Page 2 of Empire of Seduction (New York State of Mafia #2)

two

. . .

Ten Days Ago

Vito

Hudson Casino and Resort

Hudson Valley, New York

“I’m tired of waiting for you to notice me.”

At the strange voice, I glanced up from my phone. A young woman, early twenties, was now perched on the bar stool next to mine. “I beg your pardon, signorina?”

She nudged a glass full of amber liquid forward with her fingers. “I bought you a drink because I’m tired of waiting for you to notice me.”

I had to admit, as opening lines went, it was pretty good. “Forgive me. I was working.” I lifted my mobile as if to prove it. “But that is a terrible excuse for ignoring a beautiful woman.”

And she was beautiful. Shorter hair than I usually liked, but it was cut in a style that fell to her shoulders and flattered her face. She had big brownish-green eyes and long eyelashes. Full lips. She wore a jumpsuit with a halter top that crisscrossed her small tits and showed off her long limbs.

“Done with your inspection?” she asked before sipping her cocktail.

“It’s only fair, as you were inspecting me earlier.”

“True. So, what do you think? Do you want the drink?”

I finished the remnants of my whiskey and passed the empty glass back to the bar. The bartender, who knew me, gave me a surreptitious nod to let me know the drink was safe. I had a long list of enemies, even here outside my territory.

I lifted the fresh glass, courtesy of my new friend. “ Grazie .” I took a sip. The flavor was different from my drink. Better. Much better. “What is this?”

“Do you like it?”

“I do.”

“That is a hand-crafted bourbon whiskey from New Orleans, aged in charred white oak barrels. It has notes of jam and caramel, as well as pepper. My favorite part is that they finish aging it in a port cask.” She tilted her head toward my empty glass. “What you were drinking was mass-produced shit.”

Resting an elbow on the bar, I angled toward her slightly. “How does a girl like you know so much about bourbon?”

“Oh, you’d be surprised by what I know. Capisce? ”

“Clearly not my language, judging by your pronunciation.”

She laughed, not offended in the least. I enjoyed the way her eyes sparkled, the little lines that bracketed her mouth when she smiled. “I only know the important Italian words. Barolo, Chianti, Valpolicella, Barbaresco, prosecco?—”

“Okay, okay.” I felt a grin tug at the edges of my mouth. Unusual, but not unwelcome. “You like our wines.”

“And I like your men.”

Direct. I admired it. I hadn’t been looking for a woman to take upstairs tonight. Usually, I came to the casino to work, not play. I had an ownership stake here, along with Luca Benetti, and I came here often to check up on my investment.

An hour ago, I sent my guards to bed and stopped in one of the bars for a quick drink.

I’d intended to catch up on work, then go up to my room.

But maybe my plans could change? I could already see how the rest of the evening would go.

Talking, flirting. Another drink. She’d move closer, perhaps brush my arm or my leg.

I would let my gaze linger on her mouth.

Perhaps she’d take a shallow breath, her pulse racing at the base of her neck, then she’d lick her lips.

I’d suggest going somewhere private to talk. She’d follow me to my suite.

I deepened my voice and let my accent thicken. “This is a coincidence because I like American women.”

“That is a coincidence.” She stuck out her hand. “I’m Maggie.”

“Vito.”

We shook, her grip firm and strong. I could tell she worked with her hands. No long, painted fingernails, and her skin was slightly rough. I didn’t mind it. I sometimes worked with my hands, too.

I sipped the bourbon again. Nice. Maybe I could take a bottle back to Toronto. “And what are you drinking?” I asked, pointing to her cocktail glass.

“It’s a Greyhound. Grapefruit juice and vodka.” She put her mouth to her glass, drank, then licked her lips. “Now if the rim had salt, then it would be a Salty Dog.”

Again, I was impressed. “Are you a bartender?”

“Not unless you count bartending at my friend’s wedding last year.” We stared at each other for a beat. “Are you in town for work or fun?”

“Both.” I didn’t offer more.

The topic of my work was off-limits. In fact, when it came to hookups, I found it better to say as little as possible.

I couldn’t very well say that I ran a criminal syndicate in Toronto.

Even at thirty-five, I had no intention of ever bringing a woman into my world.

Too risky. A simple wedding ring, when I wore it, discouraged any of my partners from getting long-term ideas.

Unfortunately, the ring wasn’t doing me any good at the moment, sitting upstairs in my room.

Lucky for me this girl didn’t seem interested in anything more than a casual fuck. Which suited me perfectly.

“Well, I’m here for fun,” she declared. “It’s been a stressful year and I decided to treat myself this weekend.”

