Page 15 of Heartless Mafia Prince 2: Rocco & Ryah

Gripping his neck, I pushed the blade against the side of his throat. “Answer the fucking question. Are...you...a...grower?”

“Yes.”

“That’s funny, because Sue said you weren’t. You’re just a liar.” I stood back and whipped the sharp blade across his throat.

Standing tall, I snickered. “Dad hates liars and thieves.”

The man held his throat in an effort to stop the bleeding. Blood spirted all over my pretty dress.

“Dad, this is the third pink dress I’ve ruined because of you.”

He stepped behind me and kissed the top of my head. “Start wearing red. That color suits you better anyway, sweetheart.”

A wicked smile crossed my lips. And so, I did.

Luciano and I sat next to each other at dinner. My nerves were all over the place. He appeared upset. I couldn’t blame him. We were bombarded with the marriage arrangement.

He wasn’t interested in me, and vice versa. All I could think about was fucking Spencer’s brains out later. I needed to release the tension building between my legs.

Skating my fork around the chicken carbonara, I glanced at Luciano. “Did you have plans tonight?”

His emerald eyes met mine. “Not really. Did you?”

“Yes, I was packing. A special male friend and I were traveling to Italy. That trip was short-lived. My father told me I was to marry you.”

I studied Luciano’s features. There wasn’t anything boyish about him. I heard stories of how he made his enemies pay. We had that in common. I picked up the glass of red wine and brought it to my lips.

“I’d say we were both thrown for a loop. Is he your boyfriend?”

“No, but he means a lot to me. Do you have anyone special in your life?”

“Nope. Just enjoying life, you know?” He threaded his long fingers through his medium length chocolate strands. He was clean shaven, with thick brows and a pointy nose. You could tell his muscled arms and chest were defined under the gray suit. He had to be about a little over six-feet tall. I was only five-five. He towered over me when we shook hands before dinner. You could tell he loved the sun. His olive complected skin was golden.

“Yeah. I say we wrap up our affairs by the end of summer.”

He glanced at me. “We can discuss at a later time. In private.”

“Sounds good.”

***P***

Sitting across the table at an upscale Italian restaurant in Philly, Luciano and I sipped merlot.

“Thanks for joining me this evening, Rosetta. Let’s take this time to get to know each other. Seeing as though we will live together.” A light smile swept across his thin lips.

“This is a business arrangement.”

I took a longer sip of my wine. My eyes narrowed. “Is there a question in that statement?”

“No. I’m pointing out the obvious.” He sat back straight, staring down his nose at me.

“Because of the world we were raised in, our situation is seen as a means to an end. Many people joined together in arranged marriages go on to start families. Your father has mentioned on more than one occasion he’d like grandchildren.” He paused, studying my face.

“Listen, I didn’t want this anymore than you did. I wanted to choose my wife.” He raised his hands as if he was surrendering.

“Don’t get me wrong, you’re a beautiful woman. Any man would be lucky to have you as a wife.”

Deep laughter left my throat. “Thank you for the two-sided compliment. What are you getting at?”

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