Vows of Betrayal (The Sovrano Mafia Empire #1)

Chapter 1

Dear Reader:

This is a series unlike my usual contemporary books.

Stefan likes things—the way he likes them.

And he enjoys certain pursuits that not everyone is into.

If you know what I mean…

So, if you don’t enjoy the darker, naughtier side of romance, Stefan might not be for you.

And that is totally okay. I have a ton of other books on the nicer side for you to pick up.

For those of you who do like the naughty—I hope you enjoy Stefan & Francesca’s story. It’s gonna be a bumpy ride.

XOXO Jessa York

The Auction

Stefan

H onest to Christ.

If I had to spend five more minutes holed up in this shithole, I was going to snap someone’s neck.

The object of the game—this poker game to be exact—was to get closer to Raul and make a business alliance. A very beneficial one.

Nick and Carlo thought this was the best way forward for all of us.

I, however, wasn’t wholly convinced about that.

Raul Ramiro was a mean, slippery asshole.

He’d done some pretty horrible shit.

Well, every guy in this place had.

But Raul had his own special brand of assholery.

One that made even me fucking cringe in his presence.

Which said a lot.

Sitting near the big bastard wasn’t something I’d choose to do willingly. His body stench couldn’t be masked by the gallon or so of cologne he’d bathed in before he came here.

Under normal circumstances, I could have arranged our business matters in about ten minutes. And then got the hell back home.

To my empty, dark home.

But it was still better than where I currently sat.

Raul had no desire to talk business tonight. He was joining in with the rest of the men as they discussed women.

And the way they did that wasn’t the kindest.

None of that was my problem, though. Whoever they conned into fucking them was not a topic I cared to discuss.

Raul was a bad guy. I mean, yeah, we all were to some extent. But he took that shit to a whole other level. The stories I’d heard over the years about that guy turned my stomach.

Apparently, he had a penchant for virgins. And he liked to play with his prey.

Not my thing.

At all.

Even if I ordered a girl from Ilona’s, I still made sure she had fun. Yes, she was there to please me. But no, I didn’t have any desire for her to have a shitty time just because I was paying her.

Obvious that this evening was a bust—I ended up folding and setting my cards down. “Well, gentlemen.” I stood and looked around at the men surrounding the table. “I’m done for tonight. Thank you for the invitation.”

Raul’s slimy hand grabbed onto my arm and yanked me back down. “Are you fuckin’ crazy, man? The main event is about to begin. And trust me. You don’t want to miss it.”

The men all laughed and agreed.

“Sovrano. Sit your ass down. You ain’t goin’ nowhere.” Raul slapped me on the arm and chuckled.

The lights on the stage started to flicker.

Christ.

Had they gotten strippers?

I was not in the mood for this.

Yes, I appreciated looking at a naked woman. But not in the company of a bunch of idiots.

“Gentleman, quiet down. The auction is about to start!” a man on the stage hollered into a microphone. Once again, the men all laughed.

An auction?

What kind of fuckin’ auction were they having in this dump?

Somehow, I didn’t think it was art.

“Help me welcome our first lady of the evening,” the man waved his arm out to the side. “Francesca. She’s a nice, tight, stacked virgin, my friends. One hundred percent verified by our very own Dr. McKay.”

Jesus.

Were these guys serious right now? They were auctioning off—women?

“Fuck, me. I’m outta here.” Right as I stood again—I saw—

Her.

Fuck.

No.

Our eyes met.

And so many unsaid things transpired between us at that moment—that it almost leveled me.

Christ.

What the fuck was she doing up on that stage?

My eyes traveled down her body—her barely covered body.

A body that I’d been wanting for months now.

A body that had left me.

Taken off into the night without one fucking word.

Despite myself, my dick jumped inside my pants.

How could it not?

The white bustier she wore made her huge tits look even bigger. Practically offering themselves to me.

And the real goddamn problem was—that I really wanted them.

And her white stocking-covered legs.

Christ.

Those long legs that I’d envisioned more than once wrapping around my waist.

All those weeks she’d taken care of me. Nursing me back to health.

And all I wanted to do was fuck her into next week.

Why that woman had stuck around, I’d never know. It wasn’t like I paid her anything.

Even so.

Francesca had stayed with me.

Looking after me.

Giving me whatever I needed to heal.

And the biggest thing she gave me was her heart.

And I gave her mine.

And in thanks, she’d trampled all over the goddamn thing.

“We are starting the bidding at fifty grand. Now, which one of you fine gentlemen will be the first to bid?”

Not one second after the last word had exited the guy’s mouth, Raul put his hand up.

“All right! Raul is lookin’ for a new girl to break in!” The guys in the room all hooted and whistled.

And my guts tightened.

Francesca’s eyes—her gorgeous, frightened eyes—shot from Raul to me.

Fuck.

She was terrified.

I could feel it in my bones.

Just the thought of Raul’s disgusting hands on her made me want to rip his head off.

“One hundred thousand,” I said as I raised my hand.