Page 22 of Claimed By the Possessive Mafia Prince

SIENA

I ’m eating lunch at the restaurant alone when Naaif approaches me again.

“I’ve got my own personal stalker,” I joke.

He smiles. “I promise this will be the last time.”

“I’m kidding,” I tell him. “What’s up?”

“I have an invitation for you.”

“An invitation?” I ask.

He frowns, probably wondering why I’ve made such a simple word sound so cold.

“To what?”

“I don’t know.” He hands me a small envelope. “Don’t shoo?—”

“Shoot the messenger, I know. Sorry, Naaif.”

I open the envelope. It’s an invitation to a wine tasting, signed with Dario’s name. I leave my lunch where it is and exit the restaurant. I’m getting a headache, a tight band of tension squeezing my skull.

I find Marcela lounging on the beach, in a pale white dress, reading a novel underneath an umbrella.

“Excuse me, Marcela,” I say. “Have you seen Dario?”

A wicked smile touches her lips. “You seem very keen to find him.”

“He’s arranged a wine tasting, but it wasn’t on the schedule.”

She nods to the lounge chair next to hers. “Vittorio has disappeared to the spa. Would you sit with me for a moment?”

I don’t want to sit with her. I want to rant and rave at her son. But it’s not like I can say no.

“Sure.”

“How are you feeling?” she asks.

“You know—” Stressed. Suspicious. Conflicted. “Fine.”

“Take a breath. Look at the sea, the beauty, and appreciate where you are. I feel like you’ve been running around nonstop, not giving yourself time to enjoy it.”

“With all due respect, it’s not my job to enjoy it. My job is to make sure you enjoy it.”

“What if I said that, for me to enjoy it, I need you to enjoy it?” She laughs. “See, Siena, I’m not just a pretty face.”

I roll my eyes.

“Was that an eye roll, young lady?”

“I’m sorry,” I say. “I didn’t mea?—”

“You should try to relax around me. Am I really that intimidating?”

“No,” I admit. “But I don’t want to get too comfortable around my boss.”

“I’m not your boss. I’m your client–well, your client’s wife, since he made all the arrangements. And let’s not forget the fact that you saved me. Now, look at the horizon, appreciate it.”

I gaze across the glittering blue waves.

“Breathe, Siena.”

I take a slow breath, then let it out just as slowly.

“This place is beautiful, isn’t it?”

For the first time, I allow myself to sincerely sink into the moment, allow my mind to settle and stop skipping from task to task.

“Yes,” I tell her. “It’s heavenly.”

“It’s the sort of place a girl could fall in love…”

I aim a sour look at her, knowing it’s unprofessional, but I can’t help it.

She shrugs, not seeming to mind. “I know I’m pushing a little too hard.”

“I’m just not a love-at-first-sight sort of gal.”

“Oh, all that? Ignore me. I get a little sentimental. It’s in my nature. Forget love. Forget what comes after, even. All I know is that my son hasn’t behaved like this in years, perhaps ever.”

My heart picks up speed, a tingle shivering over my body. It’s like what Dario said about our chemistry.

“I enjoy seeing him happy and hopeful.”

“I’m not sure what he’s told you, but it’s not like we’re dating or anything like that.”

She aims a knowing look at me. “Hmm, whatever you say.”

“Sorry, Mrs.—Marcela… do you know where he is?”

“He mentioned something about the gym,” she replies. “Go easy on him. I’m sure he has a good reason for arranging the wine tasting. Perhaps he wanted to take some of the load off you. He’s always been helpful like that.”

You don’t have to give me the sales pitch , I almost say, but I stop myself.

“Thanks,” I mutter. “I’ll see you later.”

“Bye, bye, dear.”

I leave her, walking to the gym, the wine-tasting invitation clenched in my fist.

The gym is at the very rear of the spa facility, down a narrow, private corridor. I pause outside the door when I see Dario is the only one inside. He’s on the weight bench, wearing a sleeveless shirt, sweat dripping down his body and making his muscles gleam.

He grunts and hefts weights that look unbelievably huge, his muscles swelling and bunching. I squeeze the invitation even tighter, imagining what it would be like to be those weights. I can’t help it.

Finally, I push into the gym. The door closes behind me. The air conditioning tickling my skin. I feel my nipples hard… from the change in temperature. I tell myself.

He stands, his chest heaving, looking powerful.

“What’s this?” I say, gesturing with the invitation.

