Mafia Obsession

Rick

The’s here, sir,” Dan says, peering into my office.

I loosen the buttons on my shirt, trying to get a handle on my anxiety. IMy two brothers are unconscious and hurt. Kane had sustained two gunshot wounds. If one of the bullets had been an inch to the fucking right, he’d be dead. The doctor confirmed that much.

I’ve been back all of an hour, and now I’ve got this shit to deal with. At least my brothers are in the safe hands of Helen, but I am not in a fit state to be intimidating a young woman who we snatched from her home.

I walk toward my desk, grabbing a bottle of scotch and pouring myself a glass. I know I have to deal with this, even if I don’t want to-it’s all part of the job description.

“Would you like me to bring her to you?” He pauses. “Or would you prefer I take her straight to her room?”

A moment of silence ticks by, as I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Bring her to me,” I breathe, clenching my teeth.

In over forty-eight hours, I’ve slept only an hour. I’m running off of nothing. Not to mention, I haven’t eaten anything either. After what happened today, it is up to me to remain strong, even if I am exhausted.

One of the Romano men has to be in control. It always has to be me.

The pressure can weigh me down.

Dan walks away to fetch Alicia for me, but I wonder where the fuck Austin is. Austin hasn’t shown his face since he delivered the terrible fucking news that we had to kidnap Juliano’s daughter. No one has got in touch with him since, other than the text he sent me to confirm the mission was successful.

Even though I hate having to kidnap her, we need a bargaining chip more than ever after what my brothers pulled on their territory.

To me, my family is everything. If anyone were to kidnap either of my brothers, I would walk through fire to get them back. It makes this a risky option. As long as she cooperates, then she won’t come to much harm. If she resists, then I hate to think about what I must do.

Even if I don’t enjoy harming women, in particular, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep my family safe-no matter what. Her father needs to believe she is in real danger, making it easier to force him to back off.

There’s a knock at my door, and I sit down behind my office desk, taking a deep breath. It is time to become the calm, dangerous don that everyone fears, despite feeling like shit right now.

“Come in,” I call.

Dan opens the door and is holding a woman with her hands tied behind her back. They have covered her head with a black fabric hood, and she is trembling.

I tried to do some research on Alicia Juliano, but I came up blank. All I learned is that she is only twenty years old.

“Is there anything else, sir?” Dan asks.

I shake my head in response and stand from the desk chair. Dan leaves, shutting the door behind him. I’m alone with her, and she is shaking like a leaf in the wind.

In the past, when they’ve brought me female captives, they are sobbing.

She’s not making a sound.

I step closer to her and freeze as her scent hits me. She smells of vanilla and coconuts and pure femininity-it’s intoxicating.

Why the fuck am I even noticing that?

My hand rests for a moment over the fabric hood, before pulling it off.

The moment her face is revealed, it feels like time stands still.

Alicia Juliano is a princess.

Her dark black hair is messy and splayed around her tanned face. My heartbeat quickens in my chest as she squints, sensitive to the sudden light filtering into her irises. As they adapt, her bright blue eyes widen. They are like polished sapphires, gleaming with defiance I wasn’t expecting to see.

She doesn’t look scared in the slightest, despite the trembling in her knees. She is most definitely only twenty years old. Too innocent and way too young for me. I’ve never been speechless, but the words have left me. My mind is blank as I stare at her, forgetting what the hell I’m supposed to be doing.

Then, I notice the dark bruise on her forehead above her left eye. I tense. The mere notion of any man hurting her during this process irritating me.

What the fuck?

I’m supposed to be the one to hurt her. She has to bend to our will and do as we say. Why am I getting pissed off that she has been harmed?

I stand there staring at her for far longer than I should, saying nothing. She’s the first out of the two of us to break the silence. “Who the fuck are you?” Her eyes narrow.

The confident attitude in her voice only bowls me over. We have kidnapped her for fuck’s sake, there’s no way she should be the one asking the questions.

I clear my throat, turning my back on the stunning beauty behind me. It is time to crush Alicia’s confidence and put her in her place. She hasn’t got the upper hand in this situation, and I need to make that clear.

Once a safe distance from her, I turn back to face her. Perhaps moving away was a mistake, as I let my eyes drop to her figure.

All she is wearing is a beige silk slip, and her breasts are large and firm. I can see the outline of her nipples through the thin fabric. They are hard and pointing toward me. She has curvy hips and thick thighs that I’d love to sink my fingertips into.

My cock stirs in my pants as I stare at her body. It’s ridiculous how I’m reacting to her. This is bad-no, terrible.

When I return my attention to her face, I notice she’s taking her measure of me. Her cheeks have stained a beautiful pink that makes my balls tingle. The moment she returns her gaze to my eyes, something pulses between us. It’s electric.

I’m in serious fucking trouble. This woman is here for me to scare, but all I can think about right now is taking her to my bed. It’s wrong on so many levels. She’s over half my forty-two years for a start.

“What the hell do you want?” she asks, her voice rising a little, giving away the fact she is panicking more than she let on at first. Her attempt at bravery is crumbling as I keep silent.

