Tempted By The Mafia Boss

CHAPTER ONE

Charlotte

10 years ago…

Yesterday was my birthday…

I turned eighteen and I lost my virginity to Gabriel Giordano, the man I love.

I gave myself to him.

I wake slowly… languidly, remembering the night before.

I’m tangled in his sheets, my body feels deliciously sore and an equally delicious shudder shoots through me at the thought of him.

Pleasure pulses through my veins at the memory of how he made me his woman.

The magnificent view through the floor to ceiling glass windows boasting the Chicago skyline, and the bright sunlight spilling into the penthouse suite fits the vibrancy of my mood.

I shuffle against the cool, blue satin sheets that caress my skin and it reminds me of his touch. I turn unto my back, gaze up at the high ceiling and get lost in the decorative swirling in the plaster.

I feel different.

I feel like a woman, and I want to take the little time I have to relish and remember last night. For all the shit my family have been through over the last few months I’m going to allow myself the time to savor something good.

When I hear him moving around in the kitchen I sit up and my long brown hair curls about my shoulders.

Resting back against the stack of pillows, I pull the sheets closer to cover myself and frown when I see the time. The clock on the wall says it’s way past time for me to have gotten my ass up and found my way home. It’s ten and my parents are definitely going to be wondering where the hell I am.

They’d both have a heart attack if they knew I spent the night with Gabe at The Dark Odyssey, his sex club.

How does one break such news to your overprotective parents, or any kind of parent?

It was wild though and so unlike me. It’s all so unlike me. The shy school girl who always has her nose buried in a poetry book.

Me Charlotte Revello, dating a mobster. One of the super-hot Giordano brothers.

Gabriel Giordano, the hottest of them all at twenty eight years old. Yesterday was his birthday too. He’s ten years older than me and the sexiest man I’ve ever met in my life. He has women falling at his feet and could have any woman he wants, but he’s with me.

My grandmother, my Abuelita, made me a little box of wisdom two years ago for my sixteenth birthday. She believes the ages sixteen to thirty six are the most important in a woman’s life to set you on the right path so she made the box for me.

It contains twenty little envelopes that hold her messages of wisdom. One for each birthday for the next twenty years. Words of wisdom is what they are supposed to be but people always classed Abuelita as some kind of psychic. Or if you’re in Sovana, the Tuscan village we’re from in Italy, the word more fitting for her is la ammaliatrice –witch.

I don’t disbelieve it because Abuelita is never wrong. Her first message told me I’d meet the man of my dreams and I did.

I met Gabriel a week later. I met him and everything changed. I took one look and knew he was it for me. Pa hired him for a job and Gabriel came to the house to meet him. That was how we met and that was the day I decided he’d be mine.

My birthday message yesterday was this:

You will be with the man of your dreams, but be careful- darkness is just around the corner.

I was so thrilled to read the first part of the message that I pushed aside the latter, thinking it had to mean the dark storm life had sent my way recently.

Pa’s investment company went bust and it means we could lose everything.

Everything gone just like that. Pa lost millions. I don’t know the full details but it’s not good. It was on the news two nights ago. For something to make the Chicago main news it’s big. Deep shit.

Like most Italian families our business is family run. My father and my two older brothers, Freddo and Tony, all work together.

Pa was however, getting so many clients he needed extra help, so he hired Mandrake and that was where he went wrong. Mandrake set up some elaborate scheme to steal millions and wipe us out. Now Pa owes money to clients who won’t be compassionate or understanding of the situation. Mafia families.

I smile when Gabe appears at the door and try not to drool at the sight of him wearing just his boxers.

He stands there resting on the door frame tall at six four, always and ever the Italian stallion. With his sleek, thick muscle and untamed pride, he has the kind of hard body a warrior would have. The kind that radiates raw and primal strength like a fantasy come to life. The Japanese dragon tattooed on the right side of his hip just add to the vision of him.

A wild combo of lust and warmth steal over me as his dark brown eyes, cool and magnetic caress me with invisible fingers.

“Morning Goddess.” He gives me his trademark cocky grin.

Goddess.

I have to try hard not to melt every time he calls me that.

“Good morning.” My skin is… God it’s still on fire from last night.

Wrapping the sheet around me, I slide off the bed and pad across the plush white carpet to him.

He gives me a kiss that tastes of last night and pulls me into his lap as he sits on the edge of the bed.

We continue to kiss and I’m lured to the wildness we shared just a few hours ago. We had sex six times and I have a vague recollection of screaming into another orgasm before I fell asleep.

