After saying goodbye to her family and avoiding her mother’s whispered requests for her to reconsider remarrying, Delfina was happy to slide into the back of the vehicle waiting for her.Furio slipped in beside her and leaned his head against the headrest. Intertwining his fingers with hers on the leather bench, he closed his eyes and exhaled.“You look exhausted,” she whispered to him.“It has been a long day. I am effectively running two businesses completely now. With Dad gone, many of the decisions he was still weighing in on are now solely on my shoulders. Valente helps of course as my consigliere, but I am now entirely responsible for two separate billion-dollar enterprises, and it seems lately each of them are pulling me in opposite directions.”“Do you regret taking over Ercole’s business?”“Not in the least. Despite him being a massive prick to you, which I admit taints my affection for him significantly, he was my father, and he loved me unconditionally. There wasn’t a day w
One Year LaterDelfina woke to find fingers searching her body, a hard cock pressed against her ass and warm lips on her shoulder.“This better be my man in my bed otherwise someone is really going to get a smackdown when he gets back from Italy.” She mumbled sleepily.Furio’s warm laugh coated her skin as he pursed his lips against her skin while pushing the spaghetti straps of her short night dress down. “Hi kitten. Miss me?” His lips followed the strap down her bicep over the curve of her belly where her arm rested.“Yes.” She didn’t even bother to lie. “I thought I was dreaming of you, but I think,” she lifted her leg up and backwards over him, “my panties have been removed while I was dreaming and I’m decidedly wet. I wonder how this happened?”“Well,” he nudged her entrance, his cock sliding home in a slow movement as he snaked an arm under her body pulling her flush with him. His hand teased her nipples after pushing down the dress while his other hand gripped her hip in place.
Delfina Poletti was terrified.There was nothing in her Catholic upbringing, neither anything the nuns who taught at her local school nor anything her parents shared at home, could have done to prepare her for the situation unfolding in front of her.Since the night, her cousin Nek came home to break the news he’d stolen bank statements, forged documents, then lost Delfina’s parent’s restaurant in a high-stakes poker game, her world was turned upside down on its head. Not only did he lie and steal from his family, but he used his mediocre forgery skills to inflate the value of the restaurant upwards of a million dollars. He then apparently led the people at the poker table to believe it was a Michelin-rated restaurant where people from all over New York state came to eat. The truth was it was worth a hundred thousand dollars, if that, and the only people driving all over the state were the truckers who ate there.Nek thought it was a sure thing when his poker hand of four of a kind, a
“And to my eldest grandson, Ruggero Orfeo Rapallino, I leave you my house, all of it’s contents, my collection of automobiles and five hundred million dollars.”Ruggero heard his sister grumble from beside him as their grandfather, Ercole Muraro’s, will was read. The dead man was an old school misogynist but leaving his two sisters Ernestina and Perla each fifty thousand dollars when he possessed a billion-dollar estate was a slap in the face to the women. In their shoes he’d be pissed off as well.His mother, the daughter of the crotchety old bastard who was now deceased, was bequeathed jewelry from a safe deposit box resting on his desk. It was even more insulting than the measly lump-sum his sisters received because the jewelry belonged to Ruggero’s grandmother. It meant his grandfather wasn’t leaving his only child, his daughter, anything of his own estate but rather simply passing on the jewels he’d guarded once his first wife passed away. Ruggero’s father was also to receive no
“Order up!”Delfina grabbed the plates on the metal warming shelf and layered them along her forearm and then turned to take the food to the group of people waiting at the table. It was a busy morning, and she was grateful of the pace.Setting the plates in front of her customers, she smiled, “is there anything else I can get for you?”“No ma’am, this looks wonderful.” One of the three truckers beamed at her.The one sitting in the booth across his two friends looked her over, “unless you want to give me your number. My truck has a cot.”“As tempting as the offer is,” she continued smiling despite the revulsion curling down her spine because she could smell the man as much as she could see him, “my partner is not the sharing kind.” She gave a nod and walked away cursing once again how close the family restaurant was to the truck stop up the road.She lied through her teeth to get away from the men. She had no partner. The man she’d lived with for the last three years suffered a massiv
