Page 5

4

GLORIA

T he loud and obnoxious voice from the lobby snaps me out of my aroused daze.

Now my heart is pounding for an entirely different reason.

Stumbling out of Adriano’s embrace, I scamper for my bra, but I don’t see it anywhere. Looking around frantically, I realize my shirt is still caught on the drawer.

Jiggling the latch, I manage to get it unstuck before holding up the tatters of material, ripped in two places. Ruined.

“This shirt was $300!” I hiss, clutching it to my chest.

“I’ll buy you a new one!” Adriano argues in a low, urgent whisper.

“I’m also topless!”

“I know. I was really enjoying that.” He nearly laughs and I want to punch him right in the mouth. That perfect, full-lipped mouth…

Or kiss him again.

Fuck.

“Jacket, now!” I swat his arm, pointing toward my stuff out on the tables. Adriano trots over, tossing me my jacket and heading toward the door.

“I’ll distract them—” He glances back to make sure I’m out of sight.

“Distract us from what?” The voice is light, cocky, and full of laughter.

“From sticking your noses where they don’t belong!” Adriano replies, blocking the entry to the archives and leaning on the door.

“We tried your cell and you didn’t answer, so we figured you might be at work. You know, cause you’re a wet rag and spend all of your time at the office, even on weekends.”

“Yep. That’s me.” His flat tone is interrupted by an oof as I hear bodies collide in an embrace just around the shelves out of sight.

“It’s good to see you, Adri!”

“You too, Ciro. Come on, let’s go upstairs and talk.”

“Sure, sure…” The voice fades slightly, like he’s turning around to leave. Then a scuffle.

“Hey!”

“Ha! I knew it, you’ve got someone down here with you!”

And right then, a handsome, thinner, taller, but definitely-related-to-Adriano man pops around the shelves, pointing one finger at me and grinning like he just caught someone stealing a cookie.

“Hi! I’m Ciro, you must be Gloria.” He’s across the room and thrusting a hand out toward me before I can blink. Thank goodness I managed to get my jacket on and buttoned.

“Uh. Hi. Gloria. Yes.”

“Ciro!” Adriano groans, chasing him down.

“Bold outfit. I always loved the jacket with no shirt look.”

Even as I feel the heat rushing to my cheeks, he ignores the hand I put out to shake his, dragging me into a very brotherly hug, pulling me back at arm’s length to look me over.

“You didn’t tell me how unbelievably beautiful she is, Adri!”

“No. I didn’t.”

“Actually, you didn’t tell me much of anything about her at all. ’Cep that you two are getting married. Looks like you’re getting to know each other, though, huh?” He elbows Adriano, letting me go in the process.

Leaving me free, but completely flabbergasted at the friendliest assault of prattling. He’s like a whirlwind of words and smiles.

And completely endearing.

I catch myself covering my mouth as I start to laugh.

Half at the situation, half at Ciro, and half at the mortified look on Adriano’s face. As I do, I heard the other two toward the tables and away from the closet and the mess of papers and my shirt.

Ciro is still talking to both of us casually, sorting through some of the files on the table while he does.

No wonder Dad doesn’t want the twins around if they’re both like this.

He would drive my father nuts.

“—and the flight attendant—stewardess?—”

“Fli—”

“Right, flight attendant is proper, she looks right down at me and says, no joke, straight-faced, ‘If you don’t stop stealing peanuts out of my cart I’m going to take you to the back of the plane and spank you.’ Can you believe that shit?”

Before I can stop myself, I’m asking, “What did you do?”

“She was stunning. So, I grabbed as many peanuts as I could and made a run for the back of the plane!”

Adriano’s shaking his head, smiling slightly at his brother’s antics. “At least you didn’t cause an international event. Again.”

“Oh, Gloria, you’ll love this story?—”

“Wait,” Adriano interrupts, putting up a hand getting serious, looking around. “Where’s Fiero?”

“I’m right here,” another voice, velvet black and quiet, cuts through the noise, and I jump through the ceiling, a little yelp slipping out from behind the hand I clap over my mouth.

“Fuck!” Adriano has his gun halfway out, his other arm outthrust to cover me.

