DARK ANGEL:
A MAFIA ROMANCE
Book 2: His Dark Desires
A Contemporary Erotic Romance by Angela Jordan
(13,500 words)
Copyright 2013 by Angela Jordan. All rights reserved.
Reproduction expressly prohibited.
Contact Angela: [email protected]
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Dark Angel: A Mafia Romance
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A sizzling romance with sex so hot, it leaves a body count...
Can Karen keep her head on her shoulders, even as she gets wrapped up deeper and deeper into Angelo's dark world? Or is she doomed to fall prey to her DARK ANGEL?
Available now on Amazon.com! Click here to download!
His Dark Desires
Chapter One
Damn it…that freaking hurt!
I cursed silently as I smacked my elbow on the doorway of the bathroom in my hurry to get ready. No surprise, I was running late.
Again.
It had been three days since the last time I’d seen my dark angel, and I felt like an addict in need of a fix. Nothing was going right. I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t eat and I certainly couldn’t work without thinking about my last encounter with him. I was not the type of woman who sat at home and got all sentimental about a man – but then again, Angelo DeSilvo wasn’t just any man.
He was, to put it simply, my obsession.
After my last night with him, I should have gotten him out of my system. We had argued at my friend’s gallery show, and then Angelo had taken me in his limo. No, taken wasn’t strong enough of a word for what he had done to me. He had consumed me. He had pushed past every boundary I had, and destroyed me with his touch, using me as his plaything in the back of his limousine.
And the truth? I had loved every second of it.
In the aftermath of our intense encounter, I’d been left shaken. Walking away had been my only recourse, not that Angelo had let me go that easily. He called constantly, and two days ago I had received two-dozen red roses from him. At first I wanted to refuse them, but they were so beautiful I couldn’t make myself throw them away. Now, they sat in my bedroom on my nightstand, a constant reminder of the passion we had shared together.
I hadn’t answered any of his calls, as I was unsure what to say to him. No, that wasn’t true. The real reason I didn’t answer was because I knew I would give into him. Try as I might, I was powerless to resist. And right now, I needed to keep my distance until I was sure if I wanted him in my life.
I’m a strong woman, who has always had a clear idea of what I’ve wanted. However, since meeting Angelo, I had begun to question everything I thought I had been seeking in a relationship. That is, if you could even call what was between us a relationship. So far, the two times we had come together had been a clash of wills, and as satisfying as it had been, our last encounter had left me feeling used. He took control of me so easily, and so far, I’d been letting him. I’m not exactly sure why – usually, I was the one in charge. This was new, a role reversal, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. I wanted a partner, a man I could depend on in my life. But with Angelo, it was all flash and heat, and so far very little substance. It’s like my brain shut off and all I could think of was the pleasure he gave me.
He was dangerous to me on so many levels. There was a darkness inside him that I didn’t understand. He was a devil, tempting me with excitement when what I was really looking for was love. I didn’t really know anything about him, and that worried me. Until I got a better grasp on what the hell was going on with us, I needed to avoid him.
If only avoiding him were as easy as it sounded.
The last time we had sex we hadn’t used a condom. I was on the pill and thought he wasn’t a man who would put me in jeopardy like that, but I had still gone to the clinic yesterday just to be sure. As expected, all the tests came back clean. I had never let a man come inside me before, and feeling him fill me had seemed so much more intimate than any other man I had ever slept with. But still, how could he have just used me like that? Who did he think he was?
Every time I saw his name on the screen when my phone rang, my heart began to race and I felt myself growing wet as if preparing for him. He had the potential to not only break my heart, but to literally smash it into pieces. The power he had over me was all consuming. I feared becoming a causality of the flames of our lust when all was said and done.
And knowing that, I was terrified to see him again.
I took one last look in the mirror and noted that my unusual violet-tinged eyes looked overly bright this evening. The dress I had picked for tonight was a simple, black, strapless sheath that went perfectly with my jet-black hair. I had left my hair down, not bothering to style it in my haste to get ready. Damn my dark angel…just thinking about him had my eyes practically glowing with lust and my panties dampening to the point I considered changing them.
A loud knock on my front door had me scrambling into the living room of my apartment. I opened the door and smiled at my friend Jonathan, gesturing him in.
“I’m almost ready,” I said hurriedly as I slammed the door shut behind him then rushed back into my bedroom. I glanced down at my phone – it was 6:52 already. Shit.
He smirked. “How did I guess you wouldn’t be ready yet? Anyway, don’t worry about it. I knew Amanda would have both our asses if we didn’t show up on time tonight, so I lied and told you the party was at seven, when really…” He paused for dramatic effect, watching my eyebrows raise. “…it starts at seven-thirty.”
Waves of relief flooded through me, even as I glared at him.
He sent me a wink. “And by the way, Karen, you look smokin’ hot.”
