Page 71 of Niccolo (Mafia Kings #7)

Sofia

W e slept very little that night.

We would fuck to the point of exhaustion…

Doze for a while in each other’s arms…

Then wake up and go at it all over again.

It was one hell of a night.

Unfortunately, night finally gave way to morning.

After showering together and having sex one last time, we dressed and ordered room service for breakfast.

My pussy was achingly sore, but I wouldn’t have traded our night together for anything in the world.

Well…

Nothing short of ten million euros, anyway.

And maybe not even that.

As we ate croissants and drank espresso, I said, “Do you think that maybe… if we don’t kill each other… we can do this again?”

Niccolo smiled. “I’d love to.”

“Then let’s try not to kill each other until we do.”

His smile became a huge grin. “Agreed. Why don’t you give me your phone number? As a back channel for communicating.”

“So you can get your corrupt cops in Florence to trace me and find out where I’m hiding out? No thank you.”

“That’s not really the sort of thing the cops help us with.”

“I don’t care.”

“You really don’t trust me, do you?”

“No.”

“Wise,” I said approvingly. “But what if I swore on my family’s lives that I won’t use your number for any other purpose than to contact you?”

I gestured with my hand. “Go ahead.”

“Alright – I swear on my family’s lives that I won’t use your phone number for any purpose other than to contact you.”

“Alright… give me your number and I’ll contact you.”

He laughed, then reached for a pen and a piece of hotel stationery. “Fausto already knows my number, so I’m not exactly giving you a secret here. But call me or text me when you’re ready to talk.”

He slid the piece of paper across the room service table. I took it, folded it, and put it in my purse.

We chatted a bit more… mostly just banter and small talk…

And then it was time.

“I have to leave for my flight,” I told him as I stood.

A little white lie.

I didn’t have to. Fausto’s jet was just sitting in a hangar, ready to depart whenever I decided.

But part of me was afraid that the longer I stayed with Niccolo, the more control he would gain over me…

And I would eventually give in.

So even though I didn’t want to leave him, I needed to… out of a sense of self-preservation.

“Want to share a helicopter to the airport?” Niccolo asked as he stood up, too.

“No, thank you,” I said, even though I would have enjoyed it.

I couldn’t risk him tailing me and discovering which plane I was leaving on. If he did, he might be able to trace the plane’s registration number back to Modena.

Which would get him that much closer to finding Fausto.

“Ah well,” he said with a sigh. “Will you at least consider my offer to switch sides?”

“Are you going to throw in a Michelangelo?” I joked.

“If I had one to offer, believe me, I would.”

He sounded totally sincere.

“…I’ll consider it,” I finally agreed.

He put his arms around my waist and drew me to him as he gazed down at me. “Well… if this is goodbye… then let me say ‘thank you’ for the most magical night of my life. I hope we get to do it again.”

“Before we have to kill each other,” I said in a deadpan voice.

“Before we have to kill each other,” he agreed with a wry grin.

And then he kissed me.

It was a long, lingering kiss that went on for nearly a minute.

I was completely lost in the moment. Niccolo’s kisses had the same effect on me as sex: not a thought entered my head… except maybe the word MORE.

It was over too soon.

He pulled away, smiled at me impishly, and said, “Ciao, bella.”

And then, with one final smile over his shoulder, he walked out of my room.

I called the pilot of Fausto’s jet to let him know I wanted to depart as soon as feasible.

He told me the plane was already fueled up. He and the rest of the crew could be ready to go in two hours.

After I got off the phone with the pilot, I called down to the concierge to arrange a private helicopter from the roof of the El Dorado to the airport in Hong Kong.

Then I checked out and went to catch my flight.

The entire helicopter ride back to Hong Kong, I barely glanced at the scenery.

Instead, I replayed in my mind the previous night with Niccolo.

Every kiss…

Every orgasm…

Every time he made me smile with one of his witty comments.

I was surprised to feel an ache in my heart now that he was gone.

I tried to shake it off.

After all, there were another nine million euros at stake…

And it had essentially been just a one-night stand.

An astoundingly great one-night stand, yes…

But a one-night stand nonetheless.

Although…

Maybe if I was lucky…

I could turn it into a two- night stand.

…alright…

…I’ll admit it…

That was just me being flippant.

The truth was, I’d lost my virginity to him in the absolute best experience of my entire life…

And I was still trying to navigate my emotions.

There was a part of me that yearned for his touch…

That felt like I’d shared something so intimate and intense with him…

Something so overwhelmingly pleasurable…

That I would remember it for the rest of my life.

Which made it all the more horrible that I was returning to Italy…

To try and kill him.