Dad's Italian Mafia Friend (A Man Who Knows What He Wants Book 109)

by Flora Ferrari

  “Priceless and I’m thinking it’s never been possessed…by any man.”

  “What’s that?” I swallow hard.

  “You,” he says, as he lips come crashing down onto mine.

  CHAPTER 12

  Stefano

  And it begins.

  I can’t even believe I lasted this long. The entire time the auction was going on I could have made a bid with my dick if I had moved my hands out of my lap. The needy bastard would have sprung to attention immediately just from being seated so close to her.

  I pull her in closer so her body is pressed against mine, her back arched from my grasp.

  Her lips part and I slide my tongue in as gently as possible, my need consuming me and I know my kiss is anything but gentle at this point.

  I run my palm up her back, feeling her mold to my touch…extending the sensations I’m giving her right up her spinal cord. She doesn’t even need to touch me to do the same for me.

  I tug her hair gently, exposing her neck as I run my tongue straight up from her collarbone along that oh so soft skin, stopping just short of her earlobe then whispering in her ear, “Tell me you want this.”

  “I want this,” she says, and I bite down on her ear.

  “Tell me this is real. Tell me this is more than just our arrangement.”

  “It’s…” she doesn’t finish and immediately I want to put my fist through a wall.

  I pull back, staring at her, seeing her struggle to catch her breath.

  “What’s wrong?”

  I say nothing, reveal nothing.

  “Why did you stop?”

  The sound of highly polished shoes, no doubt, echo through the hallway backstage and seconds later one of the staff greats us. “Mr. And Mrs. Scaletta, your purchase.”

  “It’s Mr. Scaletta…and acquaintance,” I say.

  “Oh, I’m terribly sorry,” the man says. “I won’t make that mistake again.”

  “Me either,” I say, taking the sculpture, but not even wanting it now.

  “The wire already went through so we’re all settled. Would you like to return to your seats or do you have other plans this evening?”

  “We’ll be going. Thank you,” I say, doing my best not to lose it right here in public. Technically only this guy would see, but word would spread fast and that’s the last thing I need. Years of donations, bribes, and everything I’ve built up could easily be lost. If a cop, or anyone in my pocket, is willing to go dirty then they’re just as likely to go back to that side of the law again.

  Not tonight. Not on my watch, no matter how rattled this little vixen has made me feel…and how real I know that was for her even if she’s trying to deny it.

  If she wants to play games well then I’ll show her just who she’s dealing with.

  CHAPTER 13

  Sloane

  The whole ride home was done in silence.

  I curled up in a ball in the passenger seat and just stared out the window, completely withdrawing from Stefano as he did with me. I had to turn away so he wouldn’t see that I was hurt. But why? This was just an agreement. Feelings were the last thing that should involved…and they’re not. Yet.

  But it sure felt real back in that back room at the auction house.

  The car pulls up to Stefano’s house and we enter, keeping our distance.

  “Your things are in the master bedroom,” Giovanni says and turns to walk away.

  “Can you show me where that is?”

  He pivots on his heel and looks back. “Not right now. Mr. Scaletta is up there. Once he’s done I’ll take you there.”

  That prick. They’re both going to leave me standing here in the foyer until Stefano finishes his shower?

  Wrong. Just a few seconds later when I’m really fuming Rocco comes out of nowhere holding an unexpected piece of cake. “A small welcoming gift,” he says. “Let me show you to the garden.”

  He takes me through the house and out back where there’s a romantically lit little sitting garden, complete with what I guess are Italian tables and chairs. The design is unlike anything I’ve seen. “Stefano will only need another few minutes and then you can unpack. Your luggage is already in the room,” Rocco confirms.

  “Thank you.”

  Rocco nods and excuses himself and I look down at the dessert from the country famous for its food. I’m not letting this go to waste, sticking my dessert fork in and taking a bite of the chocolate cake.

  Unbelievable.

  Just as I finish off the last bite I smell the acrid scent of a cigar. “Room’s all yours,” Stefano says, the big smoke hanging from his mouth.

  “How nice of you to let a lady go first.”

  “I was ready to let you go first at the auction, but you didn’t want to go…at all.”

  I brush past him, making sure to catch part of his arm so I can knock him a little, only to find that bumping into him was a terrible idea. It actually sets me off course and I stumble before righting myself and continue walking into the house.

  My plan just now to show him my anger only reaffirmed the size difference between us, and how little control in this situation I have.