The gesture is subtle. But it makes my tummy flip for some stupid reason.

“Don’t do that!”

“Do what?” Fiero shrugs, the picture of innocence. If innocence dressed all in black, had silky, long black hair tucked behind its ears. But it’s his eyes and deadly calm that belie the casual stance, the feigned innocence. There’s nothing innocent about this brother.

He’s the opposite of Ciro in every way.

Yet they are identical in the way they fill the room with a presence unique to each of them. It’s almost distracting enough to make me forget my embarrassment or the fact that Adriano and I were just about to?—

“So, what were you two up to down here? Research? Development? Or maybe some deep dives, filing…”

“It’s not an innuendo just because you say it in that voice.” Fiero sniffs, rolling his eyes.

“It’s an innuendo because they were totally doing it. Soil sport.”

“It’s spoilsport.”

“Whatever, shithead.”

My jaw works a few times, trying to keep up with the situation and the ridiculous back and forth between them. All while feeling the full-body blush of them discussing what Adriano and I were doing when they came in.

“Don’t the two of you have laundry to do or something?”

“Nah. I just bought new clothes and threw the others out. Ero only owns two outfits and does sink laundry like a weirdo.”

“Not all of us stink like a dog if we don’t shower every day.”

“Not all of us have the luxury of staying cool and dry when boss man sends me to humid, muggy, mosquito ridden locales.”

“Baby.”

“Are they always like this?” I ask.

“I’ve never seen them out on their own. I just assumed they couldn’t function without bickering until they started going on separate missions.” Adriano huffs a chuckle, guiding me toward the door while they’re distracted.

“Hey! Where are you going?”

“I’m just seeing Gloria out.”

“Oh. I guess we should ‘report in’ to you officially. She not privy to big boss info?”

“I’m privy to all sorts of things. And I’d appreciate it if this little encounter stayed private, if you catch my drift?”

“Absolutely!” Ciro turns a key next to his mouth. “No one will hear a peep from me.”

“Not sure how, when your mouth is never closed,” I blurt out and Fiero’s eyes bulge at the comment.

Ciro’s mouth drops open, and he looks from me to Adriano and back. “Ha! Well-played. I cannot wait to see how you put Adri in his place.”

“Who says I need to be put in my place?”

“You’ve needed someone to put you in their place for way too long! Prune.”

“It’s prude, jackass.”

“Whatever! Nice to meet you, by the way.”

“I’m still on the fence, but I’m sure we’ll meet again,” I retort, turning and pressing my lips together as I shove Adriano out ahead of me with my eyes wide. What the hell got into me?!

Behind us I hear a mocking sound of exasperation and fake hurt feelings followed by what sounds like a slap and a yelp.

“Sorry about them …”

“No, they’re a lot more fun than I expected, not that I had many preconceived notions about your brothers.”

“Well, they always defy expectations. And that’s not a compliment.”

“I can see the resemblance in certain ways…not in others.”

“They just like to push my buttons.”

“I like to push your buttons too,” I turn back at my car, not realizing how close behind me he’s walking. His hands catch my arms before he bumps into me and my breath catches.

“You can push them again anytime,” he mutters huskily, sending my head spinning. Flashes of what we were just doing and how much more I want zip through my head, and it takes everything in me to ease back off the throttle, settle back from my tiptoes and onto my heels.

But Adriano follows me down, brushing his lips against mine and flicking the button on my jacket open. “Maybe see you tomorrow?”

“I—uh, w-would like that,” I stutter, scrambling to pull my jacket closed over my chest, once again fully aware that I’m topless underneath.

Shit! I forgot to look for my bra.

Reaching for my door handle, I narrow my eyes at him as he pulls past me in his black sports car and slows down just for a second, smirking at me. “I’ll hold onto this until I see you again…”

And I’m gaping at him as he peels out, my lacy white bra trailing in the winding from his hand out the window.

Son. Of. A. Bitch.

Plopping down in my driver’s seat I sigh, staring at the steering wheel as the twins peel off after him a moment later.

Maybe being married to him won’t be so bad, but I barely know the man.

