by Lea Hart
CHAOS
Lea Hart
Copyright © 2018 by Lea Hart
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Lea Hart
Visit my website at www.leahartauthor.com
DEDICATION
For My Daughters, My Heartbeat
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank Janell Parque for her editorial wisdom.
On occasion, size does matter, and we just want to read something short that delivers a sexy, quick, fun romance.
This series of micro-romances does just that and packs a punch, delivering the happily-ever-after we all want.
The NAUGHTY BITS is a series comprised of short stories that deliver a fast-paced romance that transports readers from the stresses of everyday life, work, and politics for an hour or two.
They are super sexy, and if you’re looking for escapism, happiness, and romance grab one of these and enjoy!
A second chance romance with all the feels.
Mix one totally obsessed mobster and a sassy mafia princess with some sugary-sweet insta love and what do you get?
A short tale with enough over the top ridiculous feels to make even the most die-hard cynic believe in love.
Come meet Gio and Valentina and see what happens when your first crush turns into the love of a lifetime.
Grab a glass of…whatever and enjoy this short story that will hopefully make the world disappear for an hour or two!
CHAPTER ONE
Valentina leaned forward in her seat and peered out the window of the plane. Seeing the Las Vegas strip in the distance, she let out a breath, and muttered, “Ready or not, here we come.”
“What’s that?” Bruno asked.
Lifting her eyes, she gave her best friend and bodyguard a smile. “Nothing, just talking to myself.”
“You worried Gio got ugly since the last time you saw him?”
Letting out a snort, she waved her hand in dismissal. “Doesn’t much matter if the heir to the Zanetti Crime Family is a toad or a prince because I’m not looking for love.” The plane shuddered and bumped as they hit a pocket of warm air and she looked up. “Was that God laughing at me?”
“Possibly.” Crossing his leg over his knee, Bruno picked a piece of invisible lint off his slacks. “Though I doubt he has time.”
Shrugging, she leaned back and studied the man she’d spent every day with for the last ten years. He was not only the person who stood between her and her father’s enemies, but the very best friend a woman could ask for.
Which is why she needed to find a place where they could escape the scrutiny of not only her father but the whole Conti Crime Syndicate.
Hopefully, Vegas would be the answer.
They’d just left California, and it didn’t seem to be a fit, so it looked like it was either Sin City or Florida. “So, you think L.A. is an absolute no?”
“Amore, we’d never survive. Not only would we be the proverbial sharks out of water, but we’d never find people who could handle our lifestyle.” He pointed his finger between the two of them and laughed. “We don’t fit in with all that laid-back hippy shit. You can’t put two mobsters from the East Coast in Malibu and hope for a good outcome.”
“We’re not mobsters.” She watched him shrug his enormous shoulders and knew the movement meant he was silently disagreeing. “We’re the children of mobsters and only deal with the legitimate businesses.”
“I know you like to believe that, but it ain’t true.”
“What about the five years we spent in Macau running the casino?”
“Mostly legit, but not completely.”
Waving her hand, she shrugged. “Now, you’re just splitting hairs.”
Lifting an eyebrow, he waited. “L.A. is not for us, and you know it.”
“You’re right.” Playing with her gold bangles, she frowned. “All those fake smiles would get to me in no time. It seemed like everyone we encountered was trying out for a part and the conversations I found myself in were with people looking over my shoulder, trying to find someone more important to talk to.”
“I felt like everybody was trying to figure who and what we were, like we’re fucking aliens or something. I swear half the people we came in contact with thought I was going to shoot ‘em just for shits and giggles.”
“So, Vegas?”
“Maybe. At least we’d blend a little and have a chance to live under the radar.”
“That’s what I’m hoping for.” Jiggling her foot, she looked out the window again. “Since we both liked Macau, Vegas should be a pretty good fit.”
“The next week will tell us either way.”
Valentina nodded and then put her feet up on the empty chair. “We’re all set for the Wynn tonight. I spoke with Steve, and they’ve got us in the Fairway Villa, so we’ll be nice and comfortable.”
Grunting, he propped his leg over his knee. “This is going to piss the Zanettis off; you sure that should be your opening move?”
“If we decide to move here, then we have to make it clear we’re autonomous.” Crossing her ankles, she gave him a smile. “The last thing we need is to trade one overbearing, nosy family for another.”
“Yeah, but not accepting their hospitality may not be the best way to achieve that.”
“It’ll be fine.” The pilot’s voice came over the intercom, announcing they’d be touching down in ten minutes, and she gave Bruno a shrug. “I don’t think Gio’s all that excited about hosting us anyway, so this will give him an out.”
“It’ll be interesting to see if the spark you two have every time you’re in one another’s company is still there.”
“I’m fairly sure the thing has burned out. The last time we saw one another, we barely exchanged a dozen civil words.”
