ADRIANIn what felt like an instant, my shift at the Queen's was over, and I breathed out a sigh of relief.After saying my good-byes to my colleagues, I walked over to the locker room to fetch my bag. The first thing I did was pick my phone, my hand hovering over Giovanni's contact and I wondered if I should call him or not."Call me when you get off work I'll come by to pick you." I mimicked the way he had said it earlier, rolling my eyes as I shoved my phone into my pocket without calling him."I Love Him, huh?" I scoffed, heat spread across my face as I tried so hard to hide my grin. It was stupid that he had to save his contract that way, but I didn't know why I was blushing.Something must be wrong with my head.Exiting Queen's, I was greeted by the evening's gentle caress against my skin, and I breathed deeply, feeling alive again after hours of recycled air."It's donut O'clock!" I exclaimed as I took out my phone and quickly placed my order.Every evening after my shift at Qu
GIOVANNI"Tony Drill." I read out the name on the document my father had given to me for the fifth time, anger settled in the pit of my stomach as I bit down on my knuckles.When my father had given the document to me, I didn't expect for the task to be this difficult because how could he? How could my father send me to kill Tony? "That old fucker!" I cursed under my breath, staring at the peaceful face of Tony in the document.Tony was my father once upon a time boyfriend, yes, boyfriend. None of us —me and my two brothers— know about that side of father until mom died. Turned out Dad was gay all along and only used mom to birth his children.As the eldest among my siblings, I happened to know first that Dad was into men. I was only twelve years old when Dad brought Tony home as his boyfriend. It hadn't even been a month since Mom died that Dad brought Tony home.I really didn't care about what Dad do during his free time because I was never a fan of him. Both him and Mom.I didn't
ADRIAN "He picked Dare!" Someone yelled from across the room, even before I could get to announce what was inside the paper I had picked. I sighed, glancing at Carlos next to me, slowly raised my brow as if to ask, should we bail out on the dare? Carlos shook his head, grinning hard at me. Ever since that one time in high school someone dared me to post on the school page that I was in a relationship with our statistics teacher —which I wasn't— I had been avoiding anything truth and dare. I knew I should stop them and walk out of this room, even before they get to dare me, but I couldn't. Carlos seemed to be having fun here, and I would be an asshole to ruin it for him. "Are ya ready for the dare, baby?!" The over hyperactive voice of a girl I had just got to know to be Lisa, yelled out and I simply rolled my eyes. "Do your worst," I said to her, making the room erupted in a fit of giggles. I looked around the room, searching for who was in charge of my fate here, relief washed
GIOVANNI After waiting for another thirty minutes in my car, waiting for Adrian's call and I didn't get any, I decided to go look for him at that lousy bar he worked at."That little fucker!" I cursed angrily, gripping the wheel a little too tight.I had no idea why I was so mad that Adrian didn't call me as I had ordered him to. My brows dipped. Was I truly fixated on the fed's son already? Had he grabbed so much of my attention before I knew it?"That's a lame joke." I scoffed, chuckling angrily as I took the route that led to the bar. "That little shit is not my type."I kept repeating the words in my head, as if it would become real if I keep saying it. Honestly, Adrian wasn't my type. I loved my men rough, tall and build. Nothing about Adrian fascinated me... Or maybe it did."Fuck!" I groaned out, slamming my hands on the steering wheel. I shouldn't be like this, not when I just killed a man that was literally like a father to me, for seven fucking years.My eyes landed on Tony
ADRIANI filled a glass with water and walked out of my kitchen, and into the living room. Carlos was sitting on the floor, he was patting the little cat we rescued on our way back on its head when I walked over to them."Here," I said, handing the cup over to him. Carlos took the glass, tilted his head and pressed the glass between his lips. He took a light sip before setting the cup down. Carlos kept playing with the cat, not uttering a word.Taking my seat beside him on the floor, I took his hand, the one that wasn't on the cat, and asked. "Are you okay, Carl?"Carlos shuddered, he stayed like that for a few seconds before shrugging off his shoulders. "I'm fine. Why do you think I'm not?"There we go again. Something told me he wasn't okay, but I didn't want to push. He would tell me whatever was going on with him at his own pace."Nah. You just look..." I waved a hand in the general direction of his face. "You look a little down.""Well, it might be because I feel bad for the poo
GIOVANNI "I'm disturbing his beauty sleep?" I repeated the words over and over again like a mantra, glaring hard at his name on my call history. "I'm disturbing his beauty sleep, or beauty fuck?" I chuckled angrily, tightening my grip on my phone and I knew if I didn't relax my grip, the phone will break. But I didn't give a fuck about my phone right now. I was too mad to care. Anger ignited fury inside of me and I could feel my body heated up at how angry I was right now. How dare him? How dare that little shit to ignore me because he was fucking some boy? "Fucking dammit!" I grunted, my shoulders trembling as I put the car to motion and drove out of his street. Adrian was fucking some boy in that stupid tiny apartment of his, and he didn't give a shit that I drove all the way down there to see him? He fucking shut me out because he was getting a quick fuck from some boy he had picked from the street? "Hah!" I let out a humourless laugh as I speed down the street, ignor
