20. Completely Me
20
COMPLETELY ME
GIOVANNA
As soon as we all woke up, we gathered in my office for a formal meeting. I had Ian and Tyler flanking me for support as I gave strict orders to Carmine and Enzo: Leave Luca alone and keep his hiding place a secret so he can recover in peace.
Once Tyler confirmed that Luca was not responsible for our father’s demise, they both agreed to leave him be. Enzo even apologized for doubting Luca’s loyalty to the family. Of course, Carmine never apologized for anything in his life, so it was no surprise when he didn’t this time either. However, he did express understanding, which was enough for me.
The last thing I wanted to do in my first week as the new boss was order the execution of members of my own family. My father had taught me that blood is thicker than water, but betrayal knows no bounds.
Even though I had officially taken over as boss, I had yet to have my ceremony. I asked Angelo and Frankie if I could wait until after the fight before taking the oath. Once that was done, my life would change drastically. We all agreed that it was best to wait.
My brothers also insisted on being present for the fight, along with Carmine pretending to be in charge in my father’s absence. After making sure everyone was on board with the plan, I ended the meeting and returned to Boston on Ian’s private plane.
The flight was quiet. I had requested some space and solitude, and although Tyler wasn’t thrilled about it, he allowed me to rest in the back room of the plane during the short trip home.
We hadn’t discussed what would become of us once I was back in New York. Neither of us wanted to face the hard truth—we’d be torn apart. I’d never be selfish enough to expect him to relocate, especially being a single father and his only family being in Boston. So, up until this morning, we pretended as if everything was fine and normal, but we were both feeling far from it.
Tyler helped me get Luca settled into a guest room at my apartment. Afterward, he went home to see his own children before picking me up for training at the warehouse and then my shift at the club. Luca and I hung out a little before I left again, but he was exhausted. I gave him some pain medication, and he went right to sleep shortly after.
Tyler and I didn’t talk much during the ride, just making small talk here and there. When we arrived, he opened my door and extended his hand for me to take. As I stepped out of the car, he grabbed my bags from the backseat. I started walking toward the warehouse, but he stopped me by grabbing my wrist and spinning me around in one swift motion.
His eyes were hidden behind his tinted sunglasses as he drew me closer to him, pressing his lips to mine in a passionate kiss before reluctantly pulling away. “Be nice today, princess. He cupped my rear in his palm, pressing his lips to my forehead.
“Yes, sir.” I pinned my bottom lip between my teeth, peering up at him.
The corner of his mouth twitched into a small smile as he moved his hand to my lower back, guiding us toward the warehouse’s main entrance. Inside, men were bustling about with black cage sections and chairs while technicians tested newly installed lighting fixtures. Tyler came to a stop, removing his sunglasses and scanning the room.
“Are you okay?” I asked softly, looking up at him with concern.
He nodded once and slipped his sunglasses back on. “Actually, come with me,” he said, taking my hand in his and lacing our fingers together. “I want to show you something.”
He led me toward a neighboring warehouse. Quickly unlocking the side door, he ushered me inside before closing and locking it behind us. He set down my bags on a nearby chair before guiding me into an enormous, dusty room with a cold cement floor. Pallets and obstacles cluttered the space. Removing his sunglasses again, he hooked them onto the front of his shirt collar as he surveyed the empty room with a contemplative expression.
“This is where it all went down,” he said, walking ahead and placing his hands on his hips.
“What happened here?” I asked, taking a few steps closer before stopping in my tracks at the sight of blood stains on the floor.
“Everything,” he chuckled, “except the warehouse that exploded,” he said. “Jake had most of it cleaned, but still, some things remain for now.”
“Is this where you—” my voice trailed off, unable to bear the thought of anyone hurting him.
“Yes,” he nodded, extending his hand toward me. “But not directly in this spot. This side of the room is from the night with Dante.”
A grin spread across my face as I remembered that chaotic yet exhilarating night. “That was so bad ass, even though I was playing Jenga with Chance,” I giggled.
He laughed softly and intertwined our fingers as we walked around several large blood stains to the center of the room. He stopped in front of a cluster of stains, some deep red and others drying to a brownish color. Nearby were three toppled-over metal folding chairs, each with its own share of stains. He let go of my hand and used his shoe to point out specific spots.
