THE MAFIA’S CAPTIVE ANGEL

I gulped down my drink and set the glass back on the table. I took a deep breath and then raised my hand to signal the bartender.

“Another shot,” I said.

He frowned. “I believe you have had way too much for the night, don’t you think so?”

I shook my head quickly, but stopped when it made me feel a bit dizzy.

“No… pe, another shot.”

I thought it was wonderful that he continued to display care, but after I patiently waited, he simply groaned and went to get my drink.This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

In the end, his worry wasn’t going to help me much. I also knew how to control my alcohol intake while always being the good girl. I was a little tipsy, but not at all intoxicated.

After a while, I was certain I had had a little too much to drink, but I still wasn’t intoxicated enough.

I need to head back to my home; now that Mani is touring the world, the apartment we shared for nearly five years feels empty.

It’s been three months since she left, but I still haven’t found a roommate I feel comfortable with. Or maybe it’s the fact that no one could replace her, and I was missing her dearly.

I turned to face the dance floor. Everyone appeared to be having a good time while enjoying the music, drinks, and dancing. For me, this was a familiar scene. But for some reason, being here seemed odd. I remember the first time I had walked in here with Mani months ago, when I convinced her to go clubbing with me and how adamant she had been.

Thinking back to that night, I couldn’t help but chuckle. I never would have thought her lack of presence would affect me this much. We had literally been together since our diaper days; we hadn’t gotten the chance to say a proper goodbye when she left. It was frustrating enough that I haven’t heard from her since her graduation, and every time I tried calling, it always went into voice.

Every single time, I want to believe she was doing okay and having the time of her life. I didn’t want any negative feelings to creep in, yet sometimes I couldn’t help but wonder if something terrible had happened to her.

Shaking the thought from my head, I pushed myself off the wall, but I miscalculated.

I had left the bar to go to the bathroom, which is why I was now resting against the wall rather than remaining there. But a new group had just arrived, and they were loud and crowded, and I was feeling unsteady. I moved to avoid them, once I made the decision to leave, I had to make my way through the entire room, through everyone who was dancing or loitering with their drinks.

I didn’t mean to fall; I wasn’t even aware that I was shaky, and wearing strange height heels wasn’t helping. I felt as though my legs were about to give out before I could catch myself.

Shit.

With my arms out in an effort to break my fall without breaking an arm, I squinted my eyes because I was too terrified to close them.

However, that didn’t occur. I smacked into someone as opposed to falling to the ground. Undoubtedly, he had no intention of helping me. Prior to our collision, he appeared to be passing in front of me without realizing I was in the way.

He seemed tall and had a muscular build beneath his suit, which was my initial impression of him.

My hands were now grasping his bicep with one hand and letting go of the other to his peck. My face was already mashed up against his chest when his arms rose to grab me as I crashed into him, stabilizing me.

I briefly felt happy that I didn’t wind up falling face-first on the ground. Since everyone in the club seemed to be so focused on themselves and one another, I had no doubt that a few individuals would have tripped over me on their way.

I looked up at that point and my throat tightened.

He’s sexy. My second impression of him was that. He was holding me close with one hand on my waist and the other on my shoulder, pressing me up into his chest. not that I wish to relocate. This must be how instant attraction feels, I reasoned to myself.

“Easy now, Tesoro,” the man said. “Are you okay?”

His voice was so delectably deep that I just gaffed at him by blinking. He had a good voice, a good body, and an attractive face-the whole deal. The interest of a man like him would never have piqued my interest before.

“Tesoro,” he said after a minute when I didn’t reply, arching an eyebrow. “Are you okay?”

My cheeks immediately became hot, and I realized I was flushing. He was holding me firmly and somewhat tightly to his chest, so I cleared my throat and tried to get away only to realize I couldn’t. He swiftly let me go after appearing to understand it as well.

But he did it a little too rapidly, and I stumbled a little, almost sliding back into the wall, before he grabbed me again and pulled me back against his chest with his hands on my waist. This time, we struck a slightly more personal position. If anyone saw us, they would assume we were together because he had his hands around my waist and mine were on his chest.

“Caro, are you here alone or with someone?” He enquired. “You appear intoxicated.”

