Page 8 of Forbidden Obsession

“Still—”

“Then like I said…the guards have gotten complacent. This is the last thing we need, considering someone is targeting the Cosa Nostra.”

“My son is right,” Dameon cut in. “Change up the guards immediately.” He turned his eyes to me. “Find Gianni.”

I nodded and Dameon said a prayer over the food. Silently we ate. But while everyone was most likely thinking of the priest and Gianni’s whereabouts, my thoughts bounced between how long I would let Gianni remain tied up in the locked shed outside Rolando’s home.

And Penelope.

“If I weren’t someone who liked you, I might have ruined your life.”

The question that boggled my mind was why. Why did Penelope “like” me?

As I left Dameon’s compound, these thoughts remained as I drove the dark streets.

“I’ll be at Romeo’s tonight to let my hair down. You should stop by if you’re into that sort of thing.”

At the light, I made a U-turn and headed across town to Romeo’s.

Wracked with indecision, I gritted my teeth, annoyed with the constant need to satiate this desire for Penelope that burned inside me.

“I won’t approach her,” I told myself firmly.

I checked the rearview mirror after convincing myself I was there to merely observe. One way or the other, it had to happen. Penelope had managed to get my attention, and once that occurred, I had to commit myself to the person or task until I was satisfied.

Instead of valet parking, I parked in the club garage, took the elevator down, and entered Romeo’s. Neon lights swung overhead as I made my way through the throngs of people. The music was loud and pounding, the neon lights blinding, and the air thick with the scent of alcohol, cheap perfume, and sweat.

“Penelope. Penelope,” I whispered.

She was the sole reason I resisted the urge to slip away to my usual haunts as I ventured into this seedy nightclub.

People were drinking, some holding beer bottles, others sipping colorful cocktails through straws. The bartenders were in a frenzy, shaking and pouring drinks at lightning speed. The energy was electric, and the music was loud. I could feel the bass vibrating through my chest. Patrons eager to dance were crowding onto the dance floor, pushing and shoving past the tables.

I kept to the shadows, my dark, brooding presence unnoticed by the revelers around me. I wasn’t one for conversation or socializing; tonight was no exception. I was here to survey, observe, and take in every detail of Penelope’s movements, every nuance of her smile.

The club was packed with people, all dressed to impress and ready to party. There were girls in short, tight dresses and heels that looked impossible to walk in and guys in designer suits and slicked-back hair. It seemed to me they were all here for the same reason—to escape their mundane lives and lose themselves in the pulsing beat of the music.

The sounds were a mix of electronic beats and bass-heavy rhythms. The dance floor was a sea of bodies moving in perfect unison to the beat.

Then she came into view, standing at the bar, looking as beautiful as ever.

Penelope.

My heart skipped a beat as I watched her order a drink, her long golden-brown hair falling in soft waves around her shoulders.

A guy approached her, his hands reaching to pull her toward him. Jealousy rose in my chest, and his hands roamed over her body and cupped her ass.

She wiggled away from his touch, and as I gritted my teeth, my gaze followed them around the room’s wall to the dance floor. Penelope’s body gyrated in perfect sync with the music, and he tried to pick up her groove, but it was clear he possessed two left feet.

I couldn’t tear my eyes away, even though I knew I should. She was like a drug to me, a sweet addiction I couldn’t resist.

And so, I stayed, observing in the shadows as the night wore on. Penelope moved from the dance floor to the bar, then back again. She laughed with her friends, her smile lighting up the room. And even though I knew I shouldn’t have her, even though I knew it was forbidden—desire washed over me, slammed into my libido, and gripped my dick.

Like an animal to its prey, I was unable to tear myself away from the magnetic pull that beckoned me across the room.

That same fella hung on to her like his life depended on it. I knew he intended to keep paying for her drinks in the hopes that she would leave with him, if only it were to fuck her on the backseat of his car or take her to a hotel.

He whispered in her ear, and she leaned away, turned her face up to look at him, and shook her head no.

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