Luca still wasn’t home when I got back, and that left an empty feeling in me. His scent still lingered in the lounge, the kitchen, even the balcony. It was everywhere like a painful reminder. I missed him terribly. “Alexa, call Luca,” I said to my smart speaker. She immediately registered the command. I bit my fingers, nervously waiting to hear his voice as the phone rang. “Jess?” His voice echoed softly through the room. “Luca. Hi.” My heart drummed in my chest as flashes of last night flooded my mind. “You okay?” he asked. “Yeah… uh, you left,” I said, unsure how to sound casual when all I felt was abandoned. “Yeah. Vince needed me in Chicago,” he stated plainly. “What? I thought he was coming to Seattle tonight.” “Something came up. Really important. But we’ll be back before the weekend, okay?” And Vince didn’t think to inform me!? “Okay,” I replied, making a mental note to ignore any Mafia-related calls or texts until tomorrow. “Gotta go. Bye,” he sai
I heard Luca drive out before the sun came up. I wondered if he would be returning, his door had been locked and that was unusual. What if Vince had asked him to leave upon his return? What if Vince knew about last night and was going to punish Luca or send him away to fight in Africa?Oh God, I was getting paranoid, and that was absolutely not what I needed on the morning of my first day at work. So, I shook off the feeling and headed into the bathroom. I was running late, changing into different outfits repeatedly because I wanted to look my best. Finally, I settled on the basics—a white chiffon blouse tucked into a black skirt, paired with a Chanel belt and purse. I slipped on my expensive red-bottom heels, and my hair was perfectly curled. I was dressed for success. Walking down the hallways of Howards felt like a dream come true. I remembered my first year in college, there was a magazine article about the top five publishers. Howards was number one. I had done more resea
My shirt was off in a split second, my shorts were next. I wasn’t wearing any panties, so I was as naked as the day I was born.Luca stared down at me, watching my whole body unabashedly like it was his to watch.“You’re so pretty. You’re like a... princess, the kind I watched when I was a kid, the kind only a good and noble prince should touch. Sometimes, I get scared I might dirty you up with my hands.” He was blabbing, blabbing about how pretty I was, and it seized up my breaths.“Luca—” I wanted to speak, but he shut me up with a kiss, and I was in ecstasy again. I whined into his mouth, moaning and twirling my tongue around his hot one. His erection was pressed into my side as he rubbed against me, his hand making a fist in my hair as he continued assaulting my mouth.I was left needy, my lips swollen when he broke our kiss.I swallowed, watching him as he inched downwards so he was face to face with my pussy.“She’s bare and she’s shining,” he whispered, looking at my snatch wit
I was pressed against the cold marble wall, my heart pounding. It’s been what? Three months? Four months? Since I last saw Toby. He looked so much thinner, more tattoos, his once curly brown hair that touched his nape was shaved off. His amber eyes, almost black, like he’d seen hell and back. What exactly happened to him!? “Toby, what are you doing here?” My eyes were wide like I couldn't believe he was in here, still alive. “I should be asking you that, Jess. How the fuck are you in Seattle—and here of all places!?” He snapped. “I thought—” “You thought Vincenzo killed me?” He huffed. “Nah. I got good friends who paid off my debt to that evil son of a bitch. Ever heard of Caesar Augusto? Yeah, he saved my ass.” Caesar Augusto? Who was that? “Where have you been?” I asked, the name 'Caeser Augusto'' registering itself in my mind. “Here in Seattle.” He shrugged. He paused, taking a long look at me. “So you’re friends with the Black Cross Mafia now?” “What?” I blurted out like
The smell of bacon woke me from sleep. I yawned, stretching as my body sprang to life. The weather was chilly from the storm last night. My nostrils were clogged, and I felt a little sick. I went downstairs, sniffing after the delicious aroma. I got to the kitchen, and my eyes were blessed with the drool-worthy view of Luca, shirtless and cooking. It was too early to be horny, I had just woken up but damn, Luca shirtless and cooking was the sluttiest thing ever. I leaned against the doorway, taking a moment to watch him quietly. "Hi," I spoke after a few seconds. He turned, a frying pan in his hand. "Hey," he grinned, showing off his perfect dentition. My eyes traveled down to his mouth-watering six—no, eight—packs. I swallowed. "You're making bacon and eggs sandwich?" I stepped further into the kitchen. "Yup. Thought I'd do it quickly before you woke up." I smiled, my heart warming up. "Mmm, is this part of the job description?" "He did say I should take care of yo