I move around my desk and sit in my chair, placing my hands flat on the desk in front of me. “You don’t ask the questions.”

She takes me by surprise again, moving toward me. “My father will kill you-”

I slam my hand down on the desk, cutting her off. “Your father is nothing,” I growl, rage flooding me at the mention of the man who has stood against me. He is the sole reason this stunning creature is standing in front of me. “He crossed us, and no one crosses us.”

She takes a step back, sensing the severity of the situation. Her eyes search the room as if she will find a clue who I am hidden somewhere. “Where am I?”

The fear flooding her bright blue eyes is delayed but warranted. I feel guilty for scaring her. How the fuck am I going to do what I need to? “Philadelphia,” I grit out.

Her eyes widen, and she takes another step back. “Romano.” She shakes her head. “My father isn’t stupid enough to cross you.”

Irritated by her defending her father’s actions without knowing the truth, I push myself up. I walk toward her. “He is that stupid.” My fists are clenched by my side.

She sinks her teeth into her bottom lip. “What did my father do?”

I stare at her for a short while, wondering whether to enlighten her. “He has made a play for our territory, selling guns at low prices in the states we run.” I clench my jaw. “No one crosses us and gets away with it.”

A visible shiver runs through her, and she takes another step back from me. The need to remain close to her tempts me to take a step forward, but I keep my urges at bay. My mind has been in the gutter since I saw her, and even more so, seeing the way she reacts to me.

Would she shiver if I ran my hands all over her perfect, naked body?

She recovers from the moment of fear, meeting my gaze. Her piercing, blue eyes paralyze me. “What is your name?” she asks.

I take that step closer to her. “My given name is Riccardo, but I prefer Rick,” I say.

Her lips part, and eyes widen again. She wasn’t aware she was standing in front of the boss of the most powerful mafia family in North America.

The only word I can find to describe her is stunning. It will be damn near impossible for me to rough her up or intimidate her. We need a video or a picture of her scared and hurt to send to her father. It is a little problematic since all I want to do is fuck her.

There are only inches between us. It would take a small step to close that gap, capturing those perfect, plump lips with mine. “If you cooperate, I won’t harm you,” I say, huskier than I intended.

Her eyes flash with fear and something fiery. I watch as her tongue darts out over her lips, drawing my attention to them again.

To my surprise, she steps even closer to me. Her body pressing against mine, and only my shirt and her thin little slip between us. Her vanilla scent clouds my mind, distorting my judgment.

“What happens if I don’t cooperate?” There’s a teasing tone to her voice. A tone that makes me want to grab her hips and show her what I want to do to her if she doesn’t cooperate. She would be over my knee quicker than she can say no.

“You don’t want to find out,” I say, keeping my voice even despite the conflict deep down inside.

She sinks her teeth into her bottom lip, and my balls ache for release. “Maybe I do,” she says.

A low growl rises through my chest, making her startle backward. I grab her hips, stopping her from moving away from me. “If you know who the fuck I am, then you will make sure you do what I say,” I dig my fingertips into her hips in a warning.

She has to know she hasn’t got the upper hand here. She swallows thickly, nodding her head. Her bright sapphire gems losing a little of the fight. The fight that makes me want to take her right here in this office over my desk.

I don’t let go of her right away, and she tilts her head toward me. She flicks her tongue out over her lips, drawing my eyes to them.

It feels like she’s a magnet, pulling me toward her. The gap between us is reducing. All I can focus on right now is the frantic beating of my heart and those perfect, plump lips. An inch is all that separates us now, her breathing labored and heavy.

The sound of footsteps outside the door startles me away from her. I move away and fold my arms over my chest, narrowing my eyes at the temptress in front of me.

Perhaps she has got the upper hand in this situation. This is the first time someone has ever distracted me. The first time someone has tempted me to do something which could affect our family operation negatively.

Alicia Juliano is a pawn in this game, nothing more.

I take in her appearance once more. Her cheeks are flushed, and her knees are shaking. It takes all the willpower to step away from her and back toward my desk. “I will get someone to take you to your room.” I sit down.

“My room? I’m a prisoner, aren’t I?” she scoffs.

I don’t look up at her, I can’t. She is a prisoner who I will struggle to break. The thought of harming her rubs me the wrong way, and I can’t understand why. I never hesitate to do what is necessary. If I have to hurt innocent people, then that’s what I do to keep my family safe.

I don’t acknowledge her question, pressing the intercom on my desk phone to speak to Dan outside the room. “Can you come and escort Alicia to her room, please?”

The door clicks open, and I school my features to calm and collected, even though I’m anything but.

He walks toward Alicia, grabbing her arm with more force than I’d like. It’s ridiculous, but I don’t like seeing him touch her at all. He gives me a nod as he pulls her away, leaving me staring after them.

I rest my head back in my chair and let out a sigh. This is the last thing I need. Alicia Juliano is my bargaining chip and nothing more.

Still, I’m not sure she is someone I will want to part with soon-maybe never.