Chapter 7 – Giovanni
GIOVANNI
S he’s trying like hell to resist me, but every flicker of her eyes, every little tremble in her voice tells me the truth. Siena Costa wants me just as badly as I want her. She just doesn’t want to admit it.
Her friend is glaring at me like she’s ready to stab me with the steak knife she’s holding, but I don’t break my stare from Siena. I lean in closer, my lips brushing her ear, and she stiffens, tray pressed like armor against her chest.
“You can run from me here, Bunny,” I murmur, my voice low, deliberate, “but when your shift ends, I’ll be waiting outside. And you’re going to get in my car.”
Her breath catches, and she shoots me a look that’s half fire, half panic. “Don’t assume I’ll go anywhere with you, Giovanni.”
I let a slow grin spread across my face. “I don’t have to assume. I know.”
Her friend steps between us like a damn guard dog, snapping, “Time’s up.”
I arch a brow at Siena, ignoring the other one completely. “I’ll make it easy. No games, no back rooms, no costumes. Just a drink. Just you and me.”
Her lips part, but nothing comes out. I know I’ve hooked her. That war that is going on behind her eyes? I can feel it.
I take a step back, sliding my hands into my pockets, giving her just enough space to breathe but not enough to forget me. “See you after your shift,” I say smoothly, like it’s already decided.
And then I walk away, calm and collected, though inside I’m already burning at the thought of having her to myself again.
Because Siena Costa might think she can resist me.
But I’ve already decided she’s going to be mine.
Which is all I think about as the night drags, but I wait.
Leaning against the black Maserati parked at the curb, cigarette glowing between my fingers, I watch the restaurant doors like a hawk.
Uptown suits walk past, women laughing in their cocktail dresses, cabs pulling in and out of the street.
None of it matters. I’m only looking for one thing.
And then she’s there.
Siena steps out the doors, tugging her coat tight around her, her hair pulled back from the long shift. She looks exhausted, but she’s still the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen. And when her eyes land on me, her whole body freezes.
She doesn’t move for a beat, like she’s trying to decide whether to bolt back inside or walk right past me. I take one last drag of my cigarette, flick it to the curb, and push off the car.
“Bunny.” My voice cuts through the night, low and certain.
She exhales hard. “You’re actually here.”
I smirk. “I told you I would be.”
She glances around, like she’s making sure no one’s watching, then folds her arms. “I didn’t say I’d go anywhere with you.”
I step closer, slow and deliberate, until I’m right in her space. She looks up at me, defiant, but I see the way her breath hitches. “You didn’t have to,” I tell her. “I knew you would.”
Her eyes flash, that stubborn fire lighting up. “You’re arrogant as hell, Giovanni.”
I grin. “Maybe. But I’m also right.” I reach behind her and open the passenger door, holding it there, waiting. “One drink. That’s all I’m asking. After that, if you want me to drop you back home, I will. No strings.”
She hesitates. I can see the battle in her. Logic screaming at her to walk away, body begging her not to. My pulse kicks up because I know this is the moment.
Her lips press together, and she shakes her head like she’s scolding herself. Then slowly she slides into the car.
Victory burns through me, but I keep my face calm and collected as I shut the door behind her. Sliding into the driver’s seat, I glance at her, the city lights painting her skin gold.
“Good girl,” I murmur, starting the engine.
Her eyes snap to mine, sharp and daring. “Don’t push your luck, DeLuca.”
I chuckle, shifting into gear. “Sweetheart, with you, I plan on pushing it all night.”
I take her downtown, away from the polished shine of uptown dining, to a lounge tucked into the corner of the city.
It’s intentionally not one of my family’s places.
Here, the music hums low, the lighting’s soft, and no one’s going to be whispering about the DeLuca name.
I want her to feel like she can breathe.
Siena slides onto the leather booth across from me, arms folded, eyes darting around like she’s still deciding if she made a mistake.
The bartender comes over, and I order us drinks without even asking.
Whiskey for me. Something sweet and strong for her.
She raises a brow but doesn’t argue when the glass is set down in front of her.
She takes a sip, sets it down, and leans back. “So, what do people even talk about in places like this? Because if you’re hoping for small talk, I’m terrible at it.”
I smirk. “Good. I hate small talk.”
