Page 122 of Diavolo

The fire between them managed to adversely ignite and cool at the same time. Their bodies still burned for each other, but reality had also cut through their cloud of pleasurable tension. Unintentionally, while stoking their lust, Alessandro's words rose as a reminder that their long, trying night had yet to begin.Reluctantly, Elyse retracted her hand from him. Alessandro removed his hand from under her dress as well.

A more serious note now wedged between them, and anxiety brimmed from Elyse's green eyes as she asked, "Do you think everything will go smoothly?"

It nudged her a bit off balance when Alessandro didn't respond with his usual dose of poetic optimism and valor. He answered in an atypically restrained manner, "All we can do is hope for the best."

The fact that Alessandro had chosen to apply her favorite mantra to this particular scenario felt like an omen of some kind.And plan for the worst, she added silently.

Nils drove them toSversoaround 10 pm. When they arrived, Alessandro helped her out of the car. Elyse took care not to flash anyone with the shortness of her dress as she stepped out of the backseat. Monte and Luca walked behind them, leading a trail of bodyguards through the back entrance of the club.

TheSversostaff was still prepping to open their doors for business at midnight, so the inside was eerily calm and quiet as Elyse followed her husband's entourage down a dark corridor, up some stairs, and into a private VIP room on the second floor. The room's luxe interior was lit with dim red lighting, casting the entire space in a dark, moody atmosphere. Sleek white leather chairs and couches wrapped around glowing cube-shaped tables with built-in lighting. A bartender dressed in a black vest, black trousers, and a white dress shirt manned a private, fully decked-out bar in the corner of the room. Elyse felt as though she had stepped into the devil's playroom.

Benedetto Graviano was already sitting in the middle of the room with six of his men gathered around him.

Alessandro and Benedetto shook hands as they greeted one another. Then, Elyse came forward to say 'hello' to her grandfather. They offered each other customary air kisses on thecheek. The exchange felt almost as awkward as their walk down the aisle from the wedding. The biology of their blood and DNA made them family, but they were still very much strangers in every other way.

Alessandro took a seat directly across from Benedetto while gently grasping Elyse's hand to pull her down beside him. He didn't let go of her hand as the meeting barreled on in full-blown Italian. Elyse felt grateful. Her husband's touch grounded her nerves.

As Alessandro and Benedetto began their negotiations, Elyse did her best to follow along. It was a struggle, though. She was far more familiar with Alessandro's Italian, which carried a distinct Sicilian accent, but he spoke with more of a Palermitan influence, which sounded hard, strong, quick to her ears as opposed to Benedetto's Catanese softer, gentler, slower cadence. To the best of her ability, Elyse tried to piece together all the snippets she caught in passing.

At some point, her grandfather demanded,"Di che cosa hai bisogno?" What do you need?

Alessandro returned,"I tuoi uomini. Le tue connessioni."Your men. Your connections.

"Che vantaggio ne ricavo?" What's in it for me?

"4.5 milioni di euro."4.5 million euros.

"Non abbastanza."Not enough.

"No?"

"No. Potremmo essere una famiglia adesso, ma..."No. We may be family now, but...

"Ma cosa? Ora siamo una famiglia. La mia sofferenza sarà la tua sofferenza.Il mio successo sarà il tuo successo."But what? We are family now. My suffering will be your suffering. My success will be your success.

The two men eventually settled on the original five million that Alessandro had intended to offer along with a few otheraddendums and adjustments. Elyse couldn't help admiring her husband's cool composure and sharp negotiation skills. She took careful note of the language and tactics Alessandro had employed on her grandfather. It was a combination of flattery and reason while letting Benedetto feel as though he'd won more than his fair share. She filed every little detail away for future use. By the end of their meeting, it seemed Alessandro had secured her grandfather's full support, which meant the next part of their plan was now in play.

Effective immediately.

As they exited the crimson-hued VIP room, the club slowly roared to life, and a steady blast of EDM beats and rhythms pounded into Elyse's ears. Alessandro placed a hand on the small of her back, guiding her down to the dance floor where they could be seen and judged by all the allied clans her husband had invited toSversotonight.

Elyse set her jaw and narrowed her eyes.Showtime. Flashing lights and music filled the air. The smell of alcohol and smoke swirled through Elyse's senses. Bodies writhed and bounced to pulsing, electronic beats around them. Alessandro's hands molded to Elyse's hips. She draped her arms around his shoulders to pull him closer. They surrendered to their impulses, moving in time to the hypnotic, pounding melodies.

All eyes were upon them. The useless king and unwelcome queen of the Vitale clan. Elyse crushed her lips to Alessandro's mouth, kissing him without abandon, as though no one was watching, as though they were in the privacy of their bedroom and not a crowded nightclub full of mobsters and tourists and locals. Her hands began to roam up and down her husband's god-like form, worshipping the hard planes of his muscles over the expensive fabric of his suit. Elyse became a wild, savage woman as she nipped and sucked on his neck, leaving reddened marks upon his skin.

Soon, it seemed, her relentless teasing and touching grew to be too much for Alessandro to withstand. He dragged her from the dance floor to one of the private curtained VIP tables near the hustle and bustle of the main bar. Alessandro slid into the booth and hauled Elyse onto his lap. They left their curtains wide open, inviting leering eyeballs to look and wagging tongues to gossip. This was the role her husband had embodied for most of his youth. Entitled playboy. Notorious fuckboy. Womanizing princeling. Harmless. Useless.Nothing like his father. How could any self-respectingmafiosotake him seriously ascapo?

Elyse and Alessandro started groping each other and making out like sex-starved teens. Their passion was real. Their motives were hidden. Alessandro flagged down one of the servers. A minute later, copious amounts of white powder and alcohol were brought to their table. He downed several shots of clear hard liquor as though it were water. He poured a few glasses for Elyse as well. She demolished every last drop. They let their laughter grow loud and obnoxious as their movements turned clumsy and sluggish.

Yet, the room wasn't spinning for either of them. Their minds remained clear and bright like diamonds. Alessandro poured a thin trail of white substance across the bare honeyed skin on Elyse's chest. He then bent over to snort the line from her collarbone to the swells of her tits. He dabbed a bit more powder on his forefinger and offered it to Elyse. Her tongue darted out to lick and suck his finger clean. The powder was tasteless. It didn't carry any bitter flavors or numbing notes. They did this several more times before making out once more like two addicts riding the crazed euphoria of their drugged-up bliss. Shamelessly, wantonly, Elyse started grinding her pussy against the hard ridge near Alessandro's crotch like an exotic dancer giving a beloved client a very exclusive and thorough lap dance.

Their high never hit, though.

For the rest of the evening, Elyse and her husband continued their descent into seeming madness, partying away in this hedonistic manner. It was a fine line to tread. They needed to act foolish enough to tempt the greedy and the ambitious, but they couldn't go so overboard as to lose the faith of their staunchest supporters.

As midnight hours crept toward the dawning of the next day, Alessandro's men and Benedetto's men lurked in the background of this master play, winding and weaving their way through theSversocrowds and corridors and restroom stalls and private VIP lounges as silent, invisible eyes and ears, discreetly gathering intel, reading the rooms, and discerning loyal allies from false friends.

When the morning sun rose to the skies in a burst of golden light, the first act of Elyse and Alessandro's con came to completion. Together, they had shown to the masses that Alessandro was unfit to be capo. They hadn't consumed anything except juice and water and crushed vitamin D powder for the past couple of hours, but the seeds had been sown. Elyse hoped the fruits of their labor wouldn't backfire on them.

---