Barresi: Emily Trilogy: A New Orleans Mafia Romance

by Lux Miller

  Luca’s eyes drift closed as he tries to stifle the moan that rumbles in his chest. He exhales carefully and pulls away from me, his grey eyes swimming with lust. “If we don’t get out of this car now, I am going to maul you…”

  I smirk and shimmy back across the car, reaching behind myself to open the door. I unfold myself from the front seat and straighten my dress as he takes his time getting out himself. As I’m waiting, two sharp-dressed men exit from the silver Beemer that followed us here. I recognize one of them as one of the two men who escorted us from the first charity function, as well as several later dates. Eyeing him, I ask, “Where’s Carter… Chris?” He offers me a terse smile as he replies, “Kev… Boss has ears everywhere. Loose lips sink ships…”

  I nod slowly, understand his meaning. I’m sure my eyes are as wide as saucers because he leans closer to me with a chuckle, “Relax, Miss. He didn’t kill him. Just fired him. Barresi doesn’t have the time or patience for young hotheads that can’t be trusted. He’s extremely picky about who he allows into his inner circle. Very thorough screening process for anyone he issues a gun to - if he doesn’t trust them, he doesn’t hire them.”

  Luca’s voice startles me as he slides a tense hand across my lower back, “Indeed. And that’s just for the hired guns. The ones I trust with my life… I’ve known them all for years. Most of them since I was a kid. Every single one of them has been vouched for and most have spilled blood protecting my family. Baressi trust is the hardest thing to earn and the easiest thing to lose.”

  Shivering, I glance up at him with worry etched on my face. He grips my hip with his hand and tucks me underneath his arm, then leans down and kisses the top of my head. “There are few people in this world I blindly trust. My Momma. My brother. Mike. And for some God-forsaken reason that even I can’t explain…” He slides his hand underneath my chin and tips my face up to his, “...you…”

  My stomach tilts as his eyes pierce into me. For the first time since the night we met, I can see a depth to them that seems to go forever. Whereas he’s usually carefully guarded, I can sense a vulnerability that I get the feeling he rarely, if ever, shows to anyone. I nod quietly and slide my hand gently across his stomach, my fingertips grazing the jewel-encrusted belt buckle.

  He’s been full of surprises tonight, but what he does next catches me completely unaware. He smiles at me and the world stands still for a split second. His smile is charmingly lopsided, but his teeth remind me of an alpha predator - a brilliant flash of feral perfection.

  I blink stupidly in response to his smile and he chuckles softly. He nods his head toward the door as he guides me through the parking lot to the cheerfully colored front door that looks like it survived a paintball battle recently.

  He pulls the door open and lets me step in before him. I stride through the metal detector and turn to watch him as he grumbles and begins to unload his pockets into the provided tray. He drops two different cell phones, a knife, and a gun that he pulls from his waistband into the tray. Then he holds up a hand and reaches down to his leg, producing a second small-caliber gun from a holster strapped to his leg. He glances up at me with a sheepish grin as he fishes another knife out of his shoe, then stands up and drops both into the tray as well.

  He motions to the wide-eyed young man who is staring open-mouthed at the overflowing tray. “I expect you’ll catalog my personal effects and I can pick them up upon exiting?” The boy nods dumbly as he turns to a uniformed security officer. The officer steps over, takes one look at the contents of the tray and then flicks his eyes at Luca.

  Luca shrugs, “I have permits for all of it.” He steps through the metal detector and collects both of the cellular devices from the tray, then motions to the rest of the items. “I’m rather attached to the twenty-two. It’s been a faithful partner. Please ensure that these are returned in the same condition.”

  The uniformed man nods curtly and motions to the tray, then speaks quietly to the boy, apparently giving him instructions. As Luca joins me again, I nudge him in the ribs. “Is that it?”

  He nods with a smirk that makes me giggle nervously. “I packed light tonight, but I don’t go anywhere outside my home unarmed. Ever. Especially not in the company of an angel on Earth. Now for the next two hours, I am your humble servant. Il tuo desiderio è il mio comando, bella.”

  Tendrils of cold snake down my spine as he drops into Italian yet again. I have no clue what he just said, but as I’m trying to work out the words in my head, he leans down over me and whispers into my ear, “That means that your wish is my command, beautiful.”

  I gasp and look up at him. “Are you fluent?”

  Luca nods and nuzzles his nose against the back of my ear. “I am. It’s my mother tongue, though I mostly only speak it when conducting business or arguing with my father. But I digress… I’m sure there are more positive things we can discuss than the pig-headed man who sired me. Like this…”

  I drag my feet along the hardwood flooring until we enter a quaint room that is dotted with some of the most stunningly breathtaking artwork I have ever seen in person. My breath catches in my throat as I stare at the canvas before me. To most people, it’s probably just a mundane facsimile of Jefferson Square, but to me, it is a vibrant depiction of the city I call home.

  “Bellisimo,” he murmurs in my ear and I cut my eyes up at him.

  “Are you going to randomly drop into Italian all night?”

