Page 48 of Empire of Seduction (New York State of Mafia #2)

I nudged his leg with mine. “And sometimes more than one.”

Leaning over the table, he lifted my hand and nipped at my knuckles with his teeth. “You will be the only woman I fuck there tonight. That is all you need to know.”

The bite of pain and his words sent a spark of heat straight between my legs. “After dinner?”

“Later. We have somewhere else to be first.”

He wouldn’t tell me, no matter how much I badgered him, and our meals arrived shortly after. The burger definitely ranked in my top five of all time and the poutine was strangely delicious. “What is a cheese curd?” I asked as I forked up another bite. “And why are they so good?”

“They are formed from the whey when it separates during the cheese-making process,” Vito said, reading from his phone after looking up the answer. “It’s super cheese, apparently.”

“How do you not eat this every day?”

“If I did, you wouldn’t be able to trace my abs with your tongue.”

Slowly and deliberately, I slid the poutine plate far out of his reach.

It caused Vito to laugh, one of his rare genuine reactions that radiated out from his entire body, and I grinned at him.

This was surprisingly easy. Maybe it was because we were away from the winery?

Away from a small town with prying eyes and ears?

I didn’t know. But I was enjoying every second of this date.

We finished eating and said good-bye to the staff. I was so full, but happy. When we got outside, I impulsively wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him right there on the sidewalk. “That was fun. Thanks for taking me.”

“Prego, angelo mio.” He gave me a harder kiss this time, then led me to the SUV. “Now, your next surprise.”

“Are we going for dessert somewhere? Is it one of those places where they sell giant cookies for twenty dollars each?”

“It’s not food.” He handed me up into the car and shut the door.

Cesare and another guard were in the front seat. “Hi, guys,” I greeted. “Quick, tell me where we’re going before Vito gets in.”

“Ciao, Maggie,” Cesare said, while the other guard just grunted.

Vito slid into the seat next to me and I lost my chance for intel. When he took my hand, he said, “You know my men work for me, no?”

Of course he’d heard me ask. “Doesn’t mean I can’t try.”

His free hand came up to the side of my neck, his fingers pressing to hold me in place. His deep voice whispered in my ear. “Then I look forward to disciplining you later.”

I tried not to squirm. Vito’s mouth curled seductively, but he didn’t say anything else. The ride was short. As we turned the corner and slowed down, a line of people waited on the sidewalk, their bodies shifting to stay warm in the cold. A giant marquee loomed overhead.

I blinked. And looked again.

The car stopped right in front of the entrance.

“No way.” I glanced at Vito. “No fucking way.”

According to the black letters on the bright sign, one of my favorite bands was playing at this music hall tonight.

“I can’t believe this.” I glanced out the window, then back at Vito. “How did you know I liked Stereolab?”

“I had Maz go through your collection of t-shirts.” He lifted a shoulder. “Once I had a list of bands, I was lucky enough to find one playing in Toronto this week.”

I didn’t care about the guys in the front seat. I lunged across the seat and sealed my mouth to Vito’s, kissing him deeply, with plenty of tongue, for a long minute. When we broke apart, we were both breathing hard. “Thank you, baby.”

He flicked open his door. “Let’s go.”

I was still grinning as we rode the elevator in Vito’s building later that night.

I’d watched concerts on TV over the years, but nothing compared to actually being there in person.

Feeling the percussion in your chest. Seeing the faces of the band, watching them play their instruments. Singing along with the crowd.

Totally fucking cool. And Vito had made it happen for me.

He seemed to tolerate the concert, drinking a beer while standing behind me, his hand permanently attached to my hip.

I’d loved dancing and rubbing against him, doing whatever I could so he would growl in my ear and tell me to behave.

One thing I noticed? He hadn’t looked at his phone all night.

I had one-hundred-percent of his attention and my heart soaked it in, craving more.

I wanted to be the only person he thought about, period.

Maybe it was time to stop fighting whatever this was between us. I was falling for this man . . . and maybe he was falling for me, too? You didn’t fly a woman to another country for a single concert without some feelings . . . right?

Shoving that aside for later, I bounced on my toes, ready to get him alone. I’d already thanked him more than once, but I couldn’t wait to really thank him. Except there were two of his guards in the elevator with us, so I had to keep my cool for a few more minutes.