“Here,” he said, “some of it is Chance’s blood from the gunshot, but that...” he pointed a few feet away, “that’s my blood. All of it.”
My eyes lowered to where he was standing, staring down at the middle chair laying sideways on the floor. All three chairs were riddled with bullet holes. My heart sank, thankful none of them were killed.
“This is the first time I’ve been able to come back in here and actually really look at this shit.”
I linked my hand through the crook of his arm. “Do you want to talk about it?”
His head bobbed back and forth before he jammed his hands deep into his pockets, still staring at the floor. I kept my hand on his arm, squeezing a bit harder. I needed him to know that I wasn’t afraid and that I would stay by his side unless he asked me to leave, but even then, I would put up a fight.
“Chance was given a choice,” he sighed. “Kill Ian or kill me. I wanted him to kill me that night because I couldn’t bear the pain and guilt that Jenna would ever have to go about her life without Ian. Chance actually pulled me down, holding me while people were firing over us. He literally took a bullet for me. For several months, the doctors were unsure if I’d even live.”
I stayed quiet, giving him space to share his thoughts as I rested my head on his arm.
“For the longest time, I thought the worst night of my life was losing Mila because of the guilt I felt. But it was this.” He gestured toward the remnants of what was once a gruesome scene. “Thinking that I wouldn’t live another day with my family. All I wanted was for everyone to be safe and okay. That’s why I pushed you away.” He turned toward me, taking my hands in his. “I’m sorry for pushing you away. It was never what I wanted. If I hadn’t been married when you showed up in Boston, I would have pursued you immediately. And part of me—” his voice trailed off.
I nodded, removing one hand from his and placing it on his jaw, searching deep into his eyes. “You don’t have to say it because I felt the same. I’m glad we’re both respectful enough that we didn’t fuck anyone over. We did this honestly, and we’ll never have to question ourselves or our loyalty going forward.”
“But that’s the thing,” he held onto my hand tightly as I tried to pull it back, “you can leave. I can’t. I have a life here, my job, my family, and my kids. You have nothing keeping you here.”
Ouch . My heart sank at his words. “Are you serious?” I pulled my hands away from him in frustration.
“You know what I me?—”
“No, I don’t,” I interrupted. “And I don’t want to because you have no clue where my head is right now.”
“Then tell me,” he challenged me.
I wanted to tell him exactly how I felt about him and his kids, but I was scared. I shook my head and tried to move away, but he held onto my arms with a tight grip.
“Tell me what you want, Giovanna,” he said through clenched teeth, using my full name for the first time. “You’re confident and fearless. Surely, you’re not afraid now.”
“I…” With a deep breath, I closed my eyes and took a moment before opening them again. “I want to be with you,” I said, finally speaking my mind. “I want to become a part of your family, cook for you and your kids, and be the kind of woman they can admire. But I’ll never be Mila. I’m not a good person. I’m… me. I’m a stripper who’s fucked men and women for money, I’m a fucking Mafia Boss now. Your kids deserve?—”
“You.” He slipped his arms around me, pulling me against him. “They deserve you. Do you think Ian’s a bad husband and father?”
“Of course not,” I scoffed.
“And what about Luke?
“I can’t say he’s anything less than amazing.” I rolled my eyes.
“Jade? Is she terrible for killing people who hurt us?”
I snickered, shaking my head.
“That’s what I thought,” he smiled, pressing his lips to my cheek before looking into my eyes once more. “So why do you believe you’re undeserving?”
“Because Kat’s actions have left a permanent scar on me, and I’ll never be able to give you everything that someone else could.”
He chuckled. “Baby, I lo?—”
His phone rang, interrupting us mid-sentence. With a sigh, he took a step back and reached into his front pocket to answer the call.
Hello?
In Fitzgerald with Gia. We’ll be right over in a minute. Tell Nadia to start on the bags or something . He lowered his gaze to mine. Yeah, sure. I got you.
He ended the call abruptly, sliding his phone back into his pocket. Meandering to the chair that once held his bloodied body, he picked it up, setting it down properly. Three bullet holes and old blood covered the chair, and I imagined how terrified I would’ve been had I been with him then. Though his scars faded to a degree, they were still a reminder of how resilient he was.