She gives me a look that says she’s not sure if she wants to roll her eyes or smile. “Then what do you want to talk about?”
“Tell me about your life, Bunny. Not the mask you put on. You.”
She studies me, chewing her bottom lip before she sighs.
“Fine. You want the truth? My life’s a mess.
My father…” She stops, the words catching, then shakes her head.
“He’s always been a gambler. Always chasing something he can never hold on to.
And when he loses, it’s everyone else who pays the price.
I’ve covered his debts more times than I want to admit.
Watched him disappear for days. Weeks.” Her throat works as she swallows, and she looks down at her drink.
“I used to think maybe he’d change. That maybe he’d wake up one day and realize I was worth fighting for.
But…” She shrugs with a hollow smile. “He never has.”
I feel that like a punch to the gut. “I get it.”
She looks up, skeptical. “Do you?”
I nod slowly, swirling the amber in my glass.
“I know what it’s like to want your father to be different.
To want him to look at you and be proud, to love you without conditions.
My father is a great man in his own way.
But with him, it’s always about the family.
The business. Everything is a test. Every move I make, it’s either a win for the empire or a mistake that costs us all.
There’s no middle ground. No room for just being his son. ”
Her eyes soften, surprise flickering across her face. “Giovanni.”
I clear my throat, lean back, and force a smirk. Vulnerability only goes so far. “Guess we’ve both got father issues, huh?”
She laughs, a genuine sound that makes something tight in my chest loosen. “Guess so.”
From there, the conversation drifts. We talk about high school, the people we used to know, the names that make us groan, ridiculous memories that pull laughter from both of us. I can’t remember the last time I laughed like this or had fun like this.
“So,” she says, nudging her glass toward me, “what’s it like running a casino? Besides rigging games and robbing poor souls blind?”
I chuckle. “You make it sound dirtier than it is. It’s a business.
High stakes, high risk, but the thrill? That’s what people come for.
And when you’re the one in charge, you learn how to read people.
Who is there to play, who is there to drown, who is trying to hustle you.
You’d be surprised how much you can see in someone when they sit across a table from you with money on the line. ”
She tilts her head, studying me. “So what do you see when you look at me?”
The question hangs heavy between us, loaded, dangerous. My gaze drifts to her mouth, then back up to those big, dark eyes.
“What do I see?” My voice dips, low and certain. “I see someone who’s stronger than she gives herself credit for. Someone who wants out of the cage she’s been shoved into but hasn’t realized yet that the door’s already open.”
Her breath catches. Her hand trembles around her glass.
There’s something about this girl. Something I can’t name or put my finger on. It’s something that doesn’t have to do with the family, the casino, or the empire. It has to do with my heart and that might be more dangerous then all the rest.
Yet, it doesn’t stop me.
“I want to see you again, Siena. I don’t want this to be the end. Let it be the beginning.”
Her wide eyes pin me, surprise flickering across her face like she can’t quite believe what I’ve just said.
“You want to see me again?” she asks, voice hushed but steady.
I lean forward, forearms resting on the table, closing the space between us. “More than that, Siena. I want to see where this could go.”
She swallows, her fingers tightening around the stem of her glass.
“Giovanni, as enticing as that sounds, we come from different worlds. I’m not exactly the kind of girl who can sit back and pretend I don’t see things happening around me.
I’ve done that my entire life with my father and I won’t do it again. ”
My brow arches, a slow grin tugging at my lips. “And what exactly do you think you’ll be pretending not to see, Siena?”
She doesn’t blink, doesn’t look away. Instead, she lifts her glass, takes a deliberate sip, and keeps her gaze locked on mine over the rim. “Brutality. Blood. Broken bones.”
I chuckle, deep and low, shaking my head as I sit back. “Is that what you think I do?”
“Isn’t it?”
I hold her stare, letting the silence stretch for a beat. No one has ever had the nerve to say something like that to me before. She’s not just beautiful, this girl is sharp. She doesn’t just take what people tell her; she digs. She questions. She forces me to think.
And I like it more than I should.
“I run a casino,” I say simply.
She lets out a humorless laugh. “That’s no secret, Giovanni. What is a secret is everything that happens that no one else sees. You’ve scared me since high school, and as attracted as I am to you, being scared of someone isn’t what I’m looking for.”