“It would be my great honor to keep her safe, boss,” he told her father, while staring at her. And to his credit, she detected no crack in his tone.
How cute. He’s still confident he can do this, she thought. Maybe I’ve given him too much credit.
Still, Celina reasoned that Ariano was the lesser of two evils between the two soldiers.
The idea of being ogled by Alex, the slick haired weasel, twenty-four hours a day was more than Celina could bear.
She knew her father could not be trusted to make a good decision without her running interference.
He doesn’t know that about himself, but I know that about him.
“You see, Papa?” she called, rising from the booth. “You were worried for nothing! Ariano and I will get along famously.”
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.
Chapter Three
The door flew open and Ariano barely had time to open his eyes before the first kick crushed into his ribs.
“What the fuck!” he screamed in pain as the goons circled him. There were only two but in his terrified state, there seemed to be more of them, ready to end his life.
“Mr. Cambrini would like to have a word with you,” the bigger of the giants announced, reaching down to yank Ariano to his feet.
“Can I put on some fucking clothes first?” he yelled, trying to keep the fear from his voice.
“No.”
He was dragged from the bachelor apartment by the arms and although he knew exactly what it was about, Ariano was determined not to let the mortal threat keep him from what he wanted. Or what he thought he wanted.
Lucia, he reminded himself when he was stuffed into the backseat of a Lexus SUV. You want to marry Lucia.
But as the low-income area of Newark melted away into the high-end mansions of the Jersey shore, Ariano was wondering what exactly it was about the mobster’s daughter which had him so enamored.
In truth, from the morning after their first night together, Ariano had already been second-guessing his feelings.
Was it because he had gotten her into bed? Perhaps it was the threat of losing his life for this woman when he had already found himself looking at other women, something he had not done since setting his sights on Lucia.
Am I making a mistake by tying myself to her? Am I even being fair to Lucia by pursuing this? She would probably be better off with someone whose eyes would never stray.
His mind raced as he tried to make sense of his feelings, but as they neared their destination, Ariano knew he likely valued his life more than he did his relationship with Luca Cambrini’s daughter.
The car pulled up in front of a sprawling estate, the gorilla driving pressing the call button.
A camera focused its lens on the vehicle before the wrought iron gates fell open and they continued the trip up a long, straight driveway.
They met another iron fence and they were buzzed through once more.
A round fountain with a half-nude angel took up half the circle drive, spouting water from her raised hands as she stared blindly at them disembarking from the car.
“Get the fuck out,” the passenger seat goon instructed, wrenching the backdoor open and grabbing for Ariano.
To the surprise of the men, he stepped out of the car easily, landing on his bare feet as if he often wandered about town wearing only boxers.
He ogled his surroundings in awe, but even then, Ariano knew the importance of not showing his innocence.
Something was tickling the back of his mind, something important as he followed the men into the grand mansion from between two Roman pillars.
As his feet touched the cold marble floor, his shimmering eyes taking in the twin staircases, their bannisters flecked with gold as the matching chandelier hung with a thousand dazzling crystals from a third-floor ceiling, Ariano realized that he might have either a life ending, or life altering moment at his fingertips.
“You know, I thought I made myself fucking clear last time I saw you.”
Ariano shifted his eyes upward toward the landing.
Descending the second-floor landing from the east stairwell was Luca Cambrini, shaking his salt and pepper head with disgust.
“I love your daughter,” Ariano told him simply but he wondered if he wasn’t lying this time. The words just seemed to fall from his lips automatically, as if he had been programmed to say them.
“I can’t deny my feelings because I risk being beaten,” he continued and suddenly Ariano wished he could stop talking.
You should be begging for your life, promising to stay away from Lucia, not making him more pissed off, he thought.
Yet he said nothing, as if some inherent sixth sense told him to see what unfolded.
“Beaten is the least of your fucking problems, stronzo,” Cambrini replied tightly.
He paused before Ariano, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at the young man.
“You got balls, I’ll give you that,” he hissed, his face inches from Ariano’s.
Wisely, the younger man said nothing, lowering his eyes enough to show respect but not so low as to reflect weakness.
“Leave us,” Luca instructed his henchmen.
They turned and left without a word. Luca did the same, heading further into the house. Ariano could see he was meant to follow.
They passed several doors, but Ariano only had eyes on the mob boss who sauntered through the corridors, his confident stride apparent.
It’s fucking February and he’s wearing silk, Ariano thought, shaking his head. Must be nice to live like this.
Abruptly, Luca stopped at a partially ajar door and pushed his way inside.
“Sit the fuck down,” Luca ordered, and Ari did as he was instructed.
The older man made his way around the desk which seemed to take up half the spacious ro
om, and Ariano suddenly realized he was not about to be killed.
