Sienna
Well, that went down as smoothly as a razor on dry skin. As usual, these surly old men cannot get it through their heads that I am the leader of my family and would only speak to Nico. My brother-in-law made them listen to me and I am eternally thankful for it, but I know that he loved doing it. I trust Nico as far as I can throw him, and that is not very far.
This is like a knife twisting in my side, knowing that these men would rather listen to someone like Nico instead of me. After our argument before the meeting, I didn’t expect Nico to jump to my defence, but I am sure there was a reason for his help.
Damn it, can’t I just catch a break?
“Honey,” I hear the familiar voice of my friend, Bamba. She’s Daniella’s minder who has come to be a close confidante of mine, it helps that she’s not a part of this life. She knows what I do, though, and will give me the honest truth when I need it and even if it hurts like a bitch. I wrap my arms around her and breathe out a sigh.
“I hate men,” I complain and smile when I feel her chuckle. “That’s not true at all, I recall you liking a very specific Greek God with rippling muscles and tanned skin,” she says, pushing me out of her arms and comically fanning herself; I couldn’t help but laugh at this. “Hm, so lickable.”
I slap her wrist. “Behave!” I exclaim, shaking my head at her dreamy expression. “You need to set me up with one of your friends. I want one with lots of tattoos, big muscles and a big-”
“Bamba!” I cry out, shaking my head as I double over with laughter. “I can’t take you anywhere!”
She shrugs. “Good thing we’re home, then and I was going to say big bank account, you think the worst of me!” She huffs with a mock hurt expression and walks off towards her room. I love her so much. She’s the only thing keeping me grounded in a normal life besides my Daniella.
I exhale and trudge up the stairs with the hopes of at least finding some peace in sleep. These last few months have been stressful to say the least, and now I am getting into arguments with mafia leaders and my own family. Things just don’t seem to run smoothly when it comes to my rule and I can’t help but wonder who is lighting the flame of insurrection amongst my men.
As I close the door to my room, an arm snakes around my waist and I am held tight against a hard chest. I can’t stop the small smile that spreads across my face when I catch his familiar woodsy scent. “Hmm, finally I have you to myself,” he whispers in a husky voice interweaved with desire. I chuckle and shake my head.
“You should know better than to hide out in my room like this, Christian. What will people think of me?”
He nibbles at my neck, scraping his beard against my already sensitive skin, and breathes out a sigh. “Let them think what they want, they would be wrong anyway,” he says with a hint of disappointment in his tone and lets go of me. I turn around to face him and, as usual, my heart races at the sight of him.
Christian Drakos, Greek mafia head and as deadly as they come. He’s tall, so tall that I have to peer up to look at him, but I never regret it when I do; he’s beautiful. Tanned skin because he’s constantly in the sun, full lips with a slightly heavy bottom. Green eyes so light they look gray and wavy black hair that swept his shoulders and his body… Gosh.
The embodiment of a Greek God.
“Don’t sulk like that, it’s very unbecoming of a mafia leader,” I quip and close the distance between us, placing my hand on his well-defined chest. Christian only gives me a wistful smile and picks up my hand, brushing my fingertips with his lips. “I only reserve this face for you and you know the reason why I look like this every time I see you.” He answers.
The hurt in his voice is palpable, and I can understand why. It has been two years of this game between the two of us and we haven’t even gone as far as a kiss. To say that I felt nothing for him would be a lie - I want him as well, but the guilt overpowers everything else. I realize I have been stringing him along all this time, but kissing another man felt like I was cheating on Dante… Even if he is long dead.
I reach up and touch his face, brushing his rugged, stubbled cheek and sighing as he leans into it. “Sienna,” he breathes out my name with closed eyes and when he opens them again, I see nothing but affection. “I am yours and will always be waiting here for you when you are ready to receive me.” He adds, his words tugging at my heartstrings yet again. I let go of his cheek and wrap my arms around him, breathing him in. His scent always calmed me down, especially after a meeting with those testosterone-fueled gangsters.
