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Growing Up
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Taken by the Mafia King Disco Ball
SeraI spun into the middle of the dance floor with a glittering drink in my hand and laughter on my lips. My tight, fitted white minidress caught the light and shone. The rest of my bachelorette party flocked to me like moths to a flame as the beat rattled through my towering heels.Paige glowed in a deep purple number she admitted to buying for the occasion to complement my dress, several-hundred-dollar proof we were actually friends, and she hadn’t said yes to joining the bridal party because she felt bad or something. Olivia danced slightly off rhythm because she kept glancing over her shoulder at Patrick against the wall, who could barely look away from her. Fiona and Joyce grabbed each other’s hands and swayed like cousins at a family wedding, but their brilliant smiles nearly outshone the strobe lights. Penny, in one of the most scandalous dresses I’d ever seen her wear, shimmied like I didn’t know part of her mind was worrying about Michael at home. And at the edge of the grou
Taken by the Mafia King The Ricci Line
KillianI sat at a mirrored dressing table Sera had actually been right that I would need and adjusted the sides of my tie. She’d insisted that, to commemorate the special occasion of our wedding, I had to wear something other than black or gray. I’d assented to a tie in the deep blue-violet Sera had chosen for the main wedding color. Apparently, it contrasted the flowers but didn’t clash.“Looks uneven,” Tommaso said as he sauntered into the room.“I’ve been tying my own tie for forty-three goddamn years—”“Forty-four,” he corrected. “You forgetting how old you are now?.”I turned back to the mirror, away from my best man. I shook my head at him. “I wasn’t tying ties when I was a baby.” Today was also the anniversary of my father’s death, after all. The man who’d taught me how to tie the ties I’d been wearing all my life. He’d raised me to be the man I was before Sera. Mano Della Morte, running Philadelphia with an iron fist. Vividly, I remembered being sent home from kindergarten f
Taken by the Mafia King Marryingfor Love
SeraIn the upstairs dressing room I had constructed as part of the wedding planning process, I sat in front of a professional makeup artist like I had for the last hour. My neck ached, the cute, poofy chair had grown uncomfortable, and I really wished I’d eaten another croissant before I let her put on my lipstick.I’d never been happier in my whole life. All the women from my bachelorette party fluttered around the room, fixing small stains or finding bobby pins or, in Joyce’s case, reattaching the heel to a shoe. Helping each other. Emma had made a girl-pop playlist that she’d presented to me shyly last night, and I’d thrown my arms around her and demanded we play it all morning, so bubbly synthetic guitar poured through the space.“Done.” The makeup artist stepped back.I blinked, rubbed my neck, and started to look at myself in the mirror.“Not yet!” My mother pushed herself between me and the mirror before I could see everything. “Oh, Sera, you’re so beautiful.” She hugged me ca
Taken by the Mafia King Smirk
PaigeMusic rolled through the garden where the reception was being held, and I put all of my increasingly blurry thoughts toward not itching the point on my ribs where the zipper of the bridesmaid’s dress dug in.“You look like you’re focused on something pretty hard.” Tom smiled down at me as we swayed through a slow song.I shook my head, but giggles overwhelmed me. He caught me before I nearly toppled off my heels.“Whoa!” He grinned and lowered me into a dip that made my stumble look intentional. “Enjoying the open bar, then?”“Yes!” I cupped his face. “Have you been? They have these signature cocktails, and Sera’s is sooo good.”He laughed. “I took you the last three times, so I’d say I’ve been.”My memories floated back together. “I knew that. I was testing you.”Tom eased me out of the dip. “Have you maybe drank enough before dinner?”I shook my head. The more I drank, the more I forgot about the zipper. The dresses were so gorgeous, but I’d missed the last fitting for an emer
Taken by the Mafia King Last Dance
