DanteI waited for Chaney inside her dorm building the next morning. She approached me with a smile on her face, wearing her hot damn uniform, and she put her arms around me. I turned her so her back was to the wall and kissed her, slipping my hand beneath the skirt and skimming my fingers across her ass.“Must I see this every morning?” Megan asked.The door beside us opened and Nico walked in.“Your turn,” she told us with a huge grin and threw herself into Nico’s surprised arms and kissed him.He didn’t miss a beat and kissed her back.Chaney and I held hands all the way to the main building. I liked it. I liked having her at my side. We received attention, most due to the challenge the night before. It was Chaney. They weren’t watching me.We hung together until class started and I left her at the door of her first one. Caine entered after her and gave me a look that said he’d watch her. I didn’t need the look. Caine had Chaney’s back and it relieved my mind.At lunch she sat at o
Dante I lifted my hand and caressed her cheek with my thumb. It seemed impossible that with how little time we spent in clothes when together, something as important as virginity was still between us. I didn’t know why the hell I hesitated. “Patience,” I told her. She made an angry sound and stomped her tiny foot. I was saved from tickling that foot by Nico and Megan. “Hey, man,” Nico said and gave me a bro shake, bumping my shoulder. “Women are feeding us homemade Italian food.” He smiled. “I don’t plan to tell my mother.” We all laughed and went to the table and sat down while the girls brought the food in. Megan poured red wine. I liked this but it didn’t take my mind off the call. My father sent me back here for his own reasons and I would probably never know them. What the hell was it about Chaney that made him tell me to stay away from her? My father knew who she was but Chaney also had those answers. I needed them. I cared about her and the feeling wasn’t going away. I re
ChaneyI sat in my room and stared at the wall. Every word Dante said replayed in my mind. I did owe him the truth but Mr. Xavier’s family came first. It killed me that I couldn’t give Dante what he wanted.I had a secret phone. It was only for emergencies. I called Mr. Xavier.“Are you in danger?” he asked immediately when he answered.“No.” Tears clogged my throat. “Could I talk with Madison?” It was horrible but I needed a woman to speak with.“She’s right here. Let me grab Brightly and you can have all the time you need.”“Thank you.”I heard Brightly squeal when her dad took her and I smiled through my tears. I wanted a family like theirs. I wanted something normal and even though I was at a school for Mafia kids, it was the most normal I’d ever had. I also had a sneaking suspicion that I was in love. It had happened in a matter of weeks.“Hello, Chaney, are you okay, honey?”That was all it took. The sobs started. Madison waited me out and I’m sure half of what I said at first m
Dante“What the fuck do you mean, she’s gone?” I demanded.Megan had knocked on the dorm room door before I had my fucking coffee and she was hysterical.“She wouldn’t listen to me. Mr. Xavier came, they packed her stuff, and they left.”“This happened last night and you’re just here now?”It was sinking in. Chaney left. I fucking pushed it with her and she ran. Fuck, fuck, fuck.“Mr. Xavier threatened me. He said I wasn’t to leave the room or use my cell until this morning. I came here sooner than I should have. She wouldn’t listen to anything I said. Nothing.”I stormed into my room, grabbed my uniform, and got dressed. I then stormed to Rochester’s administration office.“Get me in touch with Mr. Xavier,” I demanded to the poor secretary who shouldn’t have had a clue what was going on.“He’s waiting for you in the back office on the right.”The fuck!I marched in, throwing the door open. Mr. Xavier was looking outside the window and slowly turned.“Have a seat, Mr. Laterza.”“I am
DanteMy father leaned back in his chair. I noticed the oxygen tank beside him but he didn’t have the nose piece on. It’s the first time I’d seen him bring anything into his office that made him look weak.I stood and walked around his desk to the tank and lifted the rubber tubing for him. He took it and placed the oxygen over his nose and ears. His hands trembled and I could see the disease taking over. It was hard for him when I witnessed these times but he’d been honest with me during the hours we spent in his room over the summer where I really saw the toll it took on him.He squeezed my hand before I walked around the desk and took the chair again and yes, I squeezed his back.“Her family was powerful but most of that was due to their money. Their wealth far surpassed ours along with most other families.” He coughed. “After Gimonde senior and his son went down, much happened to level the balance of power. As you know, we came out on top in the transaction.”He took a few moments
ChaneyI was not happy but I was at peace. I’d finally decided to take charge of my own destiny. I was sixteen and that was a huge problem.Mr. Xavier smoothed the way once he knew what I needed, or demanded was more like it. His lips twitched after that talk. It was the closest I’d come to a smile when he wasn’t with Madison and Brightly.I had to be emancipated. It required a judge. In less than a week it happened. Financials were turned over to me and I spent another week discovering how rich I was and what all the investments were. It boggled the mind and I didn’t understand half of it. I knew someone who would—no, not Dante, but Caine. He would tear through the info and have a plan in hours not days or weeks.I started looking at real estate. I narrowed my search to California, Colorado, and Oregon. I needed to be as far from the families as possible. I also needed to be safe. I started looking into security and came up empty. I talked to Mr. Xavier on one of his visits. I’d leas
