This had to be a dream. There was no way he just said that. I pinched myself severally to be sure I wasn’t dreaming and no, I wasn’t waking up from this. My heart was pounding so fast, I thought I would die of a heart attack.
“How do you know I want that?” I asked, shivering a little, daring to hear his reply. He smiled and licked his enticing lips. “I see it in your eyes, bellissima. I see the way you look at me. You want something you know I’m very much capable of giving to you. You want a daddy and I can be your mafia daddy.” He told me and my whole system rearranged. He knew my darkest desires! I grew up with Daddy issues, wanting a man to care for and protect me. A man to provide for me, never letting me worry about anything in the world. A man to pamper me and give me endless orgasms. I wanted a father and a lover in one man. I wanted a Daddy. I’ve been scared to talk about my fantasies with the boys I dated. I didn’t want to seem weird about wanting to call a man ‘daddy’ as he spanked me or fucked me senseless. I wasn’t specifically attracted to older men, no. That wasn’t how my kink worked. I wanted a man with absolute authority but ironically, I avoided them like the plague because I was scared to live out my fantasies. But now, everything I wanted was right in front of me—Vincenzo. “What’s in it for you?” I asked, already thinking of his dark proposal. “I get to have you.” He simply stated with a shrug. I paused for a moment. I was having the greatest contemplation of my life. “So if I accept whatever you’re proposing for thirty one days, you’ll let me go?” I asked to be sure. “Yes.” He nodded. I exhaled and without thinking further, I came to a conclusion. “So what do you have in mind?” I asked, licking my lips, already tasting the steamy passion this dangerous arrangement promised. “A lot.” He said with a devilish smile. “Like what?” Details. I wanted details. “Why don’t we start off by you telling me what you like in bed” He suggested and I bit my lips, suppressing the urge to bit my lips at his seductive words. “Um..” I swallowed, carefully thinking of what to say next. “One time, a guy I was dating in my first year in college spanked me—." “Don’t tell me about other men touching what is mine, Princepessa. Except you want me to track him down and cut off his fingers.” He said, interrupting me. I was quiet for a second, wondering why his possessiveness was so hot to me. I loved the way he was watching me like a predator watching its prey. He was exactly my type of man. Handsome and dangerous. “Sorry.” I whispered. “I like spanking and a little dirty talk.” “Nice start.” He said. “What do you think about having a Dom?” He asked and I felt like my skin was being teased with flames. “I don’t know.” I shrugged, trying to hide the fact that a Dom was exactly what I want—no, exactly what I needed. “Stop lying to me, cara. You’re blushing and I wonder if you blush everywhere too.” He said in a sexy voice as he looked at my breasts lustfully. Thank God they were covered in a shirt, otherwise he would have seen how hard my nipples were getting. “I can try it out. Having a Dom, I mean.” I told him. “Good. Because I want you to be my Submissive.” I immediately thought of my favorite movie—Fifty shades of Grey. “Like Christian Grey?” I asked, stupidly. “I don’t know who the fuck Christian Grey is but it better not be a guy you used to be with.” He said, dangerously. “No, no, he’s a character from my favorite movie.” I quickly clarified. “I hate movies.” He muttered and that was a bummer because I loved movies. “So how do we do this?” I asked, getting too eager to get tied up and fucked and then pampered. Jesus, what was wrong with me? “First, you sign a NDA.” He said and I blinked, perplexed. “Why?” “Because it’s a contract. I give you what you want and you give me what I want. If you breech it you’ll face both legal and illegal consequences.” He told me and I wondered what illegal consequences there would be. “What if you breech it?” I asked. “I won’t.” He simply replied. “Okay.” I nodded, too interested to back out now. There was this intense silent for a moment. “So..” I began, breaking the awkward silence. “Let’s say I sign this NDA. Then what?” I asked and anticipated his reply. A slow wicked grin appeared on his face. “Then, I bring heaven to you.” He told me and that was just the sexiest thing a man could ever say. Vincenzo took me out to a private dress store and not his bedroom which I thought he would. I unashamedly wanted to go to pound town with this dangerous hot man and not a dress store. “Pick any dress you want.” He told me and then went ahead to sit on a couch and crossed his legs, his arms rested on the armrests. I turned around, feeling his eyes on me as I took a look at the dresses in front of me. There was a pretty white short dress with rose prints on it. I loved it. “I like this one.” I told him and that was a mistake because when I checked the price tag, I almost choked. Nine hundred dollars for a dress!? “Nine hundred dollars.” I gasped, staring at the price tag. “Put it on.” He told me as he stood up from his seat, ignoring the fact that I just mentioned the dress was Nine hundred. I prodded to the changing room and put on the dress, it looked really nice on me, accentuating my curves and was just below my ass. “Dio Mio.” Vincenzo muttered when I twirled for him. He prowled towards me and put his hand gently around my neck. “Don’t ever check the price tag of a dress when I’m paying for it. I run more than half of Chicago and I've got more money than you can ever imagine, mi amore. Whatever my kitten wants, she gets.” He said and I hadn’t even recovered from his sexy words before he slammed a possessive kiss on my mouth. It was our first kiss and without a doubt, the best kiss I've ever had. His tongue was hot and minty, twirling in my mouth as we sucked on each other like hormone crazed teenagers making out. But, Vincenzo was no teenager, he was a man and I could feel every part of his strong and muscular body. In the dreamy moment of kissing, I accidentally slid my hand to his crotch and felt something hard! I gasped into his mouth, realizing what it was. I moaned out loud, wanting to feel more by using my body to rub on it but just then, he ended the kiss abruptly. “Stay here while I go pay for it.” He whispered against my lips before walking away to the cashier who was probably watching us kiss seconds ago. I