KillianI held Sera close and danced through the garden of the house I’d grown up in, tracing steps I’d learned ages ago watching my mother and father. The strains of the last song colored the night air, something bittersweet I’d picked out. Just one more chorus, and I’d whisk her away. Just like that first night, except she was just as desperate to leave with me. I memorized every element of her face. The soft pink lipstick she’d picked because it promised to be kiss-proof, dulled in the middle and smeared outside her lips. The locks of soft brown hair tumbling out of her updo. The tantalizingly short hem of her reception dress that she kept smacking my hands away from, reminding me I’d promised to wait until the wedding ended.“I love you,” I said.She laughed. “I love you, too.”Our friends swirled around us, planets in orbit telling the story of our time together. Patrick, red-faced, held a grinning Olivia. As much as he struggled, I didn’t doubt he’d find the courage in him to ma
Taken by the Mafia King Somewhere to Be
TommasoAfter Killian and Sera left, I expected we’d say a few goodbyes and head out. I’d sort of planned on it, actually. But instead, Paige sat down at the head table with Lauren and a couple of the bridesmaids. The bar closed, and the band left, but someone started playing music from a speaker, and champagne appeared from somewhere. The reception quickly started turning into an after-party.I paced back and forth on the edge of the dance floor and tried not to be a dick. Paige was smiling. She was clearly having a great time, and whatever she was saying made her little audience crack up. But fuck, it wasn’t that unfair to expect a party to end when it ended instead of dribbling into another party, was it? I checked my watch for the umpteenth time and looked at her again.She caught my gaze. The smile on her face evaporated. Fuck. She said something to the people around her, then strode through the remains of the reception over to me.“What’s your deal?” she demanded.I swallowed an
Taken by the Mafia King Revisiting the Mile-High Club
SeraI blinked awake in my airplane seat and found Killian still dozing next to me. He’d sworn up and down he didn’t need comfortable clothes for the flight, that he was used to flying in a suit, but I’d made the right call forcing him to change. The T-shirt rode up, exposing a sliver of his toned stomach, and the thin shorts left little to the imagination. Desire stirred within me. I’d wanted to wait until our proper honeymoon, our new life together, started. I’d wanted to christen the villa with our first married sex. I glanced out the window and saw nothing but dark water. We’d left America.Our honeymoon had definitely started by now.I ran my hand over Killian through his shorts, and his eyes opened almost immediately.“I thought we were waiting.”I smiled playfully. “I’m done waiting.”He growled and stood then lifted me out of my seat and carried me to the bedroom at the back of the plane without another word. I craned my neck to kiss him, and he didn’t even pause. The door sli
Taken by the Mafia King Surprise
PaigeI floated back to consciousness and the definite feeling I was moving. My head ached. I was warm, and a little sticky, and the goddamn zipper still dug into my side. I remembered the bouquet, Tom’s smile, and then…nothing.“Why the hell is the world moving?” I groaned with my eyes still closed.Tom chuckled from nearby. “We’re on the jet.”“What?” I shot up and opened my eyes, then winced. Headrush. We were definitely on the jet, though. Plush leather seats, seatbelts, overhead compartments. But the night sky outside didn’t give me any further details.Tom rubbed my back. “I brought spare clothes for you if you want to change. And there’s coffee. We’re landing before too long now.”“Where the hell are we going?” I demanded. “I can’t remember.”He smiled indulgently. “You can’t remember because I’m not telling you.”My mouth fell open. “Why not?”“It’s a surprise.” He kissed the corner of my mouth. “I’d say you agreed to stop asking, but I don’t think you’d believe that.”“Damn r
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Taken by the Mafia King Epilogue