Pulling back, he looks me over with a twinkle in his eyes. A twinkle but there’s a spark of something that I know means he’s worried.

“Baby, what did you tell your family?” He searches my eyes. “You spent your birthday with me. It’s not the same as sneaking out.”

I sigh and look down at the hard wall of his chest. “I told them I was going to a party.”

He quirks a brow. “And they believed you?”

I bite the inside of my lip. “I told Ma.”

Because my mother is far from stupid she knows I went to see Gabe, but she doesn’t know where I am. Pa would go crazy and I’m certain if things hadn’t gone bad financially, he’d have me shipped off to Italy. He threatened that very thing when he caught me and Gabe together and told him to stay away from me.

“Christ…” He sighs and presses his head to me for a few seconds then pulls back.

“What?” He has that expression again. The one that washes over his handsome face when he wants to tell me something about us being together.

It’s wild being with him. Maybe that’s what draws me to him. The wildness of us. I’ve been sneaking around seeing him since I was sixteen. I love him. It’s as simple as that.

“You’re eighteen. You should be going to a party. And I’m this crazy mobster who can’t fucking get you out of my damn head.” He winces like that’s supposed to be a bad thing.

“Then keep me there,” I put in.

“That’s just the thing, Goddess. I don’t think I can take you out even if I wanted to try.” He holds my gaze. “I …need to change things up Charlotte.”

“Like how?”

“I know you’re worried about going away to college.”

I want to be an English literature teacher. I hope to teach high school kids.

I had my heart set on Brown University until I met Gabe. Of course now I was worried about going away and leaving him.

“I was just worrying about going far… away from you.”

“I’m coming with you,” he declares and my mouth drops.

“Gabe…”

He shakes his head. “Baby, I’m coming with you. That’s the answer. I will go with you. I’m an accountant. I got my career. You need to get yours so I’ll make sure that happens.”

“You’d leave here? The Dark Odyssey?” I know how much he loves the place; the club earns a nightly fortune.

“I will leave here,” he says with deep conviction.

“For…me?”

“I love you.” He says the words I’ve wanted to hear for so long and a tear falls down my cheek.

Of course I think of Abuelita’s message. It said I’d get the man of my dreams and look at me. My heart is filled with love and awe. “I love you too.”

He smiles wider. “Well… that works great then right? We’ll do this and no one will stop us. I want to give you everything.”

“I want to give you everything too.”

He places a hand to my heart and nods. “You already have. You’re mine now Charlotte.” He says and it sounds like a promise. “Mine.”

“I am.”

We fall into a kiss that seals his words.

I am his and I will always be his.

I get home after lunch, slipping in through the side entrance so I don’t alert anyone to my presence.

I don’t want to talk to anyone yet. No one to burst my bubble of bliss I shared with my man who most assuredly made me his again before I left his arms.

I keep a diary and I just want to log today’s entry before I get back to reality.

When I rush up the stairs, I see my door’s ajar and fury instantly takes me.

Only one person goes into my room when I’m not here. My sister, Cordelia.

She had a thing for Gabe and has always had it against me for being with him. It’s not like I stole him from her. It’s because he told her outright that he didn’t want to be with her and she was to stop trying to get with him, that’s why she’s always a bitch to me.

Sure enough it’s her in my room. And, the air leaves my lungs when I see she’s sitting on my bed, feet up, reading my diary.

She hasn’t even flinched on seeing me.

“Did you fuck him?” she asks crude and crass.

She raises a brow and her face contorts with jealousy.

My entry in the diary last night was about me spending my last hour as a virgin.

“Why are you reading my diary?” I counter and fold my arms under my breasts.

“Nothing better to do I guess. So, did you fuck him?” She straightens up so she can glower at me properly. “We’re sisters right? We’re supposed to talk about this shit, even when you steal a guy I’m into. I gotta say your diary is very colorful, blow jobs and shit, wow.”

“You shouldn’t have read it. Give it to me now.” I rush to her and she jumps off the bed backing away toward the window. She laughs because she knows I can’t catch her.

Cordelia is taller than me. That’s the only thing she has over me. I’m not going to be a bitch like her and admit that she isn’t as pretty as me. People used to tease her for her height and her gap tooth. Her response was always that Madonna never changed her appearance so why should she. If Cordelia looked like Madonna I’d be inclined to agree with her. She doesn’t though.

“Give it to me now!” I yell as she holds the diary over my head.

“I’m giving this to Pa. He should know what his fucking little princess has been up to. Bitch, you –”

A gunshot steals her next words and we both look to the door when a scream pierces through the house. Another shot and another scream come. Then angry voices.