counted to three before rushing back into the changing room with something in my shaky hands—his phone! I wanted to call my sister, she didn’t deserve to be worried sick about me while I was out here about to sign a NDA to get all my dirty fantasies fulfilled by a handsome super rich dangerous mafia boss! But how the hell do I call my sister with his damn phone when it was locked!? “0-8-0-4-0-8.” I heard him call behind me and I slowly turned knowing I was in big trouble. He caught me!Luca Cross was buried the next day.It didn’t feel real, standing there in the cemetery, watching his casket go into the ground. The sky was gray, almost dark—like my heart. The rain tapped softly on the umbrellas. Vince stood beside me, holding me firmly so I wouldn’t fall into Luca’s grave as I stared blankly at it.But I couldn’t stop crying. Not once. Not for a second.I cried as I laid a white lily on his casket.I cried as Lola held my hand and asked why I was crying.I cried through Vince’s heart-wrenching speech.I cried while I struggled to say mine.I cried through the prayers.I cried until there was nothing left inside me but raw, shattering pain.My Luca was gone. Forever.How could I live with this?And Vince—he tried to be strong. He tried to hold my hand, hold me up, keep me from collapsing. But he was a mess too. His eyes never stopped watering; he cried silently. His voice cracked every time he tried to speak.Once, I caught him holding Luca’s childhood photo to his
Luca was bandaged like a mummy set to be put in a tomb—I could only see his closed eyes and his straight, pointy nose.It was the most heartbreaking sight.I sat beside his hospital bed, clutching his bandaged hand and rubbing an open patch of skin, trying not to cry again. But I couldn’t help it—I couldn't not cry, because my heart was broken into pieces. He'd barely escaped the explosion while the others exploded with the building.The steady beeping of the monitor was the only proof I had that he was still here, still fighting for life. Because my Luca was a fighter.“You’re going to survive this,” I whispered, brushing my fingers over his cold knuckles. “You have to.”He was as stiff as a rock. But the machine still beeped. That meant something. That meant he was breathing.I pressed a kiss to the back of his hand, then stood and walked out of the room. I needed to breathe.I met Bianca standing in the hallway, arms crossed, her eyes red and puffy. She looked up and immediately ad
~~VINCENZO~~I sat in the middle of the cold, dark warehouse, my body leaning heavily on my crutches, but it was my heart that bore the real weight. The silence around me gave too much room for my thoughts—too much space to replay every moment with my wife, every time I hurt her, every time I pushed her away when she only wanted to love me.And Lola, my baby girl. Our daughter. My daughter. My tiny miracle.What would she think of me if things went south?I stared at the dust-filled air, thinking about how she smiled when she lost her first tooth, how Jessica would comb her hair every morning and sing her silly songs in the car. I could see it now—Jessica driving, Lola asking a million questions, the sun pouring on their faces.That was what I wanted. That was all I needed.I wasn’t going to let my past take that from me again. Not this time. Not after everything.“I’ll make everything right,” I whispered into the quiet, clenching my fists. “I swear I’ll protect you both. Even if it’s
When I got home, the house felt empty, and in a few minutes, I realized why—Vince wasn’t there. His car was gone, which was unusual; he hardly went out, except when he was taking me out for dinner. There was no note. No message. No sign of him at all. I felt very worried, but there was something else that transcended that feeling—my daughter's safety. I didn’t waste any more time. My fingers trembled as I reached for the suitcases in the closet. I grabbed two—a small and a large one. I started in Lola’s room, packing anything I could find that she might need. Her pajamas. Her favorite stuffie. Her little socks she couldn't do without. I threw them in without folding. I didn't care how it looked. I had limited time. I moved to my room and packed up—mostly black. As I zipped the bags shut, I glanced down at my wedding ring on my finger. Shutting off my emotions, I took it off and left it on the nightstand. I zipped the bags and dragged them down the stairs. Every sound made me ju
The night drifted by and not once did my eyes flutter. I couldn't sleep.Lola clung to me like she hadn’t done since she was a toddler. Her small body curled up against mine, her warm breath brushing my chest as I stroked her hair. She was used to sleeping next to Daddy. But not tonight.I couldn't stomach sleeping next to him with her snoring softly on him.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw that list. It tormented me, ripped apart my sanity.I didn’t speak to him after I slammed the door. I didn’t cry either—not in the way he would expect. Not sobs and tears and shouting. The hurt I felt was deeper. A silence that felt like drowning in still water.For the first time since we got married, I didn’t sleep beside him. I didn’t kiss him goodnight. And I didn’t care if he stayed awake waiting for me to come out.When morning came, the deep hurt was still there.I got up quietly before Lola stirred, brushed my teeth, changed into a black top and jeans, and made breakfast. When Vince knock
~~VINCENZO~~The moment I heard the front door open, my heart skittered because I knew she was home.I’d been sitting in the living room, the TV running on low volume. I tried and failed to focus on some documentary I couldn’t even name. My mind had been spinning all day, wondering where she went the night before, who she was with, and if things were changing.I dreaded that thought—the thought of her changing, turning into a woman I didn't know, a woman who didn't love me and not my baby girl.She stepped in and paused for a second when our eyes met. Her face looked pale, drained like life had been sucked out of her. Her lips were dry, and her eyes… God, her eyes looked like they've seen the worst.“Jessica,” I said, slowly rising to my feet, gripping my crutches tightly for balance. “Baby, are you okay?”She didn’t answer. Not even a nod. She just turned and walked toward the kitchen like she didn't hear me at all.I jerked forward and followed her as best as I could. The rubber tip