  I make my way up to the master bedroom and find my suitcase stationed right next to a large dresser. I take the hint and unpack my things, looking for my pajamas…contemplating something comfortable or putting on something sexy.

  I’ll decide after my shower, but when I reach the bathroom I can’t miss the obvious clawfoot tub in the corner and my plans immediately change.

  I go back to the bedroom, grab my phone, and bring it with me to the tub. Once I find jazz radio, I then find a place to set my phone before digging under the sink for some bath scents. He has some, and I’m completely shocked.

  Are these from the other women he’s made similar arrangements with? Did he once have someone special in his life?

  It doesn’t matter right now.

  Before I know it I catch myself humming along to the music and doing some catlike stretches before I slide into the tub, closing my eyes with my head tipped back against the edge.

  This is a far cry from the shower I have at my place.

  The soothing sounds of the radio and the bubbles take the stress of the day away and despite being in what amounts to a stranger’s house I drift away into sleep.

  CHAPTER 14

  Sloane

  I wake with a start, sliding up on the sheets and looking for the exit to the room I’m in.

  Where am I?

  My jaw clenches as my heartbeat races and I see danger symbols in everything, only to realize I’m in bed…Stefano’s bed.

  There’s a note on the pillow next to me with my name on it.

  The handwriting is rough, like a man’s, and it’s printed, not in cursive.

  Good morning sleepyhead,

  You were out like a light last night so I carried you into the bed so you didn’t wake up like a prune.

  Please be dressed and ready for me at three p.m. Your wardrobe is on top of the dresser.

  There’s no signature, but obviously I don’t have to ask.

  Relief sets over me but I also wonder where we’re going today, and why Stefano let one day already pass without taking me, or even forcing himself on me if he had to, not that he does.

  I take a shower, get dressed in my own clothes and make my way downstairs where Giovanni is there waiting, reading an Italian magazine before quickly jumping to attention and asking me what I’d like to eat.

  So Giovanni isn’t just a driver he cooks too? And how come there seem to be no female staff?

  I opt for something simple, and Giovanni prepares a cappuccino from a big machine on the countertop along with a croissant that I’m guessing had to be delivered. He pairs it with a couple eggs and some bacon and I’m in high heaven.

  “Mr. Scaletta will be here in one hour to pick you up,” he says. It’s only then I notice there seem to be no clocks in the house. Granted, it’s the digital age, but still…kinda weird, yet
not alarming or anything.

  “It’s two already?”

  Giovanni nods and I hustle up with breakfast, wondering what we’re doing in the middle of the afternoon…and why there’s another amazing dress inside a Versace bag this time.

  CHAPTER 15

  Stefano

  I tip back a glass of Masseto Toscana IGT in the car, lowering my blood pressure before the flight.

  I’m too damn high strung and such a long flight isn’t good for the body, even though I’m in tiptop shape.

  The reality is that at thirty-nine years old I’m not a spring chicken anymore. The best medicine is preventative medicine. The best wine is Tuscan. And the best thing to make me feel new again is the woman at home in my bed.

  Leaving her there was damn hard this morning, but I had a meeting I had to take. And take, is exactly what I wanted to do last night.

  I put those bubble bath scents under the sink hoping she’d find them and she did. I wanted her to have all the time she needed to acclimate to my place, and the best way to do that was to step back and let her explore for herself…especially considering what happened when I first tried to kiss her.

  We’ve got two and a half weeks together, and one of those days is already gone. We’re going to lose another with the flight and the jet lag, but this has to happen.

  There are things she needs to see and people she needs to meet…and people who need to meet her.

  I may be the boss here Stateside, but technically I’m an underboss…at least until Alessandro passes, and at ninety-three that could be any day.

  He’s still sharp as a tack and wants to know why I forgave fifty thousand from one gambler. I have to explain, but just like the old adage they tell authors I’d rather show than tell.

  And when he sees why he’s going to know immediately.

  The car pulls up to my place and I feel my chest tighten just as it does every time I’m about to see her. I feel goosebumps, something I didn’t even know I was capable of, and as we move up the driveway and I see her standing in front of my house, ready to go like it’s her first day of school, I want to wife her right then and there.

  Calm down, Stefano.

  There are traditions and customs that must be honored, and people as well.

  And that starts with her and showing her what this life is all about.

  CHAPTER 16

  Sloane

  The next morning

  I awake as our private charter touches down in Palermo, Italy. It only then hits me that I don’t even have a passport, yet somehow I was able to leave the States without getting stamped out.