He arranged the other two chairs in a triangle formation and slowly circled around them. “I can’t get rid of the memory,” he said, his gaze fixated on the middle chair. “I wish I could do it all over again.”
“What?” My breath got caught in my throat.
“Flip the script and torture the Mussolini’s instead.” His eyes lit up with a malicious twinkle as he turned to me. In that moment, something shifted within him. “You know what? People don’t understand how psycho I can be. I’ve kept quiet for far too long in this family. That night, I didn’t make a big fuss. I endured the torture. Even before Ian and Chance came to my rescue, I stayed silent while Alejandro and his men hurt me. I looked them straight in the eye, which is why they slashed my face,” he gestured to the scars over his eyes, “and then they covered them up so I couldn’t see what was coming next. But I didn’t scream because I was in pain. I yelled in anger.” He let out a low chuckle. “The family calls me the ‘nice one,’ but it’s just the image I painted of myself for so long.”
I bit my lip to hold back the surge of desire that threatened to consume me, taking a few steps toward him. He had been perfect before, but now... now I felt even more connected to him. Tyler Prescott wasn’t just the good guy everyone saw. He had a dark and mysterious side… even dangerous.
“I’ve been repressing it,” he said, holding out his hand for me to take in mine. “I’ve been the good guy for my kids and Mila, but nothing was ever good enough for her or her family. It’s taken me so long to realize that I can be both good and bad.”
Bringing my hand up to caress his cheek, I traced his jawline with my fingertips. “I think you’re perfect.”
He lifted his gaze to mine, sitting in the one centered between the others. I stood between his legs, my hands on his shoulders and I looked down at him. He stroked the outside of my thighs up and down.
“You have a way of replacing bad memories with good ones.”
I smiled at him. “Is that so?”
He nodded, slipping his fingers under my loose upper-thigh-length shorts. “You make me a better man.”
I shook my head as he slipped his fingers between my slit, stroking up and down. “No, I just allow you to be yourself—your true self.”
He withdrew his hands and unfastened his pants, his semi-erect cock now free from its confines. I shifted my legs over each of his and straddled his lap in the very chair where he almost lost his life, still marked with traces of his past pain. Without breaking eye contact, he pulled aside my shorts and positioned himself between us. Using my body to stimulate him, I moved back and forth along his shaft, jerking him off between my wet lips.
“Let me replace this memory with something happier,” I whispered next to his ear.
He reached up and held his cock upright while I sank down on it completely, gripping his shoulder muscles for support. A loud moan escaped my lips, but he silenced it with a passionate kiss. He gripped my hips firmly and guided me in fast movements on top of him. Muffled moans and cries against our mouths were all that could be heard before he groaned into my lips.
“Fuck, princess, I can’t get enough of your tight little cunt.” He adjusted our positions so that I was now bouncing on him, changing the angle for maximum pleasure. “Ride my big cock, baby.”
With my hands laced behind his neck, I tilted my head to the side and brushed my lips against his neck before leaning back, placing my palms on his knees. “You love watching me from this angle, don’t you?” I whispered.
“It’s my favorite,” he murmured, pulling down my top to reveal my breasts. “I love how they bounce for me.”
“I’m so close already,” I replied, finding the perfect position.
He leaned forward and took one of my nipples in his mouth, sucking hard. My walls tightened around him as he throbbed inside me. “Cum for me, princess, we have to hurry.”
Knowing I couldn’t hold back any longer, I pressed my lips to his neck.
He pulled away with a smirk, shaking his head. “Oh no,” he said, reaching for my face and running his thumb over my bottom lip. “I want you to scream for me.”
Unable to resist his demand, I let out a loud moan as he filled me with his seed while I screamed out his name.
“Tyler! Holy shit! Fill me with your cum!”
“Every... drop is just for you... princess,” he replied through ragged breaths as he thrust himself up, deep into me.
Satisfied and exhausted, I collapsed on him. He stroked my thigh gently. “I hate to cut this short, but my sexy girlfriend and her trainer are needed next door.”
I sat up straight. “What?”
