Totally Devoted

by Wanitta Praks

  “I’ve come to pick you up, Jay. Let’s go home.”

  I stayed cocooned in his embrace. Yes, Giovanni. You are my one and only. You are my home.

  Epilogue 2

  Amelia Stone

  I had that dream again. No. It wasn’t a dream. It was a nightmare. A real event in my life that was all now just a past nightmare. I was now free. But why was I still thinking about him? He was gone now. Out of my life.

  He was a thing of the past. It was best left forgotten. I should only think of the present and future. Yes, my future. I touched my belly and breathed a deep sigh. Yes, my future. I had to think only about the future and what the next seven months would hold. Jen had called early yesterday morning, and I still hadn’t disclosed this information to her yet. And my morning sickness had gotten worse. I was already up at six a.m., emptying my stomach out. These days, I felt so weak, I could hardly do anything. I ended up hiring help just to help me with the necessities of life. I was lacking in energy, so I spent most of my time sleeping.

  I heard the door open and close. Expecting it to be Martha, my helper, I headed into the open lounge. “Martha, is that you?”

  Except the man I saw sitting on my couch wasn’t Martha. He was the man I despised. He was the man who appeared in my dreams and nightmares. He was the man responsible for the pain and suffering I had endured for the past four months. Just one look at him sent my body into a mirage of confused emotions. He was my enemy, my captor, and the person I once called lover, in my dream. He was…

  “Nikolas Lorenzo!” I startled, taking a step back, my heart pounding at seeing him in the flesh and blood. What was he doing here? Why was he in Cromwell? How did he find me? Except I couldn’t articulate any of those questions. He’d always held me under his spell, and this time, it had the same effect.

  “Hello, Amelia,” he said, his deep baritone rocking my entire being, and I remembered that voice, how he used to whisper dirty thoughts next to my ear before he did the dirty deed on me.

  I watched him in a trance as he got up from the couch and prowled toward me, crowding into my space until I was backed up against the wall, having no way out. He blocked all my exits, contorting his body, bracing his arms against the wall, trapping me like a prisoner.

  I trembled in fear and something else, something that I couldn’t and wouldn’t acknowledge, something that I had craved almost every night. I was disgusted with myself. It was wrong. How could a woman like me who had experienced so much suffering wish to experience it again, especially from the man who I swore I would hate for life? He had destroyed my life, everything I owned and possessed. He took away my family, my father, and had even kidnapped my sister.

  But when I saw him standing here, eyes gazing at me with that same intense fierce look, I found my heart remembering all those times we made love instead, those times he whispered in my ear, how he wanted to break me, tear my heart open so I’d bleed, just as much as he’d bleed. He wanted to watch me cry and be the one who would make me smile again. He wanted to possess me, own me, and be the one to control me. Ours was a volatile and erotic relationship. But that relationship was now over. It was all in the past. But my selfish and sick self was still craving his touch, his taste, and the sound of his deep voice whispering erotic words next to my ear.

  These were feelings I was too ashamed to admit. I knew it was wrong, but still I couldn’t help the emotion flaring up whenever I thought of him. And now he was standing here, inside my house, pinning me to the wall, forcing me to do the same thing as he once did when I was his prisoner.

  “What are you doing here? Get out of my house. You don’t belong here,” I shouted, my voice betraying my hidden desire.

  He cocked his head to the side, pinning me down with his intense gaze. “Really? I think I have every right to be here.”

  He lifted his hand, those fingers I knew so well, slowly caressing my cheek. I bit my lips, ignoring that gratifying feeling in my heart and the familiar butterfly flutter in my belly.

  “What do you want?” I refused to look at him. If I did, he’d melt me again. He’d done enough damage. I would not fall for a second time. And just when I thought he’d let me go, his hand slowly tilted my chin so I would face him directly. “Look at me, Amelia. Look at me.”

  I shut my eyes, refusing to obey his command. “You can’t force me like before. I no longer belong to you. I’ve paid for everyone’s sin. Is that not enough already?”

  “You can never repay for the sin you’ve caused. You have to spend the rest of your life atoning for it.”

  I lashed out, my hand thumping at his chest with all my might, but I was weak, my strength leaving me. He caught my hand and pinned me to the wall again. “What do you want from me? Why can’t you leave me alone?”

  He growled, “You know full well what I want from you.” His fingers skimmed the length of my body, until they stopped at my belly. I sucked in a breath, not breathing when he caressed my slightly small bump. His eyes homed in on me. “I’m only here to take back what’s mine.”

  My heart thumped wildly in fear. He knew. Nikolas Lorenzo knew. I should have known that a mafia like him had connections everywhere.

  Before I could voice out my protest, he sealed his lips over mine, silencing my words until they disappeared in my throat. His kiss flared up this innate desire within me, and my mind went back to that time when I had experienced those same treatments, a place I liked to call my beautiful hell.

