Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Alessio
S he is brokenhearted. How can she not be? She is all alone in this world now. The only blood relation she has is actively planning to dethrone her. I cannot let that happen.
The stillness between us is thick. I have no idea what to say to her. My words will do nothing to soothe her pain. Nor will they ease the anxiety that riddles her body.
I open my mouth to try and disperse the thick tension when a knock interrupts me.
Sophia's expression hardens as she turns toward the door. "Come in."
I turn to look over my shoulder to find Elliot, one of my guys. He walks in with a solemn look in his eyes. His gaze cuts from mine to meet with his boss's. He inclines his head and moves his pupils to the ground.
"Sorry to intrude like this, boss. I need to speak with Alessio." There is a forcefulness in his tone that I don't like.
"Well." She clears her throat and looks over my shoulder at my foreman. "Speak. Whatever you want to say to him, you can say to me. Speak."
Elliot looks between me and Sophia, not sure what to do. Smart man. Regardless of the new title the little princess carries, I still call the shots until further notice. I give him a curt nod, so he continues.
Whatever disaster he has to deliver, it is best she knows what she is up against.
"Trevor was found hanging from one of the facilities in Chicago, and the new shipment of pills is gone." The words spill from his lips quickly, but I catch every word.
Fuck.
The air cools. My eyes move from my foreman to Sophia. The color drains from her face. She is as pale as snow. Her eyes widen a fraction from shock. For a moment, I think that she is about to collapse, but then she blinks and focuses her pupils on Elliot.
"D-do we know who did it?" She chokes through her words.
Elliot shakes his head. "Not yet but we have a feeling that it may be a message that people want to send your way."
"A message my way? What do you mean?"
I decide to interject. "He means that your enemies are making a play for your throne, princess. And Trevor being killed is a way of making you flinch. They want to see how strong you are."
She stands before me like a lost puppy who is trying to comprehend the big world that they stepped into.
There was a part of me that felt sorry for her. Even the most callous of men find the weight of this world heavy.
"You can leave Elliot. Go to my study, and we will debrief after I'm done with Sophia." I purposely avoid calling her boss because she has not earned the title.
"Of course, boss." Elliot leaves me alone with the little princess.
The air is laden with unspoken questions and silent answers. She is out of her depth here. It's clear as day on her face. She brings her hand to her lips and immediately starts biting on her nails. I grab her wrist and pull her toward me.
"Stop that," I hiss. "From here on out, I don't want to see you do shit like this. You are a mafia boss. You don't bite your nails when you're scared or anxious. You keep that inside of you and stare down danger with both eyes wide open, am I understood?"
She rips her wrist from my hold. "Don't touch me, Alessio."
The embarrassment tints her cheeks.
"Do you see that, Sophia? Trevor is dead, and many more, including you, will follow. I am the only one who can save you and make sure that you live long enough to see 30."
She stands rigid as stone. "I still don't like you, Alessio."
"You don't have to like me for me to keep you alive. Just do whatever the fuck I say." We are only but mere inches from each other. Our breaths mingle together in a plume of tension and uncaged electricity.
She lifts her chin at me and looks me dead in the eye. She is trying to feign the bravery and courage that she needs, but the cracks are too large, and her insecurities seep through.
"Fine. Help me keep this damn throne that my father left me." She holds her hand out to me. "And help me to find the fucker who killed my dad."
I break our stare off and look down at her hand. I wait a beat until I finally place my hand in hers and give it a firm shake.
"Here is to you keeping me alive, De Luca."
"Just do what I say, and you will live, angel." I drop her hand and step away from her. "Get some sleep. I will have the chef bring some tea, which should help. Drink it. And don't fight me on this."
I head out of the room and make my way to my study. My blood is heated and not just because one of my guys is gone. She is doing something to me. Something that I have no control over. She gets under my skin. It's the way she looks at me. The way she bites her lip when she is scared or the way the small vein on the side of her neck throbs erratically when she is on edge.
Get your head together, Alessio. She is your duty. Nothing more .
The need to protect her is strong, but I would be lying if I said that there isn't something else that draws me to this woman.
Shit is already hot, and the confusion that is currently circulating in my brain doesn't help to give me clarity. Which is exactly what I need to make sure that we make it out of this mess alive.
I grab my phone from my pocket and text a number that I have not thought of in months.
"I will be there in an hour." Her reply did not take more than a minute to come back. "I will be waiting, handsome."
Of course. I pocket my phone and focus my mind on the task at hand. I need some answers from my team. What happened to Alejandro will not befall his daughter. I will keep her safe. I just need to make sure that my head is clear during the process.
After I organize for Trevor's body to be removed and we gather all the necessary evidence that we need, I leave my study and make my way out of the mansion and toward my car. The air is crisp, and winter is fast approaching.
Before I make my necessary exit out of the mansion, I ensure that all security measures have been taken. The last thing that I need is another dead Romano. The security I had installed and upgraded personnel will ensure that in my absence, she will be taken care of.