Giving up my pretend anger, I shot him a grin as I finished getting ready. Jonathan and I had gone to college together, and we had been best friends ever since. He was a good-looking man, to be sure, with dark-blond hair and blue eyes the color of a perfect summer day, but I wasn’t interested in being anything more than friends, and thankfully, neither was he. I certainly wasn’t his type – in fact, no woman was. I had been the first one he had come out to back when we were in school. I had also been the one to go home with him when he had decided to tell his parents that he was gay, and watched as they had accepted him for who he was with tears of joy in my eyes.
It wasn’t easy for a man like Jonathan to announce to the world that he was gay. Jonathan was a trust-fund baby who came from a wealthy Boston family. People from his social strata seemed to be extremely judgmental and went out of their way to gossip about anything and everything they could. Luckily, Jonathan was a force of nature when it came to navigating the social arena. To his friends, he was as loyal as they came, but he could be cutting and vicious if he needed to be.
“You know Amanda will probably an hour late herself, even if it is her own engagement party,” Jonathan said as he made himself at home on my bed as I put on a pair of dark red stiletto heels that matched the light jacket I pulled out of my closet.
I laughed. “You’re probably right.”
Our friend Amanda was a very talented fashion designer, and was perpetually late for everything. She was my old college roommate and I loved her to pieces. As
I wasn’t close to my own parents, I understood her better than most. From a small town in Indiana, her parents had pretty much disowned her when she had decided to move to New York. The three of us –Amanda, Jonathan and me – had become our own little family over the years, and no matter how chaotic my life was right now, I wouldn’t miss her big party tonight for anything.
She had met her fiancé, Tony Luciano, when we had gone out dancing at his new nightclub a few months back. We knew their chemistry had been off the charts from the moment they’d laid eyes on each other. They had fallen madly in love and he had surprised her with a proposal just a few weeks ago.
“I know I’m right, honey. Speaking of which, where the hell have you been lately? Please tell me you got rid of Craig and you’ve been whisked away to Paris or something, where you’ve been having a mad love affair with some rich Frenchman named Jean-Claude.”
I chuckled as I stroked some gloss over my lush lips and shoved the tube into my clutch purse. I could feel the heat of the blush that stained my cheeks red as I thought about Angelo again. “Not…exactly,” I began. “No international flights involved, but I did get rid of Craig…and I met someone new. It’s…complicated and a really long story.”
“Ooh,” he grinned. “Well, let’s get out of here and you can tell me on the drive. You know how I love a good naughty story. You can’t blush like that and not expect me to want details.”
I sighed. If he only knew how naughty I’d been…
****
My jaw fell open as I looked out the window when Jonathan pulled the car to a stop in front of the restaurant where the engagement party was being held and we waited in line for the valet.
It couldn’t be.
Fate could be a cruel bitch sometimes…
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as I stared at the name DeSilvo’s embossed in golden letters on the front of the stone building. I ignored the sound of Jonathan’s voice as he continued to talk, his words fading to a dull murmur against my suddenly screaming thoughts. I fought the urge to demand that he take me home. I knew I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t miss Amanda’s party. Plus, I told myself, the odds of bumping into Angelo tonight were really very slim. He was busy these days with his new restaurant, Bliss Lounge, where I’d originally met him. He’d even told me once how stressful the Bliss launch was going. There was no way I’d find him here tonight.
I turned back to Jonathan and some of my worry must have shown, because he immediately shut up. “What is it, Karen?”
“I thought this party was at The Yard.”
Jonathan blinked. “Oh, didn’t I tell you? It got changed over the weekend. I think Tony’s family wanted it somewhere nicer than The Yard. More of a lounge-y feel… wait, why? What’s wrong?”
“You know that new guy I was telling you about?”
He frowned. “You mean this ‘dark angel’ of yours?”
“Yeah,” I replied. “Well, his name is Angelo... Angelo DeSilvo.”
Jonathan’s eyes widened as his gaze jerked from me to the building then back again. “Well, fuck…”
He could say that again.
“What do you want to do? Amanda will kill us if we don’t go in.”
I sighed. “I’m not missing her party. Besides, he’s probably not even here.”
When it was our turn, Jonathan pulled the car up and the valet opened my door. I got out and waited for my friend to get his ticket before we walked inside together. Where Bliss Lounge had been trendy and modern, DeSilvo’s spoke of old world elegance. It was classic Italian at its best. The few times I had been to DeSilvo’s it had always been packed, and tonight was no different. Dark wood gleamed under subtle lighting as we made our way through the crowd of waiting patrons to the front desk.
The rich smell of excellent food stirred my hunger as we were directed up to the second floor where the engagement party was being held in a private room. I walked up the steps, holding tightly to Jonathan’s arm for support. His hand squeezed mine, and I smiled up at him gratefully. When we reached the second floor we stopped at the coat check and I slipped off the red jacket to reveal my tight, fitted black dress.