PaigeI stood in the vestibule outside of the chapel, clutching my flowers, my heart hammering in my chest. Organ music belted through the doors, and I was just waiting for my cue.We all were. My two bridesmaids, in simple maroon dresses, stood ahead of me. Like she could feel my eyes, Lauren turned back and winked. I smiled. The dress looked spectacular on her, and I’d promised up and down that Tom would invite enough handsome men for her to go home with a date. This, of course, had been complicated by Tom choosing Killian and Stan as his two groomsmen. While I liked the older man, and he kept Lauren laughing, I didn’t exactly see the two of them as a couple.Mom stepped up next to me with a smile. Her mother-of-the-bride dress, a deep burgundy gown with gold accents, caught the light and sent it dancing. “Are you excited?”I inhaled sharply. “I kind of can’t stop thinking about the seating chart for the reception. Who have I become?”She laughed. “Your father.”Tears beaded in my e
Taken by the Mafia King Old Time's Sake
KillianI sat behind my desk and looked out over my men. Tommaso took his usual seat. Adrian hovered in the corner like he wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself yet, just like he had at the beginning. Patrick was still laughing about spilling his wine. Just like old times. I stood and started pouring everyone drinks.“So,” I said, “do you have an update on the warehouses, Adrian?”He started toward my desk, then paused. An odd moment passed. It wasn’t really my desk anymore. I’d left the hunk of wood behind because I had no need for it on the island, and he’d loaded it down with computers in my absence. Despite that, I’d never seen anyone sit behind it but my father besides me.I offered Adrian a drink. “Sit.”He nodded. “Didn’t want to step on your toes. The situation is pretty simple, all told, but I can tell there’s a certain amount of grace I’m supposed to be handling this foreman with, and I don’t—”Tommaso joined me at the bar to pour. “Do you remember that foreman in the so
Taken by the Mafia King Big News
PaigeI tucked my arm through Tom’s and straightened my long, floral romper. He kissed me on the cheek, then knocked on the door. Joyce swung it open.“Hello!” She welcomed us both in with hugs. “Mr. and Mrs. Ricci are in the drawing room. Please, come in.”We let ourselves be bustled through the door, the wine we’d brought carried off to the kitchen, and our coats taken to some closet somewhere in the mansion. Adrian used it as a base of operations when Killian and Sera weren’t home, so I’d been here a few times since the wedding, but I’d never felt comfortable here. Finally, we were led to the closed doors of the drawing room, and Tom opened them with a smile.Inside, we found not only “Mr. and Mrs. Ricci,” but also Olivia and Patrick, Adrian and Penny—who still wouldn’t even talk about their dance at the wedding—and Sera’s mother and brother, as well as Lauren. Sera leapt up to greet us, and Killian followed a few paces behind. I threw myself into the hug just as much as Sera did—I
Taken by the Mafia King Checking Up
SeraI folded a T-shirt and put it into Killian’s suitcase. “Are you sure we need to leave so soon?”He chuckled and took the T-shirt back out, then replaced it with a suit shirt. “Very, unfortunately. Adrian is in the middle of a difficult situation with one of the warehouses, and he needs a steady hand to guide him through.”My stomach churned at the thought of leaving the villa. We’d only been here for a couple of months, and we’d promised everyone we’d return, but dammit, I wasn’t ready yet. Lazing around the villa and having sex whenever the mood took us was way too fun to stop after only a few months.“But we’ll be back soon, right?” I asked like I didn’t already know.“Cara mia.” Killian took my hands. “What is happening in that head of yours?”I sighed. “I don’t know. The thought of leaving just make me kind of sick. We just got away from all that. I don’t want to be scared again.”He studied me for a long moment. “You do look a little pale. How sick is this making you exactly
Taken by the Mafia King Humdrum Excitement
PaigeI squeezed Tom’s hand in the car on the way to the airport.“Sad to be leaving?” he asked.I smiled. “Always. It’s so magical here.”He laughed. “Not just saying that because we’ve spent most of the vacation in bed?”I ran my free hand up his leg. “No, we have weekends for that at home.”“Fair enough.” He kissed the back of my hand. “I do like going on these little vacations, though. It’s a nice escape for a few days.”I nodded. I really was going to miss Paris, but I wouldn’t have wanted to stay much longer anyway. Lauren had been texting me updates about the shelter, especially the new one as women settled in. I kept thinking about how much I was missing, how much they needed me there. And I knew Tom was feeling the same. Apparently, Lyle had his sights set on someone new, and Tom was itching to pull the trigger. Anybody else would probably think we were freaks, desperate to leave a luxury vacation to get back to our grueling jobs. But those people didn’t realize just how much
