SixNiccolo Capaldi Alessandro Romano knew his daughter was back in town. He also had no one stopping him from contacting her. Not his father, not her mother, not even Niccolo’s own father had that reach anymore. Not with him in the hospital, barely able to move, and the doctors certain that he wasn’t going to last long. “Luca!” he called out to his brother. The two of them lived in the same, large Beacon Hill mansion that had been in the family for as long as anyone could remember. He made his way from the office, to the hallway, looking for his brother. “Luca!” he called again. “Hey, hey, hey!” His brother came out of his room. “What’s wrong?” “Romano.” Luca’s face paled. “What about Romano?” “The old don is dead. Alessandro’s taking the throne. He just called me to invite us to the funeral and he wants us to bring Daniela.” Luca’s gaze narrowed. “Well, that’s not fucking happening. Her
SevenDaniela Berni “I’m sorry, we’re going where?” I stared at Audrina in shock when she got home. “Italy!” she smiled brightly at me. “I know it’s kind of last minute, but I don’t want to travel alone. And I’ve got to meet with some suppliers. Come on. You’re not employed right now, and you’ve never traveled. Just let me treat you to this trip, okay?” I blinked. “I really think that if I’m going to be living here, I should be looking for a job. I already put some applications out and if I’m not here for interviews, it’s going to take longer for it.” “Look, I’ll give you some tasks if you want, make you like my assistant.” I rolled my eyes. “Audrina, you already have an assistant.” “I’m the CEO. I can make up something for you. Just please, come with me. This is a really big deal and I don’t want to go alone. I need my best friend there! If this goes through, I’ll be able to go global. Well, even more than I alr
EightNiccolo Capaldi The call came at lunch. It was from one of my men. Marco. “Hey, boss?” he said. I was sitting in my office at the club, going over some paperwork. In the afternoon, the club was closed, meaning I got to work on the day-to-day minutiae of owning it. It wasn’t until night that the club truly came to life. Now, it was empty, and depressing. “Hi, Marco,” I said, “what’s up?” “I know that you’re working. Normally, I wouldn’t have bothered you. But uh, you remember that girl you went to school with?” I froze. “Which one?” “The one that lived with you for a while. Dani, I think it was?” “Daniela,” I corrected. Dani was too familiar. I didn’t like the idea of anyone, particularly Marco, thinking they were friendlier with Dani than I was. And Dani was what Daniela allowed her friends, the few that she had, to call her. Marco wasn’t her friend. “Right. Daniela. I’m down here at
NineDaniela Berni There was no way any of this was a coincidence. I didn’t believe for one second that Niccolo had ever stepped foot into Revere’s. When I had worked there in high school, he had called the place, “a shit hole.” No, Niccolo had found out about me meeting Alessandro somehow and had timed this perfectly. I had always wondered if there was someone from Boston watching me. Now, I knew for sure. Niccolo Capaldi was never going to let me go, or let me be happy. He knew that I could never say no to anything involving Giuseppe. Mr. Capaldi had always treated my family like his, even though my mom was just his maid. We never felt like staff with him. I hadn’t even known that Giuseppe was in the hospital. I’d been so startled when I saw Luca the other night, I had no idea if he had mentioned anything about his dad. Still, I had just met my father for the first time. Even though I knew everything my aunt had said about him, I was still curious. I had so
TenNiccolo Capaldi I knew that she was going to be difficult. That was why I had brought the knock out serum I used when I was having to fight off drunks in the club. Or anyone that might not be too excited about Capaldi family business practices. She didn’t even notice when I stuck her with the needle, knocking her out. “Rick!” I called. “Yes, boss?” my driver said. “Open the door for me, please. I’m going to be escorting Miss Berni to the plane, personally.” Rick glanced behind me to see me throwing an unconscious Daniela over my shoulder. “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! What the fuck are you doing, sir?” “I’m getting her out of Boston, safe,” I said. “Really?” he said. “Because it looks like you just drugged her.” “Relax. It’s nothing that will hurt her. It’s the same stuff I use to knock out drunks at the club when they’re getting a little handsy.” Rick rolled his eyes. “That makes me feel
ElevenDaniela Berni I woke up with a pounding in my head. There was something soft underneath me, and I couldn’t figure out why. The last thing that I remembered was being in the car with Niccolo after he had…what had he done? My vision was a little blurry and I forced myself to sit up. I blinked a few times, and then my vision cleared. But the headache remained. I saw someone sitting in a chair across from me. “Good. You’re awake.” It was a deep, male voice that spoke. I froze at the sound of his voice. I would have recognized it anywhere. Niccolo. It took me a moment to recognize where I was. I was in my old room, in the Capaldi summer home in Tropea, Italy. “What the hell did you do to me?” I demanded. He grinned. “I knocked you out with a sedative. It’s something that I use when there are people that are being too difficult at the club.” I frowned. “You mean, the stuff that your father used to knock people out that he