“I am sorry for doing this to you, Christian. It is not fair to you at all.” I say, then I peer up into his gorgeous eyes. “I won’t hold it against you if you leave now and never return because I only want you to be happy-”
Christian puts a finger to my lips and shakes his head. “My happiness lies with you and only you, Sienna.” He says with promise and plants a kiss on my forehead. These were always my favourite type of kisses with Dante, and I know that I will have to let him go soon. It has been ten years; I need to open my heart again, and I am certain he would not want me to mourn him forever.
So with that set in my mind, I stand on tip toe and draw my face closer to Christian’s closing my eyes when our lips finally meet.
The last time I kissed a man was when I showed off my Dragonetti tattoo to my family. Dante had been so proud of it and spun me around before kissing me passionately in front of his brothers. It was a kiss filled with love and pride.
This kiss with Christian was one seeped in desire. He runs his hands over my body as he claims my mouth with rough abandon, groaning as he presses me up against the wall. My body comes alive under his touch, feeling much more sensitive than before, and when he places a hand on my lower back, I let out an unrestrained moan. I know if we keep this up, I will allow him to take me and right now, it is the only thing on my mind.
But suddenly Christian pulls away and breaks off our kiss. He cups my face in his rough palms and offers me a soft smile while trying to regain his breathing. Then he brings his forehead to mine with closed eyes and exhales.
“That was even better than I imagined it would be, but I fear if I did not stop, then I undoubtedly would have claimed every inch of you.” He says, pulling his head away and smiling. “But not like this, not while you’re still worked up from the failed meeting this evening.”
I peer up into his eyes, acknowledging that even though his desire is clear, he would still rather have respect for me. And that desire was currently pressed right against my thigh - a very massive desire.
Laying my head on his chest, I finally allow myself to relax and close my eyes. “Thank you, Christian. I don’t deserve a man like you,” I say and hear his throaty chuckle as he holds me close. “You deserve everything and more, my queen and I will be patient enough to wait,” he whispers, kissing my hair.
“Will you be spending the night?” I ask, referring to his quarters down the hall from me, and he nods. “I would like to stay for three days, if you don’t mind? There are a few things I need to sort out before I leave.” He answers.
I look up at him, feeling the warmth blooming in my chest. “I would like that very much,” I say, knowing that I will need to take this step and stop living in the past. Dante was a love of a lifetime, but he was gone now.
It’s time for me to move on.
SiennaWith bodyguards on either side of us, I watch as Christian walks ahead hand in hand with a bundled up Daniella. She’s taken such a shine to him already; I suppose that it will happen since he’s been a constant in her life over the last two years. She still asks about her real father; and I can’t do much but tell her that he’s gone forever. I contemplated telling Christian to leave my side last night and knowing it would not only break Daniella’s heart, but mine as well; I relented.Besides, who would wait around for a woman they haven’t even kissed yet?“Mama! Come!” Daniella calls as they walk through the market on the Pavillion. This was her favourite thing to do with Christian; buying sweets at the market even if the weather was chilly. He treats her to everything her heart desires, and she feels like a right princess.Breathing out a content sigh, I walk over to them and see that
SiennaAfter Serena calms herself down, I call Dario to come and collect her. I wasn’t certain whether or not she told him about her discoveries, but I resolved to keep it to myself for now. There is no way for us to know what Sylvana’s true intentions are by her encounter with someone linked to our greatest enemy. All I know is that it can’t be a good thing.I lean back in my chair and breathe out a frustrated sigh; is there anyone worth trusting nowadays?A knock on the office door snaps me out of my thoughts and a smile crosses my lips when I see who it is. “Done for the day?” I ask Christian as he strides towards my desk and he replies with a terse nod. “Finally, yes. But it resumes tomorrow,” he says, taking the seat where Serena had been in a few hours ago.I offer him a strained smile and look down. “Mine never ends,” I murmur, hating the fact that I sounded so vulnerable and in
