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Ramping Up
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Taken by the Mafia King Normal Enough
PaigeI drifted from the common room across the hall to the dining room. A couple of women circled the long table, laying out plates and cutlery for lunch. I nodded at them then glanced through the doorway to see Andi in the kitchen, swinging her hips in time with a dance beat blaring out of her radio. Everything looked normal. Everything looked good. I smoothed my hands down my pants and tried to make myself actually believe it. Of course, that caught the cut on my palm, still healing after almost a week because I kept accidentally opening it back up. A few dots of blood oozed up, and I wiped them away.Almost a week, and I was still jumpy. I was starting to feel ridiculous.The front door swung open, and I turned. We weren’t expecting anyone.A woman in six or seven layers of clothes stumbled in, and I sprang into action. Clearly, she needed our services. Judging by how many clothes she was wearing, I’d guess she was living on the streets. I grabbed my phone, texted Lily and Lauren,
Taken by the Mafia King Bossy
TommasoI looked at the crumbling rowhouse Stan had directed me to then at him.“He joined up because he needed money,” Stan said. “His mom’s a firecracker, but she’s on disability, has been for years, and his younger brother got a partial scholarship to his dream school. Jer’s covering the difference with the money he makes with us.”I groaned. “Could he possibly be more perfect?”Stan shrugged with a smile. “You can’t make this shit up.”“Fine.” I fixed my hair one last time, grabbed the food we’d stopped for on the way, and climbed out of the car. “Let’s get this over with.”“That’s the spirit.” Stan chuckled as we walked up the path and rang the doorbell. After a few minutes, Jer answered.“Hi.” His eyebrows shot up as he looked from me to Stan and back. “I, uh, didn’t—”“Think we’d be by to see you?” Stan filled in. “You got the wrong organization. We brought a couple trays of lasagna from the best chefs we know for you and your family.”I hefted the three lasagnas Rosemary and P
Taken by the Mafia King Haunted
PaigeTom and I sat at the kitchen counter as Miranda delivered steaming plates of a squid-ink pasta she’d been dying to try out.“Thank you,” he said. “Now please, take the rest of the night off. I know you worked through your break for this.”Her cheeks turned pink. “But—”“I’ll text you my review.” I smiled.After another split-second of hesitation, Miranda hurried off, and Tom and I waited until her bedroom door shut behind her to laugh.“Man, I feel like a dick, but this food looks cursed,” he said.I stared down at the pitch-black pasta. “It’s definitely spooky. But she busted her ass. We have to give it a fair shot.”We both gathered forkfuls of pasta, and Tom held his up to me as if to cheers. I knocked my fork against his with a smile, then took a bite.“Holy shit,” Tom said.I nodded. “Wow.”It was leagues better than most of Miranda’s dishes, the flavors complex and beautiful. We ate in silence for several long minutes, just enjoying the food and each other’s company. Then,
Taken by the Mafia King Delicious Mess
PaigeTom closed the distance between us in two long strides and consumed my mouth. Usually, he kissed me like he was hungry, but like he had to eat politely. Like he didn’t want to hurt me. Now, with my words hanging in the air, he kissed like he’d never eaten before, like I was the only thing that could sate him. I gasped into him, and he bit my lower lip harder than ever before. The sting joined the growing want between my legs, and I moaned.He unfastened my bra and flung it across the kitchen. I pushed my breasts up toward him, as though he’d ever ignore them. He sucked my neck and down my chest, leaving a delicious soreness in his wake. And, like he knew he’d been avoiding it, he kissed the top of that scar between my breasts, feather-light.I wound my fingers into his hair and pulled as he tried to move on. “There too.”He looked up at me, worry briefly eclipsing want in his emerald eyes. “Are you sure?”No. I wasn’t sure about anything these days. But I knew I’d never be a who
Taken by the Mafia King Moving Right Along
TommasoThe next day, I walked up to the Mansion. I’d given Marino’s staff the next few weeks off with pay. Construction was starting.Palmer, the butler, opened the door. “Sir.”Well, almost everyone. Palmer had proven himself trustworthy, and I liked having someone on site who wasn’t from Mel’s construction company. She did good work, but I hadn’t technically told Paige my idea yet. If she hated it, I needed someone making suggestions that would work just as well for a women’s shelter as they would whatever other criminal enterprise I could think of to slot in here.I nodded at him and stepped inside. A few muscular women were setting up interior scaffolds and mustering tools, but none of the work seemed to have started yet. It only took a few minutes to find Mel in the chaos. She stood in the middle of the kitchen, directing women in hardhats this way and that.“Conti,” she said when she saw me. “You’re not gonna be a micromanager, are you? I’ll take the wife if so.”I smiled. Some
Taken by the Mafia King Bulking Up
PaigeI slammed my fists into the speed bag hanging from the ceiling as quickly as I could manage. Left-right-left-pause. Right-left-right-pause. Again.Something clanked, and the hair on the back of my neck rose. I caught the bag and whirled to check behind me.Wall of mirrors. Exercise equipment. Nothing moving. Of course, there was no one in the basement anymore, and I didn’t see anything when the bastard actually got out. But that didn’t actually stop all the general basement noises from making me jump. It was seriously interrupting my workouts. Every day, I considered asking Tom to move all the workout equipment in here to the basketball court. Every day, I decided against it. Reacting to the basement noises would keep my reflexes sharp. And maybe, eventually, I’d start to get used to them.I rolled out my shoulders and turned to the mirrors. After the speed bag came shadow-boxing while watching my own reflection. Some days, I brought down a laptop for a virtual sparring partner,
Taken by the Mafia King House of Cards
TommasoAs the sun rose, I strode down the tarmac of the smallest airport outside of Philly with the space to fit the jumbo jet we needed for the trip to Egypt. I’d meant to come set this up last night, but I couldn’t leave Paige. She’d spent the whole evening bouncing back and forth between being so fragile I worried any breath of wind would shatter her, and tough as nails. Paige hadn’t wanted to pack, at least right then, so we’d gone out to the shooting range like she was originally planning and emptied clips into the targets until the light disappeared. Her aim was much better than it had been. It had improved enough that I wondered if she hadn’t been coming down to the range to practice even before these half-days. She was obviously wound like a spring, and I could do nothing but cross my fingers that energy released at the right time.At the end of the tarmac, next to a massive hangar, stood Killian. He nodded as I approached then waved to two men wearing coveralls. They opened
Taken by the Mafia King What Not to Wear
PaigeI pushed a few hangers out of the way and stared at a plain T-shirt of Tom’s I’d permanently stolen from him a couple of months ago. It still smelled like cinnamon, and technically, it was cotton.My mind conjured blood stains onto its flawless surface, and my chest squeezed.“That’s cute.” Sera leaned against the arm of the low couch that separated Tom’s side of the closet from mine.I shoved it away. “I’m not bringing it.”I blinked furiously, uncertain if I was actually fighting tears or just the idea of crying. We were leaving tomorrow. And Tom kept asking if I was really going with him. It would be so easy not to. I’d just sit here, Stateside, and wait to find out if a monster from my nightmares killed the love of my life. I’d just put my only chance at permanent safety in someone else’s hands. So easy.I whirled to Tom’s side of the closet and pulled out one of his bulletproof vests. “I’m packing this.”Sera smiled comfortingly, like everybody kept doing. “I think Tommaso
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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
