FaustGlass full of whiskey in hand, I stood in the dark at my office window and looked out into the night. With the lights off, the stars over the vineyard would be radiant, but I didn't even notice. Fury still burned bright in my chest, a ball of frustration that tightened with every breath I took.Giulio was supposed to be my heir, the future of my empire. Men looked to him for leadership, an example of our strength and tradition. He needed to instill fear and respect. Instead, he was getting high and stalking his ex-boyfriend. God damn, if anyone finds out...I rubbed my eyes. What did he want, to be the first openly gay leader of the 'Ndrangheta? This was a death sentence. He would never make it to capo and everything I had sacrificed, everything I had done would be in vain. Did he not care about this family or his own life? What did I build for?There was only one solution to this problem, but my son would hate me forever. There was no going back once I asked.But I knew I would
FrancescaI didn't have time to wonder if this was a mistake or not.I had used the red set as insurance, just in case I needed to go out with the lace-covered girls and seduce him so as not to hurt Giulio or Paulo. In my head, I thought Faust would take one look at me, agree to any demand I made, then whip me into a frenzy.I should have known better.The soft exhalations from his mouth teased my skin, and my clit throbbed with each beat of my heart. There was no way he hadn't noticed how wet I was at the moment. I needed your mouth on me. I craved the feel of his lips and tongue, the scrape of his teeth, the way he sucked and licked me like he was hungry for me...I hadn't missed the huge erection in his pants, though. He wanted this as much as I did.Reaching down, I threaded my fingers into his silky hair, needing to touch him. God, this man. He turned me on like no one else in the whole world.He grabbed my wrist and pulled my hand away from him. “Put your hands behind your head,
FrancescaA full bladder woke me up in the middle of the night. After I used the bathroom, I noticed that Fausto's side of the bed was perfectly made. Was he still awake or had he slept somewhere else?I did not care. I didn't need his warmth beside me to sleep. Or the affectionate way he enveloped me in the morning.Plus, I was still irritated with him. So what if he hadn't talked dirty or kissed me? Wait, that wasn't right. He had been talking dirty at first, until...I took a deep breath. That was it. He had been his normal, controlling, foul-mouthed self until the moment he asked who I belonged to. When I didn't respond, that's when everything changed.What an idiot.My chest burned as I looked at the bed. He had a lot of nerve to be upset with me - with me! - for not saying that I belonged to him. What, did he think his magic dick made all my anger and hurt disappear?Filled with fury, I grabbed my silk robe and left the room. I checked the guest rooms in our wing, but they were
FaustThe morning brought clarity to my issues with Francesca, much like the daylight that broke over my vineyards at dawn. As I sipped my espresso and watched the workers arrive for la vendemia , I thought about my family. For so long it was Giulio, Zia and me. Yes, there were cousins, but my son and my aunt were the two people who mattered most to me. I would happily take a bullet for any of them at any time.Now Francesca mattered to me too. Regardless of how it all started, she and this child were part of my family. I fought a war to get her out of Enzo's clutches and I would die before releasing her again.It's past time to prove it to her.But first things first. Picking up my phone, I texted my son that I would expect him in my office in the next ten minutes. Marco arrived when I pressed send. “Sit down,” I told him. — Emilia sent a message this morning and said she needed to talk as soon as possible. I asked him to discreetly start looking for money that could link one of my m
FrancescaWhen I went down to breakfast, I was surprised to find Giulio already at the table. I assumed he would still be asleep, considering last night.“Buongiorno,” I said, walking over to the espresso machine and finding my supply of decaf. - How are you feeling?- Good.I picked up my espresso and turned to face him. — You were high as fuck last night.— It wasn't a big deal. I smoked too much in the car. — His gaze met mine and the sadness that lurked there made me stop for a moment. What had happened?He said calmly: — Thank you for convincing him to send Paulo away instead of...“Of course,” I said immediately, my eyebrows raising in surprise. Did Fausto tell Giulio this? — I protect you, G. Always.There was nothing more to say, no other kind words to ease her heart. So I focused on my espresso and sat next to him, waiting.Finally, he rubbed his reddened eyes. — I don't know if I can do that. I'm so tired of lying and pretending, of hurting. And it will only get worse. He's
For the next three days I dragged my tired ass to the vineyards to help with the harvest. It felt good to be outside, working the land again. Emilia didn't come back — she was doing something for Fausto at work — but once I convinced Giulio to come with me. He spent most of his time complaining about how the dirt and grapes would ruin his new custom sneakers.I didn't care about time alone. I had a big decision hanging over my head, but the choice was basically made the moment I decided to keep the baby.Still, I couldn't put the ring on.Fausto didn't insist. Nor did he try to have sex with me again. In fact, I was back in his bed, except he was never there. The only time I saw him was at dinner with Zia and Giulio. I hated to admit it, but I missed him. Yes, I asked for space, but I didn't expect him to actually give it to me. Fausto liked to do what he wanted and he also liked to push my buttons. I wasn't used to this patient side of him.You belong to Me. And if you agree with tha
FaustFrancesca shined at dinner. I had rarely seen her so excited, so happy, and I liked seeing her like that. As we ate, she entertained us with stories of growing up, as well as her adventures so far in Italy – clean, of course. Her sisters didn't know about the kidnapping, and I wondered if she would tell them what happened.“The gelato in Rome was the best I've ever had,” she said.“You've certainly tasted enough,” my son said with a smile, which made Francesca pick up a bagel and pretend to throw it at him.Zia playfully scolded them in Italian, which made everyone laugh.I stayed quiet, watching. The dining room was lively and full, something I hadn't experienced in a long time. It was nice. If I had a big family like Marco's, every dinner would be chaos like this.My eyes turned to Francesca, sitting to my right. She was going to have my son next spring, and I couldn't wait. I wanted as many children as she agreed. An only child, I hadn't planned on Giulio being alone, so I wa
Francesca“Wait a minute,” Gia said, shaking her head as if clearing it. —You were kidnapped at gunpoint, held for a week in Naples, before Fausto showed up like an action hero and saved you?“Yes,” I said. - Is this right.— The fuck, Frankie? she shouted. — Why didn't you tell us?We were in my old room, which is where Emma was sleeping, with Gia across the hall. I decided, after the comment about Naples during dinner, to tell the truth about Enzo and the kidnapping. — I didn't want you to worry.— Why did this other mafia don kidnap you? — Emma asked, always practical and sensible.— He was trying to blackmail Fausto. I'm not sure what, but it looked like a slice of drug trafficking.— Does Fausto deal drugs?This couldn't come as a surprise to any of my sisters. — It matters, other people negotiate. Like our father.—Are you kidding me? asked Gia. — I thought Papà only ran casinos and bank robberies.“And drugs,” I added. — He lost some product and owed Fausto a lot of money, and