It was raining heavily. I was wrapped in a pink cashmere blanket, sipping hot tea as I stood by the balcony, watching the raindrops slide down the glass, deep in thought.My first day of work was in two days. I wondered if life would be peaceful then—I hoped it would. But deep down, I knew it was near impossible.Not with Vince and Luca constantly in my life. They were like crutches I couldn’t do without, yet they kept me crippled, caged, stagnant. There was no freedom with them."Why aren’t you sleeping?" Luca’s voice startled me.I turned to look at him. He was in a black tee and plaid pajama pants."Nothing. Just thinking," I exhaled, turning away from him.He stepped forward, standing beside me. My body hummed at his closeness."Isn’t this what you’ve always wanted?" he asked, drawing my attention back to him. His eyes narrowed, "A nice house in Seattle, your dream job.""It’s not that simple."He huffed, then looked forward. "Life isn’t always black and white, Jessie."I wanted t
It’s been four days, and Joyce was still giving me the silent treatment. We were living as strangers in her home, and I felt so awful about it.Darren hadn’t called or texted since our short-lived trip. He hadn’t returned any of my calls or messages either. It was like karma had finally caught up with me.I’d hurt everyone around me, and in turn, I was nursing my pain alone.It wasn't an easy decision to make, leaving Chicago. But then, it was the best thing to do. To give them space to forgive me. So, I booked my flight to Seattle."I'm leaving," I told Joyce as she quietly ate breakfast. I stood by the doorway, all set for my flight that morning."Where will you go?" she asked, instantly dropping her cutlery, her eyes glued to her plate."I have some place in Seattle," I replied, watching her closely.She looked up at me, no hint of a smile on her face. "What place?"I knew where this was going."Joyce, stop.""Don’t tell me he bought you a house there," she scoffed.I didn’t reply.
I stared at the broken mirror, blood trickling down from its cracks. It was Darren's blood. He had punched the glass out of anger.Thankfully, I had turned off my phone before he did that, else Vincenzo would have taken the next flight to Maldives, and Darren would have been as good as dead.He made dinner—surprisingly. I was scared to touch my food, but he ate his as if he wasn't bothered by anything. Like hell he wasn't.“Darren, we need to talk,” I finally had the courage to break the silence.He sighed, ate his last piece of chicken, then turned to me. His face did not look good.“Is he the guy that owns you?” he suddenly asked, making me jump a little.He was referring to the statement Luca made. 'You have no idea who owns her'“He’s...” My voice trailed off as I realized who Vince actually was. He wasn’t some ex who worked in a company and had a dirt bike parked in his garage. He was the leader of the Black Cross Mafia, he was into illegal businesses, and I literally have PTSD f
He stood tall, well over six feet and hard muscles. He was wearing a dark shirt that hugged his broad upper body. He was in a pair of dark jeans too, a shade hung on his hair. He looked so much better than the last time I had seen him, his skin was tanned. There was no pain in his eyes now, just expressionless and a small smile tugging at his lips. "You're here," I rasped, like it was unbelievable. His eyes took in my face and then my body, making me squirm a little and instinctively take a step back. "Ouch. Was expecting a hug," he smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. I stumbled forward and wrapped my arms around him, my body sank into his. "I missed you so much, Jessica." His voice was low and dense, his hands by his side like he was afraid of touching me. Just his heartbeat booming in my ear. "I missed you too," I sniffled. I took a moment to drink in his cozy scent before stepping away from him. "Where have you been?" I asked. "Las Vegas," he shrugged, looking arou