I was wrong that morning.
He’s theworstkind of hurt.
CHAPTER 20
SANDRO
My favorite painslut licks her lips. She’s exactly what I need whenever the responsibilities of being the Beneventi heir become too much.
Except I don’t want her.
I don’t want any of them.
Carmine Bartolucci and his son’s insinuations eat at me like a festering wound. The second they mentioned my injuries, my self-control became a battle between “Do I knife him?” and “How long do I wait before doing so?” Hunting Conti took precedence over my pride. So I waited, said what needed to be said, then corrected the mafioso’s perception of me. Weak? For the insult, he’ll now curse me every time he licks a gelato.
And I need to get to Sicily immediamente. Dante meeting secretly with Conti? Is his future, albeit lackluster, role beside my father in the Eleven not enough for his refined Hollywood tastes? What in God’s name is Dante up to?
I tuck my cock inside my silk boxers. Fuck, a drink or two should take the edge off. Or the joint I stashed in my office drawer. Since my brother’s self-medicating issues, I avoid the heavier shit, though often wonder if I got it all wrong. That fucker’s free as a bird, isn’t he? Living life and doing whateverthe hell he pleases. While my father proudly boasts how crafty he is for breaking out of rehab.
Hisresponsibilities.Hisbullshit.Myfuture not of my making.
“Vattene!” I shout, and the trio on their knees by my feet haul ass from the casita.
I need to get rid of Riley just as fast.
Before Ican’t.
Tommaso can handle her … Though, the thought of his dirty hands on her …
I stalk from the casita and bypass the bar, heading straight for my office.
The famiglie live by strict rules.
Sacrifices are necessary. I can’t have more Carmine Bartoluccis running their mouths and questioning my capabilities. If I had a choice, then things would be different.
I curl my fingers into a fist.
As the saying goes—out of sight, out of my mind.
One order and she’ll be gone.
Tomorrow. Or maybe even the next day.
After I’ve had one final taste of her.
RILEY
Their laughter’s unbearable.
Their behavior horrible. The hisses. The eye rolls. The dead mouse on the balcony chair. I’m an uninvited prisoner in the spank-me squad. Surrounded by mafiosi, I wish things were different, that we’d support each other without all thisanimosity. Girl power, and all that. It’s the man they’re hovering around and watching swimming laps who’s the true villain.
Back and forth with fluid strokes, he completes multiple laps.
While they laugh and point.
It’s ridiculous.
Beyond annoying.