My head shook. ” Not intoxicated”, I clarified. “Just slightly inebriated.”

Sincerity be damned, looking at his face was doing me no good; all it did was induce daydreaming. My hands flexed on his chest because if he released go, I was certain I would fall.

His other eyebrow shot up, but I could see from the look on his face that he wasn’t exactly alarmed despite the weird woman hanging off of him.

“We should perhaps relax for a while . You seem to need it ” He made the offer.

I agreed as I thought it was a fantastic idea. He turned me around and led us to the area where there were seats, but he didn’t release off of my back fully. There were a ton of open tables, and he grabbed us one because it appeared like almost everyone had moved to the dance floor. Until I sat down, he had my hand, but after I did, he stood.

“I’ll get you some water, so please wait right here, okay?” I once more obediently nodded and observed him leave as he did. Was he going to return? I pondered. Guys with his physique unquestionably did not enter clubs alone and would not exit them either. Why bother wasting his time by helping me?

Initially, why is he so worried?

“Here you go.”

The moment a glass was placed in front of me, I startledly looked up. The man returned and sat down next to me in the chair while keeping an eye on me. I lifted the glass and drank a few swallows of the water, assuming he intended me to, before realizing how thirsty I was. The entire glass was drained by me before I put it back on the table. I caught his approval-smiled look when I looked at him.

His elbows were resting on the table when he whispered, “Now. Why are you out alone and this late, when you are so gorgeous?”

I was beginning to question whether the booze wasn’t the cause of my cheeks glowing because my face was still heated. The attention was making me uncomfortable, but I couldn’t tell if this person was trying to get me or what he was doing specifically.

“Well, I’m not a damsel in distress,” I slurred. “Regardless of this situation, I don’t need protection or to be in the company of others to have fun and feel good about myself.”

His eyebrows shot up like he was surprised, but then he was chuckling.

“I never said you were a damsel in distress, Caro.” I sucked in my lips and shot a frown at him. He just continued to look amused.

I could go out and have some fun at a club, but why would I want to bring a man back to my apartment?

I wasn’t going to do that, even with how appealing he looked. Although there was a lot on him to look at, I could hardly meet his eyes. Particularly, my gaze kept drifting to the spot where his suit’s missing tie ought to have been. Instead, he wasn’t wearing one, and the top two buttons were undone, showing his toned chest, throat, and a sliver of collarbone.

“You know,” the man said, and I looked up to see him smirking at me. “You are way too beautiful to be out here by yourself; the last thing we need is for this horny bastard to think they can take advantage of you. Il cielo sa che ci vuole ogni ruota del potere per non strappare i loro occhi lussuriosi (Heaven knows it takes every wheel of power not to pluck their lustful eyes.)”

My back began to straighten, and I let out what may have been a squeak. The smirk on his face belied the intense seriousness of his eyes. Despite the fact that I didn’t understand what he had said, my body tingled as a result of how extremely hot it sounded.

Hoping he wouldn’t notice how his presence was affecting me, I inhaled deeply.

decision to end the night was made. Even though his gorgeous sight felt like a blessing to my eyes, he was still a stranger to me, and I was eager to put this night out behind me and head back to the comfort of my bed.

This time, my legs didn’t desert me as I got to my feet to get away. But I didn’t go very far before I felt something grab my arm. The grasp wasn’t firm. The grasp would have come off if I had continued walking because it was soft. However, I hesitated and turned around to face him.

He was standing near by, bringing my attention to how much bigger and taller he was than I was.

“Don’t you think I deserve to at least know your name?” He questioned, sliding his hand down to hold mine. His hand squeezed gently around mine, and I could tell my fingers were trembling.

I wet my lips, and a feeling of warmth filled my body as I stared into his eyes in a daze.

“I’m Stephanie.”

“Stephanie,” he says with a smile on his face. “I’m Luca.”

♤♤♤♤♤

Maybe I shouldn’t have stepped forward to help.

Maybe I should have kept to Sin’s request and watched her from afar.

Yet, the more time I spent monitoring her every move, the more I wanted nothing more than to know her instead of hiding in the shadows.

So yes, maybe this was a mistake, but it was one I would gladly make if it meant making Stephanie King’s mine.