"Frankie, you have to eat your greens."
I walk into the kitchen for lunch and find a exasperated Sofia trying to get Frankie to eat his vegetables. Emilia and Angelo are watching, amused at the whole scene. Luca is beside Sofia and tells her in Italian.
"It's fine if he doesn't want to eat his greens. He's just a kid."
Sofia sends him a glare and I stifle a chuckle as Luca pales at his wife's glare. These men were the heads of the mafia but no one scared them more than their wives or girlfriends in Angelos case. He clears his throat and turns to his son.
"Kiddo, listen to mummy. At least eat half of it."
Frankie pouts, "But I hate them. I want my chocolate."
"You're not getting any chocolate if you don't eat your veggies." Sofia says sternly and Frankie bursts out in tears. I see a flash of guilt cross her face but she remains stern. She couldn't give in or Frankie would start crying to get whatever he wanted. The kid had to learn to eat his veggies. He sees me and raises his arms to me.
"Uhyessa. I-I want my chocolate. No veggies."
I cover my surprise at his willingness to come to me when he's pushing away his parents and even Emilia. I lift him into my arms and he snuggles closer, tears streaming down his chubby face. My heart aches seeing him so upset but I couldn't give in.
I gently wipe his tears away, looking at him fondly.
"Little man, How about we make a deal?"
He stops crying and looks at me.
"Wha-what's a deal?"
"A deal is an agreement between two adults and you're a big boy, right?"
He nods eagerly, "Frankie big boy." I chuckle as he folds his arms, puffing his chest out.
"If you eat your greens from now onwards without a fuss, not only will you get dessert but I'll let you play around on my tablet."
Frankie has been so fascinated with my gadgets ever since he saw it the other day. I look up at Luca and Sofia to see if they're okay with it and they smile, letting me know that they're fine with it.
Frankie's eyes widen in excitement and he grips my T-shirt harder. Then his face falls and he says, "but I don't want to eat veggies. I hate them."
I smooth his hair back and say, "remember how you always say that uncle Luci needs to smile more?" He nods remembering the conversation.
"Well, uncle Luci didn't eat his veggies as kid and that's why he's so grumpy all the time."
This wasn't true because Luciano actually ate his veggies without a fuss. He actually enjoyed eating vegetables, the weirdo. I hear the adults stifle a chuckle at my words and Frankie's eyes widen comically.
He turns to his mum and says,"mummy, I'll eat my veggies. I don't wanna be grumpy like uncle Luci."
Sofia laughs and nods, kissing the top of her sons head. "Good idea baby."
She mouths a thank you to me and I smile. Frankie starts eating his veggies and Luciano walks in to join us for lunch. He was home today.
His eyes widen slightly when he notices Frankie eating his vegetables without a fuss.
Frankie sees him and smiles.
"Uncle Luci, look. I'm eating my greens."
Luciano smiles at him, surprised and runs his hand affectionately through his hair. Goddammit, there goes my ovaries.
"That's great kiddo."
"If I don't eat them, then I won't smile a lot like
You when I'm older." Frankie continues with an innocent smile. Ah shit, the kid just signed my death warrant.
Luciano's face morphs into confusion. "Won't smile like me?"
Frankie nods,"If I don't eat my greens, I'll be grumpy like you." The others stifle a chuckle and I hear Angelo let out a bark of laughter.
Luciano raises his eyebrows, "and who told you that?" I slowly inch my way out of the kitchen when Frankie answers cheerfully, "Uhyessa."
Luciano turns around and spots me before I could make my escape. I send him my sweetest smile and he sends me a you-are-so-dead look.
"Hey there Vincenzo. Have I told you that black is totally your colour?" He stalks towards me casually and I realise that I'm trapped against a wall. Sending a help me look to the others, they just sit back and watch, clearly enjoying the fun. Traitors.
"I never knew that if you didn't eat your greens, you'd become grumpy."