ADRIAN Waking up to an empty space beside me on the bed each morning, after Carlos had come over to my place, was no longer a new thing. But I didn't know why I was feeling a pang of sadness within me this morning when I woke up to find Carlos gone.Last night, before we went to bed Carlos had told me he was sick and tired of his father and that he would love to move in with me, just for a short term. Even though he wouldn't tell me why he wanted to move out of his father's house all of a sudden when he had refused to leave all this while made me wonder just how bad things were for him at home.I was indebted to Carlos, for everything he had done for me when I had newly sent out from home. So, I had decided to help him in every way I could, and if moving in with me was only way I could help, then I had no reason why to deny him that grace.I could do with a roommate, and what made it even sound more appealing was my roommate would be none other than my best friend."I hope he's okay
GIOVANNI All I had to do today was boring clerical shit. Sitting behind an office desk, staring at the monitor and going through report and documents and accounts and... Shit!I hated work that didn't require violence. That was why I always pushed office work to one side until I couldn't ignore them no more.Before, I would have taken my time, using half of the day glaring at the system before I get to actual work, but today was different.As soon as I clocked in after dropping Adrian off at the smoothie shop, all I wanted to do was to get today's work over with. I didn't waste any second before I got to work and worked on the files like a fucking pro.My hand unconsciously flew to my lips and I bit down on my lower lip, grinning as I shook my head. I didn't believe I actually kissed Adrian, right in the open in front of his work place."Okay, I have gut." I chuckled, dragging my bottom lip into my mouth and sucked on it.The way Adrian rushed into the shop and he forced himself out
MARCELO A blow landed on my face, sending my head jerking to the side. Blood dripped down my cheek and some of it caught in my lips, slipping into my mouth. I tasted the metallic tang of blood on my tongue, and it made my stomach churn.A vicious kick to the wooden seat I was tied to sent me crashing to the floor, my wrists bound together behind my back. The blindfold pressing my eyes shut, plunging me into an inky blackness. I couldn't see anything, not even a sliver of light.A groan tore from my lips as pain exploded through my body. "Hmmph..." I grunted, my voice strained. I tried to crawl forward, but a rough hand grasped my ankles, yanking me back. My bare chest scraped against the concrete floor, the friction igniting a fire of agony. It felt as if thousands of needles were scattered across the floor, each one piercing my skin like a sharp shard of razor.I writhed, desperate to escape the torment, but my restraints held firm. The darkness seemed to closing in around me, s
ADRIAN Tears streamed down my face as I sprinted out of the living room, desperate to escape the suffocating atmosphere. My mind reeled with the conversation I had just overheard. Dad couldn't be talking about me and my brother. He couldn't be implying that we weren't his biological sons. The thought sent a wave of pain and hurt crashing through me, and I desperately wished the last eighteen hours had never happened.I stumbled out into the hallway, panting and gasping for breath. I pressed my back against the wall, trying to calm my racing heart. Benedetto's voice echoed through the building, his words dripping with venom. "Get out, Price Russell! And don't ever show your face to me or my sons again, or I'll kill you!"My father's response was a hissed "Fuck you!" as he stormed out of the living room. He seemed furious, his face twisted in a scowl.He was so mad that he didn't notice me standing there.Benedetto called out from inside after a few minutes had passed, his voice sti
ADRIAN The words echoed in my mind like a mantra.This is not my father. The man in front of me, kneeling between Benedetto's legs, was an imposter. I felt a wave of confusion wash over me as I stared at him.My father's face was contorted in shock, saliva dripping from the corner of his mouth as he remained frozen in a kneeling position. His eyes were wide with terror, and his skin had paled to a sickly shade.How could this man, this broken, submissive shell of a person, be my father? The man I knew, the man who had raised me, was a tyrant, a monster who had sought to break me and remake me in his own image.He had hated me for being gay, had sought to "fix" me, to mold me into a straight man. But this...this person in front of me was not that man. He was weak, submissive, and terrified.I felt a shiver run down my spine as I gazed at him, my mind reeling with questions. Who was this imposter? And what had happened to my real father?Words kept getting stuck, and it angered me eve