  * * *

  The End

  Amelia Stone and Nikolas Lorenzo’s love story

  * * *

  The Mafia and His Maiden

  Book 1: Beautiful Hell

  * * *

  Available for Preorder

  Release Date: 13th January 2021

  If you enjoyed this book, please consider writing a review on the website you have purchased this from.

  A letter from the Author

  Dear reader,

  * * *

  Thank you for reading Maid to the Mafia, Jenny and Giovanni’s love story from the beginning to end. It has been a long journey for me. I started writing their story back in 2015 and was only able to publish their first book in 2018. With this being their fourth book in 2020, it has taken me five long years to complete. But I had fun writing them, and I hope you had fun reading about them too.

  * * *

  I have two new series set in this universe. The first series will focus on Amelia Stone, Jenny’s sister from Maid to the Mafia, and Nikolas Lorenzo, the mafia of the Chicago clan. Yes, he’s Giovanni’s frenemy. While Maid to the Mafia is considered a romantic comedy, as I wrote many scenes hoping to induce some laughter from you, The Mafia and his Maiden will focus more on the dark side of the mafia world. The overall tone of the story is much darker and more heartrending. So expect a lot of angst and smut scenes.

  * * *

  Jenny and Giovanni will appear in this series as well, so depending on the demand, I might write another book featuring them. Although they already had their happily ever after, this book will mainly focus on their established relationship and the trial they go through, especially now that they are engaged. Once again, this project is uncertain and will depend on the reviews of The Mafia and his Maiden as well as this book, and whether fans would like another extended story of Jenny and Giovanni. We’ll see what happens in the future.

  * * *

  The second series will focus on Lily Loren and Justin Valenti. Yes, that Justin Valenti who is Giovanni’s friend. If you remember, Lily was the café owner in Maid to the Mafia. Their love story spans over seven long years, from college sweethearts to broken lovers. Expect a lot of damaged characters, broken relationships, and yes, lots and lots of angst, with a major dose of smut scenes.

  * * *

  Here’s three chapters to get you started on their story. Their first book is now available for preorder and will be fully released on September 15, 2020.

  * * *

  Take care and see you in
the next book.

  * * *

  Wanitta

  The Mafia and His Maiden

  Amelia and Nikolas’ Love Story

  Book 1: Beautiful Hell

  Preorder Available Now

  Release Date: 13th January 2021

  From the author of Maid to the Mafia comes another anticipated and highly charged passionate new love story.

  * * *

  Amelia Stone

  * * *

  Choices. Every choice leads to a consequence. This is now my new life. And I must live with this consequence.

  * * *

  Nikolas Lorenzo, head mafia of the Lorenzo Group. He barged into my life like a raging pit bull, destroying my orderly lifestyle and shattering my innocent dreams. Gun poised at my father’s temple, he asks me point blank, “Choose between his life or yours.”

  * * *

  I’ve made my choice, and now I must live with this consequence. I become his.

  * * *

  But ours is a volatile and erotic relationship. He’s coldhearted and ruthless, but beneath the surface, I can see his fragile heart, haunted by the ghost of his past.

  * * *

  He is a reflection of me, both damaged souls, bonded together through an unfortunate incident. Will we both live to see the day we cherish each other, or will we both suffer in this beautiful hell together?

  * * *

  Nikolas Lorenzo

  * * *

  “An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth.” If you hurt me, I will hunt you down and exact vengeance on you tenfold.

  * * *

  Nikolas Lorenzo lives in a chaotic world, one filled with bloodshed and death. The only light in his life is his kid brother. But when his life got taken away too, Nikolas self-destructs, going on a warpath to search for the culprit. And it leads him to Amelia Stone.

  * * *

  She’s painted as an innocent maiden in his brother’s eyes, but he knows better. He asks her to make a choice. Life or death. She chooses death. But death is too easy of a way out. She needs to experience the hell she put his brother through.

  * * *

  And so he constructs the perfect hell for her, one where he has absolute control. But whenever he looks into her amber eyes, he can’t help seeing that innocent soul in her. Is this regret he’s feeling, or will he languish his moments with her in this beautiful hell he created?

  * * *

  The Mafia and His Maiden: Beautiful Hell is the first book in The Mafia and His Maiden series. Heartrending, angst, and filled to the brim with sensual smut scenes, this first book ends in a cliffhanger.

  * * *

  Author’s Note: Amelia is Jenny’s sister in Maid to the Mafia series. Nikolas Lorenzo is Giovanni’s frenemy. They both appear in Book 4: Totally Devoted in Maid to the Mafia series.

  A Mafia’s First Love

  Lily and Justin’s love story

  Book 1: Completely Breathless

  Preorder Available Now

  Release Date: 15th September 2020

  Justin

  * * *

  No food. No energy. No money.