And my father has been very careful to keep us…compartmentalized. And then all of a sudden expects us to just play a couple. I can’t figure it out.

Maybe it’s all a game, a wild adventure. But it’s not a fun one.

As always, my busy brain starts revving and I have to slow things down. One thing at a time.

Compartmentalization is, and always has been the cornerstone of my entire life.

I do one thing; I move to the next. Focus has to be absolute on each and every task because I don’t have time to dawdle, and I certainly don’t have time to redo anything. At least that’s been my life since Mom died.

One draft, perfect. Turn it in. Get to work. Get home.

It’s such a contrast to the way she ran things for me growing up. We had strict rules about how to stay off the radar, but otherwise…

I was free to do whatever I wanted. Things were so unstructured.

Maybe that’s why I crave structure now.

And this world is anything but. It has rules, certainly, ones I am trying to figure out as I walk the line between the legal and not so. All the while trying to decide just how dangerous Adriano and my father are.

Not to mention how involved Adriano is with Dom.

One minute they seem to be in sync. The next I think Adri wants to strangle my dad.

Maybe it’s both.

Either way, Adriano is not someone to trifle with.

But every time I see him, I can’t help dipping my toe in that water. Hell, diving right in.

Shaking my head I get back out of the car, flustered and unsure of what else to do. Work. Yeah. That’ll distract me.

The shopping I told my father I wanted to do is the farthest thing from my mind as I head into my office and close the door, flicking on my laptop and settling in. When in doubt, do your homework.

When did I become such a nerd?

I used to party, shop, go out to eat with friends.

Back when I had friends.

A half hour slips by before I wrap up the spreadsheet and head back down to the archives to straighten up my mess and grab the remains of my blouse. Standing in that doorway, I flash back, feeling his bulging cock pressed into me from behind, his hands on me, teasing me.

Instantly I’m right back to a flustered mess.

My grip tightens on the doorframe as I feel his lips on my throat, his breath in my ear. So. Fucking. Hot.

Pinned, unable to resist him. I feel my skin tighten, my core heats up.

And this time, my hand drifts back, grips him tightly, and strokes his incredibly thick, rigid manhood. It’s mouthwatering.

I remember the feeling of it in my hand from the other night and my knees quiver, my thighs tightening as Adriano’s fingers slip under my skirt again, pull my soaked panties aside and drive into my opening, easing in firmly, slowly, then circling, pressing all the right spots.

Leaning over the filing cabinet I give in fully to the fantasy, roiling my hips in time to my fingers buried inside me. But it’s him, as I grip him, guide him inside me. Palming the peak of my pleasure, a sweet, buzzing sensation runs up my spine, across every inch of my skin.

Every day this need gets worse.

I can’t stop thinking about him. And I can’t stop touching myself, pretending it’s him. He’s deep inside me now, grinding into my sweetest spot, his finger slick with my wetness circling my clit.

Sweat breaks out on my forehead, across my back as I come undone, as I start to shake.

My legs spread wider, hiking up my skirt, giving me better access. And Adriano plows into me, his deep voice saying my name repeatedly. The closer I get to the edge the more I realize how much I really need to hear him say it, feel the rumble of his chest crying out for me.

Like I’m crying out for him.

“Adriano…” I moan, waves of ecstasy rolling up my back.

My climax is almost here, pressure building to an eruption.

The next time I see him I don’t think I’ll be able to control myself. Or I won’t be able to look him in the eyes. The thought almost makes me laugh, but I’m unwinding, unraveling.

Never mind the fact that I barely know him. And that he’s a dangerous mobster. But that only adds to the arousal, the thrill.

And I’m over the edge.

“Yes, yes, yes !” The rush consumes me, barrels through me.

Aftershocks ripple along in time with my heaving breath as I lay there for a few moments, savoring the glow. Maybe one day I’ll be bold enough to take him, to let it happen.

In the meantime, I put myself back together and clean up, locking the doors and heading back to my car. As my head clears, the thought of Adriano, just talking with him, touching him, and the sight of him driving off with my bra in hand sparks an idea.

A plan of sorts. A bold plan.