Bianca stood, horror-stricken, wondering how her world had come crashing down. She took a deep breath, trying to assimilate her thoughts, to speak-but there was a loud pounding in her ears.She stepped to Beth, but her sister was furious. The younger girl struck her hand away fiercely, hard, and Bianca wobbled, falling back.“I’m calling Mom, “snapped Beth, tears running down her cheeks and she shoved Bianca aside and stomped out.The shocked young woman could hear her sister scream,‘You put her away in an institution because you wanted to be a wh*re, isn’t that right you disgusting sl*t?”Bianca flew after her but Beth shut the door in her face, effectively locking her out. Bianca sank to the floor, sobbing as she heard Beth from the other side of the bathroom door. Her sister was also sobbing as she spoke and the young woman, leaning against the door, helplessly pounding her fists, heard Beth.“…Anna kidnapped…Bianca’s fault…SHE’S BECOME A WH*RE, MOM! A FUC*ING GANGSTER’S MOLL!!!”
Bianca turned at the sound of the soft, kind voice. She was sobbing uncontrollably for what had taken place in the hospital room had driven her to the depths of despair.Beth had gotten there before Bianca. Holding her mother’s hands, Beth had hissed,‘Get OUT, you dirty wh*re, you!” and then, when Bianca had faltered, holding the door for support, for Heather was unconscious, her sister, still a teenager, had risen and stormed over to her, slapping her hard across the face.“Isn’t this enough for you?” Beth had screamed as Bianca cupped her cheek in shock.“Haven’t you done enough damage? “And gripping Bianca’s hair, she had shouted,“Where’s my sister, you bit*h, where is she?” and then; slapping the shocked Bianca again, she went on, even as the nurses rushed in.“YOU! You are responsible for this- my poor mother …”Someone had stepped forward and pulled Beth away as Bianca stood, oblivious to the hurt.The physical hurt, yes, she could accept that…but blaming her?Hysterically, sh
Bianca stared as she climbed the marble steps to the large entrance of the palatial house they had arrived at. The women in the car had been murmuring in quiet whispers throughout the journey, but no one had asked her probing questions. She had the strong feeling that Tara Delano Lord had worked that one out for herself, thank you very much. The huge double doors were opened by a woman in a white starched uniform and beyond her, a huge hall stretched out. In the evening light, lit by amber in the background, a woman emerged, the most beautiful woman she had seen.Proserpina Delano.Bianca swallowed. The woman was coming forward, her arms outstretched, a gentle smile on her face. Bianca stood awkwardly. Was she going to embrace her daughter, maybe?But with a small giggle, Tara pushed her forward.“Welcome to our home, Bianca dear child,” said the lovely woman, wrapping her in a loving hug, a faint fragrance of vanilla surrounding her as she dimpled and Bianca sagged.It had been so l
It was dinner time, but the Mafia Don had not arrived. His lovely wife stood, biting her lower lip, glancing at the clock before she turned to her daughter Tara, who was cheerfully munching on a peanut jelly sandwich at the breakfast bar.‘Tara, darling, round up the little ones, please. And Bianca, would you like to help her?”The words were spoken sweetly but Bianca guessed that it was Proserpina’s way of suggesting that she move out of the kitchen and stop behaving like a lost ghost.With a baby latched to her hip, the Mafia don’s wife came forward and gently stroked Bianca’s hair as she said,‘Your men …I will see that they are contacted. But I would like you to stay here for a few days.”And as Bianca opened her mouth to protest, her alarm over Anna overriding her caution, the beautiful woman went on, softly,“I was kidnapped and kept a prisoner for months. Lucien and Melissa’s husband sought me out and brought me back home.”With a soft smile, she took Bianca’s arm, guiding her
Lucien Delano stopped as he watched his Woman, hurry towards him. Proserpina, the girl he had taken as his mistress when she was just eighteen, the woman who had weathered so many storms with him.The Woman he had grown to love, whom he cherished.She still made him grow hard, just by appearing before him, her Bambi brown eyes wide and trusting, those plump lips, moist and parted; and the body of a Siren.She was hurrying to him, for he always insisted that he met her in the hall before he proceeded to his study. James Schwartz, who had entered behind him, grinned, a debonair older man now, but still strikingly handsomely.Now his friend, murmured gently,“Looks like our hen has something important to say to you, mate,” he said as he grinned at Proserpina, who dimpled at him affectionately.Handsome Schwartz had been his Underboss and best friend for decades now and the mutual respect they had for each other was a sign of their relationship. The debonair Schwartz, who had seen all t
It was to be a big operation, the police chief had growled, apprehensive as he looked at the cruise liner that was preparing to leave, having applied for clearance from the port authorities the previous evening.Lucien Delano had snapped his fingers and the Governor had acted at once, pulling out all the stops to prevent the luxury liner from sailing away.It was raining now, a light, annoying drizzle and O’Grady, who had been instructed to stay in the background, for his was a noticeable face, with his reputation sticking out a mile before him. As the owner of the chain of Casinos in the area and a boxer of some repute, along with his playboy tag, the reporters would have a field day if he was noticed.The burly Irishman had bristled but his brother had shot him a warning look. It appeared that Serena Kingston and Louis were working in tandem with the Bratva here, for Claude Delano and his brother had been the ones to leave the car and talk to the police chief. The shorter thickset
