" He broke off and pulled her into his arms, sighing deeply as he tried to let go of the images threatening to overwhelm his mind.
Now that she comprehended his attitude and the anger that followed, Val was able to relax against him as she held onto him. Knowing that his fury had come from fear for her safety had her smiling, even though the situation was far from humorous. "You really do love me," she told him with a kind of incredulous wonder, adding, "I don't know why I didn't even think of that as a possible reason for your outrage. All I know is I'd never seen you like that. I honestly thought it was the end for us." "We're stronger than that, Val, ok? Know that, first of all. The thought of Joey Robbs laying a hand on you, though-"
"But he didn't, Dante. I'm safe. I got out of there intact-"
"Which just makes you lucky, Angel. I mean, this guy tried to have Nathan killed. Killed! You knew that, and you still went ahead with your plan. You definitely have the heart of a lion. Well, of a lioness, I guess!" They laughed together and then he further stated, "Your bravery scares the hell out of me. And you're thinking you want to make a career out of it now. You've had a taste of it and I don't see you backing down or away from it. I have an insane fear of losing you to this job that I'm gonna have to let go of because I don't want to stand in your way." Softly, she kissed his lips and then leaned her head against his in a show of comfort. "I'll do my best to make you comfortable with my decision, Dante. I'll train hard; I'll absorb everything I'm taught. I'm gonna apply myself and make us both proud."
"I'm already proud of you, Val. I wasn't sure I should admit that because I wasn't sure I wanted to encourage you but I think your mind's made up, and you should know the truth. I've always known you've got spine, and you more than proved it with this caper. Part of me wishes I could have seen it, seen you in action. Seriously, how did you face this man across the room knowing who and what he was, without freaking out or blowing your cover?"
"I don't know, JM, I really don't. I do know that what Anna told me played over and over in my head—'believe in the cover, live the cover, don't let him see you sweat.' I can't really describe how I felt in the moment—I was scared and elated at the same time. Even as I was telling myself to be careful, I felt fearless, too. There was a moment when I knew I was gonna be successful, when I actually got him to put his fingerprints on the magazines and I can't describe that feeling to you-"
"Trust me; I know that feeling well. Every time I got away with a lie to the Zaccharas or to Sonny when I was in his organization, I felt what you were feeling. A sense of power and accomplishment unlike any other, right?"
"That's it, exactly. When I left that pool hall with those Scorpions, I had the feeling that I could literally conquer the world! I've never felt that-" she reached for the right word to describe her emotions.
"Alive."
"Yes. YES. I can't remember when I felt that alive before! I knew I could die but I had confidence that I wouldn't, that I would complete my mission."
"Your 'mission'?"
"Yeah. That's how I thought of it, as a mission." He smiled and shook his head at her, saying, "My little warrior. Well, Angel, you've got two new missions now."
"Two?"
"Yeah. In the morning, you're gonna have to face your boss and explain your actions. That's not gonna be an easy one."
"True, true. Not looking forward to it, either. What's the other one?" "The other one," he said as he stood and then reached down and lifted her into his arms, "is making me feel better about how badly you scared me. And that one might take all night, 'cause I was pretty scared." As he carried her up the stairs, she whispered into his ear, "You're right—I owe you a deep, DEEP and profound apology. I don't even know if all night is enough time to show the depths of my—remorse—but I'm dedicated to trying."
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He set her feet on the floor when they reached the bedroom and they stood there regarding one another. Continuing to hold his gaze, she leaned forward slowly and touched her lips to his. She kissed him softly once, twice, three times and then as he slightly opened his mouth, she kissed him fully. Her hand moved up from the base of his neck to the back of his head as she gripped his hair to hold him motionless. Her tongue slid toward his and they tangled together, heating their embrace even further. Dante uttered a little groan when Val gently bit his lip before breaking off, feathering light kisses along his cheek, down to his neck. Still clutching his hair, she kissed him there and then abruptly began sucking his skin, tenderly at first, and then adding more pressure. She bit down on the cords of his neck and he gasped her name aloud. "What is it, baby?" she purred into his ear, teasing the lobe with her lips and tongue. "Nothing. Nothing," he muttered back, adding, "Ohh," as she began unbuttoning his shirt and fondling his nipples once she exposed his flesh. Ghosting light kisses along his chest, Val's lips cruised over every inch of skin. Her eyes catching his, she stared at him unwaveringly as she slowly sank to her knees in front of him, his eyes widening as she deliberately smoothed her hands along the sides of his legs—up, up—until she reached his belt buckle. They watched each other while she loosened his belt and unfastened his pants, her movements intentionally measured and slow as she dragged both pants and underwear down in one motion.