“Abortion is a sin, Delfina,” her mother whispered quietly while clutching her rosary around her neck.Her words made Delfina want to punch the table until it cracked open.Caprice, the woman who once treated Delfina like the dirt beneath her shoes but now considered her a sister after saving her only sibling’s life, shot her aunt Tiziana a sideways glare.“I cannot have this child, mother.”“Aunt Tizi you cannot expect her to give birth to a baby borne out of rape.” Caprice was vehement as her aunt made the sign of the cross on her chest and prayed loudly for guidance from above.“She willingly went to his bed,” her father said with a sad expression tugging his lips downward.Delfina stared at her parents knowing they were deeply religious and while they loved her and wanted desperately to give her the best in life, they were devout in their faith. In the eyes of the church an abortion was murder.Delfina felt pretty strongly otherwise, and she pushed from the table as her cousin and
Delfina considered she might be being punished for wishing death on another human being. Holding lasagne platters for table six in her arms, the sight of the people at table eight almost had her dropping the dishes onto the floor.Her previous thoughts about not finding orgasms in her parent’s restaurants came back to mock her.Ruggero Rapallino was a drop-dead gorgeous specimen of a man and as he leaned back with his arms outstretched over the back of the largest booth behind his sister and mother’s shoulders he exuded power. She knew from Ercole he was wealthy in his own right from investing his trust funds he received when he’d turned twenty-one and making a big name for himself on Wall Street. Every function they’d ever attended where he was present, Ruggero always escorted a different woman on his arm, but she knew the way he doted on his mother and sisters, he was the consummate gentleman. Ercole called him the most handsome pussy on the planet and said more than once despite Ru
She met her mother’s concerned gaze as the woman stirred her pasta sauce in a giant pot which had been in the restaurant since it opened twenty-five years ago. Some things tasted better when steeped deep in tradition.A wicked thought of Ruggero’s eyes on her made Delfia wonder if he would follow tradition and be as sick bastard as his grandfather in the sack. A tiny part of her wanted to know. She evaded her mother’s glance as she wondered if he would have the stamina of his older and uglier grandfather. What the hell was wrong with her?“Are they giving you a hard time?”“I’m fine, Mom.”“You’re flushed.”Because I’m suddenly thinking of Ruggero Rapallino being more rugged than his grandfather. “I can handle it.”“You’re pregnant, Delfina. Do not overdo it.”“Mom, if I thought overdoing it would deal with my situation, I’d be working double shifts from sunup to sundown while carrying heavy items everywhere I went.”“You do not want to lose this child. I know you.”“You don’t know an
One Year LaterDelfina woke to find fingers searching her body, a hard cock pressed against her ass and warm lips on her shoulder.“This better be my man in my bed otherwise someone is really going to get a smackdown when he gets back from Italy.” She mumbled sleepily.Furio’s warm laugh coated her skin as he pursed his lips against her skin while pushing the spaghetti straps of her short night dress down. “Hi kitten. Miss me?” His lips followed the strap down her bicep over the curve of her belly where her arm rested.“Yes.” She didn’t even bother to lie. “I thought I was dreaming of you, but I think,” she lifted her leg up and backwards over him, “my panties have been removed while I was dreaming and I’m decidedly wet. I wonder how this happened?”“Well,” he nudged her entrance, his cock sliding home in a slow movement as he snaked an arm under her body pulling her flush with him. His hand teased her nipples after pushing down the dress while his other hand gripped her hip in place.
After saying goodbye to her family and avoiding her mother’s whispered requests for her to reconsider remarrying, Delfina was happy to slide into the back of the vehicle waiting for her.Furio slipped in beside her and leaned his head against the headrest. Intertwining his fingers with hers on the leather bench, he closed his eyes and exhaled.“You look exhausted,” she whispered to him.“It has been a long day. I am effectively running two businesses completely now. With Dad gone, many of the decisions he was still weighing in on are now solely on my shoulders. Valente helps of course as my consigliere, but I am now entirely responsible for two separate billion-dollar enterprises, and it seems lately each of them are pulling me in opposite directions.”“Do you regret taking over Ercole’s business?”“Not in the least. Despite him being a massive prick to you, which I admit taints my affection for him significantly, he was my father, and he loved me unconditionally. There wasn’t a day w
Delfina was stunned to see Caprice and Nek both in the ballroom as well as her parents when she exited the back room with Furio. They were standing in elegant clothing with Fiamme, Carma, Valente and a younger version of Carma Delfina knew was Carma’s daughter.“Why are they here?”“We’re making a statement.” He shrugged. “They are now my family. Fuck with them, any of them, and I and the entire Matrone organization will come for you. Your father is quite excited by the way for the new designs of the restaurant.” He whispered in her ear, “somehow the restaurant was insured for two million dollars so he’s getting you and your mother your dream kitchens.”She looked up to him in surprise, her lips curling when she knew damn well the restaurant wasn’t insured so much for fire damage, “our dream kitchen?”“Yes. Your mother is struggling with the notion of you living apart from her. How would you feel to continue to work in the newly refurbished family restaurant but in a house of our own?
