Stephan

I sat next to my father, Nino, and my older brother, Alessio, at our table at the center of the ballroom, all of us dressed in custom suits from Vaccaro’s. We blended in with the titans of industry and politicians who gathered here tonight, even though we were imposters.

Most of the men in this room made Brian Delaney into the man they wanted him to be. Our new district attorney pledged he would help fight organized crime, when the criminals were the ones who gave this man his power. I sipped scotch and listened to Brian finish his speech about how he was grateful for all the support, more like thankful for all the money the men in this room threw his way.

My father paid twenty-five thousand dollars per chair for the privilege of sitting next to the Mayor of Manhattan and other influential power players. I hated these events. It was a joke to rub elbows with the Mayor when I’d washed blood off my hands before I put on a new shirt and tie.

Waiters walked past us with trays of champagne and fluffy looking pastries. I turned to my left and spotted Isabella Parisi. I held my breath without realizing it. She was so unaware of her natural magnetism.

She grabbed a flute of champagne and popped a tiny pastry in her mouth, washing it down with half the contents of her glass. Her brother stood at her side. They talked about something which made her laugh. I loved seeing her happy and with a smile on her beautiful face. From a distance, I studied every movement she made.

This party was boring-as-fuck, and I needed something else to keep me occupied. Isabella was a good distraction. She glanced around the room, her eyes finally meeting mine. I was surprised to get what could pass for a smile from her. Isabella dragged her tongue along her bottom lip, and I almost excused myself from the table to steal to her away.

You’re mine, I thought.

Her dark curls covered her full breasts, which were pushed up in the tight black dress that hugged her impressive curves. I thought about ripping her dress to pieces with my bare hands. Like a savage. That’s how I felt when I looked at her. She fueled the carnal hunger inside me. Her innocence spoke to my darkness, and I wanted to smother her with it.

Isabella set her drink on the table behind her, tapped her brother on the shoulder, and whispered something to him, before she left the main ballroom. This was the only chance I would have to get her alone. So, I did the stupid thing and followed behind her.

I found her wandering down the hallway, poking her head into rooms as she passed them. We were in an old mansion on Long Island, renovated to accommodate five event rooms, with suites and guest rooms on the upper floors. The men who paid for the district attorney’s campaign rented the entire estate—my father and Isabella’s among them.

Isabella must’ve heard my shoes hit the marble floor, because she looked over her shoulder at me, with a smile on her lips. She sped up her pace as if she were baiting me into a trap. And then I wondered if this was part of her plan. I stalked toward her, my feet moving faster with each step she took.

When we reached a dead end, she tugged on the door to the wine cellar. This game we were playing made my cock hard. I loved the chase, the feeling of power when I finally claimed what I wanted. Isabella Parisi fueled the sickness inside me without even realizing what she was doing to me.

I took the stairs after her and combed through the dimly lit basement. Removing the cell phone from my pocket, I turned on the flashlight so I could navigate the thin, dense passages. In the back corner, the furthest away from the entrance, I found Isabella in front of a barricade of casks, stacked almost up to the ceiling. We would have privacy if someone were to come downstairs, something I would need if I wanted to take my time with her.

Isabella had her back to me and pulled the cork from a bottle of red wine. She lifted it to her lips and took a long sip, making a satisfied sound.

I turned off the flashlight, slipped the phone into my pocket, and moved behind her. “Want to share?”

She yelped as if she was surprised to hear my voice, when we both knew she led me into the basement. It was no shock I was here right now.

Isabella turned around, her back flat against a wooden cask. “Stephan, what are you doing here? You know I’m not allowed to talk to you.”

“I was only following your lead.” I closed the distance between us and grabbed the bottle from her hands.

She inspected my face closely as I took a sip from the bottle. “I don’t recall inviting you down here, now did I?”

“No?” I cocked my head to the side and read the lie on her lips. “I’m good at reading people. I would say I read your signals perfectly.”

She fisted her fingers around the neck of the bottle and tugged, but I didn’t let go. Her skin was warm and soft, and I thought of how smooth the rest of her body would be pressed against mine.

“My family is upstairs,” she said, holding her ground. “My dad will kill both of us if he finds us together.”

“I don’t care,” I shot back, our mouths only inches apart. “I’ve waited years to get you alone again.”

She blew out of puff of air. “We can’t… we shouldn’t…”

Her hand was still on the bottle with mine, the desire in her eyes intensifying my need to quench the hunger brewing inside me. I was a beast around her, wild and desperate to taste every inch of her. I’d been with plenty of beautiful women, but I craved Isabella most of all.

Claiming Isabella would have been the beginning of the end, and I was ready to watch my world implode for one night with her. One night was all I wanted.

When she attempted to steal the bottle from me, I fought her again, this time my actions earning me a slap across the face. My head turned to the side from how hard she hit me. This crazy girl had no idea what she’d done. Her anger was a turn on. The burning sensation spread from my cheek and throughout my body, my cock now even harder and ready to tame her.

“You had no right to follow me down here. I didn’t invite you, and I would like to drink my bottle of wine in peace.”

What happened to her?

She was nothing like the girl I once knew.

I didn’t move or speak, still stunned by the brass balls on this woman. The fire inside her ignited mine, the red-hot flames licking my skin.

“I want to fuck you,” I confessed. “And I think you want me, too.”

Her eyes widened, her lips slowly parting for me. She was about to speak and stopped herself. We stood there in silence for a short while, before she muttered, “I’m not fucking the son of my father’s enemy in a wine cellar, so you might as well leave now while your dick is still attached.”

I almost laughed at her last comment and released my grip on the bottle. Her eyes pointed down at the wine, and she let out the breath she’d been holding.

“Have you ever been fucked, princess?” I whispered the words against her neck, slowly moving up to her ear. “Really fucked, I mean.”

When I took a step back to gauge her reaction, her cheeks and chest were bright red. It took her a minute before she finally said, “No. Never.”

“Did you wait for me?” I brushed the back of my hand against her cheek. “Are you still a virgin?”

She stared at me and bit the inside of her cheek, giving me a silent answer. The wine cellar was cold. Isabella shivered and held the bottle tighter. I thought about hugging her against my chest to take away the chill with my warmth. But I wasn’t ready for another slap to the face.

My cell phone buzzed in my pocket, breaking up the silence. I removed it from my pocket and held it to my ear. It was my father summoning me upstairs. He had a few people he wanted me to meet, men who could make our lives easier. When it came to the law, we needed all the help we could get. Keeping politicians in our pocket was a means of survival. They were just as corrupt, only they used lobbyists to do their bidding.

“Until next time, princess.”

She sighed, and then drank a big gulp of wine.

I stuffed the phone in my pocket and walked away from her.

One day, she would be mine. She just didn’t know it yet.