Proserpina walked into the dining room, her face stained a delightful pink, hoping to God that her clothes were not too crumpled. Lucien had been invited to a dinner at the Senator’s house this weekend and she had gone out and bought a gown for the occasion along with Melissa Lord. Danielle Eton had turned up for lunch with her partner Grace after a long hiatus, following an ugly incident where she had been shot.Lucien had taken one look at the gown when he entered unexpectedly as Proserpina had been trying it on in their bedroom and he had been on her, like a lusty bull. Now she caught the end of an animated conversation that her sons, Claude, Louis and Rudy were having with Tara. Her daughter’s twins were crawling on the patio under the supervision of old Bea and a couple of maids.“…Mick Jagger …” Claude’s bellowing voice greeted her and she stopped, as she took in the scene. The boys were sitting on chairs, lounging on the patio, munching the cookies she had baked the day befor
Jamie collapsed on the chair, with a howl.“You don’t talk of our Mumma like that, do you hear?” Tara hissed, shaking her sister’s slight shoulders in rage. Louis was beside his twin at once, pulling her off of Jamie.But one look at his Woman’s face made the Don livid. Lucien Delano’s face was like granite.“Enough,” he said, his voice cold and low,” Your Mumma is to be addressed with respect. She has gone through hell for you, and all of us so I’ll be damned if you speak of her in that way, is that clear?”Proserpina walked out, hiding her tears.Danielle sighed as Grace went after the Don’s Woman, her face rigid with concern.“CAPTAIN DAVIS HAS MOVED ON, HE’S IN LOVE WITH DU BOIS!” shouted Jamie in a shrill voice, and as she turned to flee, she spat, “And it’s all thanks to my family!”She pushed past her brother fiercely as she ran out of the room, sobbing dramatically. Claude had been struck dumb; he was always overwhelmed when people in his family raised their voices. The peopl
Jamie Delano soon realised that she was no match for the wily, beautiful Bianca.If she had expected a meltdown because she had deliberately been late, having coaxed her bodyguards to allow her to ride pillion on her old friend’s bike, while they followed her, it had been a stupid thing to do.Now Bianca was flirting outrageously with the boy who had been Jamie’s best friend through school and who was always with her in all her escapades.“Brandon,” snapped Jamie, having had enough of listening to Bianca’s peals of laughter echoing in the café as she leaned in to speak to the smitten Brandon.“Wh…wh…what?” asked Brandon, blinking rapidly, trying to focus on what Jamie was saying.Bianca shot her a look from beneath her lashes, laughing at her, outright.Jamie fumed.She rose abruptly, dumping Bianca’s book satchel that she had been saddled with, unceremoniously on the table.“I think I want to leave,” she snapped. Bianca arched a brow and said in bored tone, ‘Not yet, hon. I haven’t f
O’Grady was bone tired by the time he reached home that night. St Just had joined him at the flagship Casino, where he had been dealing with a missing sum of money amounting to a couple of millions.The Irishman was furious, to put it mildly.And to top it off, the Home Office people were still on St Just’s back, insisting on checking the loan details for a few months back. The blonde man, his hair tousled and his stubbly jaw making his face look more shadowed yet rakishly handsome, glanced at the Irishman, seated beside him. O’Grady always looked virile, no matter how weary he was and today was no exception.‘Have a fight coming up on Sunday,” mumbled O’Grady and St Just shut his eyes briefly. He felt his brother’s concerned gaze on him,“You ok there, Saint?” snapped O’Grady, ever conscious that St Just had undergone surgery a few months back.His brother smiled and nodded,“Thinking of the Pet, actually,” he grinned and they shared a smile.Bianca was in her second trimester. She h
Jamie sat at the table, looking at her father nervously. They were at dinner and Lucien Delano was conversing in a low voice with James Schwartz, seated on his left.Proserpina hovered around, bringing out the dishes, till her husband gripped her wrist and growled,“Sit the f*ck down, Woman. Why do I have a house full of f*cking help ?”Sending him a pointed look for using such language, Proserpina subsided, dimpling at Schwartz, who looked at her, his heart n his eyes.“No mystery about why Uncle James never got married,” thought Jamie drily.She cleared her throat and her brothers, Dom and Rudy, who had also turned up for dinner, looked at across at her in surprise.“Papp…” she began, ashamed to hear the squeak in her voice. But after the evening when he had slapped her, she felt a great deal of fear when she faced her for her intimidating patent. Pappa had such a daunting personality, that people automatically quaked when they saw him, and women swooned. Jamie knew of his legendar
Her Masters were literally over the moon.They held her in their arms, kissing and generally making a fuss over her. Roxanne Piccolo, who had been hovering in the background, softly spoke up,“I’m leaving now, Bianca.”Pushing herself out of the arms of her men, Bianca rose and went to hug Roxanne.“You went to a lot of trouble for me, bae,” she said softly but Roxanne only dimpled shyly.After she had left, with a couple of O’Grady’s men to escort her safely home, Bianca turned to her Masters, leaning against the door, her eyes dancing. She held out her arms to them, appealing and suddenly shy.The brothers exchanged looks. O’Grady came forward and lifted her up in his arms, an arm under her knees, the other supporting her as she wound her plump arms around his neck.“Lead the way, Saint,” declared O’Grady with a devilish grin, pretending to huff and puff as he took the stairs.He deposited her tenderly on the bed and she raised herself on an elbow, as she commanded,“I want you ge