"Oh, it was in this magazine I read the other day. I would show it to you but I don't know where I left it."
He comes closer and I stiffen.
"You wouldn't kill me in front of a kid right?"
To my surprise, he chuckles and his eyes soften.
"I wouldn't kill you, dolchezza."
I breathe out a sigh of relief but it catches in my throat when he tucks a stray stand of hair behind my face. Leaning closer, he whispers in my ear so that only I can hear him,"who's gonna make me pancakes at 2am then?"
He sends me a smirk and takes a step back, leaving me wide eyed. Turning around, he ignores the wide eyed looks on everyone's faces and turns to Magdalene.
"So, what's for lunch?"
Later that night, Emilia walks into my room a huge smile on her face. I send her a suspicious look.
"What are you up to?"
She rolls her eyes at me, her smile still on her face.
"We're going clubbing."
"We?"
"Yup, us girls and the boys."
"I don't know Emi. Clubs aren't really my thing. " she pouts at me.
"Oh come on. It'll be fun."
She notices my hesitation and sends me a puppy dog look.
"Please. We're just gonna have a few drinks and dance. Nothing crazy."
I sigh. "Fine." She claps her hands and squeals.
Walking to my walk in closet, she starts sifting though dresses. I notice that she's going through the ones that were bought for me and I stop her.
"Umm, Emilia. Those aren't my clothes. Mine are on the other side."
She looks at me confused. "Of course they are. I chose them for you."
"You chose all this?"
She nods. "Yeah, Luciano asked me to get some stuff for you. He sent me pictures when he broke into your apartment so I'd know what you like. Don't you like them?"
"No no. They're beautiful but I have my own stuff. You didn't have to do this."
She waves me off,"oh please. It's our way of welcoming a guest. It isn't cuz we think you're a charity case or something."
"I don't know. I mean, I'm here for work not for pleasure or anything. I just don't think it's -"
She cuts me off, sending me a stern look.
"Cut it out. You may be here to help my brother take down that bastard but you're my friend. You're everyone's friend. So shut up and deal with it."
I stifle a smirk and give her a mock salute. "Yes ma'am. "
She nods satisfied with my answer and continues rifling through dresses when she pulls one out.
She smiles in excitement.
"Ooh, you are gonna look so hot in this."
She hands me the dress and basically shoved me into the bathroom.
"Go shower and put on the dress. Sofia and I will be in to do your hair and makeup shortly."
"I can do my own hair -" but I don't get to finish my sentence for she shuts the door on me.
Half an hour later, I've shaved, showered with my favourite Shea butter and honey body wash and moisturised my body. I change into my dress, surprised that I don't look half bad in it. It's a little more risqué than something I would normally wear but I decide to let my hair down a little tonight.
Just then, Sofia and Emilia walk in, looking absolutely stunning in minidresses. They're ready and their jaws drop when they see me.
"Holy shit, you look hot!"
"Damn girl."
I laugh, a little shy from all the attention.
"Thanks guys. You look amazing too."
Emilia claps her hands once and turns to Sofia.
"I'll do her makeup and you do her hair."
Sofia nods and the two turn back to me, a gleam in their eyes. I groan, already knowing that this is gonna be the longest half an hour of my life.
"Stay still, goddammit." Emilia scolds me and I scowl.
"You're gonna blind me with that damn wand."
"I will if you don't stop moving."
I make a face at her and she sticks her tongue out at me. Finally, half an hour later they were done with their torture. I look at myself in the mirror and gasp. This was me but it was not me. Does that even make sense?
Emilia has gone for a smoky eye and a dark lip making me look mysterious and slightly older than my 24 years but in a good way. Sofia has done my hair in big curls, tousling it slightly to give me a messy look. All in all, I actually looked pretty sexy. I smile at them,
"Thanks guys. I love it."
"He's gonna love it too." Emilia squeals and Sofia nods excitedly.
