Angelo.
For the past two weeks, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Vittoria. After Tiny found out everything he could about her, I had them bring in Giorgio. The fucker was quick to fill in the blanks where she was concerned. It’s clear the man has no loyalty to his family.
But not willing to just believe every word coming out of Giorgio’s mouth, I needed to hear it straight from Vittoria. I know she’s too fucking terrified to dare lie to me.
I drink in her beauty as the wind ruffles her curls. Even though her soft brown irises are trembling with fear, she doesn’t break eye contact.
She has more guts than that shady stepbrother of hers, who offered her to me on a silver platter as payment for his debt.
I told him I’d kill him with my bare hands if he mentioned a word to her while I considered his proposal.
It aggravates the fuck out of me that Giorgio was so quick to offer Vittoria’s virginity to me as payment for his debt. She’s worth more than a measly three hundred thousand dollars.
She’s worth more than Giorgio’s pathetic life.
What pisses me off is the fact that he has enough money stashed away in investments on the stock market to pay what he owes me, but he’d rather sacrifice Vittoria’s innocence.
The fucker is willing to sell her virtue, then once she turns twenty-five, he’ll pawn her off to a man who doesn’t mind spoiled goods.
I’ve also found out why he’s waiting until she’s twenty-five. Vittoria will get access to her inheritance, and Giorgio probably wants it.
It fucking infuriates me.
Staring at the woman who’s popped into my mind more than I care to admit, I can clearly see how innocent she is.
When Tiny looked into Vittoria’s life, he couldn’t find a single black mark against her.
Every Sunday, she serves coffee and tea after Mass. When one of the parishioners is sick, she delivers home-cooked meals to them.
This woman is as pure as they come.
In my world, she’s rare, and I like to collect unique items.
Vittoria’s tongue darts out to wet her lips, and the nervous action draws my eyes to her mouth.
I’d bet every last dime I have on my name she hasn’t even been kissed. Mesmerized by the woman, I murmur, “Have you ever been kissed?”
Her brows furrow together while the pink on her cheeks deepens in color.
Christ, she’s so fucking innocent that a simple question about a kiss has her blushing.
Vittoria shakes her head, and I can see how difficult it is for her to keep eye contact with me.
I step closer until there’s only an inch between us, and leaning down, I take a deep breath of her scent. She smells like cookies and dough, instantly making my mouth water, and I catch a hint of something soft and floral.
“I’ll see you soon, piccola cerviatta.”
Calling her little deer comes naturally, and as I walk away, I feel her eyes burning on my back.
Vittoria Romano might not come from a worthy family, but she has something no one else in our community can offer me – her innocence.
Giorgio’s in for a surprise because I don’t just want Vittoria’s virginity. If I take her, I’ll marry the most beautiful woman in New York. She’ll warm my bed and give me heirs.
And finally, Uncle Maurizio will stop fucking nagging me.
Honestly, it doesn’t matter to me whether I’m married or not. The notion of loving a woman has never appealed to me, but owning this beautiful woman is definitely tempting.
“Are we leaving?” Big Ricky asks as I approach him and Tiny.
“Yes.” I walk to the SUV with blacked-out windows, and after climbing into the backseat, I mutter, “Drop me off at the club, then bring Giorgio Romano to me.”
“Yes, boss,” Tiny replies while Big Ricky starts the engine.
During the drive to the heart of Long Island, where Fallen Angels is situated, my thoughts are inundated with the opportunity that’s been presented to me.
Before I laid eyes on Vittoria, I didn’t give two shits about getting married. Sure, I knew I’d take the plunge at some point, but there was no urgency.
There’s still no urgency.
But the thought of having the beautiful little deer warming my bed is just too good to pass up.
I’ll have something no other man has touched.
The corner of my mouth lifts, but the smile quickly disappears when I think of Giorgio.
I’m not known for giving second chances, but the sadistic side of me wants to play with the fucker as if he’s a mouse. I want to see how far he’ll go before I kill him.
When Big Ricky pulls up to the front of the club, Tiny escorts me inside before returning to the SUV to carry out my order.
Fallen Angels is closed on Sundays, so besides a couple of workers who are cleaning the place from top to bottom, it’s quiet.
I head straight to my office to double-check the deposits banked over the past week. I have people who do everything for me, but when it comes to money, I don’t trust a living soul.
Besides the strip club and casino, I own a fleet of ships that transport prohibited goods worldwide.
Salvatore handles the schedule for the fleet, while Eddie makes sure shit doesn’t go down at my club. He also runs the restaurant and casino for me. Sunday is Eddie's only day off, so I don’t even bother checking if he’s in his office.
I feel Eddie is an excellent candidate to run things in Sicily on my behalf when my uncle retires. I have to think of someone else who we can train to take over from Eddie. It’s not going to be an easy decision to make because, besides Renzo, Damiano, Dario, and Franco, the heads of the other four families, I only trust Salvatore, Eddie, Tiny, and Big Ricky.
I keep my circle small because, in my world, it’s the only way to stay alive.
There’s a knock at my office door before Tiny enters, followed by a shit-scared Giorgio, who doesn’t look like he’s gotten any sleep since we last spoke.
It makes me recall how tired Vittoria looked.
Tiny shoves the fucker forward, and he comes to a staggering stop in front of my desk. My eyes lock on him with disgust, while his pleading gaze is filled with terror.
I could kill him and just take Vittoria.
My tone is filled with danger as I mutter, “If I take Vittoria for myself, I won’t tolerate any interference from you.”
Confusion flutters over his face before it’s followed by relief. “So you’re taking her virginity in exchange for wiping the three hundred thousand off my name?”
I stare at the man until it looks like he’s going to piss himself before I say, “I haven’t made up my mind yet. If you breathe a word of this discussion to her, it will be the last thing you do.”
“O-of c-c-course,” he stammers. “I’m not stupid. The last thing I want is for her to run away.”
Tilting my head, I ask, “Is that something you think she’ll do?”
His head bobs up and down. “Since she was a teen, she’s had a stupid dream of living in a small town with a white-picket fence house and the perfect husband. She’s keeping herself pure for marriage.”
My eyes narrow on the fucker for insulting Vittoria’s childhood dream. If she marries me, she’ll have a fucking castle and everything her heart desires.
“What else does she dream of?” I demand. “The usual bullshit. Being a mother.” That’s good to hear.
Waving a hand, I dismiss Giorgio. The gesture has Tiny gripping the fuckers arm and shoving him out of my office.
When I’m alone again, I stare at the spreadsheet on my laptop, but I don’t see any of the numbers.
My thoughts are with the beautiful little deer who might become my wife. Knowing she’s a flight risk, I begin to devise a plan. If she can’t know about the wedding, I’ll have to lure her to the ceremony under false pretenses. I also don’t want her fucking stepbrother knowing I’m taking more than just her virginity.
Once I have her in front of the priest, she won’t be able to escape and will have no choice but to marry me.
Do I feel shitty about being prepared to trick a woman into marrying me?
No. Not one bit.
In my territory, I take what I want. Vittoria will quickly learn to obey me and be a good wife, and in return, she’ll live a life of luxury. She can raise our children while I continue to rule over my empire.
Deciding that Vittoria will become my wife, the corner of my mouth lifts.
Soon, the little deer and all her innocence will be mine.