DanteCaine showed up a few days before I left to return to Rochester. He had a look in his eyes that gave me hope.“I have a letter from my father to your father.”He patted his jacket pocket. It was fucking snowing outside and he wore a light coat.“He’s in his office. I told him we would be speaking to him.”“Father, this is Caine Fenella, the reason I’ve survived Rochester this long.”“Mr. Laterza,” Caine said formally. “I have a letter from my father I’m to give to you.”He placed the envelope on the desk. My father took it and opened it. He didn’t read long.“Your word is your father’s. What do you bring to the table?”“Security for your son.”The fuck!“My family will give their loyalty to Dante when it is time. We will move here, all of us, including my sisters. We are not wealthy, but we come with connections that will be helpful after Dante marries Chaney.”My father stared him in the eyes and asked one question that shocked the shit out of me.“Is your family as insane as y
DanteCaine, shook up, which almost dragged a smile out of me, deleted his first. I thought of Chaney and her record. It would have been fun to do this together. There were calls with my father in the record. It was sad to lose them but I knew why he sent me here. I knew why he was proud of me. I hit delete.Graduation was bittersweet without my father. Caine’s family came and cheered me as their own. They would have rooms inside the house along with Caine and his sisters whom I met for the first time. Rosa, the older of the two, was a firecracker. She was starting Rochester the following school year. Caine told me she was the smartest in their family and it boggled my mind that there was an order to their brilliance. It would be interesting.Caine would be my consigliere and right hand. When I had money to oversee, he would take on that role too. His father wanted to run the house and that surprised the hell out of me.“He wants to keep an eye on me and he’s growing lazy in his old a
This is a bonus chapter for the Mafia Academy and I promise you want to read it. While I have you, I need to thank you for reading about these three amazing couples. If you continued this far, I'm sure they are as special to you as they are to me. For Mr. Xavier's complete story and how he found himself at Rochester, you’ll want to read Hotter Than Hell available on GoodNovel. Xavier is the head of the desert crime syndicate when Madison enters his world. One day, I plan to write about his children. *** Twelve years later Mr. Xavier The room, located at the top of the high-rise building far from Rochester, simply had the initials R.A. etched in glass on the double doors. There was an outer office and an inner conference room with a large antique table that filled the oversized space. I looked around the empty room, walked to the head of the table, and pulled out a chair. Men and women entered, nodded, and took their seats. Mr. Caleb and Miss Bianchi were the last to walk in. Mr. C
GabrielHer body had changed and I couldn’t believe I hadn’t noticed. Her ass was definitely bigger but sometimes I was smart and knew when to keep my mouth shut. I, however, loved her ass.We decided to keep the baby news to ourselves for Isabella’s sake too. It was for nothing. School gossip ran rampant the next day because Isabella had already left. I sent her a text with Rosa beside me to make sure she was okay.“I just touched down in Italy. I’m good. I know you and Rosa are together. Congratulations.”My asshole behavior with Isabella was at an end.“Be happy.”“I will.”“Maybe someday you will be friends,” Rosa said.“Maybe someday we won’t. There is too much water under that bridge.”“She did a good thing.”“She did. I would have married you anyway so she isn’t entirely off the hook.”“Are you going to tell your father he lost the bet?”“Hell no. I’m not letting Isabella’s father win.”She laughed and I hugged her to me, unable to get enough. I couldn’t keep my hands off the b
RosaIt was the truth. I would always be the sidepiece. I could also say with all honesty that I was glad I went for it. Gabriel was mine for a short time and I would never forget it.“He does love you enough. You won’t give him the chance to prove it.”“If I told him and he married Isabella—which is what will happen—it will kill me. It’s better like this.”She simply made a sound in her throat that let me know I was full of shit.“Come on,” she said and placed her arm back around my shoulders. “Let’s get the little mommy to her bed so she can sleep.” “I hate you.”“I’m going to be the worst aunt imaginable. If your son or daughter isn’t a hellraiser right out of the gate, I’ll do the training.”“I love you, mi amica,” I told her.“I know.”****I made it to the last week of school. I’d passed my finals easily. This was the fun time for seniors. I wasn’t drinking but there was a party every night and the alcohol flowed. It was Sunday and I had everything ready for the next morning. T