"Wait, who's gonna lov-"
"Come on, the boys are waiting for us. Put your heels on." Emilia cuts me off and hands me a pair of heels. I strap them on, grabbing my clutch that had my phone, credit card, some cash and a small handgun in it. Making sure my knife was strapped to my thigh, hidden from sight I take one last look in the mirror and follow the girls down.
The boys are waiting for us by the door, looking handsome as always in their suits. Angelo lets out a whistle, winking as he sees Emilia and she blushes hard. Luca pulls Sofia in, giving her a kiss and whispering something in her ear that has her blushing too. I feel an intense stare on the side of my face and turn to see Luciano staring at me, his eyes dark and stormy. Forcing myself not to blush, I raise an eyebrow at him.
"Cat got your tongue, Vincenzo?"
He chuckles, walking closer to me.
"You look stunning Alessandra. Although I'm sure you didn't need me to tell you that."
I smirk, "nope but thank you anyways."
He laughs and holds out his arm for me like a true gentleman.
"Shall we?"
I take it, already cursing Emilia for putting me in these death traps.
We walk out the door. Luca and Sofia get into his BMW sports car while Angelo and Sofia get into a black Porsche. Some of his men get into the black SUV to follow us and I turn to Luciano in confusion.
"Aren't we all going to the same place?"
He smirks and points to a car at the front.
"We are, just in different cars."
I look to the car he pointed at, my eyes widening.
"Is that a a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport?" I ask in awe. Luciano looks surprised that I know the model.
"It is. You're into cars?"
"I've always had a penchant for fast cars. I own a McLaren F1 but it's got nothing on this beauty."
Luciano chuckles at my excitement and leads me towards his car, opening my door.
"Well, if you behave yourself , I might let you drive it later."
I turn to him, unable to keep the huge smile off my face as he gets in.
"Really?"
He nods, smirking at my excitement.
"Really. You know, I've never met a girl who got this excited about cars before. Even Emilia and Sofia could care less about them."
I smirk, "well I'm not exactly your typical girl."
He chuckles," very true."
We make small talk throughout the ride, enjoying the music as well. To my surprise, Luciano has got a really good voice as he quietly sings. He probably doesn't even realise he's doing it as he drives, completely relaxed, one hand on the wheel and one resting casually against the door.
We pull up at the club and my eyes widen at the long line at the entrance. It's called Lupo which translates to wolf in English. I turn to Luciano in surprise,
"This is yours?"
He nods, "one of mine. How did you know?"
I roll my eyes. "The symbol for the Italian mafia is a wolf and Lupo is wolf in Italian. Not very creative of you if you ask me." He chuckles as the valet comes over, opening his door.
"Wait here." He says before getting out. I can instantly see the shift in his demeanour as he exits the car. He was Luciano Moretti, Italian don and multimillionaire. Or billionaire. I honestly didn't know.
I see one of the valets walk over to my side to open my door but Luciano stops him. To my surprise, he opens the door himself and offers his arm to help me out. I take it and step out. Instantly, cameras start flashing and I realise that there's paparazzi here. The club patrons who are in the line are all staring in shock and taking pictures as well. A glance behind me shows me the others getting out of their cars but the cameras are mainly focused on us.
We start walking towards the entrance and Luciano wraps an arm around my waist tightly. I glance at him but his expression is hard and blank as always, his gaze not meeting mine. I don't say anything since there's so many people
around us. We head in to the busy club and I'm impressed. It wasn't a strip club or any average club. This was a club for New York's elite. We don't head into the crowded area though. Luciano guides me up a flight of stairs, his men nodding at him in respect as we pass. We enter a cordoned off area at the top and I see the words Moretti emblazoned on the banister. This was his private area. We had the highest view of the club and it was slightly quieter up here. All of us take a seat and immediately, a man in a suit comes up to us, bowing slightly.
"Don Moretti, Signor Moretti, Signor Romano, ladies, it's a pleasure to see you."
