THE VIXEN

Chapter Fourteen

"Mr. Barbatelli. Mr. Mancini is here to see you," Sal's assistant said into the intercom after she had buzzed him.

"Send him in, Laurel" Sal said to his assistant.

Sal had just been sitting in his office thinking about Dr. Nya Black. He had been trying to get her attention for weeks now and was getting nowhere. He had called, sent flowers, left messages, sent emails. Hell, the only thing left to do was a fuckin' singing telegram. Sal did not know why this woman had intrigued him so much. Maybe it was the fact that she seemed to think he was a complete and total douche. Sal had never met a woman who would resist his charm.

Sal was walking to his office door when Daniel burst into his office.

"You stupid son of a bitch!" he said, as he threw the hardest right hook to the side of Sal's head that he had ever felt.

Next thing Sal knew, he was being tackled by Daniel like he was a linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens. He gave Sal a kidney shot and a punch to the face. Sal swung his legs up and wrapped his legs around Daniels neck and pulled Daniel backward as he grabbed the arm he was about to punch him with and pulled.

The two men were throwing punch after punch at each other like they were in the UFC and not best friends. Just then, security arrived and pulled them apart.

"Get your fuckin 'hands off me!" Daniel said to the guard that was holding him.

"What the fuck is your problem, man!?" Sal said grabbing his jaw flexing it around in pain.

"You, you are my fuckin problem, you dick!" Daniel shouted at him. As Daniel lunged at Sal again, the guards held him back from hitting him again.

"Vixen was with me at my place last night when you left that message! She promptly kicked me in my nuts and left!" Daniel shouted.

Sal looked at him in shock and surprise. He waived the security to let Daniel go.

"What the fuck are you talking about? What did I say that was so bad?" he was saying as he poured both of them a drink. The security had left the office to let them talk after Sal had waved them off.

"You are such a fuckin' ass that you do not even realize the bullshit that comes out of your mouth!" Daniel said. In the tussle with Sal, his sport coat and shirt had gotten ripped and he had a split lip. He took them both off and was wiping his mouth with them. Sal tried to think back to the message and remembered what he had said, as he was handing the drink to Daniel.

"Oh, man, D. I am really sorry. It never occurred to me that she may be there to overhear what I said." Sal leaned against his large cherry wood executive desk drinking the liquor in one gulp.

"What is it with the fatty's? Why are they so sensitive about their weight? It's not like they cannot lose weight. Vixen should know that men aren't sexually attracted to a woman that is a whale. I mean she runs a lingerie company, for God's sake."

Daniel stepped toward Sal and slammed his glass down on the desk. He looked at Sal and realized that all this time that he had looked at Sal and envied him on a small level was pointless. Sal was alone and lonely he wanted love and didn't believe he could have it.

"Sal, you are my brother and I love you, but you are a selfish, asshole that is jealous of anyone that can find love. You want so bad to be loved that you fool yourself into thinking that sex is a form of love and you get plenty of it. But the truth is that you are too much of a bitch to show any woman the real you."

"Well, fuck you, too, D!" Sal said getting pissed off because Daniel had hit the nail on the head. Who was he to judge him?

"Vixen said she never wants to see me again. I have to figure out how to make this right with her. I love her and I want to make her my wife and share a life with her. But I promise you this, if she doesn't come back to me, if I lose her because of your bullshit, I will never forgive you, Sal. We are done."

Daniel started to walk toward the office doors to leave.

"So, you are going to throw away years of brotherhood over some chick?" Sal said to Daniel's back feeling pained that he had hurt his friend. He also felt a sense of panic because he knew Daniel did not make idol threats.

"No. Sal, I am growing the fuck up. You should give it a try," Daniel said without turning around to look at his friend. Without a backwards glance he left.