The only worry I have is Domenico. I do not trust that man, and neither did Alejandro. Blood meant nothing in this world. The lust for power makes anyone overlook the sacred bonds of family. I know this all too well. I was sold by my own mother in exchange for a seat at the table.
I shake my head. I am already reeling from what happened in that room with Sophia. The last thing I need is to dig up my old and dried-out laundry.
I step on the gas pedal, and the view of the mansion becomes smaller and smaller as I drive away. I need to fuck something, and I need to fuck something hard.
I make it to La Rogue, one of the many Romano establishments. The brothel is located closer to the upper east side of the city. This is one of our more refined areas, but it also happens to be somewhere that no one I know will be.
I walk into the brothel and walk past Patience, who sits at the reception. She smiles at me, but my blood is too charged, and my frustration is at an all-time high.
I stride all the way to the red room, where I know Naomi will be expecting me. I tear the door open and find her on the bed in nothing but a diamond necklace I gifted her.
Of course, she chose to wear it tonight. Figures. But I'm not here for a small chitchat. I want to fuck her out of my mind, and Naomi is just the woman to take it.
"Buonasera, Bello," she purrs seductively. Usually, that would peak my interest, but as of late, I have found myself to be under stimulated.
"Hands on the bed, ass in the air." I am already disposing of my jacket and undoing my zipper. Naomi's eyes flash with lust and hunger. "Ass. Air. Now."
"So bossy." She flashes me a flirtatious smile. "Your wish is my command."
She does as I ask and spreads herself. She wiggles her ass and lets out a little yelp when I slap her ass hard. My hand leaves a stark red indent on her tanned skin.
I whip my dick out and move it up and down her slicked pussy. She was ready for me long before I arrived. Good girl.
I try to keep the images of the petite brunette who has now become the very bane of existence and a deep burning frustration in my mind. She is the reason I'm even here.
No. I refuse to think of her.
"Oh fuck!" she screams into the room as I plunge into her without warning. "You are so fucking big!"
Her little shrill scream pierces my ear. My cock is soaked in her wetness and buried deep in her abyss. I pull out of her, and then slam back in, filling her with my penis.
She screams my name, the sound evoking the hunger within me to take all that she has to offer. I want to bleed her dry and claim every inch of her body as mine.
I pick up my rhythm, and she throws her ass back onto my dick. The sound of skin hitting skin is filling the room.
"Quiet." I pull her hair back and force her head up. Her boobs rock back and forth as I pump into her from behind. I bring my hand down onto her ass and leave a large red mark. She wails in response, and I do it again and again as I try to beat the image of Sophia from my brain.
"Fuck! Yes, fuck me harder! Faster!"
"Don't tell me what to do." I pant heavily as I slap her ass again. I pull her hair harder, and she growls. This is what I love. I love an uncaged woman who can take my dick. I don't want it soft. I want to conquer them. I want to own.
Her walls squeeze and relax around my cock and milk me. The sound of my dick plowing into her pussy fills the room.
Shit! Small beads of sweat form on my forehead as I work her body.
"Fuck me better, woman."
She throws her ass back on me, the sound of skin to skin filling my ears. I can see the strings of our arousal on my groin. This usually gets me going, so why the fuck do I still have her in my mind?
"Give me more, Alessio!" She screams her demands.
I let go of her hair and press her back down so that her front is all the way down onto the mattress. I dig my nails into her hips and place my leg on the bed. I slap her ass hard, and I see the ripples on her skin. Thrust after thrust, I tear into her pussy until I feel her walls tighten around me, and I find my release.
"Ah yes!" I growl. "You are a good little slut."
"Yes I am!" Her high-pitched voice fills the room. "Ohh yes, daddy."
I hate when she calls me that.
Hazel eyes flash across my mind as I reach that climax. The orgasm rips through me like an earthquake, splitting the earth in two. I ride out the wave, allowing the passion and heat to consume me until it all dwindles to nothing but low-burning embers.
Shit. I curse the heavens and pull out of Naomi, who looks satiated and content. She flops onto the bed and twirls the diamond necklace around her finger.
"Another round in a few?" She licks her lips. "You have never come that hard before. You must have missed me."
"No." I zip my trousers and gather myself. The smile drops from her lips, and a scowl replaces it. "Your services are no longer needed, Naomi. This is the last you will be seeing of me."
Her eyes widen in pure disbelief and shock. The hurt in her eyes is palpable.
"Alessio, you–"
I am already out the door before she has time to complete her sentence. I hear her call after me, but I ignore her pathetic cries for attention. She knows what this is and what her line of work is. That gift around her neck was a gift for all the clients she brought in. It was never about my feelings for her.
I thought of her . As I hit my climax, her face flashed across my mind, and I came. This is not good. I came to the fucking brothel to rid whatever confusion had riddled my body. Now she is playing a starring role while I fuck another woman?
I need to get my head right, or this could end up badly for the both of us.