  * * *

  F*ck my life. Nothing can get worse than this. I’m about to go out on that boxing ring to fight for that $200 in cold hard cash.

  * * *

  It should be easy. I’m primed for this. I’m trained for this. But I’m hungry. I have no food. I’m going to die. Then I see her. She stumbles into my path.

  * * *

  One look. One lick. One taste. That’s all I need to confirm she’s mine.

  * * *

  Lily

  * * *

  “A kiss, in exchange for saving your life.” That’s what he says to me after he steals my first kiss under the moonlight.

  * * *

  I’m trying to search for my freedom, escaping from my suffocating family, only to find him; Justin Valenti, the heart-throb idol of our college campus, dubbed Heartbreaker.

  * * *

  He’s hot. He’s dangerous. Like his name implies, he’s a heartbreaker. There’s no way I’m falling for a guy like him.

  * * *

  But the more I know him, the more I realize he’s an honest and quintessential hardworking man.

  * * *

  And with every touch, he leaves me completely breathless.

  * * *

  Author’s Note: This is the story of Justin Valenti, Giovanni Dante’s best friend, who appears in book 3 and book 4 of Maid to the Mafia. Completely Breathless, will take the readers back to when Justin was still a college student and how he met Lily, his first love. Raw and romantic, this first book ends in a cliff hanger.

  Prologue

  Lily

  Present Day

  * * *

  “Strip!”

  I stood inside his immaculate office, facing the large floor-to-ceiling window that overlooked New York City. The sun was setting, casting an orange glow onto the metropolitan city.

  It was always a comforting thought to see the sun setting because I knew a new day would begin tomorrow. That was what he’d told me. ‘No matter how low your life gets, tomorrow is a new day, and a new day means a new beginning.’ But that one word coming from his mouth, ‘strip’, killed something within me, and I knew right then that I would emerge tomorrow as a different person. No longer would I retain that youthful, innocent love. No longer would I carry that torch within me, hopelessly clinging on to every word he spoke, or worshipping everything he did. Maybe I was no longer that naïve young girl anymore.

  “Strip,” he repeated when I didn’t move from my spot or make a move to unfasten my dress. “If you want me to listen to your proposal, then strip.”

  I didn’t want to do this. But his was a command I dared not refuse. I had no other choice. He was my only savior, and I must comply with his request.

  I stared at his cold dark eyes and those stubborn lips. Those azure eyes used to hold me captive with their gaze. Those soft lips used to kiss me, laugh with me, and comfort me back when we used to love each other. Those rough fingers used to embrace me when I sought warmth. We were passionate lovers, our desire running deep, our memories burning hot. I remembered them all. The love he gave to me. The promises he made with me.

  But all those sentiments were just distant memories, like a fog that had somehow cast a shadow over my mind. Now it became clear. This man whom I used to love was no longer in front of me.

  Who was this man in front of me? He was Justin Valenti, the billionaire who’d stolen my heart when I first saw him in the boxing ring seven years ago. But he wasn’t a billionaire back then. He was a poor, simple boy who had a heart of a saint. He used to be my boyfriend, the man I once loved. Now he was cold and ruthless, a billionaire who only thirsted for money and lust.

  I stripped, fingers pausing at the button of my shirt, eyes begging him to reconsider. I wasn’t embarrassed stripping in front of him. I used to parade naked before his eyes many times in the past. What made this situation different was the shame washing over me.

  Not like this. Please not like this. I didn’t want to end up in this position. Not like I was some call girl.

  But that was essentially what I was. I was here to please him, just so he would grant me that one wish.

  But I wanted to make love to him, like when we used to love each other, him bestowing all his trust on me, putting all his pride aside just to be with me.

  All I saw was his cold ruthless glare. My request was cut short. He wouldn’t be deterred; there was no longer any humane emotion in his eyes now. The past was a thing best forgotten for him.

  He gestured for me to come closer. I moved, my feet taking me closer to the man who still made my blood run hot and cold at the same time.

  He wound his arm around the small of my back and dragged me into bed. Electric sparks shattered every nerve in my body, and I shuddered. I lay pinned beneath him while he made quick work of removing his clothing.

  The Armani suit. The silk tie. Those expensive p
ieces of clothing that cost thousands of dollars lay scattered next to the clothing I bought from the thrift store.

  How well I was aware of the different status between us now. We were like the earth and sky. I was the earth, and he was the sky, so far apart, so far to reach, but yet, here we were, me lying beneath him in bed.

  Maybe it was only a fleeting moment, a small desire to conquer that lust riding deep within me, but I was still pleased to be able to lie in his arms.

  I watched the way he moved his muscles, contorting at the right angle to accentuate the planes of his chest. That soaring tattoo still mesmerized me, and when he exposed it to me, my world rocked. A sudden flare rushed up my core.