Page 1 of Flawed

PROLOGUE

Chanel Moulin

14 Years Earlier

Bright light humsfrom the fluorescent bulbs. Dr. Depeckin glances at his folder then asks, "Ms. Moulin, what have you been using for birth control?"

My pulse pounds hard against my neck. Heat ignites on my cheeks. There's only one man I've ever slept with, and it shouldn't have happened.

It wasn't even two months ago. He's a lot older than me, and he stole my breath from the first moment I laid eyes on him. I knew he was a bad boy right down to the faint scar on his right cheek.

Yet I felt safe with him. And all I've done since that night is think about him.

Not once in my life have I not thought before I acted. I only had half a Cosmopolitan before he swept me away from my friends and onto the dance floor. By the end of the third song, he was leading me out of the nightclub and into his car. We spent the entire time lip-locked until we got to his place.

Every second of being with him felt right. My body fit with his like I was part of him. His touch lit up all my cells as if he were breathing life into me. Before him, I never thought I was dead. Now, the more time that passes without him, the more numb I become.

My body craves a replay. His few attempts to see me again almost killed me. Sometimes I debate about caving, but I need to stay as far away from him as possible.

It's a mistake I wish I could take back. I didn't know who he was at the time. All I saw was how he looked at me with his dark, brooding eyes and dominant confidence.

God, I was so stupid.

Everything about Luca made me lose my judgment. I've cursed myself ever since. I should have been smarter than to fall prey to him. I'm around powerful, successful men all day. It's not the first time a man looked at me with desire or had a sexy Italian accent. Yet every look he threw my way made my heart skip a beat and pulse quicken.

I should have known better than to trust a stranger. My boss and his family are dangerous. My father works for them and is dangerous, too, I suppose. When I'm working, I'm under their protection. But the night out with my group of friends was far away from their guarding leers.

Luca has all the traits dangerous men possess, yet he was honey, and I was the fly. Not once did I stop to find out who he was or think he would hurt me.

He hasn't hurt me.

I can't put it past him though.

If my boss or his family knew what I did, I'm sure I'd get fired. It doesn't matter if I didn't know who Luca was or that I'm determined to stay away from him, even though he's mysteriously shown up at the coffee shop I visit or restaurants I eat at.

He's their biggest enemy.

That makes him my enemy.

My parents will disown me if I see him and they find out.

I'm sure his family would hurt me if they knew about us and who I was.

"Ms. Moulin, please answer my question. I'll remind you everything is confidential," Dr. Depeckin says.

I swallow hard, admitting, "I'm not sexually active."

He arches his bushy eyebrows. In a stern voice, he states, "I'm your doctor, Ms. Moulin. There's no need to lie."

My heart thumps against my chest cavity. I blurt out, "I'm not! I don't have a boyfriend, and I work all the time!"

Both of those statements are true. I'm Massimo Marino's flight attendant. The day my father and I arrived in New York from Italy, Massimo's papà suggested he hire me.

It was a little over two years ago, and I was only sixteen. I had already graduated high school. Giuseppe Berlusconi, the head of the Italian Mafia, had relocated my father to New York to work for the Marinos.

It wasn't the first time I'd moved countries. My homeland is France. My parents and I moved to Italy when I was ten. When my father announced we were moving to the United States, I didn't want to leave. All my friends were in Italy. I knew no one in New York, nor did I know what I wanted to do with my life. When Massimo offered me the flight attendant job, I didn't feel I had a choice. My father would have been extremely disappointed in me if I hadn't taken it.

Regardless of how my career started, I love what I do. I've seen more of the world than I ever imagined I could. Massimo treats me well, pays me more than I ever hoped for, and every day feels like a new adventure.

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