She pushed the shades over the bridge of her nose and winked at Ariano deliberately for her father to see.
To her surprise, he held her gaze without flinching.
“Are we done here, Papa?” Celina asked, spinning to leave. “I have places to be.”
She didn’t wait for a response, her hips swinging as she sauntered toward the kitchen.
As she pushed open the door, she heard her father make a promise she had heard half a dozen times before to as many men.
“If you can handle her detail for six months without getting yourself fired or killed, I will promote you to capo.”
A beam lit up Celina’s stunningly beautiful face as she made her way into the alley, clicking on the fob to unlock her convertible.
Carrot and stick approach. They fall for the same shit every time. All muscle, no brains, the lot of them.
Sliding into the driver’s seat, she started the car but before she could back out, two hands spread onto the lowered window, a face peering into hers.
“Do you have an agenda for me, Celina?” Ariano asked, his lips inches from hers. “Or are we going to start off with me chasing you around?”
She started at his nearness, her heart fluttering uncharacteristically as his scent filled her nose again.
What is that? Dolce and Gabbana? She made a mental note to find out. It seemed to ignite a rhythm in her, making her core clench reflexively.
He’s touching your car, she told herself, flipping herself out of the slight reverie which his scent had caused.
“If you need an agenda to keep up with me, maybe you aren’t the right man for the job,” she cooed, pulling away before he could respond.
She smiled to herself and floored the vehicle onto Brickell Avenue, her eyes trained on the rear-view to see if he had managed to catch up.
Poor, handsome baby, she thought, realizing that she had left him in her dust. He doesn’t stand a chance, but at least he’s not Alex. He’s going to be fun to toy with for a few weeks.
Celina headed out of downtown, stifling the smidgen of guilt tickling her conscience.
It wasn’t her fault they chose that life.
Someone needed to toughen them up.
**************************
It’ll be a fresh start, he had told himself as he stepped off the plane at Miami International Airport several years ago, half wondering if he had made a mistake by leaving New Jersey.
At least in Miami, he wouldn’t have to deal with the damn weather, he thought. Anything would be better than a life dealing with snowstorms and ice.
Except now I’m charged with detailing Celina DiMarco. Fucking kill me now.
He was not deaf, dumb or stupid.
Or blind.
Celina was beautiful, without a doubt. In fact, Ariano couldn’t recall another woman in his history who caused his pulse to race simply on sight.
In his five years working for Giovanni DeMarco, Ariano could probably count on two hands how many times he had seen the sensual blonde, while one hand could account for how many interactions they’d had.
He tried to stay away from her – for his own good. His experiences in New Jersey with the boss’s daughter Lucia had given him a healthy sense of “don’t fuck where you sleep, eat, and work”.
Anyway, Celina was not Lucia.
They were as opposite as summer and winter, one warm and sunny, the other cold and…sexy as all hell. Fuck.
Ariano knew what had happened to others on Celina’s watch, the way she had chewed them up and spit them out in various, twisted ways.
It was as if she took some perverse pleasure in destroying men who wanted to advance in the family.
Working detail on Celina was both the best and worst thing any soldier could hope for.
It came with its rewards but it was going to be work. A lot of it.
She’s going to get a surprise if she thinks she can control me – I’ll show her what being controlled felt like. His cock hardened at the thought. Get your mind back on track, idiot! he lectured himself, steering the Audi onto the busy road. I know her plan and I won’t fall into the trap. Six months is child’s play.
His cock jerked again as the memory of Celina’s very fuckable ass slipped into his mind.
It’s so obvious that she’s looking for attention, he thought, shaking his head as a tell-tale bulge formed between his thighs. I’m onto you, Celina. And you are not getting your way with me.
He wondered then, why he was feeling uncharacteristically uncomfortable, following Celina through the streets of Miami.
Maybe it was because he could sense she was not going to give him a single second to get used to her.
She had already fled, forcing him to enable the tracking device he had slipped discretely into her car as he had leaned against the frame to speak to her.
Ariano had been ready for her attempted escape. In his line of work, you really never knew when you’d need to track someone, so he kept a small device in his wallet. Ready at all times. Just like a fucking boy scout, he thought wryly. He pulled out his cell, tracking her movements as she continued across the city toward South Miami Avenue. He remembered the dozens of stories he’d heard about how the don’s daughter had managed to evade surveillance, for no other reason than to be a bitch.
No one is a bitch for no reason, Ariano reminded himself. I imagine that Celina DiMarco has plenty to be pissed off about with a father like Giovanni.
But that was none of his business, no matter how alluring and desirable she was. Celina was his job, nothing more.
He wished his cock would understand English and not just hormones.
He still didn’t have eyes on her but he could see that the Alfa Romeo had finally stopped moving and in minutes, he found it in a parking lot.
And what the fuck is this place now? He wondered, pulling his black car up to her convertible.
As he parked, he lowered his sunglasses and looked toward the vehicle, but she had already disappeared into the building.