The huge giant, Alexander Van Dyke had come up behind O’Grady. He had heard every word and his velvety voice growled,“Which girl?”St Just gripped his brother’s arm as the Irishman sought confirmation from the hard-faced Serena Kingston.She flipped her red ponytail over her shoulder as she said, addressing Louis,“I’m off. I’ll follow him.”And she was running to her Subaru, heedless of the rain which had increased. One of Louis' men joined her at the Delano scion’s nod.Louis Delano turned to O’Grady.“Claude got a tip-off from one of his Bratva men. Cahill had kept the girl on a schooner in another area. Not here.” He indicated the large liner which was now swarming with SWAT operatives. The FBI had also been alerted for it was a major international issue. There were apparently women from countries in the Far East, who were being used as captive sex slaves.Gunshots sounded and they could hear men shouting, and women screaming over the drumming of the rain.Van Dyke was watching
roserpina, who had emerged from the kitchen, with a bowl of food in her hands, quickly shot her daughter, the only one who resembled her, a quelling look.“Jamie! Don’t talk to our guests like that!”And handing the bowl to Karina who had entered behind her, she glided over to Bianca and said,“Come child, you can sit beside me.”Bianca felt close to tears but Tara had come up beside her and sank onto a chair, reaching out to her comfortingly.‘No Mamma. She can sit here, with Karina and me,” said the young woman.Proserpina, who had been bending over her husband, serving him some food, looked up, her wide brown eyes puzzled. Then she nodded. Sitting beside the Don on a good day had a detrimental effect on one’s appetite. And this child was distraught! Proserpina’s place was always on the right-hand side of her husband. She would be under the Don’s silent scrutiny and it would make her feel horrible!The Don’s sharp grey eyes, which reminded Bianca of glaciers, had been following the
St. Just was being shifted to a private room, the most luxurious, on O’Grady’s demands that afternoon.He came awake to see Bianca and Liam O’Grady by his bedside, peering at him, anxiety on their faces. Bianca gave a sob and pressed her fist to her mouth as St. Just’s tawny eyes fluttered open and he grinned weakly.“Am I in Heaven?” he growled, his voice hoarse from disuse and as he looked at his half-brother, he added, pretending to groan.“Nah, can’t be. This f*cker would not be there!”O'Grady stepped to him and held his hand in a fierce grip as he growled, an arm around Bianca, who was weeping silently.“As pleasant as ever, eh Saint?”And then he grinned, his handsome face splitting in an expression of joy.St. Just smiled and shut his eyes, drifting back to sleep. This was what Heaven was, he thought with a small smile.*Bianca had been sent off to university, as she was chafing at the bit and wanted to resume her studies. She was also torn between staying at St Just’s bedsi
Bianca’s examination came back with no untoward discoveries. She was fine, the doctor assured them, save for a sprained wrist and a few scratches and cuts to her hands. But apart from the abrasions, she was good to go, as the cheerful doctor declared. Besides, most importantly, the baby was fine. O’Grady sighed in relief and looked at his pet. She was yawning widely and he felt a strange sense of protectiveness towards her. Bianca had been planning to go down to meet her sisters and stepmother, Heather, the next day; she had told them about her pregnancy and Heather had at first been a little perplexed and not so happy.But later, mainly due to the influence of her daughters who thought that Bianca was the coolest person on earth, she had come round. Besides, there was also, as Bianca declared archly, the way Bet and Anna tended to regard O’Grady. In their teenage gaze, he was like a superhero who might just sprout wings and fly out the window, Bianca said drily. The adulation was h
Proserpina looked across at the doorway, sighing. She was in the enormous nursery at her mansion, beside Piers’ two sons, one on her lap, cuddling her, his thumb in his mouth, the other, Luc, already asleep. Her own sons, Gabrielle and Alexander, were giggling as they made funny sounds, mimicking the characters in the book she had been reading to them.Tara’s babies were also asleep, as was Claude’s little girl. Ria’s little one was also sleeping peacefully.Camille said with a huge grin, “Full house, tonight,” before she headed downstairs to bed. Proserpina had been worried when Hila had come to her to ask her to keep her sons here. “Where they will be safe,” she had said.That had been after Piers had gently informed his mother that Hila was leaving to scout for the person who was behind the deaths of so many of the Mafia Don’ associates. Placing his hands on his mother’s shoulders, Piers had looked at her tenderly and said,“We’ll all be safe, Mumma. And don’t fret.”The air seeme
