Page 31 of Mafia Kings: Dario

“The dress!”

He gave me a look of disgust, likeI know THAT.“I’m talking about the ‘intrude on your privacy’ nonsense.”

Now I was furious. Just because he could kidnap me and use me as a hostage didn’t mean he could gaslight me. “You entered my room while I wassleeping– ”

“I had aservantleave it,” he snapped. “A servantgirl,as a matter of fact.”

Oh.

I blushed bright red.

Now that he said it, a servant made far more sense.

It wasn’t like a mafia don would silently tip-toe into my room to leave a dress.

I felt stupid…

But my embarrassment quickly gave way to anger.

Yes, I had jumped to conclusions – but only because I had felt so unsafe from the night before.

And they weren’t exactly the most outlandish conclusions, given everything he’d already done and said.

Apparently Dario didn’t see it that way, because he shook his head in contempt. “What do you take me for?”

“A kidnapper? A criminal?A man who said he would make me hiswhore?”I nearly shouted.

Niccolo’s eyebrows shot up. He looked intensely uncomfortable, like he would have rather beenanywhereelse at that moment.

Dario walked towards me, every step a threat.

I backed away slightly, overwhelmed and frightened by his size and his murderous stare.

You idiot!I cursed myself silently.You KNOW what he is – why would you say something so STUPID?! Why would you provoke him?!

He got right up next to my body and towered over me.

I began to breathe faster as I stared up into his angry eyes.

“If you’re not careful,” he said in a whispering snarl, “I might decide to go ahead and start my plans early.”

Because he was so close, I could smell his scent again – that subtle, expensive cologne he wore.

I could feel the heat radiating off his body.

I stood there, mouth open, almost hypnotized.

Then he turned and walked away without a word, leaving me standing there stunned…

…and more than a little bit turned on.

Niccolo waited until Dario disappeared from the foyer, then he said to me, “Well, YOU certainly know how to poke the wild beast, don’t you?”

“It’s not my fault,” I pouted.

“Not yourfault?!Not your FAULT?!”Niccolo said with an incredulous laugh, then began to mimic me in a high-pitched voice. “‘A kidnapper? A criminal? A man who said he was going to make me his – ”

“Alright, so I shouldn’t have provoked him,” I interrupted. “I won’t make the same mistake twice.”

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