Without a word, Luca opened the top drawer of his desk and removed a check book, pulling a pen from a nearby holder on the otherwise pristine desk.
“I’m gonna give you ten thousand dollars to get the fuck out of Newark and stay away from my daughter,” he growled at Ariano. Ari’s brow furrowed in confusion.
“Mr. Cambrini,” Ariano started to say. “I don’t want your – “
“If you fucking say you love my daughter again, I am going to kill you right here, no matter how bad the stains are. Capish?”
Ariano believed him.
He cocked his head to the side and stared at the man inquisitively for a moment.
“If you will forgive the question, signore, why don’t you just have me killed?”
Luca’s dark eyes bored into his and he grunted slightly, sitting back against the chair.
“You really do got balls,” he repeated. “I don’t think I ever saw such a ballsy little shite in my life.”
Ariano shrugged, sensing that he was somehow being complimented.
“Lucia thinks she loves you,” he replied tightly. “I ain’t never seen her act like this over no guy before. Trust me, I want to kill you but I know if I do, she ain’t ever gonna look at me like her papa. Instead, she’s always gonna hate me. That is why I am here making you a deal. I am gonna give you fifteen grand and you’re gonna call everything off with my daughter and fuck off.”
Ariano’s pulse began to race and suddenly he realized the opportunity he had been waiting for was at his fingertips.
“Mr. Cambrini, even if I were to leave Newark and Lucia, that amount of money is not going to get me very far,” he started to say and instantly, Luca’s eyes turned black.
“You little fuck! This is a shake down? Did you even give a shit about my daughter?”
Ariano threw his hands up as Cambrini rose.
“No, signore, forgive me if that’s what it sounded like,” Ariano assured him. “I care very deeply for your daughter. I admit, if I had known who she was, I would have addressed this much differently.”
Luca eyed him, his glittering eyes searching his face.
Slowly, Ariano watched his face relax.
“Oh yeah? How’s that?” the underboss snickered. “You would have come to ask my permission?”
“Possibly,” Ariano replied quietly. “But more likely, I would have come asking for a job and never gone near your daughter in the first place.”
Luca’s gaze turned assessing as he seemed to consider the statement.
“You’re saying fifteen k ain’t gonna last you because you’re looking to get in for life?” Luca asked slowly and Ariano nodded.
“Yes,” he replied. “I’m a piss poor kid but I can work and I can – “
“I’ll give you a job,” Luca interrupted. “The pay is sweet and it’s right on the beach.”
Ariano’s eyes lit up and he nodded slowly.
“I can work by the shore,” he replied. “I can do anything. And I will provide well for Lucia and me. Just tell me where to report and – “
“Miami Beach,” Luca interjected. “You leave tomorrow. Kiss my daughter goodbye and don’t show your face back here again. That’s the deal.”
Ariano stared at the don, his mind whirling as he weighed the choice he had been given. It didn’t take him long to understand that there wasn’t really an option.
He could walk away from Lucia, a woman he likely would not have ended up with anyway and start a life in Miami, away from the shithole in which he had been raised. Or he could live his life looking over his shoulder, potentially tied to Lucia, unsure if his feelings for her had held after their night of passion, and probably with an axe hanging over his head – held by her father.
“You have ten seconds to make up your mind,” Luca growled. “Before I figure out other arrangements for you, bastardo. And trust me, you will not like the way my mind works.”
Ariano made his decision with those words.
I hope that Lucia will learn to forgive me in time, he thought, but he knew that his head was already focussed on what was to come and less on Lucia’s feelings.
She has no choice but to understand, just as I have little choice but to leave here and never see her again, he reasoned.
“It’s a deal, signore. I won’t let you – “
“Just shut the fuck up and go tie up your loose ends. I’ll make the arrangements.”
If there was something that experience had taught Ariano, it was that a) he was the luckiest son of a bitch in the world and b) he needed to stay the fuck away from the bosses’ daughters.
Of course, it didn’t take long for Ariano to see that Lucia had been nothing more than a passing fancy, that he had been more enamored with the idea of chasing her than the actually having of her.
While their goodbye had been tearful, more on Lucia’s part than his, he couldn’t help but feel excited about what was to come in Miami.
It’ll be a fresh start, he told himself as he stepped off the plane at Miami International Airport, half wondering if he had made a mistake by leaving New Jersey.
At least in Miami, he wouldn’t be the man near temptation, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
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 was just a soldier, after all, not usually exposed to Celina’s company and he was pleased about that fact. The experience with Lucia Cambrini had taught him well.
Anyway, Celina was not Lucia.
They were as opposite as summer and winter, one warm and sunny, the other cold and…sexy. 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.
It won’t happen to me, he vowed, 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. I’ll find a way to control her.
Inadvertently, his cock jerked 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.
MAFIA BOSSES - The Box Set: An Enemies to Lovers Trilogy Page 3