When the elevator came to a halt Vito held the doors open for me. I exited and found myself directly in his penthouse. “Holy shit,” I whispered, stopping in my tracks. This wasn’t a tavern or a rock club. This place screamed money, like it came right out of a design catalog for billionaires.

Light wood floors stretched throughout the spacious interior, with elegant white and black minimalist furniture strategically placed.

Windows wrapped two sides, the entire city winking around us, with a terrace on the outside of the long wall.

Soft lights were already turned on out there, and a fire pit glowed.

If all that weren’t enough, a glass staircase led up to another level. I was almost afraid to ask what was up there. A movie theater or spa? A gym? A throne room?

Sometimes I forgot how rich this man was. No wonder he’d immediately renovated the winery’s cottage, if this was what he was used to. So what the hell was I doing here? A man who lived like this didn’t belong with a girl who worked outside in the dirt all day.

“He needs a trophy, a model. Someone to make all the other men jealous.”

Carlo’s words slammed into my chest like a fist. Paloma would look right at home here. But me? I stuck out like a sore thumb.

I took a step back and ran directly into Vito, who was giving orders in Italian to his guards. He wrapped his arm around my waist and held me tight to his side as he finished. When the guards departed down a back hallway that I hadn’t even noticed yet, I tried not to panic.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, shifting me to see my face.

“Nothing.” I swallowed the heaviness in my throat. “Are we staying the night here?”

“I thought we might, yes.” His midnight gaze searched mine. “Is that okay?”

“I don’t have anything with me.”

“I had one of the men grab your overnight bag at the winery.”

So much for that argument. I tapped my temple. “Smart thinking. Always planning ahead.”

“I try to be prepared for every eventuality.” He let me go and walked toward the bar. “Drink?”

I stared at the white rugs and sofa, imagining the stains. “I think I’m good.”

“Let’s have some wine and sit outside. There are heaters out by the fire pit.”

Of course there were. I resisted the urge to fidget. “I think we should have sex and go to bed.”

He placed an unopened bottle of red wine on the bar, then braced his palms on the stone. “What if I want to enjoy your company? Talk to you a little before I fuck you? We haven’t discussed the concert and what you thought.”

“I told you earlier that I loved it. Really, Vito. Thank you so much.”

Raising a hand to his jaw, he rubbed his whiskers in a deliberate slow movement, back and forth. “You were fine all night, then we walked in here and you threw up walls with me. Did I say or do something wrong?”

I kicked off my boots and left them near the door so as to not dirty the floor. In my socks, I went to where he stood, a deep divot between his eyebrows. I could see his brain working, trying to figure me out. Maybe it was time to trust him, trust whatever was happening between us.

Shit, that was scary.

Maybe the confession would be easier if I couldn’t see his face.

I moved in until I was nearly flush with his front, then slid my palms over his ribs, along his pecs.

His heart was beating slowly under my hand.

Calm, steady Vito. It made me want to wreck him, just to see him completely undone.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned into him, pressing my lips to his jaw. “Sometimes I forget how rich you are.”

“This again? I told you, I don’t think you’re after my money.”

“I know.” I brushed my mouth against his skin once more. God, he smelled good. “But this kind of lifestyle is so opposite of mine.”

He didn’t move. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Nothing. This is who you are.” Undaunted, I whispered, “I want to take care of you tonight.”

One hand cupped my ass. “Oh?”

“Yeah. I want to do every little dirty thing you can dream of.”

He nuzzled my temple with his nose, our breath hot between us. “I love to hear this, angioletto mio. I like when you are soft and sweet with me.”

“Yes, but you also like when I fight with you. Don’t try and fool me.”

Humming, he grabbed a fistful of my hair in a tight grip. His lips met my ear. “Do you want to know what I was thinking about in the club when you were grinding your ass on my dick? And earlier, when you were squirming on my lap on the plane?”

He couldn’t be more obvious. “Does it have something to do with my ass?”

“Good guess, bella. Very good guess.”

I put my hands on his shoulders and tried to make him see reason. “Vito, you can’t put your dick in there. My jaw nearly unhinges when I blow you. I’m not ready for anal with you.”

“Where is my sweet girl, eh? Mio dolce angelo, the one who wants to do every dirty little thing I can dream of?”

Oh, god. I could see the determination in his eyes, the dark possessive soul that lurked under the fancy clothes. He wasn’t going to drop this.