When Bianca came awake the next morning, it was to the tantalising aroma of freshly brewed coffee.“Wake up, sleepyhead,” chuckled O’Grady and she blinked. He was shirtless, leaning over her, a tender look on his handsome face.She dimpled.“Quick, to the bathroom, lass,” he chuckled, tugging off the bedclothes and she pouted. His eyes narrowed. Even with the baby bump, Bianca Cruz could make him hard in a minute. In a husky voice, he growled,“Quick, lassie…or…” she giggled and grabbed her nightshirt from the floor as she trundled to the washroom.A few minutes late, she was having a hearty meal of bacon and eggs, scrambled just the way she liked it. Pancakes were stacked on the side and the sight had her waddling across to hurry and eat one. But St Just, who was busy making them, turned and grinned as O’Grady easily grabbed Bianca, restraining her.“I’M HUNGREEEE!” she wailed crossly, glaring at St Just who was obviously enjoying the scene.“So am I, pet,” grunted O’Grady, rubbing
Jamie danced down the stairs and then, hastily sobered as she walked down the passage to her Pappa’s study.She wanted to meet her father, promise him that she would be back soon and then leave. Because she loved, nay worshipped her Pappa; he had always been the star in her life, the only man she had looked up to, the one who never let her down.Her very own Knight in Shining Armour.And now, as she walked, she beamed at her Pappa’s valet, old Gustav, who smiled benevolently at her as he held the door open for her to enter.“Ummm…is he alone, Uncle G?” she asked in a small, diffident voice for she did not want to anger the Boss by going in when his associates were around. The room was inevitably full of cigar smoke and the smell of alcohol when he had guests over and the law that was never to be broken, was that none of the Mafia Don’s women were to be anywhere around at such times. Mumma always obeyed Pappa and so did Jamie and her sisters. Lucien Delano had flown into an unholy r
The back garden was deserted, and the man who was dragging her along had planned his escape down to the last T.He had however, not taken into account the fact that Jamie had only had one drink all evening. The cautious teen had refused to get inebriated, for she did not want to disappoint her father. So the job of taking her to the waiting car without difficulty was proving to be a huge challenge. The man swore and tried to pick her up, but she wrestled with him, using all her self-defence training to her advantage. But the trained assassin was too much for her. With one hard blow, he felled her to the ground and began to drag her unwilling body.Jamie was struggling for all she was worth. Something was off and she was not about to go without a fight.“You…” she screamed but her voice came out soft, whining. She tried to hang back but the man smacked her across her head, hard. Jamie literally saw stars as she cried out. Once, long ago, when she was a child, an attempt had been made
Jamie felt a little lightheaded as she was firmly guided to another room, down a long corridor. She giggled hysterically as she noticed something odd..She had spotted some women, young women at that, with pacifiers worn around their necks on plastic strings. She stumbled, staring as she wondered why they wore them.“Like babies,” she thought and giggled.The man who was escorting her impatiently looked down at her from a great distance and his voice was loud as he said, in exasperation.“What’s so funny?”Jamie giggled again but shook her head. She felt disoriented but also, vaguely, cheerful. Se kept staring at the man who seemed to be glowing, like an angel.“You’ve got an aura!!!’ she cried in wonder.The man rolled his eyes but continued to tug her along the corridor, his movements getting more agitated as he did so.He ahd a deadline to keep; the car would be waiting outside and he had to spirit this wretched girl away at the earliest. Or Jana Rudenko would eat him for breakfast
Jamie stepped out of the car, having been driven to the door by her father’s men. She beamed at them, for she had known them since she was a toddler. Bidding them goodbye, she said softly,“Thanks,” and then, she was entering the modest house. Music and laughter echoed in the corridor as she hesitated, for she did not know many of the guests, who mostly belonged to the crowd that Sadie currently moved in.Older youths, with long hair and tattoos, girls in the shortest of clothes, their bodies on display as they swung their hips exaggeratedly and walked.For a minute, Jamie considered the option of turning and heading back home. A deep sense of uncertainty swept over her. A sixth sense, like her Mumma called it, begging her to turn and leave before it was too late.When she had been in the protected confines of her old school, she had been cosseted, protected from reality. But Lucien Delano had abruptly announced his decision to shift his children, Rudolph and Jamie, to a school closer
