14 Days With The Mafia Lord

~ Playing With Fire ~

GIOVANNI

The car lurched to a stop, and jerked my eyes open.

I could feel the three glasses of vodka I'd had at my meeting, but I wasn't drunk. I couldn't afford to be for what was waiting for me tonight.

The car stopped just outside the mansion's doors, and I stepped out with Stone by my side. The world swayed for a minute, but after a second, I was stable.

"Are you still going to check out the problem at the club, sir?" the guard asked.

I waved his question off. "We'll take care of that problem tomorrow. Right now, my sweet bella is waiting for me in bed. I won't miss that for the world."

Stone smirked and crossed his arms. "At this hour? She might be asleep, padrone. (Boss)."

I sent him a glare before heading up the stairs and through the threshold of the mansion. Ignoring everything else, I climbed the spiral staircase and straight down the silent hall to Elaine's door.

"Cazzo!" I cursed as I tried the handle, and it didn't budge. It was locked.

It pissed me off she had the nerve to lock the door when I'd told her not two hours ago that I'd see her tonight.

Dipping my hand into the pocket of my chinos, I extracted a ring of keys. Choosing one, I inserted it into the door and opened it.

When I entered the room, I found it dimly lit, like someone was preparing to go to bed. I made out Elaine's form standing by the bed. Her eyes darted about as she tried to make out the person who'd entered her room. Her fear was palpable.

I laughed at that and flicked the light switch. The room flooded with light, and I could finally see her clearly.

"I thought . . ." I took a step forward and then froze.

With the lights on, I could see that she was in one of the silk nighties I'd bought for her. It was a soft pink that easily complimented her rosy complexion. The shorts stopped mid-thigh and hugged her hips in the softest, most sensual way while the top showed off her cleavage and delicate collarbone.

All in all, she looked drop-dead sexy with her hair around her shoulders, and my dick roared to life.

How one person could be so goddamned sexy with minimal effort was a mystery to me. It was a wonder.

The silence prevailed as I drank in every inch of her luscious figure and imagined every position I planned to contort her.

Obviously, she wasn't too comfortable with it because she folded her arms to conceal some of her skin on display. She cleared her throat. "What are you doing in my room? How did you get in? I locked it and checked twice."

The bratty tone in her voice snapped me out of my lust-filled reverie. "I own this fucking mansion, caro mia. (My dear). I have the keys to every room. If you don't want to incur my wrath—and trust me carino (honey), that's not something you want—you'll never lock it again."

She hissed. "Is that a threat? Are you threatening me now?"

I ignored her completely. "I'm here to begin our arrangement, as I told you earlier. I've finished with a rather hectic business deal and need to unwind. What better way than with some pussy, no?"

Elaine hissed. Her displeasure showed on her face. "You must be fucking joking. I'm neither in the mood to tolerate you nor your crude humor. It's eleven at night. We spent two hours on a plane. I'm exhausted, and I need sleep."

I scoffed at her weak excuse. "For someone who's 'exhausted' and 'needs some sleep,'" I put air quotes over the words, "You're wide awake at the moment."

"That's because I can't sleep, you fucking moron!" she blurted out.

Her face changed, and I could see she didn't mean to divulge that information.

For a second, something dangerously close to concern gripped my heart, but I shook it away and responded in my usual emotionless tone.

"And why is that?"

"None of your business," she snapped and paused. "And I hate this room. Why is everything so pink? It reminds me of a child's nursery. I want another one."

"I really don't give a shit what you want. This room was designed and decorated by the best interior designers in the world. Interior designers who, even with all the luxuries your father has, he could never afford, so you should be thankful. I'm not going to change a single thing for you. You'll stay here, and you'll love it. Understood?"

She didn't answer, but it didn't matter. I made my point.

Refusing to argue further, I walkeding toward her, working at the buttons on my shirt as I did so.

"Take your clothes off," I commanded as I undid two buttons.

Elaine didn't make a move to follow my instruction. She stood there with her arms crossed and her expression impassable. "I told you. I'm tired. We can start on the deal tomorrow. I need my sleep."

I laughed. "That old excuse again? Tesoro, by the time I touch you, you'll be more than awake and ready for me." I closed the remaining distance between us. "I don't care if you're exhausted or if you need to sleep. I want a taste of you tonight, and I'm getting it. And that's final."

She stepped back, but I caught her waist and pulled her to my chest. She tried to struggle, but my grip was like iron.

It was then she leaned in and sniffed my half-open shirt. "You smell like alcohol. Are you drunk?" she asked accusingly.

"I had three shots of my client's homemade vodka," I admitted. "But I'm not drunk."

Her ice-blue eyes scanned my green ones to see if I was lying.

"I'm not drunk," I repeated. "I'm fully aware of what's happening between us."

"I don't—"

I cut her by capturing her soft, pink lips.

She struggled to get free from me, and I had no intention of letting her out of my grasp. The kiss became rough as our teeth clashed. I let out a hiss yet persisted.

The kiss only broke when she found my tongue and bit down hard.

"You fucking bitch," I cursed and wrapped a hand around her throat. I squeezed hard enough for her to feel the pain but not hard enough to leave a mark before I let her go.

She coughed and grasped her neck as I towered over her.

"You need to fucking behave, Elaine," I thundered. "Or I'm going to double the interest you owe me and triple the length of your stay here."

My threat didn't work. She spat in my face and narrowed her eyes. "Do your worst, you fucking monster. It's high time I stand up for myself because I wouldn't let you walk all over me and boss me around because of $47,000."

I laughed and wiped the saliva from my face. I grasped her waist, digging my fingernails in as I bore my gaze upon her with menace. "Listen to yourself, carino. Listen to the way you say $47,000, as if you can afford to even pay that amount. I applaud your brattiness."

I leaned into her ear to deliver my final blow. "I wonder what your little boy would think about that. In fact, I wonder what he would think about all of this. You know, I could send him a message. Tell him his mother lied. Tell him his mother owes money to a lot of very bad people. Would you like that?"

She didn't answer me. I leaned back, grabbed her throat with my other hand, and squeezed, relishing in the undiluted fear shining in her eyes. "Tell me, Elaine. Would you like that?"

.......

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