"Good to see you Lorenzo. I see you've been taking care of this place."
Lorenzo nods, "Of course Don. Business has been going well."
Luciano nods and says, "The usual for us men. Ladies?"
He turns to us and Emilia orders a margarita. I order the same while Sofia orders a daiquiri. Lorenzo bows again and leaves to get our drinks. Emilia turns to me and starts chatting excitedly. The men are having their own conversation and in a short while, our drinks arrive. We down them and Emilia tugs at my arm, pulling me out of my seat.
"Let's go dance."
I groan softly, "Emiliaaa"
She tugs me again, succeeding in pulling me out of my seat. This girl was strong alright. Sofia pleads with me too and I nod reluctantly. The boys look at us when we stand. Angelo knows his girlfriend too well as he stands to give her a kiss. Luca does the same to Sofia and I feel slightly awkward. I just send a small smile to Luciano who's watching me and he nods, saying in a low voice,"be careful."
We head down to the dance floor, some of his men following behind us. Emilia takes us to the bar first, ordering 3 shots. Downing the shots, we head to the dance floor. I let the music flow through me. Feeling slightly bold thanks to the alcohol and just wanting to have a fun night, I close my eyes and let my body move to the rhythm. The girls and I are having a blast dancing. Emilia is already slightly drunk while Sofia is a little tipsy since we had another round of shots. I could hold my alcohol well but those shots were strong. Even I was feeling a little buzz. Emilia giggles as she looks behind me and says, "I was right." I look behind me, trying to figure out what she meant.
"What are you talking about?"
She giggles again, "My brother can't keep his eyes off you." Sofia giggles at Emilia'a words.
I look over my shoulder again and this time I spot the man in question. Luciano is leaning against the railing of the balcony. It's too dark to see his face but I just know that he's looking at me with those dark grey eyes of his. A shiver runs through me but it's not one of fear or disgust. It's lust and hunger and I turn back to the girls, forcing myself to calm down. What the hell? I don't get all hot and bothered just because some guy is looking at me. Luciano isn't just some guy. My subconscious says and I tune it out. Maybe I was not as sober as I thought I was. My first move is to tell the girls that they're too drunk to know what they're saying and head back to the bar. But then, I pause.I was here to have a good time and relax. That pig could stare at me all he wants. I smirk at the girls who are grinning away at me.
"Then let's give him something to look at." I continue dancing, moving my body sensually and I can feel his gaze penetrate me even more intensely. I don't turn back though as the me and the girls grind against each other, laughing.
A little while later, Sofia and I are supporting a pretty drunk Emilia as we leave the bar and head back up. Sofia is slightly drunk too but can still balance herself in those heels. Angelo takes one look at Emilia and shakes his head in amusement. Something tells me he's used to this. She sees him and makes a beeline for his lap. They start making out and I avert my gaze. However, Luca and Sofia have also started making out on the other end of the couch and I roll my eyes. I ignore Luciano and head towards the balcony. Leaning against the railing, I watch as the patrons of the club drink and dance the night away. My eyes immediately spot the security cameras all over the club, hidden from plain sight and I count over 20 of Luciano's men around the club. He definitely did not take security lightly. His cologne washes over me as he stands next to me, his dark gaze on me.
I just stare at him, not saying a word.
"You're a good dancer." I smirk, noticing his eyes fall to my lips briefly.
"Thank you. Too bad I never got to see you in action."
He smirks, running his hand through his thick, dark locks.
"I don't dance, dolchezza."
"You mean you can't dance."
He narrows his eyes at me and leans closer.
"How about I show you one day?"
I gulp lightly, but maintain the smirk on my face.
"We have a deal."
He doesn't pull away but instead continues,
"I believe I promised you a ride in my car."
My eyes widen and I look at him.
"You do realise I've been drinking the whole night."
He chuckles," trust me cara. I wouldn't let you drive my car if I thought you were drunk."
