Owned by the mafia boss

ALESSIO

She was good.

I had to hand it to Ignacio’s daughter. She could’ve taught the master class in manipulation because I couldn’t tell sweetness from lies anymore.

Although she gave me signs that she wanted more, I couldn’t bring myself to fuck her. What happened in the strip club resulted from weeks of sexual frustration, but she seemed to enjoy our tryst at the strip club.

Mia had changed.

She got up whenever I did. She started the coffee while I cleaned up. She joined me for lunch. She cooked dinner. Texted me emojis that made me roll my eyes and smile. The list went on and on. I thought she’d get lazy, but she kept at it.

She was killing me with kindness, and it worked, which embarrassed me to death because she was up to something. Against all better judgment, I allowed myself to bask in the attention. Yeah, I was that guy. I’d laughed every time Nico bowed to his mistress’ demands. All it took was one high-pitched whine from that girl’s lips, and he’d cave. Here I was, doing the same goddamned thing.

I looked forward to her visits, where we discussed everything from philosophy to the rules of football. A week went by without a hiccup from Mia’s behavior. They were the happiest days of my miserable life. At the back of my mind, a voice screamed that I was a pussy-whipped moron who would soon get what was coming to him.

My control over the situation was dwindling, so I said yes when my darling wife-to-be begged me to babysit Michael’s children.

I needed the space.

I couldn’t figure out this woman. She was thoughtful, considerate, and so goddamned warm she’d won over Vinn. I wouldn’t fuck her because why give her more power over me?

I parked the BMW outside Michael’s house.

I watched a stunning brunette through the bay windows. She cradled a toddler to her breast. She pressed her face into his mess of curls and kissed the boy’s head. Mia sat, balancing Matteo on her legs while she read a children’s book to the six-year-old girl curled up beside her.

I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

It was fascinating-like staring into a window of my future. Someday, that would be my kid. Then Michael strolled in, beaming at Mia with a megawatt smile that shattered the vision. My body chilled as he took the child from her.

Before I realized it, I stood at his door. It opened before I knocked, spilling light onto the porch. A burst of heat bloomed in my chest when Mia emerged. She gave me a huge hug, her lips feathering my cheek, and the tightness cinching my lungs released.

“Bye, Michael.”

“See you, Mia.” He waved as she disappeared, and then his hooded gaze slid to me. “Your fiancée is a godsend, Alessio. I can’t thank you enough. She’s amazing with the kids.”

“I didn’t want to bring her here.” A ripple of anger went through me as Michael rubbed his neck. “I only did because she begged me.”

“She’s a good person.”

I’m not. “We need to talk about your wife.”

Michael screwed his eyes shut. When he opened them, they were wet. “I can’t do it, Alessio. I know what needs to happen, but I can’t be the one.”

“It’s okay. You won’t have to.”

I hated the idea of taking a mother from her children, but the facts stacked up against Serena. She was a shit mom who substituted Benadryl for parenting, and if she hadn’t dumped my fiancée in North Dorchester, I would’ve shown leniency. Serena put Mia and Vinn at risk.

There had to be consequences.

“I’ve never seen them so well behaved. Please bring her over again.”

“I’ll ask her.”

“Thank you.” Michael yanked me close and pounded my back. “I owe you.”

Yes, he did.

I turned around without a goodbye. Mia might’ve been a saint, but I hadn’t yet forgiven him.

Michael retreated into the house, and I joined Mia in my car.

She stared ahead, looking pensive.

“How did you mellow out those brats?”

“Don’t call them that. They’re not bad kids.”

“The last time I had dinner there, the six-year-old dove under the table and bit my ankle.”

Mia leaned over and looked down my pant leg. “They’re very appealing ankles. I can’t blame her.”

“Seriously, how did you do it?”

“Love and attention. That’s all they needed.” Mia blushed scarlet, biting her lip as though to keep from grinning. “And I’ve had lots of practice. When you’re the only teenage girl at a family event, you get charged with watching the babies.”

“I see.”

She pressed her lips into my forehead. “I missed you.”

My skin tingled where she kissed me.

I had no idea what to say because breaking the silence with I don’t believe you would lead to a fight I didn’t want. Plus, the gnawing at my chest that soothed the moment I saw her gave me another disturbing revelation-that I’d missed her, too.

When we arrived home, I shot in the direction of the living room. As soon as my back sank into the couch cushions, I sighed. My relief evaporated when she padded nearby.

“Do you want company?”

As usual, Mia didn’t wait for me to answer. Clad in loungewear that stuck to her body, she crawled over my lap and fell into my arms. She was like a persistent house cat, and I was the fool for letting her walk all over me.

