002. Show me some love, baby.

ADRIAN

It took me a minute to remember breathing was a thing people were supposed to be doing. I stood still, mouth parted open in shock as I stared into his eyes.

Piercing silver eyes, ones I vowed never to gaze upon again, locked onto mine with piercing intensity. Their burning stare sent a shiver down my spine, and my throat constricted, making swallowing an impossible task.

Giovanni Marino, the boss and the leader of the Marino's family was right here in the bathroom stall with me, gazing at me with a dangerous grin on his face. My heart skipped a beat and my mind went blank, unable to think of why Giovanni Marino would be in Great Fisher. My workplace.

As the police chief's son, what would people think if they saw me in the same room with the leader of New York City's most notorious Italian Mafia family, the same organisation my father was working to take down?

I had tried it once, hooking up with this same man just to get back at my father for disowning me because I was gay. But later I realized it was pointless. What I did was reckless and dangerous, so I vowed never to do it again.

And the thought of what would happen if the man I paid to sleep with me discovered I was Price Russell's son, his sworn enemy, sent chills down my spine. Giovanni would definitely kill me.

"We meet again," Giovanni smirked, his large frame towering over me as he took a step forward, making me take a step backward in fright. And he didn't stop there.

A familiar prick of ice crept through my veins, making goosebumps rise over my forearms. My lips turned up in a force smile.

"I guess we did meet again." I swallowed down nothing, fists clenched tightly to my sides as I kept moving backwards until my back hit against the wall.

Giovanni stopped walking, his eyes flickering with amusement as he smirked down at me before striding over to the sink. He didn't say anything, as he rinse his hands.

Different questions flooded my mind as I watched him as he quietly wash his hands. Why was he here? Did he realized who I was and he was here to kill me? But why would he even do that it has been over a year already.

"You know, I never take this bar for the type that harbour slut." Giovanni said, his words caught me off guard, making my head snapped up in surprise.

Forgotten that I was supposed to be scared of him, I arched my brows and asked. "What the fuck do you mean?"

Did this bastard just call me a slut? Fucking hello? Has he forgotten I paid him fifty bucks for a one-night stand? Who the fuck was supposed to be the slut here?

Giovanni turned off the faucet, dried his hands with a napkin, and turned to face me. His gaze swept over me, and a sly smile spread across his face. "Dressing like that," he said, his hand gesturing vaguely in my direction, "are you trying to seduce me?"

My eyes darted down to my chest, and I clenched my lower lip tightly between my teeth. I had momentarily forgotten about my damp shirt, which now clung to my body like a second skin, revealing more than I intended.

The transparent fabric outlined my chest, making my nipples visible. And I felt a flush rise to my cheeks.

"Bastard." I mumbled under my breath. Giovanni Marino might be a dangerous man, but how could I have forgotten he was also a douche bag?

"Fuck you." I scoffed, pinning him with a glare.

Giovanni leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest while smirking at me. "Talk dirty to me."

"Asshole." I muttered to myself as I turned away from him, I guessed it won't do me any good to remain in the bathroom with him. Giovanni was an asshole and I didn't know what I was expecting from a person like him.

I made a beeline for the door, gripped the doorknob, and turned it open. Stepping out of the bathroom, in hope to get back to work without any more hassle. But I halted in my tracks when I saw that asshole from earlier leaning against the wall across from the men's stall, a dangerous smile spreading across his ugly face.

He slowly peeled his back off the wall, grinning as he took lazy steps toward me. "There you are, sweet pea," he said. "I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to come out of there."

"Fucking hell!" I gasped, eyes widened in shock and hand finding the doorknob as I watched the bastard approach me.

I didn't expect he would still be here. My chest tightened in sheer horror as I rushed back into the bathroom and tried to close the door, but the bastard stuck his hand inside, making it impossible for me to shut it.

Damn that stupid thug!

"Don't you dare shut me out again." He barked, pulling at the door with force and he yanked it open. Making me move back in shock.

"Fuck!" I panted, my chest heaving as I took a few steps backward. What exactly did I do to this thug that made him want to molest me so bad?

The bastard wasn't even gay himself. I was appalled by straight men who take pleasure in assaulting gay men. Their behavior was utterly despicable. I hated it.

"What's going on here?" A low, yet menacing voice demanded from behind me.

Hot breath danced across the nape of my neck, sending shivers down my spine.

The bastard's face widened in shock and I could swear I saw his eyes twitched nervously. "Mr. Marino?"

"Don't make me ask you again. What the fuck is going on here?" Giovanni growled, his voice echoed through the room and it sent shiver down my spine.

This wasn't how I envisioned things to turn out. My gaze lingered on the bastard, who was visibly trembling before me. He seemed terrified of Giovanni Marino for some reason, and I realized I could leverage this moment to my advantage. Perhaps Giovanni could help me eliminate this nuisance for good.

I have used him once, and maybe I could use him again?

"Ahh, babe!" I turned around to face Giovanni, forcing out a smile.

"Are you done, babe?" I asked, linking my arms with Giovanni's. Hiss 6'5" frame towered over me, making me look like a fucking chick beside him. I fucking hate it.

My heart was beating so fast and hard in my chest as Giovanni looked down to stare at me, a confused glare plastered on his face.

"What are you doing?" He asked, voice barely above a whisper.

I turned around to peek at the bastard and I noticed he was staring at us with shock clearly written on his face. I might not be right about any other thing but this, this will definitely work in my favour.

I turned my gaze back to Giovanni who had a look that said he would fucking kill me if I didn't get off him, on his face.

"Can you please act like my boyfriend for just five minutes?" I whispered, my eyes pleading for him to just agree to this ridiculous plan of mine.

If Giovanni didn't help me put a stop to this, those bastards won't stop coming at me and I might end up committing murder which won't look good on my father's record.

"Boyfriend, huh?" Giovanni asked, pulling me out of my thoughts. I hastily nodded, unsure if he'd follow through, but I held onto hope that he would. He was a douche bag afterall.

Giovanni gently pulled his arm out of my grasp and I felt all hope I held for this plan shattered into a million pieces. He wasn't going to help me. Just what was I expecting from him?

I turned to walk away, but Giovanni wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me back to him. I collided with his rock-hard chest, and my eyes widened in shock as his lips curved into a smile, his gaze fixed on mine.

"Are you really going to leave your boyfriend all alone?" Giovanni asked, a sly smirk spreading across his face. He cupped my cheek, his warm palm sending shivers down my spine. "Show me some love, baby," he whispered, his breath tickling my skin as he leaned in, his lips brushing gently against mine.