  “Stefano, I don’t like this.”

  “What?”

  “You took me out of the country without telling me, without a passport, and basically kidnapped me.”

  “Everything’s going to be fine.”

  “I don’t want to hear that. I want to see a passport with my name on it and a stamp in it.”

  “You will.”

  “An American one.”

  “As I said. You will,” he says, standing and offering me his hand to help me up and out of the plane. I just stare at it as I open my mouth and begin to speak, then pause to collect my thoughts.

  My eyebrows draw together as I try and come up with a decision here.

  “Are you okay?” he asks.

  “No, I’m not okay.”

  “I can turn the plane around and have you back in the States by dinner time if you don’t want to join me.”

  “How do I know you’re not bluffing.”

  “Jack,” his voice booms, and the pilot who was just stepping off the plane turns.

  “Yes, Mr. Scaletta.”

  “We’re turning around and going back.”

  “Yes, sir,” he says and takes his foot off the ladder and goes back into the cockpit, immediately checking the gauges.

  “You can put your seatbelt back on and Jack will take you back,” Stefano says. “I wish you a nice flight.”

  He turns toward the door and I want to punch him. I listen to the sound of his big body descending the stairs and the sound of the plane engines firing back up.

  “Wait,” I yell, unbuckling my seatbelt and chasing after him.

  He turns on the tarmac and waits for me to descend the stairs. I can’t lie, I feel like a movie star even though I’m hurrying.

  Stefano waves a finger back to Jack, who’s now standing in the doorway and then nods in acknowledgement.

  As the chauffeur opens the door to the car that’s waiting for us I hear the plane engines go silent.

  I feel like the girl who’s too stupid to live, but I also feel more alive than I ever have.

  I’m clearly in Italy, and on an adventure like none I’ve ever experienced.

  My dad is back home, safe, and his debt is going to be paid off…although those payments haven’t even started yet.

  This is still weird and I’m still on high alert, but something here just feels so right and I may never get a chance to experience anything like it again…so I’m going to roll with the punches and see where it takes me.

  CHAPTER 17

  Stefano

  We arrive at the house a full hour ahead of schedule, which explains the note in the kitchen that the caretaker took Alessandro for a walk. I’m surprised we didn’t see him on the country road that leads in, but we will soon enough.

  And I’ve seen enough of Sloane to drive me absolutely wild.

  I watch as she steps out back onto the covered area where we’ll all have lunch in a couple hours, running her finger down the table that overlooks our vineyard.

  “What a view,” she says under her breath. My eyes fixated on her, I completely agree.

  And it’s a view I have to take in. I can’t wait two hours to eat, especially when I need to feast right now…on her.

  My head lifted high I thrust my chest out subconsciously and close the space between us.

  Feeling my body heat behind her she turns and I grab her by the arms, pulling her in close, staring right down at her as the breeze off the Tyrrhenian Sea skates across her skin, moving her blonde hair off her shoulders and exposing that swanlike neck of hers.

  “Have you ever been with a man before, Sloane?”

  She swallows hard and my cock jumps in my pants. Tell me no, baby. Tell me no.

  “That’s private.”

  “What we’re going to share here, and back in the States is private too.”

  “Why do you want to know?”

  “I don’t want to know. I need to know.”

  “Why?” she continues. She’s not going to give up this information easily. I like it. My whole life revolves around getting information and not giving it.

  “I want to know I’m the first, and I want you to know I’m going to be the only.”

  “Only?” she mouths so silently it’s just barely audible.

  “Only,” I repeat.

  “But this is just an…arrangement, and indecent proposal that I had to accept.”

  “Had to accept, or deep down you wanted to accept it?”

  She says nothing.

  “Tell me, beautiful.”

  “I…I…was curious.”

  “About what?”

  “You. This. What might—”

  “Not what might happen. What can happen. What will happen. What will be.”

  Everything about her is frozen, her eyes wide as she doesn’t know what to say or do.

  Good, because I’m all about taking charge and leading the way and this time I can’t be stopped.

  In one fluid move I grab her with one arm, pulling her perfect body into mine and kiss her hard as I sweep the red and white checkered tablecloth off the edge of the hundred or more year old table with the other.

  She gasps into my mouth, but it’s not enough. I want to hear it from her this time. I need the answer I want or I’m going to go absolutely insane, more so than I already am.

  “Tell me you want this,” I growl into her mo
uth.