SiennaChristian walks with me to Nico and Sylvana’s villa, which is on the same estate as this. I start telling him about Serena’s discovery, and when I conclude my story, he has an impassive look on his face.“Allessio fucking Speranzini,” he says with disgust in his voice.“I guess you know him, then?” I say sarcastically, knowing the reputation that bastard has and how they compare me to him in mafia circles.“Know him? If I knew what the fucker did to you and your family back in New York, I would not have an accord with him right now.” He says.I stop walking and look up at him. “You have an accord with my greatest enemy?”He looks at me. “As I said, Sienna, if I knew he was the reason he caused you pain, I would not have met with him a year ago. You play your cards close to your chest; how was I supposed to know what you two meant to one another? I didn&
SiennaI wake up the following morning with a body pressed up against me, and when I open my eyes, I see Daniella’s sleepy face. Smiling, I decided to savour the moment instead of sprinting out of bed like I usually do.Christian’s words about making myself happy first are still ringing in my head. I don’t know the first thing about keeping myself happy, much less keeping this family happy. But if they are continually looking to me for guidance and support, should I really continue as I have? God knows that I’ve had enough of stewing in this pit of despair, and ten years is a long time…Even though Dante’s body was not recovered in the flames, I never gave up on finding him. Everyone thought I was crazy, following up on leads when someone would spot a person bearing his resemblance, but I loved him so much that I would have moved mountains to see him again.It is only recently I am realising that he mi
Sienna“Not even a clue?” I ask, seeing nothing but darkness and hearing Christian chuckle.“Sienna, this is supposed to be a surprise. Stop asking questions, or I’ll turn this SUV around right now.”“You sound like a parent,” I say, almost rolling my eyes, but it was difficult with a blindfold on. “Ha! Does that mean I get to reprimand you with my belt?”I shake my head. “I can’t deal with you, I really can’t,” I say, tutting at the fact that he turns everything into a dirty joke.We’ve been driving for about ten minutes, Christian blindfolded me as soon as I got into the car, and I am only realising now how my guard had dropped. He can literally do whatever he pleases with me, even take me to Allessio, and it will be all my fault.With my heart in my throat, it occurs to me that I’m vulnerable right now. Fuck!“We’r
SiennaI pick up the sunflower with trembling fingers, too terrified to even open the door and see who threw this here. Only my family and Christian knew that these were my favourite, so who the hell was that and what could this mean?Hearing footfalls on the gravel again, I shove the flower into my handbag and point the Beretta towards the door when it opens.“Easy, there, it’s only me!” Christian says with wide eyes and his hands up in surrender.I lower the weapon and put it back in my bag, noting Christian’s pale face and laboured breathing. For a split second, I forgot that he took a hit before he went searching for the assailant. “We need to get you to a hospital!” I exclaim and move closer to him, ripping open his leather jacket.There’s a lot more blood than I expected.“I’m fine-”“You are obviously not fine!” I exclaim, gesturing for a b
Sienna/“I hope one day… you’ll love me as much… as you love Dante’s ghost….”/These words echo in my mind as I approach my villa, and the guilt gnaws away at my insides. I don’t know how I am going to make this up to Christian, but I think he deserves a lot more than just one kiss after two years of courting.I don’t see Dario and Serena’s cars outside the villa; however, I do see Nico standing by his car and watching the driveway. He kills the cigarette in his hand when he sees me and waves at me before walking over.“Hey, Nico,” I greet him as I get out. He sees the blood on my dress and frowns.“What the fuck happened? Are you okay?” He asks. I don’t have time for fake concern, so I nod and continue on my way.Nico runs up behind me and pulls me by the wrist. “There’s something you should know about Drakos,&r
SiennaWith four men at my side, I enter the hospital to check on Christian. Last night I had made up my mind to allow him to pursue me and give in to his advances to get what I want. I never had to resort to this in ten years, and I used to pride myself on it, but things have changed.My family is in danger, and at this point, I will do anything to protect them.The bodyguards were still stationed outside Christian’s room when I approached, but they stopped me as I moved to open the door. “Sorry, orders from Madam Cirillo to not allow anyone inside until she’s come out,” he tells me with the twang of a Russian accent.I frown but nod at this anyway and walk towards the chairs opposite the room. So Marla is here, then - great. As if I’m in the mood to deal with her arrogance right now, especially after her nephew took a bullet for me.Half an hour later, the door opens, and she walks out - tall, model-