Jana Rudenko looked around herself. She had landed in the United States under the guise of a woman who was part of a group tour, complete with falsified documents and a fake passport. She even had a fake husband along for company, a man who had once been a killer but now served her as her bodyguard.The fictional Mrs Liga Edgars, for that, was the identity she had taken for herself, also had a story to back her up. She had been a dour-faced widow who had been coerced to go on the trip by her children, with her newlywed second husband. But Jana had stepped in and stolen the real Mrs Edgar’s identity after having gotten rid of the real lady in question. Mrs Liga Edgar had been of Belgian ancestry, as her passport said, Now the false Mrs Edgar looked around as she accompanied the other eager tourists who were heading to the terminal.She hung back and her fictional husband, the good Mr. Edgars, slowed down too.“Stay with me,” she commanded in a low voice and he nodded. They joined t
Bianca was beside the window overlooking St Just’s bed, her eyes intently fixed on his as his lids fluttered. She looked around to her other lover, Liam O’Grady who stood behind her, hands in his pocket, his jacket open as he studied his brother’s pale face.They were on the other side of the thick glass pane.“He’s…getting better, isn’t he O’Grady?” she asked tremulously and he smiled tiredly. Now that his brother was in hospital, O’Grady spent most of his time shuttling between the casinos, the loan offices on High Street and the hospital. He looked forward to seeing Bianca at the end of the day, to fold his arms around her and be enveloped in her embrace, her lips on his.But this evening, the doctor had looked a little tense when he came to the hospital.“He’s contracted an infection,” the doctor had said grimly and went on,” We need to shift him.”And at Bianca’s alarmed look, he added kindly,“To the ICU, young lady.”Bianca had slumped down on the seat, close to tears and O’Gra
Many years agoFather Pavel Rudenko looked at his sister who was weeping wretchedly. The brothers had gone to meet their newly widowed sister. As a man of the cloth, the Monk had accompanied Dmitri Rudenko. “Take my son, take this monster, my brother,” she had begged with hands clasped before her, as she wept,“I cannot handle him anymore…”Her husband had been an abusive man; the boy was following in his footsteps, a cold-hearted brute who was terrorising his mother and sister.The Monk had stood silently and looked at his nephew, the son of his only sister, a half-sister, but still, his blood. Dmitri Rudenko had walked to him, gripping his chin firmly and he studied the teenager.“Duska?” he had queried and the boy had looked at the sinister-looking man, slim as a reed, with his menacing eyes.“Yes, uncle,” he had said, a feeling of exhilaration arising in him.That was how he had been left in the care of Dmitri Rudenko, the man who was regarded as a dangerous warlord, a gun-runne
Danielle, thought Proserpina as she sat in the large limo gliding over the streets silently, covering the distance as soon as possible. The woman who had seen her from the time she was the young, naïve, innocent mistress of Lucien Delano; the one who had become the bulwark of her life at a time when Proserpina was torn between leaving the Mafia Don for good…Proserpina had been with her Mafia Don when the call from Louis had come. The Don’s demeanour had altered in a flash.He had pulled her into his arms and growled,‘I have to leave, Woman. Danielle…” Breaking off, he had been scowling as he turned to make a call to Schwartz on the intercom, for James Schwartz had a set of rooms, a suite of his own, in the Delano mansion.But Proserpina’s small hand on his arm arrested him.In a firm voice, she said,“I’m coming too.” He swung around to slam her, to insist she stay home. But the determined look on his little Woman’s face made him stop. His Proserpina had grown, and how!She had be
Perhaps, the relief of knowing that St Just was out of surgery, and more importantly, that he was not going to leave them, added to their excitement.They made it to the bed for O’Grady was adamant, scooping her up in his arms and wrapping her in a towel as he carried her to the bed.“My child will not be manhandled, I refuse to f*ck his mother in the shower cubicle,” he grunted as he laid her down on the bed carefully.Bianca pouted crossly, reaching up to grab his head, and kissing him frantically.O’Grady chuckled as he knelt over her, his powerful arms supporting him as he looked down at her eager, flushed face.“You’re demanding, little Pet,” he teased,” Ask your Master nicely and we’ll see what you get.”She arched her back in response and he inhaled the smell of her arousal, his hard staff, stiff with desire, leaking profusely onto her thighs now.“Ah, Sweet Jaysus,” he groaned and lowered his head, kissing her fiercely, their tongues engaged in a combat that was as old as time
The surgeon stepped out, his face grey and looking exhausted. Six hours had elapsed. He stood and looked at the sea of anxious faces, Bianca in her lover’s arms, clutching him tightly, almost afraid to breathe.The surgeon smiled tiredly.“ It went off well. St Just’s out of surgery.”Disregarding the look of horror on his face, O’Grady strode over and enfolded the man in a bear hug.Bianca was sobbing in relief, her arms around Rani and Serena as she wept in abandon.They helped her to sit down, and she held her face in her hands, saying over and over again,‘Thank you, God, thank you…!”Rani knelt down on the ground before her and said in her heavily accented sweet voice,‘Here, drink this, drink some water, Bianca.”Serena was on the seat beside her, holding her shoulders.The Delano boys, Claude, Louis and Dom were beside the overwhelmed-looking doctor.‘He’ll still need rest, a lot of rest,” warned the surgeon before he managed to walk away.O’Grady’s eyes were shining with tears