Page 46 of Maddest Temptation

“Yes, Boss,” he offered me with a salute.

I rose from my chair as well, pulled on the sleeves of my dress shirt, and took a deep breath. I might fucking hate him, but Donato was right, Grigori could have come after me right after I took control of the Outfit, and he didn’t. So why now? What was propelling him to steal my shit and attack my territory? The answer was simple, and Vitelli had been right, something or better yet, someone was giving him the right incentivization. Grigori was just the hungry dog, and there must be a master behind him.

Vitelli lounged in one of my armchairs, he popped a beer open, brought the bottle to his lips, and savored the beverage before putting it down on his knee. I looked at my cup of cold water and took a sip as well before placing it on the center table.

It was Sunday and Vitelli had insisted we for once have a family lunch, as it used to be tradition before it all came crashing down. We had been sitting in complete silence while we waited for his girlfriend to show up. My brother wanted me to spend some time with her to “get to know her better.” Which was unnecessary, I already knew all the important things I needed to know. All I cared about was if she was loyal to Vitelli. From what I gathered; the girl was.

“Until when are you going to keep up that charade?” Vitelli asked as he picked up his beer and pointed toward my water.

“It’s not a charade,” I pointed out. “I don’t drink.”

“You don’t have to prove yourself anymore,” Vitelli said. “You are boss, no one is going to take that from you.”

I scoffed. “There will always be someone trying to take it from me, Vitelli. As long as I live, there will be greedy men coming after what we have.”

“Why are you always so grim?” he teased.

“It’s called being realistic.”

“I’d say pessimistic.” He argued.

I rolled my eyes and reached for the water. “Where is your girlfriend again?”

“Already bored of my company?” He joked. I sighed loudly as if to say yes, but that only caused him to laugh. “She’s getting ready. You know how girls are.”

The fact that my brother didn’t correct me when I said “girlfriend” was concerning, and it made me wonder if he even noticed.

“What could be taking her so goddamned long?”

“Do you have something better to do?”

“As a matter of fact, yes, I do?—"

“Work doesn’t count, Cassio,” Vitelli argued. “It’s Sunday, for once let it go.” His phone rang and Vitelli stood to take the call from Marie. It seemed something happened because he looked at me and then sighed loudly.

I didn’t like the look on his face and disliked even more the words that would follow out of his mouth. “Yeah, she can come.”

She?

Vitelli pocketed his phone and looked at me with unsettling eyes. “Francesca Manci is coming over.”

Fuck.

The last time I’d seen her, things hadn’t gone exactly how I had planned them. I had intended to question her about Paolo and the money he embezzled from the Outfit. Then I ended up kissing her, which wasn’t part of the script. Kissing her had been a mistake. The sanest one I’d ever committed.

“Is it going to be a problem?” Vitelli eyed me suspiciously.

“Why would it be?” I snapped.

“Let us not forget the last time you two were in a room together.”

And how could I forget that? I had my tongue down her throat, for God’s sake. An image of that day popped into my mind as though I was there all over again. Francesca’s soft and warm lips against mine. The sweet taste of cherry in my mouth, her breathy moans echoing in my ear as she rode my leg with abandon.

I had been a fucking asshole. I knew she had been close, a few seconds longer and she would have shattered, but I didn’t want it to be like that. I wanted to be in her when she orgasmed.

As if that was ever going to happen.

I kept forgetting that Francesca was out of reach. Not mine. Not even if I wished for her to be. She was bound to marry another man, one that wasn’t me and never would be. Even if I wanted her, I would have to control myself. She was not my problem to deal with.

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