I have never been to a casino before but, the one Vincenzo took me to was just magnificent. It had everything and more with rich and powerful looking men everywhere.
“This is nice, whoever it belongs to must be really rich.” I said to Vincenzo, astonished as I looked around the huge place while we walked further in. “Yeah. I am really rich.” He said and I whipped my gaze to him. “It’s yours?” I asked with wide eyes. “Yes and about four others.” He replied, casually as he settled us into a table. “Are you really a drug dealer?” The question was out before I could think of it. I watched his handsome face for an annoyed expression but there was none. “Do you really want to know?” He asked with a smirk. I thought for a moment and then shook my head no. “Hi boss. Good to see you.” A pretty red haired girl in black and white cooperate short dress was suddenly at our table with a menu. She eyed me a little before turning to smile at her boss. “Château Cheval Blanc.” Vincenzo said to her and then turned to me. “You must be hungry after that orgasm I gave you in the car. What would you like to eat?” He asked me and I was seriously mortified. Did he just say that out loud!? “Um.. anything.” I whispered, blushing hard. “Anything is nothing so make a choice or do you want another spanking session, mi amor?” “No… daddy.” I muttered, ignoring whatever judgmental look the waitress must have been giving to me. I wanted this, I had to enjoy it without feeling ashamed. “That’s my girl.” Vincenzo smiled at me. We were served exotic dishes which I guessed were more expensive than all of the meals I could eat in a year. You know, it didn’t hurt being with a sexy billionaire mafia boss actually. I was dabbing my lips, stuffed full of food when a document was held out to me. An unsettling feeling resurfaced in my gut when I realized what it was. The contract! “Did you have this prepared already? Have you done this before?” I asked, getting anxious again. “Don’t worry your pretty head about that.” He said as he handed me a fountain pen too. “What about my family, they’ll be worried. I need to speak with my sister at least.” Not even the best sex in the world could make me forget my family for thirty one days. I thought about my foster mom, Lola. She would die of heart attack if she got to know I was missing. “Behave for twenty four hours and I might let you call your sister.” He shrugged. “What would you do if I don’t behave?” I asked him, daring a reply. He smirked and bit his bottom lip. Something fluttered in my tummy. “Just sign it.” He gestured at the document. I briefly read through the document, my head was filled with conflicting thoughts as I slowly wrote down my name and signed where it was required. “Now what?” I asked, the pen held tightly in my shaky hands. “Now, you give me your panties.” What!? I blinked. “Here?” I stammered in disbelief. “Yes.” He nodded. Oh my God! This was just like in fifty shades of grey! Was I really living out my favorite movie!? I swallowed and slowly took my hands into my dress and pulled off my panties. I squeezed the damp lacy material in my hand and handed it to him. He took it and surprised me by taking it to his nose and— Oh my God! Did he just sniff my panties!? “Like moist heaven.” He growled, seductively. “When we get home, I’m going to tie you up and eat you out till you see stars.” He told me with a lustful look that sent shivers down my spine. “I can’t wait.” I rasped, biting back a smile. We were just at the exit of the casino when Vincenzo received a text, halting our movement. “Wait here.” He told me and I nodded. He gave me a hard kiss and squeezed my ass a little before going back into the casino. I smiled, all mushy. How did I go from being scared of dying in the hands of a dangerous Mafia boss to anticipating a mind blowing sex with him. “Hey sexy, nice dress.” A coarse masculine voice said behind me. I quickly turned around my eyes met with a huge heavily tatted bald man in black clothes prowling to me. He looked scary as hell in a bad way, not in a hot way like Vincenzo. I decided to say nothing in reply to him and just head back to the limo. “Come on, at least say thank you.” He sniggered. I began to hear his footsteps getting closer behind me. So, I walked faster but unfortunately, he caught up to me. “You little bitch!” He snarled as he suddenly pulled me to himself and grabbed my ass through my dress. I squeaked in horror at the bold act. “Get away from me!” I screamed. “Shut up!” He spat and started forcing his way into my dress. “You’re a dirty little slut, you must be all wet and naked underneath this slutty dress.” I wanted to say something back but the sound of a loud gun shot startled me and then blood spluttered on my dress. I reeled back, terrified and I fell to the ground. At first, I thought I’ve been shot but the feeling of a heavy mass of lifeless body on me told me otherwise. There was a dead man on me! “Oh my God!” I screamed, scrambling to push him off me. Suddenly, someone pulled him off me. I looked up and saw Vincenzo with a deep scowl on his face. I caught the sight of a gun in his hand and then, everything clicked. “You shot him! You killed him!” I whispered, harshly like the cops were already surrounding us. “No one touches what is mine!” He growled and fixed his gun in his holster before picking me up like a doll and handing me over to one of his men. “Get her to the car now!” He ordered and immediately, I was taken into the limo. Just as the car sped off, loud sounds of gun shots filled the air. What was happening? Was he shooting up the whole place? My stomach fell into a pit when I realized something horrible; This was the life I just signed up for. A dangerous life. Could I survive thirty one days in the arms of my new mafia daddy?I sat hunched over my desk, staring at my computer in silence. I had a blank Word document open on my screen, titled: Application for Editorial Position. I was going to quit my job at Lexton's. It already felt like a bad past. I couldn’t keep working here, not when my boss and I are breaking work protocols. Not when Nadia actually caught us. Not when everything felt so wrong. A new job in a new place felt right. I was going for that.I began typing, trying to stay focused, but a gentle knock broke my train of thought.Before I could respond, the door pushed open.