His breathing increased once he was naked, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he took in the sight of her kneeling before him. He was fully erect, his mind having anticipated her next move and she didn't disappoint him. She leaned forward and firmly gripped him at his base, taking him into her mouth. "Damn, Angel," he gasped out when she began purposefully suckling him and his head fell back when she moved faster, up and down, her head and her hand acting in concert while she worked him. Moments later, when he felt the climax start, he jerked away from her. He reached down and quickly pulled her to her feet, pushing her back onto the bed. She tried to rise up but he held her down unyieldingly by her arms, raspingly commanding, "No, don't move. Don't you dare."
Val saw the demand and the arousal in Dante's eyes and she immediately chose not to fight him. Once he realized she was going to comply, he released her arms and with some strength, ripped the tank shirt she was wearing from her body. "Hey—I liked that shirt!" she exclaimed softly. "I'll get you another one," he grated before bending down to suckle her breast, nudging the nipple with his tongue. Her back bowed unconsciously and she began panting when he applied more pressure, nipping and sucking her in turns. "I thought this was my apology to you," she had the presence of mind to remind him. "We both screwed up, baby," he told her, "so we've both gotta make it right." He continued licking his way down her torso, alternating between gentle kisses and slight grazes with his teeth. He finally reached his target and he scented her, leaning in to inhale deeply. "God, you smell good—I know you're gonna taste even better," he breathed against her intimate flesh, moaning when he took his first taste. His tongue flickered in and out of her repeatedly and she was no longer able to stay still, ultimately whimpering, "Dante, no, it's too much! Let me up! Oh my God—baby, please!" as she writhed against the sheets in an attempt to escape the sensations threatening to overtake her. "It's MY turn, now. You had yours and this is mine. And you just taste too good for me to stop. A little bit more, baby. Let me have a little bit more, ok?" He reached under her and lifted him to his mouth as he probed even more deeply, causing her to shout, "Dante—I can't take any more! I really can't!" "Then take me instead," he growled, rising over her and pushing his way into her with a grunt. He gripped her hips tightly and rapidly surged in and out of her as he whispered huskily into her ear, "Is this any better? Huh? Is this better, baby?" "YES, DANTE—GOD, YES! Don't-" "Don't what?" "Whisper in my ear like that! Don't!" she loudly groaned. "Why?" he quietly wondered with a faint laugh, "What does it do to you when I do that?" "It makes me—ohh," she was able to utter with a mewling cry before the contractions within her started. She came hard, her body squeezing and milking him as she crashed over the edge, which sent him over the edge behind her. They held each other tightly, sighing and breathing heavily as the orgasmic pleasure washed over them. Dante eventually rolled over onto his back, pulling Val with him and hugging her to his chest. For the next few minutes, they concentrated solely on dragging air into their overtaxed lungs while they continued to shiver and jerk as they were rocked by aftershocks. Arching her neck, Val placed her lips against Dante's jaw and on a deep exhale asked him, "Is the fear gone, do you think?" "Not totally, no," he wheezed back. "Well, I love you and I can't have you going around being afraid for me on the job. Just give me a minute." "A minute for what?" "To banish the fear. We're not leaving here until I know you're fully convinced that I'll be all right, that I can take care of myself." "I don't know, Angel. That might actually take longer than one night to do." "That's ok, Just Mine. For you, I've got time-I don't care if it takes forever."
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