“And how have you been treating yourself?”

“First the spa, which was heavenly. I spent a fortune there this morning, but it was totally worth it. Then a new haircut.” She flipped the ends of her hair. “What do you think?”

“Looks nice.”

“Thanks. I think so, too. I hung around the indoor pool, did some shopping. Stuffed myself at the buffet. Oh, and Giovanni’s restaurant was—” she kissed her fingertips “—perfection.”

The talented Italian chef—along with his business partner, Valentina Benetti—had opened a restaurant inside the casino resort. It was similar to their trattoria in Paesano, but more accessible for large crowds. “This sounds like a very nice day.”

“And night, hopefully.” Her eyes didn’t leave mine as she drank from her glass.

“To tonight, bella.” I lifted my glass to touch hers.

An hour later I was fumbling with my room card as Maggie nipped the side of my throat. We started kissing in the elevator and hadn’t stopped. I wasn’t usually so greedy for a woman, but everything about Maggie was a fucking turn on.

I couldn’t wait to get my dick inside her.

“Fuck.” The light on the door remained red despite my efforts to unlock it.

“Here, let me.” She plucked the card from my hand, waved it in front of the sensor and the light turned green. Then she handed the card back to me and pushed on the handle. “Magic touch.”

I grabbed her ass and lifted her off the floor, carrying her with one arm into the room.

She wrapped her legs around my waist, laughing, as her mouth met mine again.

She tasted like grapefruit and confidence, a sexy combination.

I pushed her up against the wall of the entryway and deepened the kiss, using my tongue to lick inside her mouth the way I planned to lick her pussy in a few minutes.

Her nails dug into my scalp and she kissed me back just as urgently. Her hips rocked against mine, her warm center sliding over my erection. Cazzo madre di dio .

This was happening too fast.

“Wait,” I said, resting my forehead on her temple. “There’s no rush.”

“Your dick says otherwise,” she said with another slow roll of her pussy over my cock.

I sucked in a breath and struggled to think. Carefully, I set her feet on the ground and began kissing her throat. I licked the length of her collarbone. “I’m going to fuck you all night, bella. I will wear you out, te lo prometto .”

“What does that mean?” she asked through labored breaths.

“I promise you.”

“God, your accent. It’s fucking sexy.”

I hummed in my chest. “Are you wet for me?”

“So wet. Jesus, Vito. I’m dying already.”

“I want to eat you out. Where do you want your first orgasm?”

“Hmm, let’s see.” Opening her eyes, she took in the suite. “Holy shit. Is this the best room in the resort?”

It was, actually.

The penthouse suite wrapped around almost the entire top floor, overlooking the surrounding area. There were two living areas, a pantry, three bedrooms, four bathrooms, and a library. But I wasn’t focused on any of that at the moment. This woman had every bit of my attention.

“Right here, I think,” I said, cupping her breasts through the thin material. She wore no bra and her nipples had been driving me crazy ever since she sat down and bought me a drink. I pinched them and she moaned, her head dropping against the wall. “Take off your clothes.”

“Okay.” Her hands went behind her neck and she pulled on the bow keeping her top secure. I dragged my sweater over my head and toed off my dress shoes. When I was bare chested, she gave my torso a thorough examination. “Someone works out.”

My line of work demanded strength, endurance, a limitless reserve of energy when violence was needed. But I didn’t say any of that. I unbuckled my belt, then unzipped my trousers and took them off, along with my socks. I stood in just my black briefs.

“Wowza,” she said, her gaze traveling the length of my body, pausing on my crotch. “I’m not usually this lucky when I visit the casino.”

“ Andiamo . Let’s go.” I gestured to her hands. “Your pussy needs to smother my face in the next five seconds.”

“Okay, bossy.” Maggie shoved her top to her hips, revealing a perfect pair of tits, then reached behind her to unzip the bottom half.

I brushed her nipples with my knuckles as she worked the pants off past her ankles.

Without her heels, she came up to my chin, which was still taller than most women.

I drew back to see her— Cristo . She wasn’t wearing panties.

Fuck me. This woman was a constant surprise.

Her pubic hair was neatly trimmed to reveal her pussy lips and my mouth watered.

I dropped my knees right there on the marble entry floor and put my face right up against her skin.

The smell of her filled my head. Perfetto .

My cock twitched, dying to join in, but I needed to taste her first. Lifting her leg over my shoulder, I swiped my tongue through her slit, letting all that delicious slick coat my tongue.

“Wow, you weren’t kidding.” She put a hand on the top of my head. “You really want to do this first.”