LOGINBianca wet her lips as she, along with her Master's, watched the graceful, curvaceous figure of Proserpina Delano leave the restaurant, her husband, the Mafia Don, walking closely behind her. The Don’s Woman laughed, tossing her head and acknowledging the people on the way, the servants, the guests, while her husband loomed behind her darkly, a large hand on her waist, guiding her to the corridor, firmly.It was clear that he resented having to share her, even the smiles she bestowed on the people around her. And of course, the admiring looks that followed in their wake must have set him off further. Bianca saw the way the big man’s shoulders tensed, the way he gripped his Woman’s arm as he tried to hustle her out quickly.*As they disappeared, O’Grady sighed. Like everyone else, he had seen the latent look of hunger on every man’s face as the Don walked his Woman away.The Mafia Don had looked determined and O’Grady smiled; he had had the look of a man who was about to have a feast
Bianca and her Masters had settled to dinner at a table at the swanky restaurant, which was called Captain’s. It was one of the nine in-house restaurants within the Shangri-La grounds.It was also the latest one, started by Dominick Delano, and Bianca knew the young man desperately wanted it to succeed. During a casual conversation, Serena Kingston spoke about how Rani and Dom were anxious to see that the Mafia Don appreciated how hard Dom was working to get a name in the field of restaurateurs.The Mafia Don had been openly sceptical, scornful even, of his son’s choice to branch out and perfect his culinary skills, as opposed to his other siblings, who had all been absorbed into the Delano mob, in some way or the other.While Louis and Rudy were the enforcers, bringing justice using their fists, the Capo and Jack Lord were also equally involved in the mob business.As for Ria, she was in charge of the accounts for all the operations under the Delano umbrella, and Jamie was also waiti
The Delanos did not celebrate.Just another quiet, if you could call the shrill sounds of children scampering, of babies wailing and of laughter as the siblings sat at the large dining table , with their spouses and partners, sharing a meal. Silence only descends upon the room when the Mafia Don walked in, his grey head and his keen look going across the room, searching for his Woman.“Woman!” he bellowed, displeased at not seeing her and Tara sighed as she rushed in from the kitchen.“Mumma’s just plating your favourite dessert, she’ll join in a minute,” she explained to her clearly disgruntled father.Proserpina emerged a minute late, her face flushed and pink, dressed in a simple Indian outfit.He took a sharp breath as he studied her, rocking on his heels. Proserpina had the kind of beauty that does not need anything loud.She was dressed for comfort, but there’s an instinctive elegance in the way she carries it.A soft, well-worn cotton kurta in a muted shade of dusty rose fell l
Roxanne worked in the room, which she had converted into her studio, humming softly. Her lover, the Iceman, as they called him, was expected to come late that night, and she was due to finish a huge contract she had landed a few weeks ago. But somehow, as she told him, her hand on his chest as they lay side by side at night, ‘the Muse’ seems to have deserted me, Daddy…”Van Dyke, who had been threading his large, thick fingers through Roxanne's lovely brown hair, which spread across the pillow now, grunted.“I’ll bring the muse back, babydoll,” he promised and rose to pad across to the dresser. She rose on an elbow and watched him; his figure illuminated in the moonlight. Roxanne sucked in her breath. Van Dyke was a magnificent specimen of a male, and he was deeply, totally in love with her. She sometimes wondered what she had done to be so lucky. Because any wish of hers, even the slightest, was met at once.Now he pulled out a small box from the drawer and turned, the shadows of hi
Serena Kingston wanted a small, simple wedding at a church.Not that Louis was religious, anything but, eh had told her, but he was going along with her, for as he said, his hand on the still flat stomach,“Baby, you’re carrying the next Delano, and we want to keep his Mommie happy.”They had been having a quiet dinner at Dom’s house and Bianca, sitting between her Masters, had choked on her fruit juice as Roxanne leaned back and rolled her eyes. Serena had blushed crossly, and the soon-to-be-married couple had begun a mock argument, until Louis threw up his hands in surrender.Roxanne, to Bianca’s astonishment, had been mulling over whether she needed to get married at all. As she said, leaning her head on Van Dyke’s broad shoulder,“A piece of paper does not really matter to me. I mean, my Mamma loved my Pappa. And they were never married.”Straightening as Van Dyle pulled her onto his lap fondly, she carried on,“I don’t seek that validation. I already love him…”She turned to wind
When Bianca walked into the gym, she was nervous. She knew that the Irishman would be at it, punching the bags with all his power, for O’Grady took his sessions seriously. Laid back as he generally appeared to be, with his dash of personality, his rakish charm and general air of insouciance, he still remained deadly serious about his workouts.Despite her bravado, she was more than a little squeamish about her appearance.When she looked at herself in the mirror, her heart sank. The Masters might try to brush it off, do their best to convince her that she ws just a tad plump, but the reality was something totally different, she thought grimly.Well, she told herself as she stoically pushed open the doors to the basement gym and walked in, better to begin now than leave it for later.Later would mean a few more pounds to burn off. *It was the smell that hit her when she walked in. The smell of leather, iron, and old sweat.When she pushed through the heavy door, the noise of the spee
Little Gabriel lay small and still against the crisp white sheets, his skin pale as the snow that had almost claimed him. The faint hum of machines filled the hospital room.It was a soft, rhythmic beeping that was both comforting and terrifying in its steadiness.Liam O’ Grady had been the one to
Captain Davis knew when a scene had been stagedAnd this one was absolutely right on the mark. The way the victim had been stabbed, did not seem right. For a long while, he stood, watching everything carefully as the Texan commandeered the situation, asking questions, making sure that the crime s
When O’Grady and St Just drove up to their apartments, they were astonished to find Bianca waiting for them. Dressed in her pyjamas with the flying elephant prints, a gift from Jamie Delano, she yawned hugely as she came to them, once Barry’s men had opened the door.The Masters pulled her into the
With her chestnut hair gleaming under the lights, Bianca stood, preparing to meet the guests, her close friends, who made up her comfort zone. The Masters had wanted a small, intimate dinner to celebrate the fact that she was carrying their second child.Noa, as Bianca stood before the mirror, the







