Bloody City: Temptations

Chapter Thirty Two

It's a good thing I know I won't lose him, any time soon.

"I'd love that," I say willing to accept that even the smallest gestures would always be worth something no matter if they seemed meaningless to others.

Alessio then put an arm around my waist before he guided me away from the cars up the stairs and into the mansion I shared with him. I'd wondered how many staff he must have for a house with twenty bedroom suites, thirty bathrooms, and numerous other rooms that often duplicated since there became the need depending on how far through the home one went. He had also wanted the home to be open but not vast feeling much like some of the homes I'd seen in Italy where they only had twenty rooms but were fifty thousand square foot properties.

As he walked through the home with me not far behind him, Alessio led me into a room similar to the cigar lounge but in the middle of the room was a pool table with a bar on the far end of the room stocked tastefully while a set of stairs led down into what I assumed was a cellar for other kinds of liquors and spirits.

"Why is there so much alcohol in this house, you have at least two bars, and several rooms stocked with glasses and bottles?" I ask as Alessio lifted the black triangle ball frame off of the table, and spun it with far to much precision for someone who wasn't about to kick my ass at this game.

"Matteo and I have walked through the house so many times that I started stashing bottles and glasses in every room that seemed appropriate, so my office, the lounges, bars, and kitchens. The café bar has a bottle of cream liqueur," Alessio says selecting two cues and checked to see if the one was short enough for me before handing it over.

"Did you drink often?" I ask, more out of curiousity then worry, since Alessio always seemed to handle himself well, and have his limit with the liquid.

"When I was younger yes, Matteo and I first got into clubs because of the availability of it. Matteo would drink and fuck his way through them, and I would just do it so I'd be dismissed even if I was a Capo, and later Underboss of Liguria," he says spinning the cue on one of his feet, and I couldn't help but find that Alessio was so controlled all the time alluring.

"I'm guessing that was one of your elaborate plans of surveillance?" I muse and he laughed softly before he raised the cue and lined the cue ball with the end of the triangle formation of the coloured balls.

"It was how I made sure my men followed tradition," Alessio says hitting the ball and once it made impact with the others causing them to scatter several balls fell into various pockets.

"Stripes," he says as he looked down into them.

I then watched himself line up with another ball and slightly adjust himself before knocking two balls into pockets, and glancing to me.

"You spend time alone at all," I tease as he put another ball in even as he pressed his lips together in scrutiny of his options for possible shots.

"I spent a lot of time alone before you arrived here Arianna, and if I didn't I was getting rid of anyone who could be a problem to the Familia. I am not a romanticized person, you know that," Alessio replies before he missed one of his shots and leaned back on his cue as he stared at the table.

"I find you romantic in your own way," I say taking my cue and gently knocking one of my balls in, and then another after into the corner pocket of the table.

"I am not romantic, I am simply trying to be a good man for you," he says looking up at me and I just shrugged as if he wasn't clearly trying for me, like he wasn't putting in effort to be the person he wanted to be for me.

"I'd lie and say you're not succeeding, but I wasn't raised to be dishonest," I say putting another ball in all while receiving careful scrutiny under Alessio's gaze.

"And I was raised to be a gentleman who could kill if needed," Alessio says as I glanced back to my shot and missed ever so slightly which was when I noticed the devious smirk on his face before walking over to where I was and looked down at me.

"Hold the cue so that your arm and forearm create a ninety degree corner when ready to strike the cue," he says before shooting his first shot and getting his second to last ball in, before looking to where the Eight ball was and then to the opposing corner pocket.

"Corner pocket to your left," he says and in a small stroke the ball bounced twice and rolled back into the pocket he'd pointed out, before turning to me and staring down at me.

"I'm not a professional, I promise, just well practiced," he says taking a step back and gesturing to the table which I let myself clear off even if I hadn't won, and the game was over.

As I got to a ball that had bounced multiple times because I couldn't get it to go in I was suddenly aware of Alessio copying how I was standing and maneuvering his body to shape how I stood, and how I was holding the cue. Glancing over my shoulder I found his face mere centimeters from my own, his dark eyes making a previously sleeping torrent in my stomach rise, and give a kick though I wasn't sure how low it had been.

"Look down the cue," he directs and I follow what he said though his hand over mine, and his body melded to mine was extremely distracting even as he guided me through the shot and the ball rolled in, before he detached himself and took a large step back.

"I hope you know you did that," I say gesturing to the slight arousal he had, "to yourself, not my fault you can't resist how stunning I look," I tease and his eyes narrowed even if his smile spoke of numerous things he could possibly do.

"No man would be able to resist how stunning you look Arianna, I am no better," Alessio says before he looked down to his watch. "Dinner time, I'm cooking".

He then wordlessly put the cue back and left the lounge towards the kitchen with my own curiousity peaking and I followed after him until we entered the kitchen and he began to pull things out though I found that he had also brought out ingredients I didn't even think would go well together and yet as I sat down to watch him cook I became more interested in how he was able to make everything mix and blend into what I could have called cuisine that could be found at a high end restaurant.

"Where did you learn to cook, like this?" I ask as he served two plates of steak fettucine alfredo with a white wine, garlic bread, and scalloped potatoes, that was beautifully plated, and almost seemed like he had taken it from a five star restaurant.

"I have been across the continent and eaten in the best places, I picked up what foods went well together, and learned how to make them my own," he replies while handing me a fork, "try it, I want to know if you like it?".

Taking the fork I stabbed a forkful of noodles and steak before taking a bite and had to resist the urge to let out a groan at how good it tasted, then I took a sip of the wine and slid some of the potatoes on the bread before taking a bite, to follow it even if I was under Alessio's soft smile which still had the sharp observance that I had gotten used to from him.

"This tastes excellent, Alessio, thank you," I say and he smiled back at me.

"Of course Aria," he says setting his plate down across from me which had become almost normal even if there was a dining room and both of us refused to use it ever since the first night I'd been here, though I had a feeling that Alessio felt like it was used for formal gatherings and not standard dinners where the kitchen's secondary island would serve to be more then enough for the two of us. I would also have to start making a cookbook with all of the recipe's that he made throughout our relationship.
    
    
The next chapter is something I have been waiting to write, which I am excited for, I'm also going to be out of town for work so I won't make any promises for length. Comment, vote, share, and even follow if you're liking this story. Anyways

Peace✌