TwelveNiccolo Capaldi I was out on the veranda looking at the ocean. The summer home had been in the Capaldi family for generations. My great-great-grandfather, who had started out as a merchant, had bought the villa as a wedding gift for my great-great-grandfather. It had been built in the fifteen hundreds and was rumored to have originally been a vacation home for the Medici family. Daniela was inside. I had been in there when she woke up. But I didn’t know what she was doing. It had been a day since we’d arrived in Italy and she finally woke up. I was smoking a cigarette when I heard the back door open. “Did you have to knock her out?” Luca asked. I smirked as I glanced over my shoulder at him. “Who told you?” “Rick,” he said, “and then Daniela when I came here. I gave her my phone number when I saw her that first night. She texted me so many times I am surprised my phone didn’t somehow break from the amount of vibrating
ThirteenDaniela Berni “There’s got to be a way out of here.” I watched Audrina wander around the house, looking for some kind of window or door that wasn’t blocked by a guard. I laughed. “Audrina, just drop it. You’re not going to find a way out. You know how men like them are. They’ve got the entire place covered with body guards.” Audrina took a deep breath. “I wasn’t even kidnapped. I just followed you here. How am I the one that’s more freaked out than you?” I sighed. “Because I know them. I knew the minute that I stepped foot into Boston, somehow, they would find a way to pull me back into this mess. My mother was in it. My father’s in it. You’re in it. I don’t think there’s a way to get out. I think something like this---it’s always going to touch our lives, like a shadow. You can’t shake this kind of darkness no matter how hard you try.” My best friend let out a shriek. “I’m the goddamn CEO of an upscale, fashion bra
Nine Lauren Gallo Present I was able to stay. I anticipated him firing me. I anticipated him following me. I did not anticipate wanting him again. How could anyone go through what I went through with him and still want him? I couldn’t explain it. When I arrive at work the next day, I am humming. I also have his coffee ready for him that I pick up at our old favorite spot. I am there before him. I sit on his desk, and I place the coffee cup on it while I sip mine and smile. After a few minutes, the door opens, revealing him. “Coffee, boss?” He looks from the cup on the desk to me. I can feel his eyes travel up and down my body. I flush. I know I’m flushed. I can feel it from head to toe and I absolutely hate it and love it at the same time. I feel like a teenage girl all over again. His eyes settle on mine. “You greet all of your bosses like that?” I shrug. “Only the ones I like.” He raises an eyebrow. “Did you like my cousin?” I snort, and take a sip of my coffee before I get
EIGHT Domitus Capaldi PresentWhen I had Lauren, I felt like I had the answer to all of my problems. A sweet, little, submissive that did everything I wanted without question. After the accident when she left, at first, I didn’t want anyone. Then, I could no longer deny my urges. So, to keep them in check, I opened Labyrinth. My sex club. Patrons pay for rooms and inside them they can do whatever they want. Each one is paid to each of their specific tastes. And soundproof. All membership costs is a secret. And the absorbent yearly fee, of course. Manhattan real estate doesn’t come cheap, after all, and I have to keep the lights on somehow. I employ both men and women at the club. All kinds. You never know what someone might be into. And, of course, patrons are able to bring their own guests if they want to. What I should really do is throw Lauren over my shoulder, take her here, and have my way with her. But I can’t do that. I’m her boss and, in her mind, she barely knows me. Not
SEVEN Lauren Gallo Past I try not to think too hard about it when I find out from a text from my coach that Mitch was killed in a robbery. I have other things to worry about. Monday morning, my mom and I move my stuff into my dorm at the fancy private school that she’ll be working at and I’ll be going to. “Wow!” she says. “This place is huge.” I nod in agreement. Cagney Academy is on the Upper East Side. By being a student here, I’ll have access to their private ice rink, and Stephanie will be able to devote her time to training just me. Meaning I will have a better shot at the Olympics. As an added bonus, Ellie goes here too, and I’ll have Carla, Domitus’s cousin. The real problem is that I’ll have to deal with Domitus. And the rest of the Capaldi brothers. From stalking Domitus on social, I’ve learned that there are three other Capaldi brothers. Felix, Anthony, and Benedict. Benedict is a short, wirey, brunette kid that’s obsessed with the hockey team that plays at the stadiu