  He shrugs and smirks at me like he’s playing a game. “There are over a hundred ways to say one likes something in Italian. Bellisimo is simple. It literally means beautiful. But there’s other ways to note something’s beauty… like saying la mia stella splendente.”

  My eyes drift closed as the heady scent of him infiltrates my nose. He brushes his fingers down my arm and it takes everything in my being not to shiver. “That means my shining star. One of my favorites is Ecciti i miei sensi.” He drops a chaste kiss along my shoulder and whispers, “That one means you excite my senses.”

  I tug my bottom lip between my teeth as Luca presses his body against mine, his voice intoxicating. He explores every inch of skin that my dress doesn’t conceal. He strokes his thumb over my collarbone and clears his throat, whispering, “Clavicola…” A soft whimper slips out of my mouth as I close my eyes, lost in the intimate touch as he continues a path up to my neck that sears my skin.

  I’m struggling to reel in my wildly flailing hormones as Luca continues his visceral exploration and impromptu Italian lesson. He gathers my chin in his hand and brushes his thumb over my lips, murmuring, “Labbra…” His lips graze mine gently and it takes everything in my being not to moan.

  He smiles against my lips and trails his up along my cheekbones, whispering, “Guancia.” Balling my fists at my sides, I mewl as he feathers angel kisses over each of my eyes. “Occhi,” he rumbles. He wraps his arms around my waist and tugs me against himself.

  His voice drops several octaves as he tells me, “The most beautiful moments in our lives are those we don’t plan… open your eyes and look at the beauty that surrounds you. Moments in time captured by artists who took a pause to commit the wonders of our world to memory for everyone to savor. Sometimes the allure is in the conception… but other times…”

  He trails off momentarily, his heart pounding in a staccato beat as I rest my head against his chest. “Other times… the beauty is understanding that one person has the ability to completely destroy you. Brucio per te… I am on fire for you. And I like it…”

  He steps back from me and tilts my chin up. “Emily… I’ve been hesitant to give into you… not because I don’t like you. I do. Lord knows I do. But I know that once I admit my desire to myself, all bets are off. Once I let down my guard, there will be nothing stopping this small ember that’s burning with desire from becoming an inferno. And if I’m fire, you’re gasoline. If we both fall… we’re going to burn New Orleans to the ground…”

  I stand on my tiptoes and bring my lips to his,
sparks igniting as our teeth clink together in a heated exchange of passion. I jerk away from him to catch my breath and murmur, “Then let it burn…”

  In the Shadows by Lux Miller

  © 2018, 2019 Lux Miller

  All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permissions contact:

  luxmillerauthor@gmail.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. The medical procedures performed in this book are fictionalized and should not be attempted on any living being. Please note that this book contains situations that may be triggering for some and situations that are not appropriate for readers under eighteen years of age.

  ONE

  “Oh… Em… Gee… girlfriend, you are the bomb dot com in that dress!”

  Glancing over my shoulder, I smirk at Royce. He looks like a kid in a candy store as he stands there, excitedly clapping his hands with a look of utter glee on his face. Shaking my head, I giggle. “You always say that… I’m pretty sure Luca put it in your contract that you have to stroke my ego every chance you get.”

  Royce snaps his fingers in the air with a wave of diva attitude. “Psshh… you need to embrace all this fineness and stop worrying. I will never lead you wrong, honey.”

  I quirk one eyebrow at him in the mirror, a slight smirk tugging at my lips. He frowns at my response and holds one hand up in the air. “That was ONE time… and I literally had two hours to make something out of nothing. It might have been atrocious, but you still looked banging in it… and if I heard the rumor mill correctly, Luca didn’t waste any time yanking it off and throwing it on the floor anyway.”

  Chuckling, I turn around to face him. “It looked like my grandma’s curtains. Despite that one boneheaded blunder though, you are a genius so I trust that you know what you’re doing. However… isn’t this…” I motion my hand up and down the front of my body, then continue, “...a little, erm… sexy for Midnight Mass?”

  Royce shrugs his shoulders as he nitpicks at the fabric, his deft fingers tugging and twisting the sleeves until they lay flat. The deep green is a sharp contrast to the subtle honey color of my skin as the panels of fabric crisscross over my chest, creating the illusion of cleavage. I drag my fingertips over the gathered hunter green that conceals my left breast. “Are you sure this is proper? What if one of my boobs pops out during the services? I’d be mortified!”

  He rolls his eyes as he gives the fabric a gentle tug. To my surprise, it doesn’t shift. Blinking in surprise, I look up at him. “How in the—?”

  He tugs at the other side and nods with a smirk of satisfaction. “Baby girl… that sucker is glued to your skin. It’s not going anywhere… the only thing that gorgeous green is going to do is make every man in the place notice you. Your hot little body is bangin’ in this dress… and the lace...” He shivers and nods as he turns me around and directs my gaze into the mirror. “Tell me you don’t feel like a fucking queen in this dress and I will make you something else.”

  I swallow down the nervous lump in my throat. I can’t lie to Royce. This dress makes me feel like the Queen of England herself would curtsy in my presence. There’s no denying that the low-cut back was designed to draw attention to my perky ass and somehow, the man has created something out of nothing in the upper half of the dress.