“A chance for you to relax,” he replies, walking up to me. My skin grows hot despite the air conditioning. “And a chance for us to study my uncle in a public setting, to get him drunk and see if he slips up.”

“So, it’s business and pleasure.”

“Exactly.”

“I wish you’d run it by me first.”

“I checked the schedule. The only events tonight are optional, right?”

“Well, yeah.”

“So, no harm done.” He smirks. “Why are you looking at me like you want to jump my bones?”

Because I do.

“I’m mad at you, Dario.”

“You’ve got a funny way of showing it. You’re looking at me like you want a replay of last night.”

He’s not wrong.

“You say we’re going to watch your uncle tonight, but you won’t even tell me why, or what’s really going on.”

When his hands settle on my hips, I realize how quickly I’m getting used to this feeling. He presses his warm palms against the material of my dress, then pulls me against him.

He’s hard. So fast, so instantly. Rock solid for me.

“I love when you make that noise.”

I slip my hands up his bare, sweaty arms, feel his pumped-up muscles. “What noise?”

“That gasp. Pleasure, shock, desire, all mixed together. It drives me crazy.”

“Yeah… I can feel that.”

Despite all my protests, I grind against him, feeling his body respond. My core aches, the present closeness combining with the memory of last night.

“Life’s so much easier when we forget about everything else and just do this,” he whispers, guiding his lips to mine.

As our mouths press against each other, I can’t disagree. I’ve dropped the invitation on the floor, leaving my hands free to smooth over his broad back, my fingernails moving across his taut and tight muscles.

He groans and pushes me against the wall next to the door, leaning back and looking through the slot of glass.

“We’re alone,” he growls. “And there are no cameras in here…”

“We’re not having sex in the gym, Dario.”

“Who said anything about sex?” He slides his hand under my dress, his firm touch gliding up my bare skin, causing goosebumps to rise. “I just need to feel you come. I need you to relax, to forget, to be in the moment.”

“We shouldn’t do this.”

“I know. That’s what makes it so hot.”

I feel powerless–in a somehow good way–when he smooths his hand all the way to my crotch. I let the pleasure whisk away my reason as he grinds the heel of his palm against my nub through my underwear.

My hips shift in time with him.

“You have to keep watch,” I moan.

“Don’t worry. I am. I don’t want anyone else seeing or hearing you like this. This is a one-audience show. All… for… me …”

Moans escape me as I hold tightly onto his shoulders and shift myself up and down, moving recklessly against him. My mind is full of conflict. My body, not so much.

He kisses my neck, then down toward my breasts.

“Keep—watch.” I gasp.

“You feel so fucking wet for me,” he growls.

He smooths aside my underwear and presses his bare fingers against my clit, rubbing it softly at first, then adding more pressure and speed until the small orb of heat in my belly becomes an inferno that won’t stop growing. This is what could get me fired.

But as the tingling wave of pleasure moves ceaselessly through me, I can’t stop, can’t even think about stopping.

My hips buck faster.

Soon, I’m moaning loudly.

I bite down on his sweaty neck, and he makes a growling noise of approval. “Leave a mark, beautiful. Show the whole damn island who I belong to.”

I don’t have time to think about how insane those words are. Belong to…

This just feels too good.

He presses another finger against my clit, rubbing fiercer, urging me into overdrive. I bite down so that I can taste him, his sweat, his skin, just him. In the moments before my release, it all makes sense. Nothing is complicated.

I melt for him. The pleasure pulsing through me.

Afterward, I collapse against the wall, breathing hard, feeling lightheaded.

“You’re an animal,” I say.

He chuckles, gesturing to the bite mark on his neck. “What does that make you?”

“I’m so?—”

“Don’t even think about apologizing,” he growls. “That was damn hot.”

“We shouldn’t have done that.”

“Yeah, but we did, and we should do it again.”

“I need to go,” I tell him, turning.

When he spanks my ass, I laugh, spinning on him. “Are you serious?”

“Don’t show me that plump, sexy, juicy ass and expect to get away scot-free.”

“You’re insatiable.”

“Only for you.” He grabs my chin, kisses me, then keeps his face close so that his warm breath shivers over me. “Next time, I’m going to be ready. I’ve found some protection.”

“No one said there’s going to be a next time…”

He winks. “Keep telling yourself that.”

I leave before we get carried away again. That did not go as planned.

Maybe that’s my fault though, somehow expecting to resist him when so far, I’ve failed every time.

My nasty little secret is that I want to fail again, and again, and again.