Page 25 of Mafia Queen

Karina squealed.

“But,” I pointed a finger at them, going from one to the other, “security will be tripled at Vertigo, and I want all your goddamn eyes on her the entire fucking time. Is that clear?”

Lorik joined in. “Dude, I can’t promise that since my woman’s ass has a way of demanding all my attention.”

“Seriously, Lorik?” Karina glared holes into his forehead.

“What?” He shrugged. Fucking clueless son of a bitch.

Dante didn’t hover. He grabbed his phone, and I heard him talk to Lucio as he walked out of the room. Karina smiled. “We’re all in this together, Antonio. Doe is a part of this family now, and we protect what is ours.” There it was, the mafia in my sister. She might not be as immersed in our family’s way of doing things, but being mafia was in our blood…including hers.

Chapter 10

Doe

“It doesn’t look like me at all.”

I stared at my reflection in the mirror. The woman staring back at me was unrecognizable. Beautiful, even.

Karina stepped in behind me. “You look amazing. My brother is going to have a hernia when he sees you. In fact,” she leaned her head to the side, clutching her chin with her fingers, “he might just change his mind and not go through with this when he sees you in this dress.”

Confused, I narrowed my eyes.

She shrugged. “My brother is, well…he’s the possessive type. Especially when it comes to you, it seems.”

I stared back at my reflection. The dark, royal purple dress seemed like it molded to the shape of my body. My curves weren’t as noticeable and flattering like Karina’s, but the low neckline dress made my breasts seem slightly bigger, the tight fabric around my hips accentuating the subtle curve I did have. The black wedged heels gave me a little more height, and my legs seemed shapelier than ever. I didn’t think my body ever looked this good before, this healthy. There were no more bones protruding from my shoulders or chest, and my cheeks didn’t look sunken in anymore.

Karina had done my hair, the dark curls hanging down my left shoulder with feathered strands framing my face. My makeup wasn’t too much, just a little smokiness around my eyes, light blush, and a shimmering pink lip gloss. The necklace Antonio gave me also hung proudly around my neck, the green and red hues complimented by the dark purple dress.

“Oh, well.” Karina turned on her heel and grabbed her purse. “Antonio will just have to get over it. You look beautiful, and we’re about to show the world just how gorgeous you are.”

Nervous energy filled my stomach, the claws of doubt digging into my lungs. What if I screwed up? What if I embarrassed myself, or even worse, Antonio? This would be the first time I stepped outside into the world, mingling and socializing with normal people. The only kind of parties I’ve ever been to was the kind where I was passed from one man to the other, used repeatedly until I would eventually pass out from exhaustion. Water would then be tossed on my face, and the torture would start all over again.

It has been so long since I thought about that part of my life, the memories made me want to hurl right there on the spot. Karina noticed.

“Doe, don’t be nervous.” She walked up to me and took my hand. “My brother has taken every security measure known to man for you to have this night. Believe me, it took a lot to persuade him to allow this in the first place. There’s not a chance in hell anything will go wrong tonight.”

I nervously played with my thumbs, looking down at the floor. “I’m not worried about something happening to me. In fact, my safety is the last thing I’m worried about.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

My gaze skimmed across the room, embarrassment rushing with a wave of heat to my cheeks. “What if I screw up?”

She frowned. “Screw up?”

“Yes. What if I end up doing something to embarrass all of you?”

A warm smile spread across her face. “Doe, you won’t embarrass us. Besides, I’ll be there with you every step of the way. I promise.”

The kindness coating her words, and the way she stared at me with compassion, it set me at ease a little. Made me feel a bit less nervous.

She slipped in next to me and took my elbow. “Now, come on. I can’t wait to see my brother’s jaw hit the floor when he sees how beautiful you look.”

I smiled, feeling shy and nervous as I absentmindedly reached for the thick strands of hair hanging down my shoulder, wrapping the ends around my fingers.

We walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs. First, we saw Lorik pulling on his leather jacket. Dante was there, too, grabbing his car keys. And then, as we took the final step, I saw Antonio. He was pacing, nervously pulling his hand through his hair.

The second he turned to face me, our gazes locked, and for a moment it felt like the entire world disappeared around us.

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