He wasn’t sure why he was so angry but as he, for the hundredth time today, looked at the text message from Delfina Poletti, he was ready to strangle her.His PA entered the room, “sir, the dress was delivered as instructed and Ms. Poletti signed for the delivery. The car is downstairs. It will take roughly ninety-five minutes with the current traffic to reach her. You’ll need to leave now if you intend to pick her up personally.”“My mother and sister?”“Are at the hotel spa getting pampered ahead of the dinner. Reservations are made at the rooftop restaurant of their hotel in a private room for seven-fifteen. It should allow you, barring any delays from Ms. Poletti’s end, to arrive in time.”“Thank you, Trish. You can go.”She seemed frozen. “Sir?”“Take the night off.”“You do not want me to accompany you in the car? You mentioned earlier you wanted to review the case files.”“I am giving you a rare Friday evening off Trish. Are you truly going to argue with me?”“No sir.” She was
“It’s a hell of a dress,” Caprice said for the tenth time as she reclined on the bed in Delfina’s room watching her pace in circles. “How did he know your size? I mean it’s like the thing was tailored to you.”“My guess is Ercole has my measurements in a file somewhere though I’ve gained weight so maybe not.”“You have gained some weight but not tons of it.”“I’ve gained close to twenty pounds. I’ve been taste testing every dessert which comes out of the ovens and Mom’s been keeping me filled up on homemade pastas and meatloaves.”“What did you eat at Ercole’s house?”“His chef would have made me whatever I wanted but most of the time I wasn’t hungry. There were days I barely ate a single meal though the chef would tattle and then Ercole would personally sit and watch me clean my plate.”The sound of the doorbell downstairs made them both exchange horrified looks.“He’s early!”“He wouldn’t come to the door?”They spoke over each other and then they were both racing down the stairs, D
Delfina tried not to bristle at his words. “Rules?”“Yes. Rules. You are meeting my mother. The matriarch of the Matrone family and as such she is to be afforded all the respect in the world. You will treat her reverently.”“Of course,” she swallowed nervously.“My sister will also be in attendance. She is currently feeling a bit vulnerable, and you will be mindful of it. She is nine years younger than I am and her husband is a bit of a dirtbag.”“You have the audacity to say such things about another man?” the words were out before she could stop them, and she rounded her eyes apologetically. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”He barely reacted to her comment, “while I am many things, Delfina, the one thing I would never do is cheat on my wife. My sister and I were supporting my mother while her greatest love was being placed in a casket. My sister’s husband was late to the funeral home because he was fucking one of his three mistresses. He showed up late with lipstick on his collar. His mi
“Let me ask you this. You told the family recently you knew three things about Ercole. What was the first?”“He hates liars.”“Do you think he lied to me? His son? The child of a woman he once loved so much he begged his best friend to do right by her on his behalf?”“Regardless, what the hell do you expect me to do with this information now? I hated him. I mean, I really hated him, Furio. Do you know what it does to a woman’s psyche to be mentally and emotionally berated and abused day in and day out and still be expected to come on command for him?”“You talk about the sex with him a lot.”“Because it’s all he did!” she fought to keep from screaming in the car. “I don’t think any of you get it. He knew,” her voice broke.“He knew what?”“He knew how to make me orgasm and he knew how to make my body respond. I would want to drive a steak knife into his jugular, and he would laugh at me because he knew within minutes, he could make my panties wet. There were days I thought about kill
“Is it any of your business?” She prayed she sounded braver than she felt.“Yes.”From his tone she knew it was a rare occasion anyone argued with him, and she took a perverse sense of pleasure to be one of the few. Even if he killed her now, it was on her own terms. Despite being afraid of this man, despite wanting very much to live and be a normal functional part of society, she owed him nothing. His anger with her over the termination of her pregnancy was unjustified because it wasn’t any of his business and she was only there because she was scared of him. However, this time, it wasn’t her father or cousin who would bare the brunt of the anger of this mafia family. No, this time, it was her and she knew it wasn’t one of their heads on a platter if she didn’t do as they commanded.She folded her arms defiantly over her chest, “no it’s not. I didn’t break my NDA. I have no intention of breaking my NDA. He came to ask me why I didn’t try harder to escape. He well and truly thinks I s
Was this what it felt like to have consensual sex? He wasn’t a stranger, not really, since she’d known him for three years and he’d been a witness to her marriage. Yet, she didn’t know anything about this man other than he could kiss like it was nobody’s business and she desperately wanted him.His lips pushed and pulled, his nose brushing hers as his plush lower lip was the softest punishment she ever endured, and it was excruciatingly erotic. She shouldn’t want him but the wide shoulders and thick chest and the strong arms lifting her clear off the bench seat to straddle him on his lap had her feeling all kinds of wanton.Before Ercole she’d never engaged in casual sex. She’d been as devoutly religious and staunch in her beliefs as her parents and felt strongly premarital sex wasn’t for her. Now though, this man kissing her hungrily his hands cupping her ass as her dress hiked high on her hips, all she wanted was a release. Since the death of the bastard months ago working through h
She exited the hotel main floor bathroom to find Furio pacing angrily.“What the hell took so long?”“I was trying to get cleaned up as best I could and fix my hair. You turned it into a rat’s nest. Do you really want your mother to know we were having sex in the car? This will not ease her guilt.”“Oh, shut up,” he bit out furiously as he dragged her through the lobby towards the elevators. “No fucking wonder he kept his dick in your mouth all the time. The crap which comes out of it is never ending.”“Fuck you,” she hissed under her breath as the elevator doors opened.He slammed her up against the wall, “what did you say?”“I said fuck you. You don’t get to take my trauma and the abuse I went through and blame me for it. So. Fuck. You.” She didn’t look away from him as her eyes blazed with rage. “If you want me to stop talking, all you have to do is say so. Blaming me for his assaults is not cool.”He wrapped his hand around her neck and squeezed cutting off her air supply. “You ne
“So, tell me all about yourself, Delfina. What was it which made you decide Ercole was the one? He said it took you a bit of time to warm up to him, but he’d known immediately you were the only one for him. He spoke all the time of how beautiful you are and how in moments he saw how pure your heart was.”She wanted to turn an accusing glare at Furio because this was not even remotely close to the truth as he took his seat opposite her at the dinner table. Instead, she gave a tight smile and smiled at Fiamme, “it’s all a blur really. He stormed into my life in only the way Ercole could and took it over. I barely had time to react to the whirlwind he was and suddenly we were married.”“How did you meet?”“We met through my cousin actually,” from her peripheral vision she noted Furio’s hand tightening on the table. Internally she smirked. “My parents own an Italian American restaurant, and my cousin Nek mentioned it in passing to Ercole. One night he came in and his presence took up the
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