ADRIAN "What are you doing here?" I demanded, my mind reeling as I closed the distance between us. My breath hitched as I took in the toxic smoke from his cigarette, the acrid smell burning my lungs.Benedetto Marino casually shrugged one shoulder, his fingers scratching behind Peaches' ear. "To see you," he replied, his tone nonchalant."Let go of those cats, now!" I gritted out, my eyes narrowing as I watched him touch my pets. His hands seemed to be lingering on their fur, and I felt a surge of possessiveness.Benedetto raised an eyebrow, slowly releasing the cats. They darted away, seeking refuge in the kitchen. It was as if the cats could also sense the danger emanating from him, their instincts warning them to flee from his presence."What?" he scoffed. "I'm not going to hurt them.""I don't trust you," I hissed, my fingers pinching my nose shut to block out the foul smell of the cigarette smoke.Benedetto smirked, leaning backward as he planted his arms on the armrests of th
ADRIAN It had been over eight agonizing hours since I received that frantic call from my brother. The sound of his panicked voice still echoed in my mind, followed by the deafening silence that had left me shattered. I had been desperately trying to call him back, my fingers flying across the keypad as I dialed his number repeatedly, but my calls had been met with the impersonal automated voice of his voicemail. Each failed attempt had escalated my anxiety, my heart racing with every passing minute.I'm not insane. I'm not fucking insane. That was the mantra I'd been repeating since I left home, the words echoing in my mind like a desperate prayer. I'd chanted them to myself like a lifeline, clinging to sanity as the world around me spiraled out of control. But as the hours ticked by, the words began to lose their potency. The silence was suffocating, and the darkness closing in around me was starting to seep into my soul.For real, I think I'm losing my grip on reality now. Th
GIOVANNI Nikola's voice thundered through the empty hall, his phone pressed firmly against his ear. "Where the fuck are you?" He paced in circles, his heavy boots pounding against the concrete floor. His finger bit into his lip, a mixture of anxiety and frustration etched on his face. "These fucking calls keep going straight to voicemail. What the hell is going on with that stupid boy?" He barked, glaring at me. "Got anything yet?""No," I said, groaning. I pulled my phone away from my ear, and let out a frustrated sigh. "The boys can't get a lock on his location."Nikola's anger boiled over. "What about his phone? They should be able to track the damn thing!" He kicked a table, his foot stomping down on it as he unleashed his rage. I watched him, hesitant to intervene. If I stood up, I would be tempted to find something to punch too. But I knew I had to stay in control. Both Nikola and I couldn't afford to lose our cool at the same time."They can't track his phone," I grumbled,
ADRIAN It had been a week since my encounter with my father, and surprisingly, he hadn't done as much as sending me a message or calling my phone since then.I was partly happy, knowing I had finally put him in his place. But somehow, I couldn't shake off the uneasiness that was eating away at me deep inside. Something didn't feel right. My father wouldn't have given up on his threat that easily unless he was up to something. I wondered what he was planning.I should have informed Giovanni about how my father tracked me down to find me at Grace's apartment. I shouldn't have kept it a secret from him.I still had no idea how my father discovered my location that night, and it worried me. What if he had put a tail on me? What if... What if he had been watching me all along and I had been oblivious to my surroundings? What if, because of me, Giovanni ended up in danger?"I can't let that happen. I should call Giovanni." I breathed out and reached for my phone. My finger hovered over
Hi! I'm excited to share my new M/M romance novel with you. Please take a look! ❤️Title: Steaming the RoseGenre: MM Mafia romance Forced Proximity Childhood sweetheart BLURB "I can't do this anymore!" Easton cried, trying to break free from the man who had him pinned to the bed by his throat. ''It's been six years, Ilya! Six fucking years of abuse. When am I going to be free from you?""Does it look like you have any choice?" Ilay smirked coldly. He produced his knife, wanting to carve his name into Easton's heart, so that every time Easton looked in the mirror, he'd know who he belonged to."You either obey my every command, or watch as I ruin every last bit of the reputation you've toiled tirelessly to build. Don't push me too hard, East, or I'll unleash a storm that will render you breathless and begging for mercy and it won't be cute."As a pop star, Easton Reese had everything he had always hoped for: money, luxurious lifestyle, fame, and fans all across the globe wh
ADRIAN It had been over three weeks since my mother was laid to rest, and I was surprised to find that life was slowly healing. The ache in my heart still lingered, but glimpses of happiness began to peek through the cracks. It wouldn't have been possible to get through it all alone without Giovanni in my life.Giovanni had taken it upon himself to be my happiness guardian, and he excelled at it. He went out of his way to do the most thoughtful, random things that would catch me off guard and leave me beaming. Like surprising me with my favorite smoothie in the morning, or leaving sweet notes around the penthouse for me to find. It was as if he had a sixth sense for knowing exactly what I needed to brighten my day.As I thought about all the little things he did for me, my heart swelled with gratitude. I wished I knew how to repay him for everything he'd done, for being my rock, my safe haven. But Giovanni never asked for anything in return; he just smiled and told me that seeing m