Page 121 of Diavolo

He nodded with pride. "You would put Machiavelli to shame."

Eyeing her husband warily, she felt the need to reign in his optimism.Just a little. Her idea felt too premature at this stage to serve any effective purpose.

"Your enthusiasm is appreciated," Elyse observed, "but we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves. My suggestion remains abstract. I have no concrete strategy on how to make it happen."

"We will have a concrete strategy soon. There is one forming in my mind as we speak."

She eyed him nervously. "Really?"

Brown and blue-gray eyes gleamed with cunning and conviction. At first, her husband said nothing. His silence left a restless hum in Elyse's chest. She could sense the devilish gears turning in his mind. Suspense was killing her.

"Tell me, Alessio," Elyse requested with wide, worried eyes.

Her husband smiled. Deviously. "This is what I believe we should do..."

27

Two days passed ina snap. The day of their fateful meeting with Benedetto Graviano had come. There was much to be discussed with Elyse's grandfather. Pieces and players on their chessboard needed to be set in motion. Lives and livelihoods were at stake. Time was of the essence. Benedetto and his men agreed to rendezvous with Elyse and Alessandro an hour beforeSversoopened to the public. Much to Elyse's dismay, however, tonight's exchange at the club would need to be conducted entirely through Alessandro. She'd yet to reveal her growing Italian fluency to her husband, and, even if she chose to share this little secret to him, it wasn't like Elyse would be much help, anyway.

Her grandfather only spoke Italian, and Elyse's proficiency was, on a good day, barely passable for even an elementary school student. Elyse had been brushing up on her studies with a vengeance, but there were only so many verb conjugations the human brain could process in a day. Language was power, and, as of right now, Elyse was still learning to brandish it. Her ownineptitude set her on edge. It gave her no choice but to be a bystander during tonight's negotiations.

Elyse wanted to contribute and wield some semblance of control over their fate. The outcome of Alessandro's conversation with Benedetto would dictate their plan of action for the rest of the night. If her grandfather agreed to their terms, his support would take them down one path. If he refused their proposition, they'd be forced down a completely different one. She willed herself to focus on carrying out what waspossiblein order to achieve something that felt almostimpossible, which was to help her husband win a mafia war without getting themselves killed in the process.

That evening, Elyse prepped her hair and makeup on her own. Alessandro had sent Malina to Salemi on a special mission, and the housekeeper would likely be preoccupied there for the rest of the week. Elyse ended up choosing a wide-neck wrap minidress in a peach-nude silk that draped loosely around her curves. The hem rose high on her thighs, and the neckline dipped enticingly along her cleavage. She paired the dress with a pair of strappy gold heels. Elyse felt mostly classy and a little slutty in a very expensive and satisfying way.

Around this time, Alessandro appeared in a dark navy blue suit and white dress shirt. He leaned against the doorframe to admire her.

"Come here,cuore mio," he murmured, "so I can take a closer look."

With gold stilettosclick-click-clickingacross the marble floors of their bedroom, Elyse smiled as she made her way to her husband. Alessandro's hands found the small of her back, pulling her close, as his eyes roamed over the swells of her breasts down to her long shapely legs.

"Perfezione," Alessandro drawled.

Perfection.Delight buzzed in Elyse. Her hands slid up Alessandro's chest and locked around his neck. Her lips curved upward a little more as she murmured, "Thank you, Alessio."

Alessandro's palms ghosted down the curves of her ass. His fingers began to toy with the satiny hem of her skirt.

"You look like sex," he whispered, "wrapped in silk."

Her cheeks grew warm. "Do I?"

Alessandro reached under her skirt to grip her thigh. His hand trailed over to her inner thigh. Elyse released a slight shiver.

His eyes grew dark. "I cannot wait to unwrap you."

Alessandro then traced his fingers over her panties and caressed his thumb on her clit over the lace in slow, lazy circles. A pleasurable heat shot through Elyse's core. She gazed up at Alessandro with a mix of lust and adoration. Elyse let one of her hands drift down his torso.

"Later," she promised him, "I'll be all yours."

She brushed her palm against Alessandro's crotch. "To tease." Elyse grasped his cock between her fingers and gave him a few light tugs through the wool of his trousers. "To touch." His hardness was soon straining against the fabric and her hand. "And fuck."

"Keep talking like that," he growled, "and I will split you in two next time we fuck."

"Break me, baby. I welcome it."

Her husband buried his face in the slope of her neck and groaned, "This godforsaken night cannot end soon enough."

"Agreed," Elyse replied in a soft, faint breath.

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