Mafia Daddy: A Cinderella Adult Fairy Tale

by Henry, Jane

  I wanted him to lay me down, and do the deep, dark, deliciously sexy things he did, playing my body bit by bit, taking me to heights I'd never been. I'd be his good little girl .

  I smiled to myself. I'd be his bad little girl, too .

  I never heard her come in the room, but when she spoke I nearly jumped out of my skin .

  "What are you smiling about?" Agatha sneered, crossing her arms and staring at me. "You seem like you have a little secret that's just yours, and yet you haven't told me anything ."

  "Oh, nothing.” She would not taint this .

  "Nothing?" she asked, head cocked to the side. "If you say so. Truthfully, I think you're lying but I have neither the time nor the inclination to pursue this ."

  A cold feeling of dread crept along my spine .

  Maybe I didn't owe it to my father to take care of her. It seemed Agatha was perfectly fine taking care of herself .

  "Nothing to worry about," I reiterated with forced nonchalance. "Really. Did you sort out the clothing for Violet and Elenora ?"

  She shrugged, still eyeing me, her arms stretched over her chest. "We're getting there. Don’t forget to prepare the marinade for tomorrow, and to be sure the new seasonal menus are pulled out. Table the old ones, and mark off what we need to order.” She continued with a litany of things she needed done, tonight, before she pushed herself off of the counter she leaned against and stalked off. I went back to my tasks. The food from breakfast still kept me full enough that I could skip lunch, and maybe, if I finished everything... maybe I’d find a way I could go tonight .

  I glanced at the clock and swiped a hand across my sweaty brow. I shook my head. I wanted to see Dante, and tonight I would see my sisters dressed up and going to the masquerade ball that dreams were made of. I looked at the list of things I still had to do, and I shook my head. There was no way this was going to work. No way I'd finish everything I needed to do, and I wasn't quite sure I wanted to. After another hour of working, I finally sat on a bench, my shoulders sagging .

  I’d never be done in time. And what if I miraculously made it, only to find out that it wasn’t what I’d thought it was at all? That he wasn’t even there ?

  "Gabriella?" I looked over my shoulder and blinked. Ruby stood in the doorway to the kitchen, and she looked oddly gleeful .

  "Why do you look so happy?" I asked her. "What's going on ?"

  "Oh, nothing," she said, then she clapped her hands like a little girl .

  "Nothing?" I pushed myself to my feet and stared at her, putting my hands on my hips. "Ruuubby. What are you hiding ?"

  "Gabriella," she said, crossing into the kitchen which was technically against the policy, but I didn't much care, as Agatha and the girls had long since left to get their hair and nails and makeup done .

  "You're going to that party tonight ."

  I blinked. "What? How? Why would I do that?" But even as I questioned her, hope rose in my chest .

  She leaned in and hissed in my ear. "Because he'll be there ."

  A warmth spread across my cheeks as I pulled away. "Who, Ruby ?"

  She shook her head and rolled her eyes heavenward. "For God's sake, honey. Dante, of course! I'm a millionaire several times over. You don't think I have a vested interest in the man that makes you light up like a firecracker? Hmm? You don't think that I want to see you happy? So maybe I dug around a little ."

  My throat felt strangely clogged, my eyes damp with tears. I didn’t know what to say, so I said the only thing I could. "Thank you .”

  She reached out and pulled me to her, holding me in a fierce embrace before releasing me. "Darlin', you listen to me. He has a ball to go to tonight. And you're going to be there with him .”

  I shook my head. "How, Ruby? Look at this list of things I need to do before I can go. If I don't, she'll fire me, and then what will I do? She'll make my life a living hell !"

  Ruby nodded, then stepped back and snapped her fingers. "Come in!" My mouth dropped open in shock as a team of men and women in uniform marched in .