I’m about to get up when two thuggish men barge into the room.

Cordelia and I both scream as the men take hold of us. Another two come and hold me so I can’t move. All I’m doing is screaming and trying to wriggle free of their grasp.

They take us downstairs into the living room and my eyes bulged in fright when I see Freddo lying in a pool of blood on the living room floor.

I scream louder and louder as my gaze lands on Tony not far from him, gripping his chest as blood pours from a wound.

By the fire place six men are standing over my parents and Abuelita, who are kneeling before them on the floor.

Cold terror grips me in its icy embrace as I recognize the man standing closest to Pa. Everybody knows him and everybody knows to be wary of him. His name is Antonio De Lucca.

The De Luccas are considered something of royalty. The only other family who are as revered as they are feared are the Antonellas.

The sight of him is enough to put the fear of God inside me. It’s more than enough and I can’t even begin to comprehend or accept what is happening around me.

Freddo…

Oh God. Freddo. I think he’s dead. I think he is and I dare not look back to check.

“You owe me Donny Revello. You fucking owe me big time,” Antonio roars and his voice makes my soul shiver.

“Please just give me time,” Pa begs.

“Please?” Antonio asks. “I don’t think so. You’re so sure of yourself you give a fucking guarantee and then this happens.”

“It wasn’t my fault.”

Antonio hits Pa with the back of his gun and he falls back howling from the pain. Ma and Abuelita are crying as much as me.

“Not your fault! My brother killed himself because of youuuuuuuu!” he thunders.

I start sobbing as he sends a kick to Pa’s stomach and blood spurts from his mouth. Antonio looks to me as he hears me and the smile that washes over his face now tells me the nightmare has only just begun.

It’s only just started.

“Here’s what we’ll do…” Antonio declares and without a flicker of an eye he shoots Tony in the head.

I bawl as blood splatters and Ma starts screaming, holding her stomach in agony.

Antonio walks up to me and runs his hands all over my face.

“She’ll come with me. The beautiful daughter.” He places his finger over my lips and lingers there. His touch makes my skin crawl. “You are so beautiful, bellezza. You’ll come with me to Italy and be the new Mrs. De Lucca.”

His words are like darkness falling over me. “No, please, no…” I scream.

I can’t marry him. I love Gabe.

I’m in love with Gabe.

This can’t happen.

No.

“No? My pretty.” He taunts, leering over me. He kisses my face and the men hold me in place as he fills his hands with my breasts and starts squeezing, churning my stomach.

I flinch, recoiling and manage to knock his face away with my forehead and he scowls deeply, eyes blazing.

“You will pay for that,” he growls, baring his teeth.

I expect him to shoot me, instead he backhands me and pain lances through my body making me dizzy with it.

Abuelita screams out and Antonio answers by aiming the gun at her.

My world stills as the next second passes. It still to slow, slow motion as Antonio fires the bullet and it goes to her head .

I watch it take her life.

Everything I hold dear shatters in front of me and I can do nothing but watch, paralyzed as a bellowing sound pours from me. It’s not crying. I’m not wailing, it’s the sound of my soul tearing apart.

Abuelita… just yesterday we spoke and I read the message she had for me for this birthday.

I will be with the man of my dreams, but be careful, darkness is just around the corner.

My Abuelita now lies before me in a pool of blood. So much life and love gone just like that.

All gone, all gone and lost.

Ma is screaming so much she can barely contain herself.

Antonio stalks back to her and grabs her neck, gun held at her head.

It’s more than fright and terror that takes me, it’s a freezing of my soul. My soul is frozen in the agony of despair and I will do anything to save her.

“Take me!” I wail, blinded by tears. “Take me!”

I can’t allow him to kill my mother.

I can’t.

With that maddening smile he drops her to the floor and comes back to me.

He grabs me by my neck from the men holding me and looks back to Pa.

“This debt has only begun its repayment,” he announces. “I will contact you to discuss this further, the girl will come with me as compensation and assist you in whatever way she can to repay the debt. Cross me and all of you are dead. Involve anyone and they’re dead too. Them and their families, everybody. Dead. Fucking dead!”

Pa is shaking. Shaking and crying.

Doom fills me as Antonio walks away and the men follow with me. I look back and see Cordelia staring after me.

We’d always been at each other’s throats but in that moment I watch as the men release her and she reaches out to me with panic.

I’m too grief stricken to do anything more than let the tears fall.

Fear and terror cascade through me.

We go through the door and Cordelia’s face is the last I see, and my mother’s and father’s cries are the last I hear.

Darkness really was around the corner.