Twenty-one Audrina Bianchi The first few years of my life weren’t that bad. I had a happy family, even. Mama---that’s what I called Marie before I found out the truth----took care of me during the day. I remembered coloring at the kitchen table while she baked in the kitchen, humming to herself along to the old radio we had. At night, Dad would come home, always with dinner and a smile for the two of us. Dad would kiss Mama and spin her around, until she’d hit his chest making her burst into laughter. It was a happy time. Things changed on my thirteenth birthday. Grandfather Lorenzo always made the biggest deal out of birthdays and holidays. Everyone would gather around for a celebration. I had a frilly pink dress Mama had gotten for me. There was a giant, pink Unicorn cake. I’d already been modeling for a few years at that point and there were a few other girls that I’d made friends with who were models also that came. Grandfather themed the back patio of his upstate, New York ma
Twenty-two: Luca CapaldiThe plane ride was the longest one of my life. I had no idea what I would find when I got to New York. If Audrina would even want to talk to me. She had every reason not to. And I was still seething from everything that she had told me. When my own mother had died, Augusta had been the closest thing I had to one. She had been a maid but she had felt more like family. Still, Audrina was my life. The woman I had been in love with since I was a teenager. I wasn’t going to let her slip through my fingers all because of one fight. There was also the long drive to The Barretta Mansion. They lived in upstate New York. The family did have a place in Manhattan, on the Upper East Side, but Audrina’s Grandfather, the head of the Barretta crime family, was rarely in the city anymore. He was old enough and powerful enough that he made people come to him instead of the other way around. When I got to the Barretta mansion, there were two men standing there. The last time
Twenty-three Audrina Bianchi I hadn’t planned on going back to Andre after the fight. Except that I’d been pacing in the back yard of Luca’s mansion, worrying what he was going to do with me now, when something hard pressed into the back of my skull. A strong hand gripped my shoulder so roughly that I was certain that I was going to have bruises on there. “If you don’t come with me, your daughter is going to die.” It was his voice. The voice that had had so much control over my life. Andre. Slowly, I turned around to face him. “How did you find me?” He laughed. “I’ve been here before, remember? When I tried to get you back after that little shit stole you from me. Your Grandfather wanted us married. We were supposed to unite our families. And you screwed everything up.” I spat in his face. “Your brother tried to kill me!” Andre’s eyes darkened, and he wiped the spit from his cheek. “Funny thing about that, Audrina. You know that they found my brothers body recently?” The hair
Twenty-four Luca Capaldi This wasn’t what I had planned on happening when I took Audrina to Foley’s. I wanted to take her some place where she could tell me about her life without worrying about the wrong person hearing about it. The Foley’s ran a whole different part of Boston that my father couldn’t touch, not unless he wanted to start shit. And since they were technically family, because Niccolo and me were related by marriage, he wouldn’t go there. I had no idea that the Foley’s were involved with The Fixer either though. But Audrina’s face when she saw the man spoke volumes. She ran to him. “Daddy, what are you doing here?” He was a tall man, with brown hair, and brown eyes. He also reeked of beer. “Can’t call me that anymore, ‘Drina. Not your dad.” Audrina stiffened, but the man stumbled, and she caught him before he fell off of the chair that he was sitting on. “You raised me. You’re still my dad, even if you don’t think you are. Blood doesn’t mean anything. It’s who shows
Twenty-five: Audrina Bianchi I still called The Fixer Dad in my head. I had never known Alessandro Ramono, and he had never made it a point to know me. The Fixer was the only father I had ever known. He might have been the scariest man in all of the crime families. I took him into his apartment. He’d given me a key in case I had any emergencies. Even though I wasn’t his daughter, he still tried to look out for me. I dragged him up the front steps of his stoop, into his apartment, and I placed him on the couch. I then went to go and get him some water. “Dad. Daddy!” I called out. I sat down on the edge of his couch. He snorted awake. “Shit!” He winced, and pressed his fingers to the temples of his forehead. Dad looked around. When he spotted me, he groaned. “Audrina, you shouldn’t be here.” I glared. “What was I supposed to do, Daddy? Was I supposed to leave you at the bar drunk, so that you could choke on your own vomit?” He sighed. “You’re not supposed to call me Daddy anymore
Twenty-six: Luca Capaldi The minute I got back to Boston, there was someone pointing a gun at my head. “You must be a fucking idiot,” a familiar voice said, as the gun dug into my skull. I laughed. “You come quickly when you’re threatened.” The Fixer glared at him. “I shouldn’t have even bothered with such a bold, fucking request but I heard a rumor that Andre Antonov was back stateside so I thought that maybe there was something wrong. I didn’t want the bastard anywhere near Drina.” “Yeah, he’s back,” I said, “and he kidnapped Audrina. At least that’s my working theory. We got into a fight because she told me the truth about how she ratted Augusta out in order to save her own skin.” The Fixer raised an eyebrow. “Where the fuck did you get that idea?” “Because that’s what she said before she disappeared. She implied that she was the one for telling the Ramono’s where Augusta was hiding.” The Fixer removed the gun from my head, then turned me around. “You’re a fucking idiot.”
Twenty-seven: Audrina Bianchi Andre had a large, blown up picture of my Vogue cover in the entry way. He stood behind me, pressing himself up against my backside. I could feel him. He was hard, and it made my mouth fill with vile. It hadn’t been so long ago that I had been in bed with Luca. That my husband had been making me feel all sorts of wonderful things. Now though, it wasn’t Luca. It was the man that had been my abuser for years. He made me sick. He brushed back my hair, his fingers grazing my neck, making it flinch. “Do you like the picture? I had it specially made. You were so excited about that cover. I even threw you a party that night. You invited your little friends. And of course, you fucking betrayed me.” He grabbed my shoulders and pulled me around roughly so that I was now facing him. “It drove my wife mad, having that there. But I always made sure that she knew that you were the only woman for me.” I didn’t know what to do. His poor wife. Andre was a monster, and
Twenty-nine: Audrina Bianchi “You’ve got to wear the dress that Andre got you.” This order came from Marie as I was getting ready for the party to celebrate the launch of my Vogue cover. It was also supposed to be my birthday, but there hadn’t been any mention of that. Marie wasn’t exactly the kind of woman that was sentimental about things. Of course, how could she be sentimental when I wasn’t even her own daughter? When Daddy had stayed----The Fixer----it might have been enough to make her love me. But now, I was nothing more than a reminder of what she had lost. For that reason, she hated me. And did what she could to make my life miserable. As my makeup team worked on my face, I clenched my hands in fists. I had a plan. Things were going to be okay. Luca knew the truth about who I was. Daniela was coming to the party, and tonight I would tell her the truth about me. Daniela was the sweetest person I knew. Once she realized that we were sisters, there was no way that she wou
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