  "I need to do this for you," she said. "You were the one who listened when my husband passed away. You’ve been the only one who has been there for me, day in and day out, when no one else seemed to care. What am I going to do with all this time and money I have anyway? I can't take it with me." She shook her head. "This team will do what needs to be done here. You, you're coming with me, kiddo. First, tell them what to do." I blinked and looked around. I had a full dozen people waiting for my command. Within minutes, all jobs were delegated, and I turned to Ruby, excitement building in my chest, hope rising .

  She reached for my hand and yanked me, bringing me along with her. I followed in a sort of stupor, not knowing where we were going or what would happen. This was all surreal .

  I had to get there. I couldn't not be there .

  "Ruby. I have only one problem here, and it's a pretty, like, major problem ."

  "Nah," she said, pulling me down the length of the street and to the open door of the upscale complex where she lived. She ushered me past the doorman and shoved me in an elevator, clapping her hands while her eyes danced. "This will be so fun," she whispered. "Just call me your fairy godmother ."

  Laughter, borne of nerves and excitement, bubbled up inside me. "Ruby!" I could only shake my head .

  "So what’s this problem?" she asked, raising a brow .

  I shook my head and gestured at the work jeans, faded top, and scuffed flats I wore. "I can't wear this to a masquerade! Honestly, Ruby, it wouldn't be right. And I have no time or money to do anything about that ."

  She pursed her lips and placed a well-manicured hand with pointy red nails on her hip, while wagging a matching red-tipped nail at me. "What did I just tell you?" she chided. "I'm your fairy godmother . "

  "And what exactly does this mean ?"

  She merely giggled to herself like a little girl. "You're gonna see exactly what I mean in a few minutes ."

  So her "sources" said that Dante would be at the party. Alrighty then. So would Agatha, and her daughters. The very thought of any of them being anywhere near him …

  "I'll bitch slap them," I hissed before I even realized what I was saying. My hand flew to cover my mouth .

  Had I just said that out loud ?

  Ruby reared her head back and stared. "What ?"

  "Oh my God. I was just... thinking. That I could go. But then I remembered that Agatha and her daughters were going to be there, and the idea of either one of them being anywhere near Dante... I just." I shook my head as our elevator cruised to a stop at Ruby's floor. "I've never been one for violence, Ruby. It’s astonishing to me that the words just tumbled out of my mouth like that ."

  Her mouth hung open as the door to the elevator opened, before she burst into laughter. Her peals of laughter rang through the hallway and she had to grip the walls for support. "You—you’re just—you're this tiny, sweet little thing, but suddenly, the thought of your sisters… Oh, this is perfect. We have to get you there!" She wiped her eyes and blew her nose into a tissue while I watched in a sort of half-amused, half-embarrassed stupor. "Come with me," she said, pulling me along once again. "You haven't been to my place in ages ."

  I hadn't. I used to drink tea with her up in her penthouse, and she'd tell me about her husband and feed her crazy little poodle expensive treats that smelled like bacon, and we'd talk about my father and my mother. But Agatha grew jealous, and she'd give me job after job to do. It seemed my free time had ended. I hadn't been to Ruby's in months, if not longer .

  “Tonight, it'll be like old times. Except with fancy dre
sses. And a lover who's pining away for you." Her voice got all choked up and I thought she was going to cry, but when I looked at her with concern, she burst out laughing. "And bitch slaps." She slapped her thigh so loudly the sound echoed in the hallway .

  "Ruby!" I hissed. "Compose yourself. And stop making fun of me !"

  "Oh, honey, I'm not making fun of you," she said, as she opened the door to her penthouse. She sobered as she stood and looked at me before we went in. "I couldn't be prouder. You have no idea, Gabriella, how badly I want to see you happy." My throat tightened but there was no more time to chat, as she yanked me into her house. "But enough about that. Time to ditch those duds, kiddo. You're moving on up ."