He was right. I was not drunk, perfectly sober enough to drive a car. I smirk at him and put my palm out. He raises an eyebrow at me, looking at my outstretched palm. Instead of handing me his keys, he slides his huge hand into mine, his warm palm enveloping mine. I don't get the chance to protest when he wraps his other arm around my waist and leads us out of the area.
"We're heading out. Tell the others we'll meet them back at the house." He informs one of his men since the two couples are still heavily making out.
His man nods and says "Yes Don." But Luciano is already halfway down the stairs. We head out and I ignore the envious glares of the girls and the lustful wandering gazes of the men. Luciano seems to glare at them and suddenly everyone looks away. We head out and I inhale the fresh air as the cold wind slaps me a little.
The valet has brought the car to the front and holds the keys out to Luciano. I take the keys instead and I would have laughed at the expression on his face if I wasn't so excited to drive this beast. Luciano opens the driver's side door for me and I step in, ignoring the shocked looks of everyone outside the club. He gets in the passenger seat and leans back.
"Please don't scratch my car." He says, looking slightly worried now as if just realising the implications of his actions.
I smirk, putting the car in gear.
"Trust me."
With that, I press down on the the gas and the car shoots off into the night. We speed down the empty street, into an abandoned road and I lower the window. The cold night breeze whips through my hair and I let out a carefree laugh, not caring that Luciano was probably staring at me like a nutcase. I couldn't remember the last time I felt this young and carefree. I was gonna enjoy this short time where I wasn't Alessandra Morino, assassin and target of a psycho named Connor. No, right now, I was just Alessa, a 24 year old girl who was driving am amazing car with a sexy man beside me. Speaking of said sexy man, I turn my head to the side expecting to find Luciano staring at me like I was crazy or having his stone cold expression as always. What I see though almost makes me crash the car. He's staring at me with this smile on his face. Like an actual smile. I'd seen Luciano smile before at Frankie and a few times at the others. He's even given me a few brief, small smiles before when he wasn't smirking or glaring but this was different. He was actually grinning and I noticed the small dimple near his lips. His eyes were warm and soft, the normally steel grey light and filled with happiness and what looked like awe? I blush, warmth invading my body and look back at the road, my heart pounding in my chest.
"Sorry, I got a little carried away." I say, my voice shy and a little breathless.
What the hell. Get a grip on yourself Alessa. You don't become breathless because some guy smiles at you.
"Don't be." His deep voice cuts through my inner monologue. We fall back into silence and head back to the mansion. I pull into the driveway and cut the engine. The others are already back and I can hear Emilia drunkenly giggling away. Luciano makes no move to get out of the car so I quietly clear my throat and step out. That seems to jolt him from whatever daze he was in and he steps out too. I hand him the keys and all of a sudden, I feel awkward.
"Umm..thanks for uhh..letting me drive. It was ..fun." I facepalm internally. It was fun. Seriously Alessa. He nods, the smile gone but he has this weird expression in his eyes. I nod back and turn to walk into the house when I hear his rich velvety voice call out.
"Alessandra." His italian accent curling beautifully around my name.
I turn around, slightly confused.
"You looked absolutely beautiful, dolchezza."
I gulp, feeling my cheeks burn. Somehow I got the feeling he wasn't talking about how I looked in the club.
I send him a small smile and head into the house. I can hear the others in the kitchen but I don't go in. They'll see my burning cheeks and automatically jump to conclusions. So I head up to my room as quietly as possible.
Stripping out of my dress, I wipe off my makeup and decide to take a shower to wash off the sweat from dancing. I change into my pyjamas and turn the lights out. On any other day, my nightmares keep me awake but tonight, it's Luciano that keeps me awake. Or rather the expression on his face as he looked at me in the car and the warmth that spread through my body as I met his gaze.
Shit, I was screwed. Nope, I was thoroughly fucked. And all that bastard did was smile at me.