“Wedding is less than a week away,” she whispered into my ear. “I still barely know you.”

“I’m sensing a question.”

She nuzzled my neck. “Tell me about yourself, Mr. Salvatore.”

“Why do I feel like I’m at an interview?”

“Maybe you are.”

“Shouldn’t it be the other way around?” I teased my hand down her neck, tracing her breasts. “You could be the prospective student, and I could be the admissions officer.”

She laughed. “You?”

“I’ve been to college, remember? I got a BA in Economics.”

Mia sat up, mouth agape. “Which university?”

“Bourton.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

I cleared my throat. “Can we move on?”

“Hell no. You attended Bourton. The same place that accepted the Hawthornes and the Montgomerys and-Jesus, Alessio. That’s a major accomplishment. You should be proud.”

Here we go. “It’s not a big deal.”

“You graduated from an Ivy League, and I’m finding out about this now. It’s a huge freaking deal.”

“My father went there. So did his dad. The school makes legacy admissions, so getting me in was simple.”

She looked like she’d been struck dumb.

“It’s the reason I’m so connected with Boston’s rich and famous. It’s why I own city hall and the police. I took all the connections I made in college and handed them to Nico.”

I was never, ever good enough for my dad, but Nico treated me like a favorite son.

“How in the world did you cross paths with him?”

“His son and I were in the same fraternity.”

She burst with laughter. “I’m sorry. I’m just-you were a frat boy? You’re messing with me.”

“Am not.”

Mia slid off my lap, grinning. “Nice try.”

“Head to my study and open the top drawer. There should be a graduation ring.”

Wearing a look steeped with suspicion, she bounded into the hall. I followed her as she sprinted into my office. She rifled through pens and papers until she grabbed a silver ring that blazed with a garnet stone.

“Class of 2008. Wow.”

I squirmed under her admiring gaze. “It’s nothing.”

“Where’s your diploma?”

I shrugged. “Somewhere.”

“Alessio, I can’t believe you. We’re finding your diploma and hanging it on the wall, where it belongs. You should be so proud. Do you know how many of my dad’s men have been to college? Zero.”

“That’s sad, but not surprising.”

Mia set the circle of silver down on my desk, staring at it. “Thinking about you in college is strange, like imagining Santa Claus without a beard. Did you enjoy it?”

“Yeah. Met lots of people.”

Including Anthony, who changed my life forever.

“You must’ve learned loads, too.”

“I didn’t learn a damned thing. Everything I studied is gone from my brain, and I actually had pretty decent grades.”

Mia’s voice became wistful. “I wish I’d had that experience.”

“You can, and you will.”

A desperate glee lit up Mia’s face. “What do you mean?”

“I’m a wealthy alumnus whose generous donations would make my wife a shoo-in. All you have to do is ask.”

“Are you fucking serious? You’ll get me into Bourton?”

“Of course.”

Mia released a high-pitched scream that shattered my eardrums, but her laughter died as quickly as it came. “But you want kids.”

“And?”

“I can’t go to school and raise a baby.”

“Yes. It’s called hiring a nanny. I told you that you’d have anything you wanted, and I meant it.”

Mia flung her arms around me and kissed my cheeks a dozen times. Her vise-like hold on my neck tightened as she pressed herself deeper into my embrace.

“I’m so happy, Alessio.”

“Just promise me you won’t join a sorority.”From NôvelDrama.Org.

She beamed at me, and her warmth like flames catching on silk. I’d found something that she needed desperately, which tipped the scales of power back in my direction.

It gave me control.

At least, I thought it did.

TWO DAYS.

For better or worse-my life would change.

I sat in the solarium, drinking whiskey as the trees became silhouettes against dark blue. After we signed the marriage certificate, Ignacio would transfer ownership of his various companies. Mia’s future pregnancy would end Nico’s bitching, and I’d have what I wanted.

A family.

Was I that naïve?

Light feet padded the wood as my fiancée joined the room, her brunette waves tamed into a high ponytail. She dragged her manicured nails on the loveseat before hopping onto the cushion. My drink sloshed the rim as she settled into my lap. She wore a long-sleeved top over hip-hugging jeans. She released a contented sigh, closing her eyes once she wrapped her arms around my neck. I touched a freckle I’d never noticed under her ear.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

“A little nervous.”

She looked like she wanted to say more. Mia played with my hair, so close, I counted every lash fanning her olive skin. It’d taken a lot of pep talks to the mirror to get to this moment.

Be gentle. Don’t scare her.

“I need to ask you something.” Her hushed tone indicated she wasn’t interested in my jam preferences.

“Shoot.”