  She gestured for me to follow her, and when I stepped into her apartment, I blinked in surprise. Her place had always been incredibly opulent. Crystal chandeliers decorated the dining room, the walls were adorned with paintings she'd acquired from across the world, and I stepped on a vibrantly-colored, hand-woven Oriental rug. But what held me in rapt fascination was what stood in her living room: an array of ball gowns, and jewelry and attendants waiting for me, one with a large mirror and palette of cosmetics, one with a measuring tape, and still more at the ready .

  "Off to the powder room first," Ruby announced merrily. "Time to pretty up your hair!" I followed her in a daze, shaking my head at the wonder of it all. "Just let me do this for you," she whispered in my ear, before she handed me over to her stylist. "And when we are done, we'll deliver you to your man. Got it ?"

  I shivered. My man .

  I swallowed, straightened my shoulders, and walked with purpose toward the woman who waited for me .

  Dante was waiting. And I had a job to do .

  A n hour later, I stepped in front of the mirror and sighed in amazement. I wore a tight-fitting baby blue gown with silver accents that made me feel like a fairy princess. It glimmered and shone but dipped dangerously in the front, revealing more cleavage than I'd anticipated. I didn’t even know I had that much cleavage. Diamonds twinkled at my neck, with matching glittering diamonds in my ears. My hair was piled on my head in loops and swirls, and I wore a matching diamond tiara on my head. My make-up brought out the green in my eyes, my lashes so long I blinked in shock. My cheeks were the faintest pink, my lips a rosy gloss several shades deeper. I turned my head and glanced from side to side, hardly recognizing the reflection that stared back at me before I brought the handheld mask I was supposed to wear to my face .

  "You look exquisite," Ruby breathed .

  "I look... different .”

  She shook her head. "Good. That's the point. You should !"

  "No one will recognize me ."

  "Perfect!"

  Laughter bubbled up inside me then, and I grinned at her. "Okay. Let's do this." I lifted my dress and pointed a bare foot. "So when do I get my glass slippers ?"

  She grinned and snapped her fingers, and a woman came bustling in with shoes on a tray, like they were petit fours at high tea .

  "Not gonna eat them," I muttered to Ruby, who only laughed and playfully smacked my hand .

  "Choose your favorite," she said. "They're customized just for you. And when you're ready, off you go ."

  "Customized? How does that work ?"

  She shrugged. "One of a kind. You wear them, and Belinda makes them match your dress, your eyes, your toes, I dunno. She just makes it perfect ."

  I looked at her in disbelief. "Really ?"

  She nodded. "Really. Do it, Gabriella ."

  Thirty minutes later, I walked to the limo that awaited. I felt as if I floated. My gown billowed out around me like a cloud. The gorgeous slippers Belinda had fashioned clinked as I walked, and I held a clutch in my hand that felt as if it were accented with real silver and gems .

  I’ll blink any minute, and wake up, and realize this had all been a dream .

  "He's waiting, Gabriella. Go," Ruby whispered. "And tomorrow, you'll tell me all about it ."

  "I will," I promised, reaching out to Ruby and hugging her. "Thank you . "

  She waved her hand at me, and off we went into the night. I had no idea how this would play out—whether he’d recognize me in my mask, whether he’d be happy to see me when he did. All I knew was that fate had led me to this place, and I didn’t want to spend another midnight without my prince .

  Chapter Thirteen

  " L ooks fine," I said, nodding to the woman who held pins between her teeth and appraised me. My father had sent in a fashion consultant and personal designer to ready me for the evening. It sickened me. So much fucking waste. The short, elderly woman with severe spectacles on her nose and perpetually pinched lips, shook her head .

  "Not enough room in the shoulders," she groused. "Hard to fit a man like you into a tuxedo, Mister Villanova. Your shoulders are so broad ."

  Whatever.

  "Yeah, do the best you can." Like I gave a fuck .

  "Well, on we go then," she said with forced cheerfulness. "You have everything you need. I'll have my team put the finishing touches on this and have it by your door at four o'clock on the nose ."

  “Thank you," I said with a nod. She took her leave but as the door clicked tight behind her, a voice came over the loudspeaker right near me .

