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The New Normal
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Taken by the Mafia King Empire Building
TommasoFor all my talk, it took three more days for me to actually find a moment to sit down in my office and begin looking through potential staff. I stretched my legs out behind my wide, mahogany desk, a genuine antique salvaged from an advertisement office in the 1920s to match the overall Art Deco inspiration for the room. Philly would always be my home, but I’d never forgotten going to the top of the Empire State Building as a kid, looking out all those Art Deco windows, and thinking that was what being in charge really felt like.Of course, I never expected being in charge to feel like exhaustion from nights of sleeping on a tiny couch, my eyes blurring as I looked over another list of potential recruits. I clicked onto the sheet of guys Killian offered to loan me in the short-term, the ones currently patrolling the grounds of my house. I had to replace every goddamn one before my old friend’s patience ran out.Time to focus. I’d be better off starting with the top, guys Killia
Taken by the Mafia King Accepting Visitors
PaigeI curled my knees into my chest and stared out through the narrow windows at the yard. Now that I knew it was there, I could just make out the shine of afternoon sun on the duck pond, hidden amongst the trees. My days had begun passing in a cycle of sleeping, staring out the window, and trudging down to the kitchen at mealtimes to eat some of the best food I’d ever had in my life. It was dead boring, but after the last few months, I wouldn’t mind never being excited again.Someone knocked on the door, and my heart stuttered. He almost never visited in the middle of the day.God, what was I thinking? Tom was just the latest bastard. He’d made that clear over the last few days. Sure, he slept on my couch at night, but other than that, I barely saw him outside of the kitchen. Not that I wanted to see him, anyway. It was just a big change from the constant contact of Cairo.And anyway, Tom didn’t knock like that.“Mom?” I called.The door opened, and Sera Bianchi stepped in wearing
Taken by the Mafia King The Journey of a Thousand Miles
PaigeThe massive, warm hand on my shoulder invaded my dreams. For a moment, it sent my heart racing. Then, it began shaking me.I sat bolt upright in bed, sending Tom skittering back to avoid being smashed by my chin. My eyes widened, and my chest squeezed. He’d touched me. After days of careful distance, he not only entered my room, but he’d touched me while I’d been sleeping. Was he trying to take advantage of me?Tom put his hands up. “I couldn’t wake you any other way. I’m sorry.”My panic flashed instantly into rage. “You’re sorry? What the fuck am I supposed to do with that? I want a lock on my goddamn door, and I want to install it myself so I know you can’t get in anymore.”Hurt flashed through his soft green eyes. “I tried knocking and calling your name, but it didn’t work. We’re running out of time. You need to get up.”I gathered my blankets to my chest like I needed to hide my sports bra and sweatshirt. “Running out of time?”Tom sighed and took another step back. “Your f
Taken by the Mafia King Therapist Barbie
PaigeI blinked then rubbed my eyes like that would change what I was seeing. All the therapists I’d imagined were graying old men, rubbing their beards and trying to stare down my shirt in leather-shrouded offices. Instead, Dr. McMillan—Dr. Lauren McMillan—stood in front of a rounded teal chair with one of the longest manes of flowing blonde hair I’d ever seen in my life. She wore a deep green blazer over a cream button-down, and pants that matched her jacket, but that seemed more like a concession to her position than something that actually suited her. She pulled out a steno pad and a handful of different colored pens then smiled at me like some kind of sorority girl.“Paige, right?” she asked.“Uh, yeah.” I nodded my head. “How do we…do this?”“You can sit wherever you’d like.” She swept her arm over an assortment of matching teal furniture, other chairs and a couch, all of which looked weird against the utilitarian gray of her walls and carpet. “If it’s easier for someone else to
Taken by the Mafia King Regular Order
TommasoMy heart pounded as I followed her to the elevator and out of the office building. Paige looked just about as pissed as when I’d walked her in, but I couldn’t forget the feeling of her hand in mine. For a split second, she’d trusted me outside the four walls of our home. But after whatever happened in Dr. McMillan’s office, she’d turned back into the woman who’d been ghosting around my house for almost a week, irritable and hungry.When we reached the car, I directed Patrick back to that restaurant we’d stopped at on the way from the airport. It might’ve been the first cheesesteak place she saw, but with the way her eyes lit up, I doubted it. It seemed special to her.Should I ask how it went? No, of course not. I might not have ever been to therapy myself, but I knew most people went for months, if not years. I just wished I could do more than buy her a cheesesteak. I wished I could figure out how I kept pissing her off.We arrived at the restaurant.“Fried onions on top,” sh
Taken by the Mafia King Good Mobsters, Good Monsters
PaigeI climbed the stairs back up to my second-floor room feeling completely full for the first time since—maybe since I’d been kidnapped. Two muffins, a cheesesteak, and an order of onion rings. That was what it took now.Well, most of an order of onion rings. That foreign smile crawled back across my face, stretching unused muscles back into shape. As much as I could hit him sometimes, as furious as I was that he’d woken me up like he did, having Tom steal an onion ring felt so dizzyingly normal I couldn’t help but smile. He was obviously a multimillionaire. Another serving of cheesesteak and onion rings couldn’t possibly put him in the red. But he hadn’t gotten his own, and he’d refused when I’d first offered to share. So then he’d resorted to stealing. It was almost funny, like something that would happen in a high school lunchroom rather than the back of a mobster’s SUV.I turned into my room and shut the door behind me. Standing up long enough for another shower sounded exhaus
Taken by the Mafia King Warmth
TommasoI’d been back at my desk downstairs when the shouting started. Even with the extra soundproofing I’d had put in when I was built, it wasn’t a hundred percent, especially if a door was open. I couldn’t make out the voices, but I knew someone was upset. I’d picked my way up the stairs slowly. Paige needed me. Or, she needed someone. She needed not to be in the middle of a screaming match after her first therapy session. I had to go to her, but I didn’t want to scare her.It seemed I’d succeed. She stood in front of me, tiny in one of the sweaters Sera had picked out, with her arms open for a hug. From me. My feet started crossing the room before my mind caught up, and I made myself slow down. I wanted to sweep her up in a bear hug, crush her to my chest, and finally convince my mind she was real, but I couldn’t scare her any more. I wrapped my arms around her waist, and she did the same.A tiny part of my brain whispered that she would fit perfectly in my arms once she gained th
Taken by the Mafia King Moving Out
PaigeThe next morning, I sat at the high countertop in the kitchen across from Mom, picking at the final few pieces of bacon she’d insisted Olivia put on my plate that remained of my breakfast—well, brunch, because I’d slept in again. Olivia puttered around behind us, training a new girl who’d introduced herself earlier as Miranda. The new girl seemed to be keeping up with Olivia decently well, but every time Mom or I made a noise, she whipped around like she was expecting an army of men with guns to come crashing through the door.“So, I’ve got news.” Mom bit her lip, an old habit from when she knew I wouldn’t like what came next.Normally, my stomach would drop, and I’d start worrying about what else could go wrong. Now, my chest lightened. Had Tom already talked to her about moving out? Did he maybe even make it seem like it was his idea, or something about the house, or anything that wouldn’t tell her for certain I couldn’t have her around while I figured out who the hell Now-Pai
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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