“It’s just dawned on me that I’ve never met your parents. Or anyone from your side. I know they’re out of your life, but why? Are they dead?”

“No.”

She drew away, alarmed.

“Sorry.” I dialed back the aggression and tried again.

“It’s not a happy subject.”

“If I can discuss me almost being raped, you can tell me about your family feud.”

Touché.

I smiled, stuck between annoyance that she was right and admiration that she knew when to flash her claws. “What’s the longest you’ve gone without talking to your father?”

“Two weeks?”

“I haven’t spoken to my dad in eight years. He has a restraining order on me.” I glanced over her shoulder, unable to stomach her shock. “Not because I’m violent or would ever hurt him. He hates me.”

“Why?”

“Because of what I do for a living.”

I could sympathize with his disgust for the mafia, even if it was misguided, but I never understood how he’d turned on me. Nico never gave up on his son, and Anthony was a real low-life. A thieving, dishonest monster with zero redeeming qualities.

“Your dad’s not-I mean, he’s not connected at all?”

“No.”

“But you’re an underboss.”

“I know, but I’m not a Costa. Salvatores have never been involved in organized crime. For my dad, getting in deep with Nico’s group was the height of dishonor. Old-money families are snobs for who they associate with, never mind that most are just as corrupt as the mob.”

“You talk as though you’re not part of them.”

“I’m not. They cut me off.”

Mia sat up straight, brows pinched together. “How did you get into Nico’s inner circle?”

“Anthony and I met in my fraternity. I was a good boy. Never touched a drug in my life. Anthony had done everything. He taught me how to roll a blunt. He had access to the best parties. My freshman year was a haze of drugs, alcohol, and girls. He was a bad influence, but I knew when to pull back. Thank God.”

I wondered if this was too much information, but her smile encouraged me to continue.

“He unraveled during his sophomore year. Dropping classes. Academic probation. I helped him out of all kinds of trouble, and his father was gracious with gifts and inviting me for Sunday dinner. I went on trips with them. That’s how it began. A favor here and there-that grew to something more. The stakes were always a little higher. I was seduced by the money, the glamour, and Nico treating me like a son. I wanted the women, the glory, all of it. And then I got what I wished for.”

She stayed silent, as though speaking would break the spell that lulled me into opening up. I didn’t realize how badly I needed to talk to someone until it poured from my mouth.

“I thought your dad was well off?”

“Yeah, I already had a taste for extravagance thanks to Dad, but it was on his dime. He’d never allow me one red cent unless I did what he demanded. I guess he saw me becoming a hedge fund manager like him, but I was sick of living under my dad’s thumb.”

“Now you’re under a different man’s thumb.”

“Yeah,” I admitted, hating it. “It snuck up on me. I became an associate of the Costas, and then I was arrested for second-degree murder. My mother begged me to take the plea deal. When I declined, Nico hired an amazing defense attorney. The trial was rough on my mom. Every day, she’d be in that gallery, weeping. I was found not guilty, but they nailed me for second-degree robbery.”

“How long were you away?”

“Four years. I missed everything, Mia. Birthdays, my sister’s wedding, holidays. The birth of my niece. Her birthdays.”

“Did anyone visit you?” Her voice was so small, it almost disappeared. “Your mother?”

“Twice. She stopped coming, along with everyone else. They rejected my calls. My family ghosted me. A cop served me the RO from my father while I was in jail.”

Talking about the most painful time of my life was like dragging a knife across my skin, opening wounds that should’ve stayed closed.

“I’m so sorry, Alessio.”

“You don’t have to say that.”

“But it’s the truth. I can’t imagine how horrible that must’ve been for you.” Her eyes filled with tears that seemed sincere. “They really won’t talk to you?”

“Nope. On a good day, I’ll chat with my mom for five minutes before she starts crying. Then my dad gets the phone and hangs up. My sister is convinced I’m dangerous.”

Mia frowned.

“That’s why I want kids. Maybe they’ll forgive me once I’ve settled down.”

“That’s not what you told me weeks ago.”

“If I’d given you the truth, you would’ve run away faster.”

“No.” She smiled and kissed my forehead. “I think it’s sweet. I mean it. That’s the first genuine thing you’ve said, and now it makes sense why you’re in a hurry to have children. I get it. I lost my sister. I know what it’s like to yearn for that connection. And honestly? You might’ve scared me in the beginning, but not anymore.”

She pressed the lightest kiss into my cheek, and the warmth that blossomed there spread to my neck and chest.

“Can I ask you one more question?”

I nodded.

“Do you regret it?”

Of course.

I flashed a Prince Charming smile. “Ask me that in two days.”