Sighing, Ariano wondered if he should bother following her inside. But he knew there had to be a reason the princess had stopped at the Vizcaya Gardens, and it wasn’t to smell the gardenias.
Please don’t tell me she’s off meeting a lover, he thought warily, jumping from his car and enabling the alarm. He wasn’t sure what protocol was for interrupting Celina’s sex life.
I have to keep her alive and happy but I also have to ensure she doesn’t humiliate Giovanni. So, if she’s fucking someone in there, I have to put a stop to it, I suppose…
Trying to suppress a groan, Ariano slipped toward the structure which housed the museum in a historic building which had once been a mansion.
In spite of himself, Ariano’s eyes wandered, taking in the statuesque trees and flowers lining his walk.
True, he had lived in South Florida for half a decade but the flora never ceased to amaze him.
There’s nothing like this in New Jersey, he thought, pulling open the door to the entrance. Thank fucking God.
“Hi, can I help you?”
Ariano removed his sunglasses, steely eyes fixing on the teenager behind the counter.
“Did a blonde walk in here a few minutes ago? White sundress? Attitude from hell?”
The boy blinked.
“Miss DiMarco?” he asked, and Ariano found himself tensing as he studied the boy skeptically.
“You know her?”
The kid shrugged nonchalantly.
“Sure,” he replied. “She comes in all the time to read. She’s in the garden now.”
Ariano thought he had misunderstood and he eyed the teenager doubtfully.
“Read?” he echoed. “Read what?”
Again, the kid raised his shoulders nonchalantly and pointed toward the French doors leading into the gardens. Ariano slowly made his way toward the cobblestone pathway, his interest piqued.
Why do I feel like I’m walking into a trap already? he asked himself, but he didn’t slo
w his gait, his head swiveling around to search for his prey.
Even before he saw her, his body could sense her nearby, almost like an instinct.
As if guided by an unseen beacon, Ariano’s head turned to look at a stone bench to his right. At first, he didn’t even recognize her.
Her long, white-blonde hair was swept off her shoulders into a messy bun as she sat cross-legged on the seat, her body in a graceful yoga pose, a thick hardcover book in her lap.
Somehow, she had managed to change from her revealing sheath dress into a blue Nike tracksuit, the hoodie zipped up just over her luscious breasts.
Gone was the mafia princess with red lipstick and bejeweled nails, as if she had melted away over the interstate and left behind a natural, beautiful woman.
Here, she could have passed as a college student, oblivious to everything around her but the pages of her book as she read, engrossed.
She looked so…innocent, and for a moment, Ariano could only stand there, gaping at her, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.
He could just barely make out the title of the book, a literary classic and he wondered if he was being played.
Nothing about the woman sitting before him was the Celina DiMarco he had been told about.
Is it all an act? Something in him asked. Am I looking at the real Celina right now?
A small voice in his head told him to leave her.
She doesn’t know you’ve seen her, he told himself. She came here on purpose, hoping that you would drive all around Miami trying to find her and then report back that you had lost her.
Very slowly, he backed away from Celina, careful not to arouse her attention but at the same time, he half-hoped that she would look up and meet his eyes. He didn’t know why he wanted it, maybe just for the connection he sensed it would form?
She continued to read her book and Ariano retreated through the lobby.
“Did you find her?” the young man at the counter asked, and Ariano whirled to stare at him, his eyes narrowing dangerously.
“I was never here, you got it?” he said to the kid and the boy stared at him uncomprehendingly.
“Huh?”
“I was never fucking here. Don’t tell Miss DiMarco you saw me.”
The kid’s mouth gaped and Ariano took a step closer to the attendant, threatening him simply with his imposing presence.
“Do you fucking understand?” he growled again and the teenager’s face paled as he nodded.
“Yeah, yeah,” he mumbled, his voice catching worriedly. “I never saw you.”
Ariano retreated into the parking lot, trying to reconcile what he had seen with what he knew of the mafia princess.
Well it’s good to know Celina is already underestimating me. She believes the illusion that she has one up on me, he decided, backing the Audi out of the garden’s lot and disappearing down the street to wait for her to make her next move.
But as Ariano waited, he couldn’t shake the image of Celina lost in her book, oblivious to the world around her.
She hadn’t expected to see him there, so it wasn’t a show she had put on for his benefit.
And Ariano had certainly not expected to see her looking so beautiful and vulnerable.
Sighing, he dropped his head back against the leather back of the driver’s seat.
There was nothing he could do for now but wait and see what other surprises Celina had in store for him.
Six more months, he told himself, repeating the mantra. Six more months and I’ll be capo and Celina will be someone else’s problem. Maybe Alex’s.
The idea filled him with a mixture of satisfaction and contempt.
They deserve one another, he thought, but even as the thought flittered through his mind, he couldn’t shake the sense that he might be selling Celina short, lumping her into the same category as his work nemesis.
Whatever, he told himself again. In six months, this will all be over.