They followed at a discrete distance as Ambra was escorted from the ballroom through a back entrance. Delfina was trying not to laugh as the other woman kept shooting wide-eyed glances over her shoulder trying to figure out how Delfina knew Furio.“Should I let Carma know where we’re going?”“Valente is with her. I’m sure in about ten minutes he’ll have her in a coat closet somewhere.”She giggled at his words and her laugh carried to Ambra who looked back even more alarmed.“Do you really think she’s not pretty?” Delfina asked Furio about his earlier comment.“Look at her. One of her eyes is bigger than the other just a fraction and her nose is slightly off center. Plastic surgery can’t fix the placement of her nose, despite her having it straightened when she was a teenager. It’s to the left and each time I look at her face I can’t help but wonder if her mother fell on her stomach when pregnant and it altered her features like a Picasso.”She wrinkled her nose, “that was very in-dep
Delfina stared at the man approaching. Her eyes raking him from head to toe and back again. Decked out in a tuxedo which hugged every ridge and muscle of his body, a body which after the past six days she was incredibly familiar with. His thick black hair was twisted in a bun at the back of his head, and it was shiny and glossy, and she fought the urge to tug it from its restraints and wind it around her fists and shove him to his knees and under her dress. His raised eyebrows told her he was reading her thoughts, and she cleared her throat.Carma was at her side before they were, and she mumbled about Furio arriving too soon and being a buzzkill. She snickered at Carma’s words.“Furio. You made it.”“I’m sorry I am late to the party,” he looked at her as if she were the only one in the room.“You came to steal Delfina from me,” Carma snorted and even stomped her foot. “Don’t think I don’t see through you, big brother.”He bent down and kissed Carma’s cheek and then Delfina’s. “You bo
“Oh no, not this bitch.” Carma murmured in her ear. “I’ve been playing nice, but I can’t keep up my act much longer.”She giggled Carma’s words as she noted security was indeed trying to get her attention to warn her. “It’s okay. I told Furio I wanted her to be allowed to come.”“I know but I really hate her.”“Ditto. I kind of want to tire her up in a chair and set it on fire.” She snickered in a whisper at Carma’s excited clap, “wait for it, wait for it.”“Ruggero, you’re here.” Her eyes met Delfina’s, and her face paled drastically.“Hi Ambra.” She gave a little wiggle of her fingers.“Delfina, what are you doing here?” she cleared her throat nervously. “I didn’t know you were coming tonight.”“Why wouldn’t I be here?”“I mean,” she fidgeted as Delfina and Carma, both stared her down. “I mean, you wouldn’t normally come to such things, would you? Ruggero said he wasn’t bringing a date. You’re only a pastry chef who works in your parents’ restaurant. This is a touch more extravagant
“Delfina,” he stared at her. “You look amazing.”“Thanks.” She looked around wishing she could escape the discomfort she was feeling. Flicking a gaze to the cameras she wished Furio was still watching. She was feeling decidedly outnumbered as the three siblings gathered round her. Carma was still at the bar, chatting with two very handsome men. The woman was really embracing her newly widowed status, despite Valente’s order she was now his. She finally met the gaze of one of her guards and they immediately moved closer to her.“I tried to call you,” he said cutting into her thoughts.She turned and gave him an annoyed glance, “I’m aware.”“Can we talk?”“Ruggero,” Ernestina looked at him curiously. “What’s going on?”He ignored his sister, “Delfina, please. I know I owe you an apology.”“I needed your help, and you hung up on me.”“I was upset. When you said you were coming here –”“Oh, I’m not even angry at the fact when I called you to ask if you could get me home when I was stuck i
Delfina and Carma entered the gala with their arms hooked through the elbows, giggling over the fact they drank a full bottle of champagne in the limo which dropped them at the end of the red carpet they’d just walked.On the red carpet when a reporter called out Carma’s name and asked her who her companion was, Carma drunkenly held up Delfina’s hand in hers and proclaimed, “my brother’s lover. I’ve stolen her and now she’s mine!”They’d both cackled with glee as the camera flashes went off like mad and then entered the venue hanging off each other.“Furio is going to lose his shit,” Carma snorted at her.“He’s too busy trying to catch up on his work after babysitting my ass all week.”“I still can’t believe he gave you breakfast in bed four days in a row.”“He said your dad used to give your mom breakfast in bed every morning.”“Right up until he got sick. It was how we knew he was really sick,” Carma said her smile fading. “Fifty years of marriage and other than the last three month
Delfina snuggled into the firm chest under her cheek and slowly woke from the best dreams of her life. Long fingers were playing with her hair, trailing it over her shoulder and then lifting it back up.“Good morning,” she whispered as she lifted her head to meet Furio’s eyes.“Good morning.”“What are you thinking about with such a serious expression, so early in the morning?” she could tell from months of early mornings it was close to her normal waking hours. It couldn’t be four-thirty yet, she was certain of it. The bright light from an unlocked phone on the nightstand the only source of light in the room told her she wasn’t the only one wide awake. “Did someone call?”He sighed and tugged her closer, “I have never been so full of regret for not shooting someone in the head as much as I am this morning about not killing Vellucci on Thursday in the dress shop.” He lifted another handful of her hair and watched it flow through his fingers, “my reluctance allowed that bitch to move f