Tonight was another night. Serafina was fully loaded. After a smooth operation last night, she had hopes that tonight was going to be the same.
Three years. That was when she had to work for Drake to get a work permit. This was a year already, and she had two years left. She couldn't wait for it to be over so she could work legally. This job was starting to drain me physically and mentally.
She hated that her parents had left her to figure her life out after they had led a dangerous life. One she had no idea about! She was a fugitive right now. She was running from her enemies into another country that didn't want her.
"You look unusual tonight," The bartender said as he came to stand before her. "Sexy but off. Something wrong?"
She grabbed the drink he pushed before her and sipped before lighting her cigarette. "Just thinking about life, you know? It's a harsh world out here."
The bartender nodded. "Is. But you're at the club, and that's where we all come to forget about the woes of life. Here, there is no problem. It's all in the outside world. So free up."
Serafina beamed at him, showing off her perfect dentition. "Thanks for the pep talk."
"Well, go find yourself an attractive man. They're a lot here tonight."
"I'll pass," She said with a laugh. She didn't come here to enjoy herself or to hook up with good-looking men. She was here for business.
She picked up her phone and dialled Drake. "So, how's it going to be tonight?"
"If you had waited last night, I'd have told you that tonight was your night off," Drake said in an unpleasant voice. "No work today."
The call ended in her ears, and she groaned. She was used to this. Taking a break tonight felt strange to her. Well, she could do this on her own and take the proceeds after the operation.
But she had to find a target.
She grabbed her drink and slid out of the barstool, and just as she made to turn, she bumped into a hard body and reeled backwards from the impact.
Strong fingers gripped her arm, holding her back from a fall, and the drink in her hand sloshed over the cup and crashed into her dress, dripping down her nearly bare breasts.
"Shit!" She cursed.
"I'm sorry. Didn't see you coming." A masculine voice came.
Serafina felt goosebumps rise in her skin. It had to be the most beautiful masculine voice she'd ever heard. There was a hint of Italian in his accent, and the combination was crazy. Mind-blowing.
She turned to see him towering over her at about six foot three. His jet-black hair was pulled to the back and tied into a low ponytail. Typical Mexican cowboy style. His jaw was clean-shaven, showing off his razor-sharp definition and his lips—those lips she imagined kissing.
God.
She had to shake this off her head. She was attracted to him in every way. Sexually mostly. And now, all she wanted to do tonight was get this man to fuck her.
This was the first time in a year she had felt this attracted to a man. His stormy grey eyes checked her out before he slipped into the barstool beside hers.
"I'd like to get this lady a drink. The one she was having before it stained her beautiful dress," The good-looking man said to the bartender, who nodded.
Serafina swallowed as she contemplated returning to the barstool and spending time with this man. It would be a good thing to get laid finally.
So she slid back onto her stool and focused on cleaning the stain on her dress. She was glad it was a navy blue dress. The stain wasn't so visible.
"I'm sorry about your dress, though," The man said. "I feel bad for making a mess of it. It's so beautiful."
Serafina felt a blush creep up her neck. She turned away from him and took a drag from her cigarette. "It's fine. We didn't see each other."
"Giovanni." He said with an outstretched hand.
"Serafina." She slipped her hand into his, realizing how small it was against his.
A brow shot up, and his accent thickened. "Italiano?"
"Yes."
"Damn. I see why now," His eyes raked down her body again. She was extremely beautiful. He had Italian features. He had wider hips than the average American woman, beautiful, lush hair, full lips he wanted wrapped around his cock as he thrust into her mouth and perfect olive skin. Hell, her breasts were popping out of her chest. He had to focus. He wasn't here for this tonight. "You're really beautiful."
"I'm sure you get told you're good-looking daily," Serafina flirted back. "I've seen five pairs of eyes look towards you in the last three minutes."
Giovanni laughed. "Are you trying to flatter me?"
"Flatter you?" She drew close and whispered into his ears. "I speak nothing but the truth."
Before she pulled away, she made sure her fingers grazed his arms and that her lips brushed the skin of his cheek. She noticed his fingers tighten around the glass he was holding.
"Can I get you a drink?" She said after pulling away. "For being this good-looking?"
Giovanni laughed. "Alright. I think I'll accept that."
After calling out her order to the bartender, she turned back to him. "So, what are you doing here tonight? Running away from your problems like the rest of us?"
"I guess you could say that." He shrugged. The bartender handed the drink over to him. "So, tell me about you. I'm curious."
Serafina pushed her hair to the side. "Well, I am an accountant working for the World Bank."
"In Washington DC?" Giovanni asked with raised brows.
Serafina laughed. "You're probably wondering what I am doing here."
"Exactly my thoughts."
"I'm pretty rich, so I flew here for the time of my life. I'm on a one-month leave and looking to travel to places of interest."
"And New York is the first?"
"Right," Senna nodded and gulped down her drink. For her to achieve this feat, she needed her tongue loose. A lot was running through her head. "Tell me what you do for a living?"
"Just a moment, please," Giovanni said and took out his phone. She watched him walk away from her as he spoke on the phone.
"Another drink!"
By the time he returned, she had gulped down three glasses. "You're back."
"Yes, I am."
"You know what?" She said as she slid out of her seat. He grabbed her when she nearly fell. "You keep saving me tonight."
"I guess I am destined to be your saving knight."
Smiling, she brought her hand to his face, rubbing her fingers on his skin. Her index rubbed his lower lip. "I want to know what's underneath your clothing."
