My breath starts to come fast as we walk up the stone steps to the mafia mansion. And not because I’m winded – I’m pretty fit, actually, what with all of the dancing. But the tension that builds in me – god, who the hell lives in a place like this? What control of wealth do they have, to be able
I step forward, not saying anything else to her, and Giana turns to watch me go. To my surprise, though, before we can make it very far down the hall two kids come streaking out of a door, their clothes unkept and their attitudes worse. “Mooooom!” the little girl screeches, and I turn to watch her
I come to a stop before him, tucking my hands behind my back, standing about a food behind Christian, who doesn’t look back at me. “She hasn’t given you an ounce of trouble, dad,” Christian sighs, pressing the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “Honestly, this whole thing is ridi
“Well!?” he shouts, making me jump. And, unraveled as I am by the sheer power and terror of this man, I fall back on what Christian told me to say: the truth. “Um,” I say, glancing at Christian again and then giving a hesitant little shrug. “I guess he just…likes me.” Don Romano studies me for
“Steven,” I whisper, my hand immediately going to my mouth. Because even though his head is covered in some kind of potato sack, I know that’s him being hauled in with his hands tied behind his back, stumbling over the shoes I bought him for Christmas. Christian is instantly in action, stepping in
“Then why,” Don Romano says, stepping away from Steven and towards me. “Are you crying?” Am I? I take new note of myself and realize that there are tears on my cheeks. I start to tremble as Romano comes close, lifting his broad and dangerous hand to slowly wipe the tears from my cheeks. I shake
I give credit to my stripper name and go very, very still as I stare at the Don of the Romano family like a little baby deer in the headlights. Slowly, the Don’s face stretches into a wicked smile, and I see that he likes my fear – likes his women, perhaps, knock-kneed and trembling. Something abo
But I hold the questions back, because I can see the tension in Christian’s shoulders, see the stern set of his jaw. I’m not getting anything out of him today – nothing real, at least. Instead, I just reach across the car and put a hand on his knee, putting my own anger and fear aside and wanting
A small smile creeps on Leo’s lips. “Yeah, okay,” he says, relaxing back against our chair. “Our secret.” I grin at my baby, leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek, because my boy can’t resist a secret.“What’s all this?”I turn to see Christian standing at the open door, peering into the dining
The danger. It’s…it’s far too poignant.My heart breaking, I open a private browsing tab on the web browser and quickly search for Craigslist in both this city and Athens, Greece. As I do my memory goes back to a conversation I had with Frankie, when he told me that this is the best way he knows for
I stand frozen, staring down at the letter as it sits on the little hall desk, my breath coming in fluttery little gasps.The words are very simple.There are vineyards in Greece as well. I’ll take you there.I read it again and again as my heart pounds in my chest, each beat echoing with a mix of h
“You don’t know anything about my life,” I whisper, my voice barely audible, turning my eyes back down to the dishes. “I had no choice.”“You think you’re the only one who suffered?” Lucy whispers. “You think I wanted to be in this position? We were friends once, Iris. We were good to each other. Bu
“Mommyyyy,” Leo says, looking anxiously towards the kitchen door, shifting from foot to floor. “Hurry up! Aunt Bianca says we have to go!”I laugh, glancing down at my little boy, who looks so adorable in the private school uniform he wears to Kindergarten – crisp white shirt, navy blazer, his dark
But…was it? Was it me, missing Chris? Wanting to have yet another piece of him, even if I long denied wanting any ties to my past life?I look down, my heart heavy, not truly understanding what I think or what I feel.“I mean it, Iris,” Chris says, his voice steady and cool. “I’ll be a father to her
My heart sinks as I look Christian in the eyes – because beyond all hope, I had been praying that he hadn’t noticed that Leo is his son. But how could I have been so naïve? Leo looks just like him - dark hair, striking grey-blue eyes. The resemblance is unmistakable. I feel a wave of guilt crashing
“Yes,” he answers, a growl in his voice. “That should suit just fine.”I laugh at the irony in this and shake my head, looking away. “So now you want me to come back, to pretend as if nothing ever happened? You expect me to just accept this, the way things are now?”Christian opens his mouth to resp
Disappointment floods my chest, a sense of disbelief washing over me. “You think I would trust you again after everything? After how you treated me? You expect me to just come back and forget?”His eyes narrow, disappointment etched into his features. “You were faithless. I thought you’d be loyal. I