“Luke and I are working with you two today. We need you both fully polished because we’ve got some big players coming, and since Carmine is pretending to be acting boss of your family, we have to make sure you make him look good the night of the fight.”
Reality hit me like a ton of bricks and brought me crashing down from my high with Tyler. I seethed to myself at the thought of Ekaterina, that conniving bitch. She needed to be out of my life for good.
We quickly straightened our appearance and made our way over to Hofstein, with Tyler’s arm draped over my shoulder. When we entered, the delivery men had already left, and pallets and cage pieces were piled against the wall. Ian, Luke, and Nico were deep in conversation with Carmine Giamagi and Nadia, but they all turned to us as soon as we walked in. Ian’s expression showed clear displeasure, and I felt a pang of guilt for taking so long in the other warehouse.
Tyler pressed his lips to the top of my head, speaking quietly, “Think about my cum dripping out of you while you’re training.”
Trying my best to hold back a smile as we came to a stop in front of the others, I cleared my throat. Ian squinted at me for a moment before pushing back whatever he was thinking. Nico plopped down on one of the chairs behind him.
Nadia offered me a small smile. I wondered if I should tell her Luca was at my house but decided against it since we were supposed to be concentrating on training and she needed to focus. Tyler set my bags down next to Nico, and I took out my wraps, securing them to each wrist. Then, Tyler slid my gloves on me, ensuring they were snugly in place. He pulled out my neon pink mouthguard, ready to hand it to me, but I shook my head.
“We’re just training.”
“In case something goes wrong,” he said, pressing it into my mouth with an arched brow. “I need my girlfriend’s perfect teeth to stay that way.”
“Fine,” I mumbled through the obstacle.
After Nadia and I climbed into the ring, we couldn’t get our choreography down at all. She would go one way, and I’d go the same, causing us to end up truly hitting one another too hard. My mind was on my new title, Luca, Tyler, and his kids, my job at Euphoria, and the fact I’d have to move away after all this. I don’t even want the fucking job as boss! I repeated in my head for the millionth time.
Nadia drew her fist back, punching my tit and I grabbed my nipple with a hiss. “Sorry!” she shook her head.
I drew my fist back, swinging as hard as I could at her in self-defense without thinking. Her head jerked back on impact, and she stumbled backward into the ropes. Luke hit the mat from the outside of the ring, and we turned to him, me still holding my boob.
“What the fuck are you girls doing?” he spat. “You’re on the same fucking side!”
“Get your head out of your asses and get your shit together!” Ian barked from the chair next to Nico, his arms crossed over his chest. “Luke and Ty, get in there and fix them.”
They both slipped their gloves over their wraps, climbing into the ring. Tyler backed me into the ropes, resting his gloved hands on either side of me. He pressed his lips to mine.
“By fixing them, I didn’t mean making out with your girlfriend!” Ian snapped.
Tyler rolled his eyes with a small smirk. “Do you feel better, princess?” he whispered, and I nodded with an eye roll. “She’s fixed, Ian!” he called out over his shoulder. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to mine again, then took a step back with a wink. “Swing at me.”
“What?” I scoffed, “Absolutely not.”
“Then get your head right and swing at her but don’t hurt her. And you,” he pointed at Nadia, who was watching us with Luke at her side, “don’t hurt?—”
“Training is done for the day!” Ian announced in an annoyed tone, summoning our attention to him.
“What do you mean?” Luke asked.
“Kat and her people are showing up tonight, and we need to be prepared,” he replied, holding up his phone. “Gia, Nadia, I expect you girls to get together away from here and train a few more times before the fight.”
She glanced at me. “I don’t know where we can train.”
“I have a gym in my apartment,” I replied, then gasped. “Shit.”
Tyler and Luke looked at me with wide eyes, and Nadia asked, “What?”
“Nothing.”
I didn’t want to tell her Luca was recovering and hiding in my house, so I’d have to figure out a way to hide him from her while she was there. It was important that I not fuck up this fight.
Tyler leaned close to my ear, whispering, “The kids are with me tonight, just FYI. Would you like to have dinner with us and ride to the club together?”
I snapped my gaze to his with a smile, and suddenly everything felt perfect. “Are you sure?”
“Very.”