“Jess?”“Darren?” I stood up, eyes wide.He shut the door behind him, smiling nervously, holding a bouquet of tulips. He looked as handsome as always—tall, clean-shaven, wearing a navy-blue shirt and jeans.“T-this is a surprise… what are you doing here?” I stuttered, swaying a little from how light I felt.“I, uh…” He stepped closer, behind a chair, the scent of the flowers filling the room. “I brought these for you.” He han
The next morning at work, I felt hungover. I sat at my desk, fingers hovering over the keyboard, trying to focus on the editing brief I’d been meaning to finish since Monday. But my brain just wouldn’t cooperate. Maybe it was because thoughts of Vince kept barging into my head. It was like trying to type through a storm. My chest ached every time I thought about him—his face, his voice. Did he not miss me? Did he not think about me? That last look he gave me... I’d broken him, whether or not I had meant to. And I’d broken myself in the process. And then there was Julian. I can't believe we kissed. It had shaken me more than I wanted to admit... and now, small thoughts of him invaded my mind every now and then. Just as I stood up to take a walk—I needed it to clear my head—a new email notification popped up on my computer screen. Julian Lexton: Can you stop by my office for a minute? I stared at the screen for a few seconds. Why did he want to see me? For another kiss? To strai
It’s been two weeks since I returned from Seattle. Two weeks since I witnessed the most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever seen. It left me empty, a hole in my heart, like someone had ripped out everything that made me feel alive and just… left the shell. Joyce and I started seeing a therapist, Dr. West. He’s good, really patient, but I could tell even he was a little overwhelmed by us. Especially me. I was still too sunk in grief, too haunted by everything I had lost to really open up. But I was trying. After another week, I forced myself to resume work at Lexton’s. Thankfully, Noah had spoken in my favor, put in a word about everything I’d been through. Still, I had to send a ton of apologetic emails and agree to a small cut in my salary. Honestly, it was better than looking for a new job. I didn’t have the energy for that kind of shenanigans. “Ms. Reese?” I blinked, snapping out of my thoughts. My eyes lifted slowly, and I found Mr. Lexton, my boss, standing by my desk. I was f
"Everything keeps getting worse," someone muttered near me. It was Joyce. She'd been staring into space, deep in thought. The mansion was quiet that night—the kind of quiet that made your heart pound just to fill the silence. I hadn’t been able to sleep. Not after the funeral. Not after putting Lola six feet deep. Her face kept haunting me, our last memories together. I couldn't have stopped her death, but still, guilt weighed a ton on my shoulders. "It isn't your fault, Jess." Joyce's hand grabbed mine, interlocking our fingers. "It's that evil bastard son of—" "Stop!" I stood up abruptly. Joyce looked shocked.I paced around the room, pulling my tangled hair from my face. There was no amount of therapy that would make me feel normal again. "Are you still going to defend him?" Joyce asked. I turned to her. Tears brimmed in her eyes. "It's not his fault either, Joyce. There was nothing we could do. It was like being trapped in a nightmare." I shook my head, trying not to r
~~VINCENZO~~Bianca stood in the center of the room, eyes roving slowly over the Cross mansion like she was assessing it for hidden bombs. Her delicate fingers brushed the edges of a marble pillar. After a long pause, her sharp blue eyes shifted to me.I leaned against the wall, still nursing the dull pain in my side. The wound burned with every breath I took, but I had worse wounds inside my heart.“What are you doing here, Bibi?” I asked, deciding to go sit on the sofa before I passed out from the throbbing in my head.“Were you going to bury her without me?” I was taken aback by that sudden question.“Bibi...”“You weren’t even going to tell me, were you?” I could hear the hurt in her voice.I sighed, letting my eyes fall briefly shut. “I didn’t think you’d care.”“She was my mother!” Bianca snapped.I watched that crazy look in her eyes for a brief moment.“A mother you hated.”Bad choice of words—but I’d said it already.“She hated me first,” she whispered, stepping closer to sit
It was against the doctor's advice to be discharged so early, but Vince was the most stubborn person I knew. He desperately wanted to leave the hospital, as though he were being trapped there. Luca had arranged for a private nurse to check on him at home, but that didn’t stop me from worrying. Vince was in no condition to be discharged from the hospital. He reluctantly allowed Luca and I to take him to the Cross mansion. Once there, he refused my help getting into bed. Somehow, he managed to remove his shirt, revealing fresh bandages wrapped around his torso. The poor nurse who had to check his vitals did so under the fear of being snapped at. I left his side only to return with a bowl of freshly made soup on a tray. When I stepped back into the room, Vince was lying still, his eyes locked on the ceiling, his body unmoving, like a mountain. “I made you something,” I said softly, setting the tray down on the bedside table. “You haven’t eaten since yesterday. You need to eat som