The Beauty and the Brawler by Nikki Winter Read Free Book Online

download that app I asked you for?” Luciano questioned, scrolling through the screens of his android.
              “The one with access to WKZ broadcasts?” his personal assistant said, not looking up from the tablet in his hands as he went over Luciano’s schedule from the passenger’s side of Sansone’s truck. “Put it up there last night.”
              “Jesus Christ, you’re getting B involved in your skeevey stalkerish activities?” Sansone barked, laughing.
              “Shaddup, Sunny.”
              “No. This needs to be said.” Luciano’s brother turned to Brian. “In all the time you’ve worked for him, has he ever been this goddamn creepy?”
              “Can’t say that he has, sir.” Brian answered.
              “You’re fired, Brian,” Luciano stated from the back seat.
              “Is that a promise?”
              Luciano gasped in outrage. “Brian, I thought you loved me!”
              “No. My husband loves you. I do this so Antonio gets to be a stan from the sidelines of your matches.”
              “Is it wrong that I find it strange I’m being stalked by one of the most infamous linebackers in the NFL?”
              “No stranger than when we find you at our table for dinner every Wednesday night, sir,” Brian candidly replied.
              “Ah, you know I can’t stay away from the veal Parmesan, Brian.” Luciano momentarily stopped searching for his headphones. “You making veal parm this week?”
              “I thought I was fired.”
              “I’ll change my mind for the veal parm.”
              “And back to the skeevey behavior at hand,” a previously silent Sansone cut in. “You should be eating at Samara’s table and not invading B’s home every week.”
              “Impossible,” Brian retorted. “Samara can’t cook.”
              The brothers stared at him.
              “How would you know that?” Luciano queried slowly.
              “Paz Ojeda, her co-star, is Antonio’s cousin. They grew up together—even got drafted together when they first entered the NFL,” Brian murmured, eyes still on that tablet screen. “We’ve been up to Manhattan a few times for dinner with them, and Samara occasionally tags along. Fun girl, great taste in shoes.”
              Sansone started to sing “It’s A Small World . ”At least until Luciano popped him from behind the headrest. To ignore his brother and assistant, Luciano adjusted his headphones and tuned into his daily morning joy. Just in time too—Samara was ranting.
              “...all I’m pointing out is that these kids who make it big don’t always have the right guidance to help them along. A lot of the time they get screwed over, not realizing how short the lifespan of a pro-ball career truly is. I’m not saying every noob fails but there’s a huge percentage that falls to the wayside because of bad management. My sister—”
              “Shameless plug,” the voice of Trip—Samara’s co-host--interrupted.
              Something that distinctly sounded like a slap sounded in the background.
              “The violence!”
              “Quiet, obnoxious ass-hat!” Samara snapped.
              Luciano chuckled as he listened. She was feisty as ever.
              “As I was saying,” Samara continued. “My sister, Nyssa Blackwell, whom we’ve had here a few times, has contractual stipulations for clients under twenty-five. A degree is a necessity in her eyes. You either have one, are working for one, or are looking for new management, because she likes to prep her people for the real world. Nothing lasts forever aside from knowledge, folks.” She yawned. “Remember that.”
              “A little tired there, Sammie?” Paz