I froze. A man was slumped against the graffiti-covered brick wall, blood blooming across his side. His white shirt was soaked through, and there was a gun just inches from his open hand. My heart slammed against my ribs. Run, Skye. You should run. But I didn't. Instead, I dropped my bag and took a cautious step closer. His head lifted. Piercing, icy blue eyes met mine, sharp even through the haze of pain. His face was all sharp edges and shadowed scruff, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth. His accent was thick and rough, like broken glass. "Leave." I shook my head slowly. "You're bleeding. Bad." "Not your concern." His voice was lethal, but he flinched hard when he tried to move. "You're gonna die out here," I whispered, kneeling beside him. My hands trembled as I pressed a napkin from my apron against his side. "I'm studying to be a nurse. Let me help." He stared at me like I was something he couldn't comprehend. A stranger. A softness he didn't trust. Then his hand, heavy and warm, clamped around my wrist-not rough, but firm. "What's your name?" he rasped. "...Skye." A beat passed. Then another. "I am Mikhail." His eyes darkened. "And you shouldn't have found me."

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐨-𝐈𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐁𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐱 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 ❝𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧.❞ 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗼 𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗼 has been doing a good job at leading two mafia empires with the help of his brother while also raising his four year old daughter alone. It's difficult but he always gets the job done because he gets to come home to his little girl every day. 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮 has always felt like her pastries are not good enough even though her bakery thrives, receiving many customers each day. She's now trying to change the name of her bakery to disconnect from her family's name, but runs into difficulties and needs help. These two have been part of the same friend group for as long as they can remember. They've known each other for years. So, it's not out of the ordinary when Catalina spends the rest of the evening at Santiago's place after closing her bakery for the night. But is it out of the ordinary when they share a kiss under the moonlight? What about hooking up a few days later? Or forming a friends with benefits pact after that? There's no way they'll catch feelings, right? Wrong.

She nodded solemnly. "With my girl charm and my pretty dress. But now I just feel like a hot pile of creamed corn." I dragged a hand over my face. "You need water. And sleep." "I need closure." "Sunshine..." "No," she said, standing straighter and stabbing a finger into my chest. "You don't get to look like that and make me feel feelings and then just go all mysterious and noble and disappear like a sexy hitman Batman." "Sexy hitman Batman?" "I had a lot of wine." "I noticed." ●・○・●・○・● She bakes cookies. He breaks bones. Everyone in the city fears mafia boss Dominic Moretti-everyone except Tessa Bloom, the relentlessly cheerful café owner next door to his front business. She calls him "Mr. Broody," brings him muffins he never asks for, and walks into his office like it's not occupied by a man who could have someone disappeared with a phone call. Dominic doesn't have time for distractions-especially not sweet, sunshine-eyed distractions with flour on their noses. But when Tessa finds herself tangled in the underworld he's spent a lifetime controlling, protecting her becomes more than a duty. It becomes personal. And suddenly, the most dangerous man in the city starts falling for the only woman who isn't afraid of him. ●・○・●・○・● Word count: 23,178 Top Rankings: 10.14.25 - #6 in Mafia

𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐨 𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐚𝐧 𝐱 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭 ❝𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞 . . . 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞.❞ 𝗗𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰 𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗼 takes on his role as his sister's right hand man and he'll do any mission she asks of him. Even if it means doing her a favor. He is sent to France by his sister to pick up a painting by a well known artist. What he didn't know was when his sister sent him to Paris, he will also be reconnecting with a girl that intrigued him years ago. 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘁 is a one of a kind artist. People from all over the world travel to where she's located at just to buy or commission a painting from her. She balances going to college all while working so she doesn't really have time for her love life. After experiencing something four years ago, she has become reluctant to pursue love. Is it possible for the angel and the devil fall in love despite their differences?

"𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐈 𝐚𝐦?" "𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧." ... Antoinette Santil has spent the past nineteen years of her life concealed from the reality of the real world. Her day-to-day routine consisted of ballet practice, bookstore, and gardening. Even though the ballerina was aware of her monotonous lifestyle, she never had the urge to divulge the actuality of her life, That is, until she got wrapped up into Micheal Benedict's hurricane. His past three years were spent inside the New York federal prison and after being released the only thing Micheal Benedict wanted was to be alone. That was until he encountered the same doe-eyed girl that his entire family has forbidden him from even speaking to his entire life. Despite them being polar opposites and prohibited from being around each other, the two find themselves extremely intrigued by one another. But it doesn't take them long to find out exactly why their families didn't want them engaging with each other... But without rain, there's no flowers.

"The Caregiver and the Mob Boss (pt.2)" ❦ Avelina has always cared for those who can't care for themselves. With a baby on the way, and a man who can't stand her, she has to still find a way to put herself first. Adrik cares for Avelina. Avelina cares for Adrik. Caring was never enough for either of them. With unexpected twists, unwanted family reunions, and secrets that keep Avelina and Adrik far apart; it's almost impossible for them to be together. The true test is whether or not their love will be enough to keep them together. ❦ Cover by @eroticcinderella

"The Caregiver and the Mob Boss" ❦ Avelina makes her money by taking care of those who can't take care of themselves. When she is handed a case about a man who had needed a personal caregiver, she accepts. One thing Avelina never anticipated was the dangerous lifestyle he lived. Not only that, but she didn't expect for him to be so incredibly good-looking. Adrik Zolotov, the Russian mobster that everyone called "Mad Hatter". His insanity and crave for blood left him the most feared man of all. All he wanted was power and those around him to fear him. For a man recently diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, everyone believed him to be emotionally incapable of ever loving anyone. . . Imagine their surprise when he meets Avelina. ❦ "Mr. Zolotov, I have to make sure you bathe before I leave. It's apart of my jobs protocol," she said softly. The truth was that he made her feel nervous. There was so much coldness and evil in his eyes, it left a chill to run down her spine. "Fine," he stated before walking over to his bathtub. Her eyes followed his movements as he pulled off his shirt causing her to lick her lips and quickly look away. She could hear the sound of more clothes falling onto the ground until the sound of water running littered her eardrums. "You assist when asked, isn't that right?" He asked. Slowly, she opened her eyes to see that he had already gotten into the shower. "Yes," Avelina answered. "Bathe me." ❦ Dangerously far from cliché

"The Stripper and the Mob Boss" ❦ A sickness of Anastasia's sister leads her towards a huge debt. When her friend comes to her with a solution that would make her go from rags to riches, Anastasia immediately accepts even if that meant stripping. Everything was running smoothly until she was met with the scary notorious mafia leader, Valentino Romano. Valentino was a man with no emotion, but when he was met with Anastasia, he knew that he wanted the blonde gorgeous stripper---at no matter what costs. ❦ "You're not allowed to touch me. It's against Mr. Romano's rules," she said, her back towards him. Her long legs were on full display with her high black heels only making them appear longer. "You must be new. What's your name?" He chuckled out, licking his lips. Valentino grabbed her hips, turning her towards him as his eyes settled on her breasts. Slowly, his eyes trailed up to meet her eyes. "Anastasia. Who are you?" she asked, fear clear in her eyes as she stared. He smirked. "Mr. Romano. Now, open your legs."

#𝟏 in the 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐛𝐚𝐝 series When an independent girl moves to the big city, unknowing of whose city she's just stepped into. - Mafia romance - Employee and boss - Possessive

When Serena enters a new workplace, she has one rule; stay focused- no matter what. It soon turns out to be easier said than done when she meets her new boss. Valentino is strict, the epitome of difficult and much to her dismay; unbelievably fucking hot. She's determined to ignore the attraction she feels to him for the sake of keeping her job. But what Serena doesn't know is that Valentino can't get her out of his his head. He thinks about her everywhere. He feels captivated by her. He wants her. And he hates every moment of it.