“That’s ‘cause you brought that big football player to the party, and he growled at anyone who got within a foot of you.”
Taking Bruno’s huge hand, she laced their fingers together. “Don’t be a matchmaker. Gio and I are nothing but old family friends.”
“If you say so.” He squeezed her fingers gently and slid his eyes over. “I guess if we don’t like it here, then we’re off to Florida.”
“I know you’d like to end up there, but that might not give us the freedom we need.”
“It might be worth it, though, since we look hot as shit in swimsuits.” Winking, he let out a chuckle. “We’re not going to look this good forever, and it’d be a shame to waste it.”
Letting go of his hand, she let out a laugh. “You may have a point since I’m staring at thirty.” Hearing his phone buzz, she leaned over and looked at the display. “Is Sal checking in?”
“Yeah.” He read the text and then slipped his phone into his pants. “He and Gio are on their way.”
“I think they’ve been together as long as we have.”
“I’m pretty sure it’s longer because rumor has it they’ve been friends since diapers.” He ran his hand over his shaved head and looked up at the ceiling. “I didn’t become your bodyguard until you turned eighteen, so we’ve only got twelve years together.”
“A lifetime,” she responded as she pulled out her lipstick. Sliding some on her lips, she thought about the history they shared and
hoped Vegas was the perfect answer.
They were both ready to move on to the next phase of their lives, and the best way to do it peacefully was to be as far away from the family as possible.
***
Gio wondered exactly how much trouble Valentina Conti’s visit was going to cause him. They hadn’t seen one another in ages, and he imagined she’d only become more beautiful.
Not to mention more dangerous.
With a mind like a fucking computer, a tongue as sharp as a knife, and eyes that could see into the bottom of his soul, he knew surviving her visit unscathed was just about impossible.
Lifting his arm, he checked his watch and wondered if the next ten minutes were going to be the last peaceful ones he experienced. He glanced over at Sal, his right-hand man, and noticed his grim expression. Maybe he knew a storm was brewing too. “What did Bruno say?”
“Ten minutes.” Sal raised an eyebrow in question. “Don’t worry, Boss; it’s gonna be fine.”
Letting out a caustic chuckle, he shook his head. “That’s bullshit, and we both know it. She’s been turning me inside out since she was sixteen, and I imagine this visit will be no exception.”
Sal ran his hand over the holster that lay against his shoulder and laughed. “Yeah, but it probably won’t be fatal.”
He let out a long breath and shook his head. “You remember what happened when we ran into each other at the party five years ago?”
Sal closed his eyes and nodded. “Yeah, but what are the chances of lightning striking twice?”
“With Valentina in play, way too good.”
Raising his shoulders, he shrugged. “The intel I dug up says she’s not involved with anyone, so maybe it’s time you two just got together and put yourselves out of your misery.”
“Not real interested in blowing my world to smithereens and having that woman in my life would pretty much guarantee it.”
“Figured as much.”
“Also, this visit is making my dad way too happy. It’s got the hairs on the back of my neck standing up because I get the impression he thinks Valentina and I are destined for one another. The old man is having visions of some kind of mafia alliance for the ages.”
“Aligning the Zanetti and Conti families kind of seems like a dynastic move. You can’t put the West Coast’s most powerful family and the East Coast’s in the same sentence and not come to some sort of conclusion.”
“Except I’m not part of the family business.”
Snorting, he gave him a get real look. “You may not be in on the day-to-day, but we both know there’s no way to escape it completely.”
“Whatever.” He looked out the window and saw the Vegas strip whizz by as they made their way across town. “Is she bringing security?”
“Yeah, she’s got her bodyguard, Bruno, with her.”
“Let’s add an extra man, just to be safe. The last thing I need is for Princess Valentina to break a nail while she’s in town.”
“Done.” He pulled out his phone and fired off a text. “They’re staying at the house, right?”
“Yes, that’s the arrangement as far as I know.”
“You think she’s really here to study the Red Door, like her old man said?”
“I’m hoping so.” Letting the tension in his shoulders go, he thought about the incredibly successful private club he’d created and grinned. They offered not only fine dining but nightly high-stakes poker games, as well as one of the hottest bars in Vegas. Add to that the adult entertainment options that were offered behind the red door, and he had a tiger by the tail. They already had a second location that was outperforming the first, and he knew that meant he could eventually have several more.
And he’d done it all on his own, without his father’s connections.
A fact he was damn proud of.
Moving his attention to the window, he thought about the conversation they’d had earlier and hoped he refrained from playing cupid. The old man couldn’t resist meddling in people’s lives, and the last thing he needed was his father’s machinations screwing up his very peaceful existence. He liked his life exactly how it was, and the last thing he wanted was to add a marriage of convenience to the mix.
