Page 6 of Sworn to My Heart
“Those French bastards, I’ll fucking kill them one by one!”
I storm into our private room at the club, slamming the door behind me, seething with anger. Mariano had agreed to Cora’s demand for a day without Graham or close security, choosing this strip club’s private room for our meeting instead of handling business from his office. He’s such a pushover, letting his wife dictate everything.
Mariano and Graham stop what they’re doing and look at me in confusion.
“What happened?” Mariano asks, surprised. “Lately, they’ve been coming here and throwing a fortune on the hookers and new stash. They only think with their dicks, easy to manipulate,” he adds with a chuckle.
“That’s the problem!” I exclaim, my temper flaring. “They don’t think beyond their impulses. One of those assholes is drunk and looking for trouble tonight—he just grabbed Alin outside!”
Mariano immediately gets up from his seat. “Is she okay? Cora will make my life miserable if something happens to her here in the club,” he says with concern, that doesn’t seems directed toward Alin. Yes, my brother is definitely his wife’s puppet, I sigh.
“She’s fine,” I assure him sharply, prompting Mariano to relaxback into his seat with relief. “Fool,” I mutter under my breath, “I made sure the guy who touched her won’t dare show his fucking face here again.”
My statement unsettles Mariano briefly, but he quickly composes himself, cautioning me, “Just don’t escalate this into a conflict with the French now, brother. We’ve had a peaceful period with good relations. It would be a shame to ruin that all over some asshole who got too handsy.”
“Got too handsy?!” I repeat his words, raising my voice, “He tried to grab Alin!” I point out again, immediately regretting it as it came out too possessive and angry. Mariano seems to notice this too.
“Since when do you react like this? I get it with me, because of Cora. But Alin?” Mariano probes suspiciously, trying to read my motives. “You’ve known about her for a while now. She’s not new, and she’s never piqued your interest before. You didn’t even bother checking on her when she visited Cora at our place.”
He’s right. Until today, Alin was just a name to me, nothing more. I assumed Mariano was handling whatever business Cora dragged him into. But seeing her tonight, something stirred in me. Her beauty and confidence drew every eye in the club, sparking a possessive rage within me. I wanted to mark her, stake my claim. When that guy touched her and danced so closely, I nearly lost control.
“He disrespected me by coming here, to my domain,” I confess, my voice trembling with controlled rage. “If they want a war after this, they’ll fucking get one. After what I did, they’ll think twice before fucking with me again.”
Mariano’s sigh reverberates loudly in the private room.
“Luca, you’re my brother, so I’m going to give this to you straight. Alin isn’t yours to protect, and you need to tread carefully. She’s not one of us, and she’s like family to Cora. Sure,she turns heads, but that doesn’t mean she’s yours. Those guys didn’t do anything they wouldn’t do with any other woman here, and they certainly didn’t mean to disrespect you. You’re picking fights unnecessarily, especially now that Dad’s gone back to Italy and left you in charge.” He finishes his admonition, and though he’s right, I can feel the anger simmering beneath the surface.
Normally, anyone talking to me like that would risk losing their head, but Mariano’s words strike a chord. This isn’t the moment to put my younger brother in his place, not when he’s right. So, I choose silence, taking a seat beside him and shifting the conversation to the latest updates. The Russians were also on our radar lately, and my impulsive actions have only escalated tensions with the French further.
I refuse to risk complicating things further by bedding her to sate my arousal, which has been relentless since our eyes first met and her intoxicating scent enveloped me as my nose brushed against her neck. Her eyes, like glowing turquoise gemstones, hold a story I’m intrigued by but also wary of delving into. It could spell trouble for both of us.
Yet, despite these concerns, I know I must keep tabs on her now more than ever. After my altercation with the Frenchman, they won’t easily forget it and Alin would be caught in their crosshairs because of me.
Why does the thought of watching her so closely ignite a strange sense of satisfaction in me?
Alin
I wake up, feeling the remnants of a hangover creeping in. My head pounds as if it could explode any moment, and I grope around on the mattress for my phone. Unlocking it with a fingerprint, I see three missed calls from Cora. I sigh, realizing I forgot to check in with her last night when I got back to the apartment.
I try to piece together the events of the night, resolving not to drink more than a single shot next time. Alcohol clearly doesn’t agree with me.
Slowly making my way to the kitchen, I dial Cora’s number. It’s noon; she should be awake by now.
After three rings, she answers, “Alin! You gave me a heart attack! I heard Mariano talking to Luca that some drunk tried tograbyou at the club.” I roll my eyes at the mention of his name as everything comes back to me, but the memory of his lips brushing my neck sends shivers down my spine again.
“Cora, everything’s fine. I can take care of myself. Luca was just hot-headed,” I defend myself and immediately tell her what happened last night, from the beginning to the end, of course, omitting the tail incident.
She laughs on the other end. “Oh, Alin! Even Luca couldn’t resist your charm. I told you, you’re irresistible.”
“Another guy looking to score and thinking women should just line right up.” I retorted, trying to sound disinterested, but my body thinks otherwise. Cora chuckles knowingly. “Luca isn’t interested in just anyone. He doesn’t need to chase. Trust me, women flock to him. Don’t let it bother you. He probably ended up with one of his groupies to cool off his temper.”
Her words sting slightly, but I push it aside. “Anyway, he’s such an idiot,” I declare, steering the conversation toward plans for shopping and the upcoming opening of a VIP cinema near my place in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
While chatting, I managed to boil water and pour myself a cup of coffee, hoping it would kickstart my morning. I down the scalding coffee in one go, wincing at the burn on my tongue, then place the cup in the sink and go right into my small bathtub, turning on the water. My legs transform into my tail, and I struggle again to find a comfortable position in the tub as I roll from side to side.
“Why is this tail so heavy?” I whine aloud but manage to balance my body as the water fills up to the top.
After twenty minutes of acrobatics in the bathtub, I dry my body and turn my tail back into legs. I put on a long summer dress that reaches my ankles, tie my hair back, and wear low-heeled sandals, convincing myself that getting out for a bit of fresh air isn’t a bad idea.