  The dress truly is perfection, but the heavy thudding of my heart hammering away in my chest does nothing to quell my fears that I’m going to appear completely inappropriate - and in a church no less! I’ve never even stepped foot inside a church and now I’m expected to do on the arm on one of the most powerful men in the city.

  “Breathe honey… everything’s covered. There won’t be any mishaps with the boobies. That dress is as close to a second skin as I can make it… I’m not even sure you’ll be able to get it off without help at the end of the night. And trust me when I tell you that it makes you look fabulous. Like you were born into this lifestyle and you’ve been killing it since you were in diapers…”

  I roll my eyes at Royce and laugh, “You sure do know how to butter a girl up.”

  He nods, watching me as I inhale and exhale slowly, nervousness at the forefront of my mind. “Yes ma’am. My business requires happy clients. Not everyone is as easy-going and such a pleasure to dress as you, princess. Velvet tongues rule my industry.”

  Snorting, I walk over to my bed and wipe my sweaty palms on the towel I discarded there after my shower. Royce watches me curiously and quirks an eyebrow. “You sure seem nervous… sweatin’ like a whore in church… What on Earth are you worried about now?

  “You look gorgeous. Luca is blatantly enamored by you. You are envied in some of the most elite social circles this side of the Mississippi. And don’t think I’m blowing smoke up your ass. You forget I dress the petty women of the upper echelon. A lot of them are wishing they were you right now. Envy is an ugly color on any woman...”

  I bounce a shoulder as I fidget with the necklace Luca gifted me several weeks ago. “Why would anyone be jealous of me? I’m a nobody…”

  Royce coughs as his eyes widen. I ignore his initial reaction, pretending that it’s nothing out of the ordinary. But I can’t resist engaging him when he continues to stare at me like he just ate a bug. “What, Royce?”

  He shakes his head and titters, “Girl… please tell me that all of this work wasn’t for naught. You’ve been dressed to the nines for over a dozen dates, several of which have been legitimate dates and not some part of a hare-brained contract. Are you seriously telling me that you ain’t seen that gorgeous specimen of man naked?”

  Crimson splotches across my cheeks as he looks at me expectantly. I fan myself quickly as I feel light-headed, but he doesn’t relent, staring me down. Looking away from him, I mumble, “Of course I’ve seen him naked, Royce… we’ve been having sex for weeks…”

  Royce squeals with delight, “I knew it! So those biddies at the salon were right! You HAVE tamed the beast! Oh girl…”

  Laughing, I whip my head back and forth. “I wouldn’t say I’ve tamed him. He’s still a beast... besides, a proper lady doesn’t kiss and tell, Royce. And why does anyone care what or who Luca does? He’s a crime lord who gets off on extortion and racketeering. For all intents and purposes, he’s a scourge on their high-falutin society…”

  Royce snags my upper arms in his hands. Startled, I stop laughing and look at him curiously, tilting my head to the side with a look of amusement on my face. “What?”

  He lets go of me and just stares, his mouth hanging open for several moments before he finds his voice. “He’s fucking gorgeous, Emily… and he’s loaded…”

  I shrug, flipping my curled hair out of my face. “With stolen money. Most of those high-tea and crumpets types frown on thieves. Sure he’s pretty to look at, but they don’t want the kind of lifestyle he chooses to live.”

  Royce plops one hand on his hip, cocking it out to the side as he peers at me like I’ve got a couple of screws loose. “Honey… he’s independently wealthy. The house… the cars… the jewels…” He motions to the glittering green gem at my throat. “He didn’t pay a dime of dirty money for any of it.”

  Narrowing my eyes at him, I shake my head, my loose curls bouncing around my face. “How? There’s no way…”

  Royce rolls his eyes, then steps over to the small desk in my room. He rifles through the papers that have collected there, humming to himself. He startles me as he shouts, “Ah ha! Here it is…” Walking back over to me, he hands me the first newspaper article that was written about Luca and I following our initial fake date. “It’s all there in black and white, honey…”

  I snatch the article out of his hands and read it again. Well, I read further than th
e headline and the first blurb, which is all I’ve bothered to read of the article. Had I read it sooner, I wouldn’t be standing here looking like a clueless dolt. “What? He’s worth HOW much?”

  Royce smirks as I bring my hand up to my face to fan it. The room spins a little as I plop down heavily on the bed and pray the dress doesn’t fail me. Royce chuckles and walks over, rubbing a hand down my bare back and then slowly back up my spine as he coos, “Darlin’... you seriously didn’t know what Playboy Millionaire meant?”

  Looking at him blankly, I open my mouth to speak but my words fail me. Finally, after several calming breaths, I manage to squeak out, “I thought it was a stupid headline meant to sell newspapers. I didn’t realize it meant he had a million dollars!”

  Royce clucks his tongue as he sits down beside me. He rests his free hand on my knee as he turns to face me. This doesn’t add up. If Luca has money, then why the hell is he stealing from others? I stole money because it was necessary for survival. Is he doing it for the thrill?