Especially one that held so much political capital.
He’d sworn to himself long ago that when and if matrimony happened, it was going to be a result of love. And nothing more.
No marriage to solidify an alliance was in his future, and he planned on holding out until he found someone who was worth dying for. Because, in his world, it might become necessary and, if that day came, he wanted it to be worth the sacrifice.
Knowing that Valentina was very much in the same position made him wonder if the gods were trying to tell him something by allowing their paths to cross.
“They’ve landed,” Sal remarked as they pulled into the Henderson Executive Airport. “You ready for this, Boss?”
“I guess so.” He straightened his tie and glanced out the window. “What are they flying?”
“She’s got a Piaggio Avanti at her disposal. According to Bruno, the crew and plane will stay in town until she’s ready to leave.”
“Hopefully, this little research trip won’t take more than a couple of days, and the disruption to our lives will be minimal.” His driver parked in front of the small terminal, and he waited while his two bodyguards got out and stood point. Letting out a long breath, he nodded to Sal and then opened his door, seeing the small plane taxi in their direction.
When it came to a stop, and the engines were turned off, he gave Sal a grin and started walking toward the plane. “May the chaos be minimal,” he muttered to himself as he watched the plane hatch open and the stairs descend slowly.
Letting out a long breath, he wondered if the spark they always had with one another still existed.
If it did, then a little chaos would be the least of his worries.
CHAPTER TWO
Smoothing out her dress, Valentina shifted her feet as the stairs slowly descended. “Bet he hasn’t aged well.”
“I think he’s still called the GQ mobster of Vegas,” Bruno replied as he looked over his shoulder.
“Not helping, in case you were wondering.”
“Just want you to be prepared, so you don’t start salivating when he comes into view.”
“Ha, ha.” Rolling her head slowly, she let out a long breath and reminded herself that she was a grown woman with a successful business. Good looking men with dazzling smiles were a dime a dozen, and Gio Zanetti’s magnetism was as common as chewing gum.
Before making a move, Bruno turned and placed his hands gently on her shoulders. “This ain’t no thing, amore.”
Smoothing her hand over his shirt, she nodded. “Of course.” She threw her long hair over her shoulder and gave him a mega-watt smile. “Let’s make Vegas our bitch.”
“You got it,” he replied with a wink. Setting his face in resting bodyguard bitch mode, he squared his shoulders. “Showtime.”
“That it is,” she whispered as Bruno moved to the door. She watched him place his hand on his gun as he swept his eyes from one side to the other and, when he looked back and nodded, she took a step forward.
She pasted a big carefree smile on her face, shook out her shoulders, and stepped toward the door, praying that the man who’d been the best part of her dreams for over a decade had somehow lost his appeal.
And since she was already asking for impossible things, she added a fervent prayer for a smaller butt without any exercise being involved.
Lifting her head, she took a moment to look around and noticed there were no other planes in the surrounding hangars. Only two black SUVs were present, along with three bodyguards and one heartbreakingly beautiful man.
Apparently, there was no justice in the world since Gio Zanetti was still handsome as sin halfway through his thirties. Over six feet of Adonis muscles were packed into a custom navy suit, and she couldn’t decide where to look first.
&nb
sp; His blinding smile?
Maybe his dancing amber eyes?
Whatever she chose wouldn’t matter because the man sent the same excitement coursing through her body that she experienced every time they were within a foot of one another.
Which was damn inconvenient because the last thing she needed was to fall in love with a mobster.
Instructing herself to ignore every tingling fiber in her being, she threw up her arm and waved. Taking the steps slowly, she descended without tripping on her heels and took Bruno’s hand at the bottom. Walking slightly behind him, she moved slowly toward the man who’d been her first and possibly only crush. “Ain’t no thing,” she repeated silently as she walked with her head held high.
“Welcome to Vegas,” Gio called out.
“Thank you for meeting our plane.” When he held his arms open, she had no choice but to embrace him as she would any relative or close friend. Inhaling a small fortifying breath, she felt the soft wool of his suit brush against her bare arms as he pulled her against his firm chest. “Grazi, vecchio amico.”
“Not so old yet,” he replied as he held her several seconds longer than was necessary.
Pulling back, she looked into his eyes and wished he wasn’t so appealing. “Life agrees with you.”
Pressing a kiss to her head, he winked. “I can say the same for you.”
Heart thudding, she took a step back and hoped the carefree smile was still in place. Electricity pulsed through her body and she cursed the feelings he ignited. Smoothing out her hair, she looked around. “Wasn’t expecting the full welcoming party.” She waved to Sal and then stepped closer to Bruno. “You two remember each other?”
“Of course,” Gio responded as he shook Bruno’s hand. “Been a long time.”
Bruno nodded as he moved his hand to Valentina’s back. “This one keeps me busy.”