  "Dante?" My father’s deep, pissed off voice reverberated around the room .

  "Yeah?"

  "Come into my office," he growled .

  "I’ll be there in a minute ."

  "Now ." A click sounded. When I was a younger man, I’d feel the fear creeping along my spine at this juncture, and it would be a lie to say I didn't feel a pang of it even now. Mostly what I wanted to do was deck his smug, arrogant face .

  Fucking asshole .

  I'd be there when I was good and ready. I was twice his size and half his age. What would he do? I pushed aside any thought of what he really could do if he wanted to, and put my things away slowly .

  What was Gabriella doing right now? Where was she? Was she safe? God, I hated the distance between us. And it was the thought of her that kept my temper in check. I knew that if I appeased him, she'd be safe. If I didn't, and he found her …

  I kicked the door of my closet shut and stalked to his office. I knocked hard, relishing the sharp pain I felt along my knuckles when I rapped angrily against the door .

  "Come in ."

  I expected he’d be alone, or with my mother, but he was not alone. Beside him sat Emilio .

  I shut the door behind me .

  There was no fucking good that would come of this .

  "We just wanted a friendly chat before the masquerade, Dante," Emilio said, leaning back in his chair. His hair was slicked back, his eyes calculating slits as he stared at me, the silver scar gleaming from the overhead lights .

  He was here for information, and it had to do with Gabriella. I knew it in my gut .

  They could cut out my tongue before I'd tell them a fucking thing about Gabriella .

  And I knew them. I knew them both. It was a distinct possibility .

  "Yeah?" I said, pulling out a chair and taking a seat. I still wore the dress slacks that were custom-made, my shirt unbuttoned at the collar, and I loosened the neck even more. I could feel my blood pressure rising, the heat in my chest consuming me, constricting. I unfastened another button at my neck and tried to look as relaxed as possible .

  My father leaned back in his chair, eyeing me. "Where were you last night?" he asked .

  I shrugged a shoulder. Why the fuck did he care? "I was with a girl. Spent the night with her. Why ?"

  He raised a brow. "Why? You need to ask me why
?"

  Though I played it cool, apprehension coiled low in my gut. "I've taken dozens of women to bed. You’ve never once asked me shit about them. Why would this one be any different ?"

  Emilio shook his head, his lips quirking. "Don't play us like fucking fools," he growled. "Like you don't know who you are. Like you don't know who she is. Like you don’t fucking know who her stepmother is .”

  I fought with everything I had to keep my face impassive, but my fingers curled into fists by my side .

  What the fuck was he talking about ?

  “Agatha Madison’s fucking step daughter? Really, Dante?” Emilio narrowed his eyes .

  No fucking way .

  “Way too fucking close to home for it to be coincidence. Yeah, Agatha Madison, the bitch who tried to infiltrate herself as a family princess." His voice dropped to a growl. "I fucking know you're not a dumbass ."

  Apparently, I was. I schooled my features as I'd been taught to do since grade school, and met his eyes. "What the fuck difference does it make to you who she is? She’s just a girl." It was the only lie I’d told .

  Emilio leapt to his feet, his chair slamming into the windowsill behind him, coming at me, and my father got to his feet with his arm outstretched to stop him .

  "Enough!" he roared .

  He was the patriarch of the most powerful mob ring in fucking Vegas, so Emilio sat .

  I could hear clock’s tick-tock filling the room, as I made myself unclench my fists and breathe deeply in and out, willing myself to calm down. I could see it in my mind's eye, how I'd take Emilio by his motherfucking neck, crack his skull on the edge of the desk, and knee him in the balls. I wanted him to fucking bleed .

  I would not give into my baser instincts. I would hold the upper hand, maintain my control, and I would do it by playing my response very, very carefully .

  "Agatha Madison. The bitch who blackmailed you into giving her money?" It was a well-kept secret, but one I was privy to .