Luciano
I stared at my assistant, watching her sleep peacefully in my bed. The past thirty minutes had been torture. For her and me. It drove me mad to see her bruised and hurt. Those bastards had done her dirty. They pathetic idiots who went down on a woman at the same fucking time. I would end them., That much was sure. They would all feel the wrath of Moretti and no one would save them.
I glanced back at Raven, feeling angrier by the second. She had claimed she was sick! Why had she been out running if she was fucking sick?! When she had called in sick the day before, I had figured she was trying to avoid me. After the whole fiasco in my office, I needed space to align my thoughts. It didn’t help though that I had to constantly hold myself back from dropping by her house just so I could see her.
It was maddening. How much she consumed my thoughts, The… the yearning. It drove me crazy. I had reminded myself throughout all the million and one reasons why I shouldn’t drop at her fucking doorstep like a lapdog. In the end, to pacify myself, I had assigned someone to watch her. It was either that or I do so myself.
Ah fuck, I sighed grabbing my hair in anger. What if I hadn’t assigned someone to watch her? She would have been kidnapped. By the fucking Castello! Those bastards did not know where to draw the line and that would be the end of them.
“I should have been there earlier!’ I growled. “If I was the one watching her, I would have saved her right away. I should have been there!”
The door to my bedroom opened and a frazzled Marcus stumbled in.
“Boss,” He greeted and diverted his attention to Raven. His green eyes filled with fury as he stalked over to the bed, staring at her bruised face. My eyes narrowed at the look on his face. Was he? I glanced at Raven, then at him, and almost laughed. That explained a lot of shit didn’t it? Every fucking time I had a tiff with my assistant, I would always see her with Marcus. I knew that look on his face. I had the same look whenever I stared at the damned mirror.
He wanted her. And if that didn’t piss me off even further, nothing else could.
My fists clenched as my head warned me not to do anything brash. I couldn’t start a war with my subordinate over a woman! Not even one as desirable as Raven Gonzalez. Fuck, all the more reasons to fire her. She would cause dissension in the organization. Marcus was one of the few I trusted. I couldn’t turn on him. He could cause a fucking revolt if he wanted to.
“Who did this?” He demanded.
My eyes shifted to Raven who let out a soft whimper. She looked so damned vulnerable, it made it hard for me to fucking breathe.
“Outside,” I ordered, walking out of the room with him in tow. I gave the woman on my bed one last glance before closing it and heading to my study.
“Boss?” Marcus said in question, raising a brow at me as I settled on a chair.
“Castello,” I replied, fishing out a bottle of cognac and a glass. Too much had happened and it wasn’t even seven yet.
“Son of a bitch!” Marcus swore.
“They must have seen us together in Vegas,”
“So they tried to kidnap her to get to you?’ Marcus asked and I nodded.
It was me they wanted after all. After the shit, they pulled with Caldwell. If the man hadn’t been loyal as a hound to me, I would have been dead meat. Well perhaps, only slightly dead meat. They would need more than a flimsy set of men to get rid of me.
“I can’t believe they would drag her into this!” He yelled, slamming a fist on my desk.
Oh, I couldn’t help it. I just had to freaking ask. Sipping my whiskey, I watched Marcus through slit eyes. “Why do you feel so strongly about her? She’s a mere assistant.”
Marcus gave me an incredulous look. “I don’t think she’s just an assistant to you,”
I hummed and took another sip. “Why?”
He shifted uneasily before me, looking away. “She’s in your bed. Your room. I’m not stupid.”
I chuckled and nodded. “Good, you’re not.”
If Raven had to belong to anyone, she was mine. The sooner he understood that, the better for everyone.
Dropping the glass in my hands, I leaned forward. It was time for business. “I need you to find a way to send a message to Castello. The Castello.”
Marcus nodded, his eyes receding into icy green pools. As long as he understood his job and role in the organization and the subtle order to stay the fuck away from my assistant, then he would be fine.
***
It was high noon when Raven finally woke up. I sat on a recliner, answering a few emails when I noticed movement on the bed. She groaned, rising from the mattress, clutching her head. The cover clothes slid off her arms to her waist, baring her rather unclad body to my sight. Despite the bruises that marred her arms, her torso looked very intact.
And very enticing.
My eyes captured the round globes on her chest. Fuck me, her peaks were mauve-tipped. If that didn’t almost drive me nuts, then I was made out of fucking stone. The doctor I had called to attend to her had undressed her and I couldn’t be more grateful. Her full breasts heaved as she moved, sighing and groaning from the possible headache that ravaged her head. I was mesmerized by the sight. Raven was stunning. Beneath her sweet hills was a toned belly that led to a place I badly wanted to uncover.
Snap out of it Luciano!
I cleared my throat to alert her to my presence. She paused suddenly, snapping her head up to look at me. Her eyes widened a fraction, looking every bit as innocent yet mysterious as she glared.
“What happened?” She demanded.
“You don’t remember?’ I asked in return, rising to my feet. I placed the laptop gingerly on the coffee table and walked towards her.
She rubbed her temple for a while before gasping. I knew that meant her memories were flooding back. This was it. I thought. I could make her stay away from me with this. If I told her those men attacked her because of me, because I was the cruel cruel monster that ate the hearts of little kids or whatever hideous tale the police told the public about the infamous mafia lord, She would definitely stay away from me.
“I’m sorry,” I said gruffly.
“Who were those men?” She asked, her eyes brimming with tears.
And those tears fucking gutted me. I looked away feeling uncomfortable with each minute that passed. Fuck If Georgia was here, she would know what to say. I was good at a lot of things but not at handling women’s tears. That unnerved me.
“They were goons hired by a business rival,” I lied through my teeth. “He must know you are my assistant and must have wanted revenge of some sort.”
Yes, I was a selfish bastard who deserved to rot to death. Yes, I was holding on to her despite how dangerous it was for her to be around me. Yes, I did not and could not let her go even if that would be fucking safer for her.
“Really?” She asked, rubbing her arms.
I settled beside her on the bed, taking the arm she rubbed to inspect it. It was hard to ignore her perky breasts as I did so but there were other pressing matters to deal with I supposed. Like convincing her to remain with me in the meantime. Castello would be on the prowl. I couldn’t leave her to roam free only to get gutted by those bastards again.
“Does it hurt?” I whispered, stroking her arm.
“What do you think?” She retorted snatching the bruised arm away, green eyes flashing with the familiar fire I knew.
I grinned then, feeling relieved. “I feared they must have broken you,” I reached for her face, taking care to avoid the swollen side as I cupped her chin. My thumb stroked her lips lightly. “Good to know that mouth is as tart as ever.”
A soft sigh escaped her lips, warming my fingers. Unable to resist, I leaned forward, trailing a finger down her arm. “Would you like to know a fun fact, Miss Gonzalez?”
“W-What?” Her voice came out breathless and I loved that she was getting just as aroused as I was.
“For the past ten minutes since you’ve woken up,” I murmured, sliding my hand across her skin to cup one of her breasts. She gasped, eyes widening in realization. A moan slipped out of her when my hands covered her nipples. “These beauties have been on display.”