SIX Domitus Capaldi Past The next time I see Lauren Gallo, it’s a week after our little date. The family business and school keeps me away from the rink. But my father is meeting with the stadium manager to talk about getting new sponsors for our sports equipment. He’s also supposed to meet with Mrs. Gallo, Lauren’s Mom, and talk with her about securing her a teaching position at the school that I go to. Cagney Academy, a private school on the Upper East Side. As a teacher, Mrs. Gallo would get free admission for her family and since Lauren is her family, she would be able to go. Meaning I could see her all of the time whenever I want. At the moment, my father is talking with Laurens mom. She has sandy blonde hair, and brown eyes, and seems warry of my father. Smart woman. Most people are charmed by his wealth and good looks. I wonder if she’s dealt with his type before. Lauren says she doesn’t know who her father is, so maybe Mrs. Gallo’s husband was a made man. Or maybe she ju
FIVE Lauren Gallo Present My first thought when I see my ex-boyfriend is that he got taller. And hotter. And I’m fucked. I won’t be able to handle this. I managed to escape Domitus Capaldi once, by faking amnesia and moving half way across the country. But then my high school stalker came back and I was back home, in the city, working for the first man I had run away from. The second one, Michael Russo, had popped up in Los Angeles a few months ago. And I had no idea where he was. But I knew it would only be a matter of time before he popped back up again. He always found me. At least if I was in Domitus’s grasp, I had one monster to scare off another. I thought my cover was blown when Felix saw me. Felix had been my sounding board when I dated Domitus. In fact, I had had a little crush on him for a while but Felix and me had never done anything because we knew that Domitus would kill him if we did. Carla, to her credit, had done her research and knew about my ‘memory lo
FOUR Domitus Capaldi Present “Hey, you’re late.” This comes from my younger brother Felix, which is a surprise to me. Felix normally doesn’t care about anything. He’s twenty-three, a year younger than me, and barely shows up to work half of the time. The title he has is mostly for looks anyway. Felix is almost as tall as me, with black hair that’s slicked back with too much gel, and as many tattoos as I have. In reality, Felix runs most of the family clubs. And by run, I mean, frequents them on a regular basis and pretends to be doing work. “Why do you care?” I ask. “I’m never late. The only reason I was late this morning was because of the traffic.” “Um, well…” “Well, what?” “Well, your new secretary has been hired.” “Good. Shelia’s on bed rest now and it’s been hell using temps. Who did HR hire?” Felix made a face. I sigh. “Just tell me, Felix. I don’t want to play games. If it’s someone I hate, I can just fire them. Remember, I am the head of the New York branch o
THREE Lauren Gallo Past His hand was in between my legs. He touched my pussy. I hadn’t even been kissed yet, but Domitus Capaldi had touched my pussy. I was wearing tights, but I could still feel it, and the wetness in between my legs that came when he touched me there. I had no idea why he had become fixated on me but I didn’t think that he was going to give up on this anytime soon, judging from the hungry look on his face as he watched me while we ate. He has already talked about fucking me. He says that he wants to do it on the table of the restaurant, but that he’ll take me on a bed instead. He is a rich kid who has probably never heard the word no in his life. Meaning he won’t take no from me. Worse, his father owns the place where I practice my skating. The rink that has been the one constant in my life. And the Capaldi family is known for, along with owning half of New York City, shady business deals that involve clubs, drugs, and gambling amongst other things. I’ve neve
TWO Domitus Capaldi Past The first time I saw Lauren Gallo, she was wearing a blue velvet skating outfit, trimmed with fur. With each spin and jump, her little skirt went up, revealing her perfect, pale legs. I imagined my head in between those thighs, devouring her pussy, and making her scream my name and my cock goes hard at the thought. Dad had invested in the old ice-skating rink since my brother’s loved hockey, and he thought he could turn a profit from it. Me, I had never really been interested in sports. I worked out in the gym, and boxed for self-defense, but that was it. I was the heir to the New York branch of Capaldi Industries. My father wanted me to take over for him when he died. I didn’t have time to do anything outside of work for my father. I did everything my father asked of me. Never asking anything for myself. But when I saw Lauren Gallo, I wanted her. She had brown hair, and brown eyes, and a round face with full lips. She was tiny, and her breasts were
ONE Lauren Gallo Past There is someone watching me as I practice. The ice rink is my safe space. As I practice my routine for the millionth time, I can’t focus on anything but the eyes on me. The hair on the back of my neck stands on end. As my routine comes to an end, I straighten up and look for the person watching me. There’s a teenage boy leaning up against the wall of the skating rink. He’s tall, with broad shoulders, jet black hair, and reminds me of a dark prince out of a fantasy novel with high cheek bones and full lips. His hands are tattooed and the long, black, jacket that he wears I imagine hides full sleeves on either arm. An older man comes and talks to him. He looks like him, but with slightly grey hair, in his mid-forties. The older man’s gaze goes from me to the boy and he smirks. The boy rolls his eyes but the dark, heated gaze that he has remains on me. It makes heat go through my legs in a way that I have never felt before. Competitive skating doesn’t leave