Kai Tyler: He was far from respectable #MidWeekTease #MWTease #Amwriting #MMRomance Dante

Welcome back to Mid-Week Tease hosted by Sandra Bunino.

First of all, I wanted to say thank you to everyone who stopped by and read my MWT piece last week. Your comments and feedback was so encouraging. You'll be glad to know I kept on writing. So I've got more to share this week.

I've carried on from where I left off last week. So there's no gap. If you didn't read last week's tease, you might want to read it to understand the dream Dante refers to in this scene.

This still a first draft so please pardon any errors.

Chapter One

Dante

Jerking up in bed, I took quick stock of my environment, one hand reaching for the hand gun beside my bed. A quick scan of the room and sensing no immediate danger, I relaxed a little, swiping a palm across my sweaty forehead. The dream always left me feeling jittery. One thing was certain. Sleep wouldn’t be returning anytime soon.

I swung my feet over the bed and padded into the ensuite bathroom of the hotel room. After a quick splash, I picked up my trousers from the back of the chair they hung over. Certain habits from my childhood hadn't left me. Like making sure everything stayed in its place before I slept.

Lips turned downward and chest tight, I remembered Mama. Regret made me scrub a hand over my face. I had no mementos to remember her by, except my memories. After eighteen years those were fading. All I was left with was this recurring nightmare.

A blanket of doom threatened to overtake me as it always did when I dreamt of the last time I ever saw my mother. Shaking it off, I dressed in a rush and headed out. This was supposed to be a short break for me, after all. So far I've done jack all but sit in coffee shops and stroll down the beach promenades.

As enforcer for the Menedez cartel I got plenty of action, I barely had time for anything else except my duties. I took my responsibilities damned seriously. However, this down time was well overdue, even if I was practically forced to take it by my adoptive father.

I should make like the tourist I was supposed to be and get some action. Not my usual kind. No, tonight I needed a hook up. To fuck. Rough and sweaty. Hard and fast.

My stride quickened as I strolled past coffee shops and eateries shut for the night, my hotel being in a respectable quiet end of town. Any decent person should be in bed at this hour.

You shouldn’t let my expensive clothes fool you into thinking I'm one of the decent ones. It's an illusion. I learned a long time ago that image was everything.

I was far from respectable. Don't get me wrong. Respect is a currency in my business. And I've earned every fucking dollar of it. No one dared disrespect me. Everyone paid their dues. One way or the other.

However, I would never win the Nobel Prize for Peace. My hands were stained and my heart sat is a prison of darkness. Just like the cloak of darkness surrounding me now. Lifting my face up, I sucked in briny sea air and welcomed the darkness.

Walking among wide eyed tourists on the beach during the day left me agitated. Now, my shoulders and muscles relaxed as I headed to the city's red light zone. My comfort zone. Day had eyes. Night had eyes. But during the day, hiding from prying eyes was a lot tougher.