Taken by the Mafia King Perfect Fit
TommasoWhen I told Paige I’d set everything up for another two days in Paris, she’d immediately insisted we spend a day shopping. I put up a cursory front of complaints, but in truth, I was perfectly happy following her from store to store and carrying her bags. Even better, she loved it when I made jokes about some of the worst, frilliest, most French things we came across. She laughed and joined in. For years, I’d heard men complaining about shopping with their girlfriends—fiancées—saying it was the most boring thing in the world, but even if we weren’t laughing up a storm as we paid our way through the most expensive boutiques in Paris, I still would’ve been having a ball. The sun was shining, she kept looking at the ring I’d put on her finger with a soft wonderment I’d never seen in her eyes anymore, and my face hurt from smiling. Paige and I could’ve made a hell of an afternoon out of reading the phone book.“Stop!” she said.I froze, my free hand twitching toward the gun I’d hi
Taken by the Mafia King Beginning of Forever
PaigeI didn’t know how long Tom and I lay there, listening to the fireworks and seeing the very top of their arcs through the sliver of windows accessible from the floor. I pillowed my head on his chest and enjoyed the steady beat of his heart. Engaged. The last time I was here, I’d been on the cusp of recovery, just starting to make strides toward the person I was today. Now, I wasn’t done—I didn’t know if there was a done for traumatized people or people in general—but I was so much better, stronger, happier than I had been.The last time Tom and I were in Paris, I’d thrown myself at him and chickened out. As much as I could stay at a private view of the Eiffel Tower, I wanted to show him just how much had changed. Just how much I meant the “yes” that had fallen so easily from my lips. I rolled on top of him.“What do you say we take this back to that hotel room you picked out?”Tom grinned and pulled me down for a kiss. I pressed myself against him, feeling every line of his body.
Taken by the Mafia King The Only Ones
PaigeI sat across from Tom in an empty, stunning restaurant in the middle of the Eiffel Tower with my head spinning like the three sips of wine I’d had with the appetizer were enough to make me drunk. He’d really rented out the Eiffel Tower. And not one floor, the whole thing. We’d ridden an empty elevator, the two-Michelin-star chef kept coming out to tell us why he’d selected particular dishes based on the information Tom had given him about our preferences, and I couldn’t hear anything but the soft classical music over the speakers. It felt like a dream.Tom took my hand. “So?”“So what?” I asked.“Was the surprise worth it?” He grinned.I looked over his suit, a forest green that brought out his eyes, worn without a tie. His dark curls tumbled into his face. I’d never seen him look so perfectly put together and so casual. He looked…well, he looked exactly like the man I’d fallen in love with. Nothing like the one who’d scared me so badly all those months ago in Cairo.“I get the
Taken by the Mafia King Peace Time
TommasoDespite how much I wanted Paige to keep that little black dress on, we had a few hours before the Tower officially emptied out for our use. I talked her into putting on something a little more walkable and keeping the lingerie on. As if to punish me for my restraint, she picked a pair of tiny, wide-legged shorts that showed the tops of the garters attached to her stockings every time she moved and a fitted blouse. I changed and somehow convinced myself to leave the hotel room instead of stripping everything off her and spending the hours in bed.She took my hand as we stepped into the lobby. “I should’ve known. When you plan a surprise, it’s never just one thing. Where are we off to first?”“So nosy.” I smiled.“You’re right, I’ll stop asking.” She slid the room key out of her pocket and fiddled with it for a second, then dropped it. With a small smile, she bent at the waist to pick it up, exposing those garter straps again.I grabbed her waist and hurried her the final few st
