Maria Victoria had never slapped a man before. She certainly had never slapped a customer. And she’d never been kissed by a man, or by a customer. It was lame that at the age of twenty-three, she hadn’t been kissed.Why did Fernando have to be her first kiss?Her lips still felt a little swollen. After he’d kissed her, she’d pulled away, drew her hand back, and slapped him right across the face. The moment she did it, she’d been in a state of shock. Boris Koslov wasn’t around, but Alessandro had stepped forward.“He’s a paying customer.”Her heart had raced and she quickly apologized, even though it was the last thing she wanted to do. Only, Boris had been around, and he’d called her over to him. He told her to leave for the night, and he looked pissed.Great. Now, Fernando might have cost her a job. It wasn’t the best job in the world, but it paid the bills and left a little aside for her to enjoy her hobby, which is what she wanted right now.Without another look at Fernando, she le
No woman had ever slapped him before. Fernando knew there was always a first time for everything, but this was certainly new to him.Arriving at the underground parking of his penthouse suite, he climbed out. Several of his men had been following him during this time. He was a capo, like Dante, and they knew what their jobs were. They all had to blend in while he took care of business. The close men were the only ones he trusted.He slammed his car door and then moved toward the back.“Are you going to try to run?” he asked.“Bite me.”He loved her spirit. Maria Victoria was like a breath of fresh air. He had to wonder what it was about the kiss that had caused her to slap him.Opening the door, he stepped aside, and he just knew she’d try to run. Maria Victoria didn’t disappoint. The moment she was out and free, she took off, but he was ready for it this time. His men knew to stay back. He caught her around the waist, stopping her in her tracks.“Let me go. You do realize this is kid
“You do realize I have a job and a life?” Maria Victoria asked the following morning.Fernando wouldn’t let her leave. He’d gone to bed, and she’d tried to stay awake as long as possible. She’d hoped to kick down the door or figure out his code. Nothing worked. In the end, Fernando had gotten up, dragged her to bed, and kept an arm around her waist while he had fallen asleep. She had hoped to stop him from sleeping, but exhaustion had claimed her, and she’d been enjoying some sweet dreams.Now, she was wide awake, sitting at Fernando’s dining room table, enjoying a morning cup of coffee and a bowl of sweet cereal. She never usually liked sweet cereal, but this one wasn’t too bad.“Your job and life ended when your father asked me for a favor.”“And let me guess, whatever Dante says, you jump at the chance? What kind of capo are you?”She hoped insulting him would help him choose to get rid of her. Instead, for her trouble, she got a raised eyebrow. How did he do that without even tryi
Did Maria Victoria really believe her words?Fernando Giordano Franco was tempted to take her earlobe between his teeth and nibble down, to see just how far he could push her body. She was a temptation he didn’t want to deny himself. He already felt his cock hardening, and that was just from inhaling her perfume. Maria Victoria smelled so fucking good. No woman should be this tempting. He was made of stronger shit than this.“Do you feel nothing if I do this?” He pressed his lips against her neck, and she shook her head, indicating no.She was such a little liar, but he didn’t mind. He found her fight against him cute. In fact, he was finding his time with Maria Victoria to be utterly invigorating. She was such a hard ball to crack. She wasn’t making it easy for him, and he was more than okay with that.Without touching her, he pressed his lips against her neck, and then just slightly brushed that pulse with his tongue. Her tits couldn’t lie, and the penthouse was warm. There was no r
Maria Victoria was a virgin, but Fernando didn’t need to know that. He was already getting everything he wanted and she was … well, she didn’t know what she was or wasn’t getting.Yes, she was getting married, and her home would remain hers, but other than that, her whole life was going to change. It had already changed. Fernando had gone with her to work, where she had to hand in her immediate notice of resignation. This was part of Fernando Giordano’s deal. He’d leave them all alone and allow Boris to keep his bar, but she had to quit work. This was hard.Handing in her notice felt like the first door of her cage was locked. Fernando was pushing her into a place she had no part in, and it was scaring her. Still, she forced a smile as she handed in her notice, and introduced Boris Koslov to Fernando, as well as Alessandro, and a couple of others. She was closest to Boris and Alessandro.After that, Fernando made her collect some of her belongings from the house. This turned out to b
Maria Victoria was different.From the moment he placed her suitcase in the trunk of the car, he knew there was something upsetting her, but he didn’t quite know what it was. He had no choice but to leave her at his penthouse apartment, while he went and took care of some business.While dealing with business, he had a couple of fashion boutiques deliver several evening gowns. He expected to keep Maria Victoria busy, trying to choose a dress for their engagement party. Most women loved to shop, or at least that had been his experience of women. When he returned home, he found Maria Victoria on the sofa.All the clothes had been set up on rails for her to look through, but from what he could see, she hadn’t looked. When he asked her what she wanted, she told him to choose. He chose a dark red number, and she tried it on.Now, as he stood at the hotel where he’d made the arrangements for this dinner party, with guests arriving and Maria Victoria on his arm, he realized what it was that
Maria Victoria had felt hate before. Times were growing up where she hated her father with a fiery passion. Her mother had always told her it was a wasted emotion. That the only person she was hurting was herself. To hate someone wasn’t a good feeling to have.Nicole had never hated anyone, not even Dante. She had forgiven him and made peace with it all, but she would never forget.“How does that help? You’re still here and he’s still there.”“But I’m happy, Maria Victoria. Can’t you see that? I’ve got you? He doesn’t have me, and he doesn’t have you. I can’t hate him.”Maria Victoria had never understood what her mother was talking about, not until that moment. Nibbling her lip, she looked at Fernando Giordano, and she hated him. His words were cold and cruel, but she realized he was right. The past twenty-four hours, she’d given up. The dress she wore, though beautiful, wasn’t one she would choose.If she allowed Fernando Giordano to have his way, she’d lose everything her mother ha
The Wedding DayFernando Giordano saw Dante in the aisle.The past two weeks had been a whirlwind of activity. Maria Victoria was no longer placid. She refused to allow him to organize their wedding. She made demands, chose her wedding dress, and even the flowers, which all had to be roses—the darkest of red as they were her mother’s favorite. The wedding cake had to be lemon, with lemon frosting, and she wouldn’t allow him to make any changes.Fernando couldn’t believe the change in her. He watched as Maria Victoria took charge. He’d changed her life, and he wasn’t bluffing with her. If she had fought him, he’d have gone after those she cared about, because he didn’t have a caring bone in his body. He took what he wanted, and to pay for this debt, he was willing to do whatever was necessary.The church was full of fellow capos, associates, and their wives and families. Dante was front and center with his wife and family. Soldiers were outside of the church, as well as inside, prepare