Page 4 of Owned by the Italian Mafia Boss
It’s brighter than I expected. Sunshine spills through a large bay window my left; bookshelves run along the walls to my right. In the center of the room, directly in front of me, stands a long desk with two leather chairs facing it for…clientele.
“Sit.” His voice permeates the air. There’s a hint of impatience roughing the back of his throat.
He is sitting in a chair that’s turned away from me, so I can’t see his face. The rich ink color of his hair peeking over the top of the seat is the only thing hinting at what he looks like.
“I don’t know whether you’re brave or stupid to come to see me, Ms. Reynolds.”
“A little bit of both,” I answer honestly, my throat suddenly dry.
He spins the leather throne around, and his hands splay across the desk.
My lips part when I see him. Carmine Milazzo is a beautiful villain. His eyes are so dark that they match his soul, and his skin has a gorgeous tan. His face is clean-shaven, which highlights the sharp edges of his features—high cheekbones, square jaw and plump lips.
I’m insane for thinking that the man who tried to kill my father and me is attractive. I need my head examined.
“My time is valuable, Ms. Reynolds. What do you want?” He uncuffs his shirt sleeves and begins to roll them up to his elbow.
“I want to talk about my father’s debt.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“There’s plenty to talk about,” I argue.
He smirks and pours a glass of whiskey from the decanter on the edge of his desk, then he grabs a second glass and brings it over to me.
“Take it.” He towers over me like a giant, using his power to sway my mind into doing anything he wants.
I wrap my fingers around the glass, trying to stop my hand from shaking. I wind up having to hold the glass with two hands to steady it. “There’s plenty to talk about. “There must be something I can do. I’ll work for you to pay off the debt. Please, my dad is a good man.”
“Good men make bad decisions all the time, Sweetling,” he calls me, taking the second chair. He reaches between my legs, and I hold my breath wondering what the hell is he doing, when he grips my chair and yanks me closer. “Good men keep bad men like me in business.” He tucks a piece of loose hair that’s fallen from my ponytail behind my ear, and I tremble from how cold his touch is.
Every glide of his fingertips promises wicked things. It isn’t just pure terror weighing down my bones, but the lust causing my panties to become wet.
“Your father can only pay the debt withhislife. That’s the term of the agreement we made, Sweetling.”
“I am not—” I hiss through tight teeth, “—Your Sweetling.”
“You’re the sweetest thing to have ever walked through my doors.” He grabs my chin and forces me to meet his dark gaze. I can’t tell where his irises end and pupils begin. “Do you know what they call me?”
I shake my head, gasping when his thumb brushes against my bottom lip.
“Carmine ‘The Devil’ Milazzo. I take, Sweetling. I punish. I demand. You’re an innocent soul, and now you’re trapped in the Devil’s lair.”
My breath hitches, and he tilts his head, but we don’t break eye contact.
“Your bravery impresses me. Even through your fear, you’ll take anything I give you, won’t you?” he whispers in awe, dragging his fingers across my jaw and staring at me as if I’m an exotic animal in a zoo.
“I’ll do anything for my family,” I answer, honestly. “Even if it means making a deal with a so-called devil,” I reply, unable to stop my voice from crumbling.
A sly, conniving grin spreads across his handsome face, showing rows of straight white teeth. He leans back, crossing one ankle over his knee while sipping his whiskey. His bottom lip shines from the amber liquid, and for some inexplicable reason I want to lick it clean.
What is wrong with me? This man is a monster, a devil like he claims. I’m disgusted with myself.
He sets his drink on the desk with a hard clunk, leaning forward again. Only this time, I can smell the alcohol on his breath. Palms twice the size of mine land on my thighs, and he yanks them apart. A whimper crawls up my throat, but I keep it locked inside my chest next to my pounding heart.
“I’ll forgive your father’s debt on two conditions. You marry me, and you give me a child. You do that, and your father lives.”
“What? No! I’m not having sex—”
