Page 44 of Spice and Revenge

“Leo’s going to hate me for this,” he laughs to himself. “How do you feel about participating in a little game? Don’t worry, you won’t have to do much. Your part is easy, you just have to sit in a black box and let Leo come to you. I know how to make it happen.”

Can it actually be this easy?I think to myself.The person I have come for is just going to be handed to me on a silver platter?

“Is this some sort of trap?”

He gives me a look. “And why would I want to trap you?”

That is a good question. I press my lips together. “Fine. I’ll play your game.”

“Delightful.”

He walks out a moment later, leaving me in the room with my thoughts, and my heart beating a frantic rhythm in my chest.

Chapter Seventeen

Leonardo

The first thing the next morning, I leave the penthouse apartment suite. I give myself the excuse that it’s because I have another meeting in Sicily later in the day, but I know the truth.

Lorena.

I can’t believe that I let myself lose control with her last night. It seems I always lose my senses whenever she’s around. After the night at the library, I swore I wouldn’t touch her again. Just the feel of her warmth and softness around my fingers was enough to drive me crazy.

But last night, I tasted her. I fucking tasted her, and now I can never forget what she feels like against my mouth and tongue, what she smells like, and the particular spot that makes her tick. I know her body now, more than I should, more than I should have let myself discover.

I’m not flying with her this morning because I don’t think I’ll be able to hold myself back if we are alone in an enclosed space. I need to be away from her until I can think clearly again, until her presence doesn’t make me do stupid shit.

Throughout the flight home, I try to distract myself with work. The meeting with my Cuban allies went well, and our next step should be to plan how to infiltrate Florida completely. The easiest way to gain control over a region is to establishbusinesses around the area. When someone has important business establishments that the people, especially the rich, love and can hardly do without, one automatically becomes one of the people.

This is why I am currently building a new casino in Florida. It will be the biggest casino in the city, attracting the powerful and mighty. I’m also making plans to establish a chain of restaurants around the area, starting from Florida.

Pedro Rodriguez won’t know what is coming for him.

We arrive in Sicily later in the evening. I immediately freshen up and have a late lunch before retiring to my office. The food tastes different, and even though it is good, it’s trash compared to Lorena’s cooking.

I remain in my office until the late hours of the night. When I asked Nina to bring up my dinner, she looked shocked, but of course, she tried to hide it. I never eat anywhere else apart from the dining room. I find it unhygienic and inappropriate. Look at me now, eating in my office because I’m fucking hiding from Lorena.

I know she’s in the house now. I heard the sound of her voice some hours ago. And when I taste her food, my stupid brain reminds me of how I ate her pussy, and how she buried her hands in my hair. I’d made her beg, and when she did, it took all my willpower not to fuck her right against that kitchen counter.

“Shit,” I mutter, realizing that I’m hard again, for the umpteenth time today.

The next day, I leave for work very early in the morning, so early that when I walk into the company building, I only meet the cleaners who are tidying up before the day starts.

The week passes by at a torturous pace, and I never thought it would be possible, but I haven’t set my eyes on Lorena ever since we returned from the trip. I know it’s not just my efforts. She’s avoiding me too. I never see her around the house. When she’s not in the kitchen, she’s either in her room or not in the house. I’d asked one of my guards to follow her one day, and he found out that she normally goes to a local pub to throw darts.

For someone who is trying to avoid this woman, I’m doing a very bad job at it.

By the second week of not seeing her, I’m going crazy. I now understand how addicts feel when they’re experiencing withdrawal symptoms. I’m a mess at work, and when I hold secret meetings with my men, I’m harsher and more ruthless than usual. It gets to the point where Giovanni notices and asks me if I’m okay. Of course, I don’t tell him. How could I possibly say that I’ve been in a pissy mood and acting like a bitch for weeks just because I’ve not set my eyes on my chef?

So, when Giovanni informs me to visitSinz Swingtonight, I decide to go, for a much-needed distraction.

My car slips into the VIP parking lot later that night. The energy around me is pulsating, and I feel the vibrations as I park my car and step out. The bouncers greet me as I approach, and I shake my head when one of them moves to lead me to the VIP section. Tonight, I want to do something different.

As I step into the club, the energy hits me like a wave. The air is thick with excitement, laughter, and the promise of a memorable night. The dim lighting casts a sultry ambience, with vibrant colors dancing across the walls. The thumping bass of the music reverberates through my chest, drawing me further into the room.

The club is more crowded than usual today, and I wonder if it’s because it’s a Friday night. But I’ve been here on Friday nights before, and it has never been like this. I’m taller than ninety percent of the people in this room, so from where I stand, I look ahead of the crowd to see that there is a stage performance going on. Around me, bodies sway and move in sync with the music, while some people crank their heads to see what is going on in the front.

The DJ, perched high above the dance floor, transitions from the thumping, upbeat song into a slow, sensual rhythm. The crowd goes wild, and from where I stand, I see that someone is getting a completely nude lap dance on the stage.

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