GabrielI made it through the week with busted knuckles from putting my fist through a wall. Everything else was sore from working out at the gym for hours on end. The crew returned Friday. I hadn’t heard from Rosa. I didn’t stop texting.“It doesn’t make sense,” Brando said.It didn’t. I’d heard nothing from Rosa or her sister. I wasn’t sure when they were returning. If they didn’t come back, and that worried me most, I would go after her. This was bullshit.I was in my room Saturday evening when there was a soft knock on my door. I threw it open and Rosa stood there. I knew from the look on her face, I wouldn’t like what she had to say. I spoke first.“Do not fucking do this. We have more time.”She looked down and my heart fell to my stomach.“We can’t, Gabriel; you’re marrying Isabella. It’s not fair to her or to you.”“No.”“Gabriel, you don’t have a choice. This is too hard for me. I can’t take it anymore. I told you I wouldn’t be the other woman and I meant it. Don’t make this
Rosa“You won’t say that after the first week. It’s a nightmare and several families have been hit with ransomware. The sooner you take things over, the sooner I can get Dante off my back and work on the project he wants done.”My lips trembled when I smiled.“What are you going to do about school? You have your credits and I’m sure they will work with you and give you a diploma.”“I’m going back to Rochester and finishing my senior year. It’s the only way this will work.”“Explain,” he said through tight lips.“Gabriel can’t know about the baby. I haven’t completely thought this through yet, but I shouldn’t be showing too much by graduation and should be able to pull it off.”“You think Gabriel won’t know?” he asked and I knew from the uncomfortable look in his eyes, exactly what he was saying and I blushed.“I will break up with him as soon as I return to school. It was coming anyway.” I wiped more tears away. “I’d decided I wasn’t staying with him after graduation because it would
RosaI told my mother while Chaney and Donya left to buy a pregnancy test. My mom’s arms were exactly what I needed.“Shh, mia cara,” she whispered.“I love him. I want to have his babies. I want to spend the rest of my life with him,” I cried angrily. “This isn’t fair.”“Life is not fair, mia cara.”The pregnancy test was positive. And the next one and the next. I kept staring at the two lines.My sister’s expression was pure freak-out. Chaney’s slightly better. My mother was the calmest of all of us and I knew she had to be so disappointed. We hadn’t used protection on the rooftop that day. I’d never gone on the pill. I’d messed this entire thing up completely.I looked at my mother with tears running down my face. “He will do his duty to his family and marry Isabella. He can never know. If you’ll allow me to live here, I’ll raise the baby on my own.”My mother, who rarely swore, let out the most foul word I’d ever heard her use.“You are my daughter and my home will always be your
Gabriel My grades improved with Rosa’s help. How could they not? While my arm was still in a brace, she’d done all my homework. She asked me the answers but for the most part I sexually teased her while studying because that was more fun.We had a week of spring break coming up, and then everyone would concentrate on graduation. I wasn’t looking forward to any of it. Well, maybe the break. Rosa and her sister’s crew were joining mine in Cabo. We were spending the weekend with our families and then meeting at the resort.This was our last mad dash of senior life. I had no fucking idea what Isabella was doing over the break and I didn’t care. I simply wanted to spend time with Rosa.I wrapped my arm around her Friday before she left for her parents’ home.“I’ll see you Monday. I have a big surprise just for you.”She swatted my arm at my ridiculous devilish grin.I only had to get through the weekend with my parents, and then we would have the best week of our lives.****Rosa“Come on
RosaShe got it all out without a word from me. I stood in shock which was stupid. Isabella was a devious bitch. She’d been quiet for too long.“Fuck off,” I said and continued walking.My thoughts were everywhere. I didn’t think Gabriel slept with her but he had not told me about the house or property. If he’d kept that from me, had he lied about sleeping with her? I bypassed my sister’s building and went to the roof. I hadn’t been up here in a long time and it made me sad to see what it was like before I moved into Gabriel’s dorm. It was a pathetic life. I pulled back the tarp, sat down on my pillows, and cried.I’m unsure why Isabella’s declaration hit so hard. I always knew she would get Gabriel in the end. He wouldn’t lie to me or at least I didn’t think he would. But wasn’t that what the guys did? They lied to their wives and they lied to their mistresses. I would have the second role if I took it and I wouldn’t. Not because I wouldn’t do everything I could to be with Gabriel bu
RosaThe car pulled up to campus and my heart raced. Gabriel was waiting for me at his dorm.“Rosa, I would like a private word,” my brother said.My sister rolled her eyes, told him goodbye, and got out of the car with her bag. She walked away knowing I was in for another lecture.“Think hard on this,” Caine said. “I’m not stupid. I know you think you love him.”I held up my hand. “I don’t think anything of the sort. I love him.”“Fuck, Rosa. You’re smarter than this.”“I know what will happen. I know it will break my heart. I haven’t had a boyfriend the entire time I’ve been at Rochester because I only saw one boy and he was taken. For now, he’s mine and I will keep him for as long as I can.”“I love you, sis.”I heard the defeat in his voice.“I love you too and I’ll need a big shoulder to cry on much too soon. I’d like it to be yours.”“My shoulder will always be yours,” he said softly.I got out of the car and didn’t look back. Gabriel was waiting.His room was dark when I opened