Jamie danced down the stairs and then, hastily sobered as she walked down the passage to her Pappa’s study.She wanted to meet her father, promise him that she would be back soon and then leave. Because she loved, nay worshipped her Pappa; he had always been the star in her life, the only man she had looked up to, the one who never let her down.Her very own Knight in Shining Armour.And now, as she walked, she beamed at her Pappa’s valet, old Gustav, who smiled benevolently at her as he held the door open for her to enter.“Ummm…is he alone, Uncle G?” she asked in a small, diffident voice for she did not want to anger the Boss by going in when his associates were around. The room was inevitably full of cigar smoke and the smell of alcohol when he had guests over and the law that was never to be broken, was that none of the Mafia Don’s women were to be anywhere around at such times. Mumma always obeyed Pappa and so did Jamie and her sisters. Lucien Delano had flown into an unholy r
When Bianca came awake the next morning, it was to the tantalising aroma of freshly brewed coffee.“Wake up, sleepyhead,” chuckled O’Grady and she blinked. He was shirtless, leaning over her, a tender look on his handsome face.She dimpled.“Quick, to the bathroom, lass,” he chuckled, tugging off the bedclothes and she pouted. His eyes narrowed. Even with the baby bump, Bianca Cruz could make him hard in a minute. In a husky voice, he growled,“Quick, lassie…or…” she giggled and grabbed her nightshirt from the floor as she trundled to the washroom.A few minutes late, she was having a hearty meal of bacon and eggs, scrambled just the way she liked it. Pancakes were stacked on the side and the sight had her waddling across to hurry and eat one. But St Just, who was busy making them, turned and grinned as O’Grady easily grabbed Bianca, restraining her.“I’M HUNGREEEE!” she wailed crossly, glaring at St Just who was obviously enjoying the scene.“So am I, pet,” grunted O’Grady, rubbing
Her Masters were literally over the moon.They held her in their arms, kissing and generally making a fuss over her. Roxanne Piccolo, who had been hovering in the background, softly spoke up,“I’m leaving now, Bianca.”Pushing herself out of the arms of her men, Bianca rose and went to hug Roxanne.“You went to a lot of trouble for me, bae,” she said softly but Roxanne only dimpled shyly.After she had left, with a couple of O’Grady’s men to escort her safely home, Bianca turned to her Masters, leaning against the door, her eyes dancing. She held out her arms to them, appealing and suddenly shy.The brothers exchanged looks. O’Grady came forward and lifted her up in his arms, an arm under her knees, the other supporting her as she wound her plump arms around his neck.“Lead the way, Saint,” declared O’Grady with a devilish grin, pretending to huff and puff as he took the stairs.He deposited her tenderly on the bed and she raised herself on an elbow, as she commanded,“I want you ge
Jamie sat at the table, looking at her father nervously. They were at dinner and Lucien Delano was conversing in a low voice with James Schwartz, seated on his left.Proserpina hovered around, bringing out the dishes, till her husband gripped her wrist and growled,“Sit the f*ck down, Woman. Why do I have a house full of f*cking help ?”Sending him a pointed look for using such language, Proserpina subsided, dimpling at Schwartz, who looked at her, his heart n his eyes.“No mystery about why Uncle James never got married,” thought Jamie drily.She cleared her throat and her brothers, Dom and Rudy, who had also turned up for dinner, looked at across at her in surprise.“Papp…” she began, ashamed to hear the squeak in her voice. But after the evening when he had slapped her, she felt a great deal of fear when she faced her for her intimidating patent. Pappa had such a daunting personality, that people automatically quaked when they saw him, and women swooned. Jamie knew of his legendar
O’Grady was bone tired by the time he reached home that night. St Just had joined him at the flagship Casino, where he had been dealing with a missing sum of money amounting to a couple of millions.The Irishman was furious, to put it mildly.And to top it off, the Home Office people were still on St Just’s back, insisting on checking the loan details for a few months back. The blonde man, his hair tousled and his stubbly jaw making his face look more shadowed yet rakishly handsome, glanced at the Irishman, seated beside him. O’Grady always looked virile, no matter how weary he was and today was no exception.‘Have a fight coming up on Sunday,” mumbled O’Grady and St Just shut his eyes briefly. He felt his brother’s concerned gaze on him,“You ok there, Saint?” snapped O’Grady, ever conscious that St Just had undergone surgery a few months back.His brother smiled and nodded,“Thinking of the Pet, actually,” he grinned and they shared a smile.Bianca was in her second trimester. She h
Jamie Delano soon realised that she was no match for the wily, beautiful Bianca.If she had expected a meltdown because she had deliberately been late, having coaxed her bodyguards to allow her to ride pillion on her old friend’s bike, while they followed her, it had been a stupid thing to do.Now Bianca was flirting outrageously with the boy who had been Jamie’s best friend through school and who was always with her in all her escapades.“Brandon,” snapped Jamie, having had enough of listening to Bianca’s peals of laughter echoing in the café as she leaned in to speak to the smitten Brandon.“Wh…wh…what?” asked Brandon, blinking rapidly, trying to focus on what Jamie was saying.Bianca shot her a look from beneath her lashes, laughing at her, outright.Jamie fumed.She rose abruptly, dumping Bianca’s book satchel that she had been saddled with, unceremoniously on the table.“I think I want to leave,” she snapped. Bianca arched a brow and said in bored tone, ‘Not yet, hon. I haven’t f