******************************
A quick glance at her cell told her that she had not been texted nor called since her arrival.
It bothered her, as if it was too simple.
By now, Ariano must have realized he had lost her trail. Why hadn’t he called, demanding to know where she was?
She had no immediate answer and as she rose, stretching her long but cramped legs, she wondered where he had ended up on his wild goose chase.
I have years of practice with this, she thought smugly, re-entering the museum through the back entrance of the gardens.
And it was a fact.
For twenty-four years, she had been the girl whose father’s bodyguards escorted her to and from school, waiting for her outside dance recitals and Christmas concerts.
Papa couldn’t ever make it to my events, but the goons were always there, she thought sadly to herself, and there was only sadness in her memories.
Her childhood had not been amusing in the least.
Celina had learned young that what her father’s men possessed in brawn, they lacked in brains, and she took a special joy in illustrating that fact.
It had started as a way to demand her father’s unavailable attention.
She reasoned that if she could show Giovanni that her security was incompetent, he would see that he was the only one good enough to take care of her.
In her eight-year old mind, she and her father would be together always if she could just make him see how useless her bodyguards were.
At first it had been a simple matter of losing them in crowds and going home to explain to Giovanni how they had abandoned her, but as she got older and it became obvious that Giovanni had no intention of being the father she wanted him to be, the schemes to make her security’s life hell became more impressive.
On occasion, she would turn the tables and follow her men to their mistress’ houses, snapping pictures with her camera phone and blackmailing them into letting her do exactly what she pleased, lest she tell their wives.
Other times, she would tamper with their vehicles and leave them in her dust while posting pictures on Instagram while they tried to figure out where she was.
It was all a game to Celina, who understood that they were meant to protect her, but it was difficult to feel safe among men who were so much stupider than she.
For her part, it never really occurred to her that she was still rebelling against Giovanni all those years later.
All her detail could see was a petulant brat, a mafia princess who could not be abused, but could she be fucked?
Blossoming into the stunning beauty she was had brought on a brand-new list of challenges for her - and a whole new world of trouble for the unsuspecting men left to keep an eye on her.
She passed Colin at the reception desk, who cast her a nervous look as Celina paused, eyeing him.
Why is he looking at me like that?
Before she could catch his eye again, he lowered his gaze back to his computer screen as if to deliberately stop her from speaking to him.
“Bye, Colin,” she called.
He barely glanced up, offering her a small, tight smile.
“Bye, Miss DiMarco.”
Slowly, Celina made her way into the parking lot, her eyes scanning the area.
Something wasn’t right. She could feel it in her bones, but as she looked, she saw nothing to cause her alarm.
Not until she slipped into the driver’s seat and started the car.
“I would prefer if you didn’t take off on me. It’s for your own safety, you know.”
A small gasp escaped her plump lips as she looked up at Ariano looming over her car, casting a shadow over her.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded before she could stop herself. Instantly she was furious with herself for showing weakness.
“I believe your father entrusted me with keeping an eye on you, Celina,” he replied dryly. “I thought you were paying attention.”
She stared up at him, her vivid eyes clashing with his as he
r mind raced.
Did he track my cell phone already? Usually it takes them a week to figure that out.
Celina realized she had underestimated Ariano, but she vowed not to make the same mistake again.
Sexy or not, he’s just another one of them.
Still, she couldn’t deny the unmistakable spark of arousal she felt when their eyes met and Celina idly wondered if he was a good lover.
Probably not, she thought firmly, partially surprised that her mind had gone there at all. The good-looking ones are far too selfish. But I could probably take him down a notch or two.
Celina grinned up at him disarmingly.
“I’m sorry,” she purred. “I didn’t realize I had to slow down so you could keep up. I’ll let my father know you’re having a hard time already.”
She turned her head back toward the rear-view mirror, putting the car in gear before he could answer, but to her surprise, he slapped his palms firmly on the door.
“Celina, let’s get one thing straight,” he said and she turned her head toward him in amused surprise.
She tried not to show it, but her pulse quickened at the movement.
He wouldn’t be the first to try and assert his authority with her but there was something different about Ariano.
He wasn’t afraid. And he wasn’t blustering. The steel in his gaze radiated dominance and her pussy clenched in awareness.
I can change that, she thought, but as he stood firm, she wondered if that was true.
“Hmm?” she asked sweetly, deliberately examining her lips in the glass, as if to check her make-up – even though she had cleaned off every last speck of the stuff immediately after arriving at the gardens.
She wasn’t a lash extension and mascara kind of girl, after all, but no one needed to know that.
Least of all Ariano.
Again, she was baffled by her thoughts, her awareness of him disconcerting her usual strong resolve.
Who cares what he thinks about you? He’s no one to you.
Was there laughing in her head?
“I know you probably don’t want me following you,” he continued. “And trust me, this is not my first choice in assignments. But here we are.”
Celina’s head turned slightly, the words affecting her strangely.
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