The young girl working the coat check looked at Jonathan with admiring eyes, and she smiled when he winked at her.
“You just made her night,” I said with a chuckle as we walked away.
“I do what I can.”
We started walking toward the room where we had been directed when a voice stopped me.
“Karen Blackwell. You little bitch!”
I turned my head and a grin spread across my face as I saw Amanda heading toward us. I let go of Jonathan to hug Amanda. She pulled back and surprised me by pinching my arm hard.
“Ouch! What the hell was that for?”
“That is for being late, and for not returning my phone calls the last few days. Where the hell have you been?” Amanda hissed as she dragged both of us further down the hallway. Not waiting for my response, she continued. “I thought this was going to be a small party. You know, his parents, his brother and sister and you guys…but it’s not! His whole freaking family is here!”
I could see the panic in my friend’s brown eyes and tried to soothe her. “Amanda, don’t worry. Tony’s family is going to love you.”
Jonathan and I both cursed softly as tears filled her eyes. “My parents didn’t come,” she choked out. “I know I said I wasn’t going to invite them, but I did and they didn’t use the tickets I reserved for them.”
“Oh, honey. I’m so sorry.” I hugged her again then stepped back as Jonathan took his turn.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. You’ve got us. If Tony’s family doesn’t love you I’ll beat them up for you.”
“I don’t think that will be necessary,” Tony said as he walked up to join us. He looked down at Amanda with an adoring smile on his face. “My family will love you and if anyone is mean to my girl then I’ll be the one beating people up.” He looked at Jonathan and me, shaking Jonathan’s hand with a firm grip. “Thanks so much for being here to share this night with us, guys. We’re going to have a little cocktail hour first so everyone can mingle a bit, and then we’ll sit down for dinner.”
I looked at them and smiled. I was so happy for Amanda. Tony was the perfect gentleman, and they looked great together. Amanda was petite like me, and with her big brown eyes and short, stylish hair, she looked like a tiny pixie compared to her big fiancé. He was a large man, with thick muscles and a charming smile. Maybe it was because of his heritage, but something about Tony reminded me of my own handsome Italian. Forcing those thought aside, I took Jonathan’s arm again as we followed Amanda and Tony into the private room.
I might have been in Angelo DeSilvo’s restaurant, but I refused to think of him right now. Tonight was a celebration, and I was just here to enjoy the party.
Chapter Two
The so-called “small and intimate” party turned out to be much larger than we’d thought.
I looked around at all the people talking and laughing in groups, and saw why Amanda had been in such a panic. The large room had been separated into two sections. Several round tables had been set up at the far end, which looked to be enough seating for a small wedding instead of a simple engagement party. Most of the people were standing around tall high-top tables that had been set up near the bar at the back of the room.
I looked over to the right and noticed the bar area had a set of doors leading to an outside balcony area where several people were smoking.
“Come on, I think we need a drink,” Jonathan whispered as he led me over to the bar. We ordered our drinks and turned back toward the crowd.
I smiled at people as they nodded to us in greeting, my scanning the room discreetly. Then, out of nowhere, I saw him. I nearly choked on my champagne. I froze, unable to move as I looked across the room and saw Angelo DeSilvo, standing with a group of people and chatting it up as if he had not a care in the world.
No freaking way…
> What the hell was he doing here?
My heart began to pound at just the sight of him. Despite all that had happened, there was no denying that he was so handsome he took my breath away. His hair was black as midnight, and he wore it with a careless elegance only a man with his good looks could pull off. He had strong, chiseled features and the face of a fallen angel, dangerous and brooding, which only added to his appeal. I swear, he had a presence about him that would make the gods weep with envy. Tonight he was dressed in a dark suit, with his white button-down shirt left open at the top. It was obviously tailored to fit his muscular frame, hinting at his wealth without being overtly obvious. Just looking at the strong column of his throat made me think of the night I’d pressed my lips there, taking small nibbles of his skin.
A jolt of desire made me tremble. My knees went weak and I had to hang onto Jonathan’s arm to stop myself from falling flat on my face. I ignored Jonathan’s questioning glance, unable to pull my gaze away from my dark angel. I wanted to walk over to him, to wrap my arms around him and bury my head into his chest just so I could breathe his scent into my lungs.
All that bullshit I had been telling myself earlier vanished like a puff of smoke. No matter my reservations or the worries that I had about what was between us, I wanted Angelo more than I have ever wanted another man. For one brief moment of clarity, I knew this without doubt.
Then, in the next moment, all that changed…
Like a cold slap to the face, I stared as a beautiful brunette walked over and slid her arm around his waist.
There was a smile on his face as he put his arm around her and leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead. She was a tall woman, although she was still shorter than Angelo who was a few inches over six feet tall. The look of love on her face as she smiled up at Angelo made my heart break inside my chest.
DARK ANGEL: A Mafia Romance -- Book Two: His Dark Desires Page 1