Ria
The pretty young blonde stared at the back of the head of the man sitting before her in the large Hummer.
The Capo.
He had been roped in to get her to bring her stuff back from her University and Ria was glaring daggers at him. She wanted to continue her studies at the University and she most certainly did not agree with her Pappa who had stonewalled all her protests.
Unfortunately, all her tears and pleas had been in vain. Now that Paddy was safe at home and Claude was still recuperating from his assorted wounds. Lucien had decided she was returning home and that was it; end of discussion. There was no point in trying to get Mumma to support her; Proserpina Delano knew where her authority ended.
Okay, so she was being a trifle obstinate as Piers had pointed out. He had agreed to give up a semester, maybe even take a gap year as he wanted to learn the ropes of the business as their father wanted him to. But Ria chaffed at the bit; she enjoyed the easy camaraderie with friends although she did not have many close ones. Liked the classes, listening to the lectures, and the droning voice of some of the professors which inevitably made you sleep…
Maybe it was also because at home, there was a feeling that one was walking on a tightrope; the danger lurking around the corner was something she did not relish. Having seen her mother being kidnapped, and her father disappearing, sometimes all she wanted was a life where she would live peacefully.
She sighed and Philippe, sitting ahead of her, turned his head slightly, giving her an unrestricted view of his profile, the hard planes of his cheekbones, the beard, neatly trimmed and the hint of a tattoo disappearing into the collar of his shirt.
“Would you like to stop for a minute?’ he growled softly and she flinched. Her feelings towards this man were so mixed up. He had been her friend and playmate for as long as she could remember. And then, he had gone away and when he returned, she was already in college and he was her Pappa’s Capo in training.
And every time she saw him and he came nearer, a wild fluttering began in her stomach, her legs became weak and she felt a wetness pooling between her legs. All of which made her speak rudely and snap at him, trying to hurt him, and get him to react. But Philippe merely kept up a calm exterior and no amount of insulting words or sarcasm seemed to provoke him.
She clenched her teeth and glared at him stonily. He sighed and indicated that the driver continue the journey.
*
Soon they were outside her rented apartment. The young man who had been a constant with her at the time, a bodyguard but closer in age to her, was nowhere to be seen. Now there was a new set of people and Philippe issued instructions to them rapidly. She stepped out, her small hands bunched in fists as she parked them on her hips and glared haughtily at Philippe.
“I need to go to the University; say goodbye to my friends.’ A look, a flash of annoyance that disappeared almost at once was evident on his face.
The Capo was as always impeccably dressed: today it was in a pair of dark-coloured jeans with a shirt, a blazer, and a pair of leather shoes.
But he said in his deep baritone,
“Soon. I want you to see if there is anything you want to carry back to your home immediately.’
Ria faced him with her most blistering glare and then marched into the house, followed closely by the Capo. A few men were already inside and she noticed, with a pang, that her belongings had all been neatly packed and labelled.
She stood for a while, her shoulders slumping. She would never be coming back here again, she knew that.
*
Sighing, she turned away, blinking rapidly, avoiding Philippe’s all-seeing eyes.
“No, it’s all been packed anyways,’ she said and knew that she sounded ungracious.
As she stormed past him, she flinched as she brushed his bulky chest by accident. She did not see the heated look in the eyes of the Capo as he noticed her gesture.
*
So even touching him was something she detested now, he thought, his anger simmering beneath the surface like a dangerous sea, barely controlled. The Capo had been watching her surreptitiously, his black eyes like hard marbles of heat as they moved to the supple, lithe young woman beside him. Her blonde hair, the mass of fragrant gold was in a braid, neat and attractive and it fell across one shoulder. The pout of the plump pink mouth made him want to grab her and pull her into a dark corner, take her mouth and kiss her hard. Her eyes, those grey-blue eyes flicked disdainfully over him, but it only made him want to possess her.
*
The Capo kept cursing his luck; he knew that the Boss trusted him like he trusted no other which was why he had specifically asked Philippe to accompany Ria when she went to pick up her stuff. The other two Capos, Boris and Kamath, were engaged otherwise; besides, they would have been walked all over by this pretty girl-woman who was gliding in such an unconsciously sensual way before him, her rounded hips swaying. And the Boss was astute enough to know that Philippe would not let her run around unguarded and have her own way.
Yet… he swore silently. It was like a starving man having to guard a banquet of the most delicious food, as his father would have said.
F*ck, he thought, running his hand through his hair, if he kept looking at her some more, he might just ejaculate right here.
*
Ria was also angry with Philippe but her reasons were more to do with the physical; for not having given in to his baser desires that night when they had shared a bed. Perversely, she knew it was stupid and wrong of her; she should be thanking her stars that Philippe was such a gentleman and had not taken advantage of her. But her hormones dictated otherwise. She tossed her head and walked ahead of him, deliberately treating him like an inferior.
*