"Oh," Giovanni replied with a smirk. "You're a bold one, aren't you?"
"And so are you. I like men that know what they want."
"You want to know what I want?" He whispered huskily against her ears as his fingers grazed her cleavage, lighting up a furnace in her.
She nodded and slid in between his legs. Her eyes rolled to the back when his fingers slipped through her dress and lodged between her thighs. She felt so alive, so womanly.
"You." He muttered before descending his lips on hers in a hot, flaming kiss.
"Come here," Giovanni growled and pulled her against him as soon as the elevator doors closed. She fell flush against his chest, wrapping her arms around his neck and crashing her lips into his as they kissed. Her moans of ecstasy filled the elevator as he caressed her bare body.Giovanni took control. He grabbed her by the waist and pushed her against the chrome elevator walls, lifting her right leg and placing it on his torso as his hand travelled up her thigh. "Oh, Giovanni!" She cried out when his fingers brushed her clitoris again. She was dripping wet. "Fuck," He muttered against her neck. "You're wet. It's so wet for me. I want to fuck you."Her eyes flew open, and she nodded. "Please."The elevator doors dinged, and they rushed out, not minding if anyone was standing before them. The door to his suit was three doors down. He lifted her off the floor, pressing his palm into her soft buttocks as they kissed. He pushed her against his door and took out his key card as he awkw
The next morning, Serafina woke up as early as five o'clock to the sound of the city morning. Last night might have been a total failure, but that didn't mean she couldn't try this morning. This was her first time experiencing this, but she was sure she could pull it off. Giovanni was fast asleep beside her, and his arm was wrapped around her waist. She stared at him for a while, memorizing his beautiful face and how peaceful he looked in his sleep, feeling bad that this would be her last time seeing this man.Well, that was the price she had to pay for being a thief. But she promised not to forget his face or how he'd made her feel last night.She gently pushed his arm off her, careful not to wake him, as she slipped out of his bed. Her dress and shoes were sprawled at the other end of the bed, and as she picked it, her eyes caught a pure silver wristwatch on the bed stand. She looked at him before sneaking towards it and slipping it into her purse.That wasn't all. She wanted more.
The first day he met her, she looked really bothered. He'd been watching her before they both fell in line and when she turned to look at him with her dreamy eyes, he was immediately smitten. But there was something lurking in her eyes: Fear, apprehension, angst and the need to escape. He knew it was coming from an external force and when he looked around, he noticed that she was being followed by a man. That had been his opportunity to help her escape her killer. When he'd asked her if she was okay, she'd nearly burst into tears and the sheer thought of seeing this angelic woman cry drove him to madness. He had suddenly been overcome with this desire to protect her, the desire to kill anyone trying to harm her and while she slept on his shoulder, he was filled with dread at the fact that he had fallen for a total stranger. It wasn't his thing to do and luckily, he had gotten a call that had him leaving at the next stop, not failing to drink in the details of her beautiful face bef
Serafina's eyes fluttered open and she sat up immediately to realise that she was no longer in the SUV she'd been thrown into. A splitting headache banged away at her head, causing her to wince painfully and when she finally got a hold of herself, she realised she'd been leaning against a car. Memories of the past hour came rushing back and she glared at the men standing before her with so much hatred. "Did I really have to be drugged for me to get here?" The men gave her no reply. She was pulled by the arms and led into large, wrought iron gates like a criminal being led away to prison. But this prison was paradise. Was it possible for a penthouse mansion to have such a spacious compound because she'd never seen one before? At the far end of the large expanse of land sat a tall mansion, a huge percentage of it made up of glass. The concrete walls were either looking like they were made out of stone by expert masons or painted in white. A fountain was situated in the middle of t
Giovanni shut the door to his study, breathing as a smile creeped into his face. His plans were going smoother than usual and at this point, it had him worried. He wasn't supposed to be doing this. Hell, he didn't want her working for him as a faux seductress. The idea of her seducing another man infuriated him. He knew how many times he'd wanted to stop her from signing the damn contract and telling her the truth. But not yet. He wasn't ready to tell her why he was doing this. "I see why you couldn't just leave her be," Geraldo said as he shut the door behind him. He must have seen her in the living room. "I see why Drake made her special. She's so beautiful, fuck." "Stay the hell away from her." Giovanni growled, feeling a need to get every man out of her way. Geraldo laughed and raised both of his hands in surrender. "You must have forgotten that I am married to a lovely wife with kids who I cherish so much. She's turning you into something else, Giovanni. When was the last t
"Thank you," Serafina smiled softly at Geraldo. They had finally gotten to the estate she was going to be living in after a long ride and he offered to take the chip off her skin. "I wonder why I didn't explode into bits because I have moved more than five hundred metres away from his suite." Geraldo laughed and she wondered what was funny about her statement. But she didn't care. As long as this chip was out of her body, she could escape easily. She didn't trust Giovanni. She also needed answers from Drake. She needed to know if a wager had been placed on her head. All she needed was one night to escape and find out. Geraldo continued his drive into the estate, only stopping when two hefty men in suits and dark shades stopped before him. "When does it begin?" "Today," Giovanni replied. "He wants it to be acted on with immediate effect." They nodded and stepped back and Giovanni continued his ride. "Who are those men?" Serafina asked as she watched them climb into their car.
"My name is Sigrid," The cook continued. " I'll be taking care of all your meals." Sigrid looked to be in her late twenties. Definitely older than Serafina but she was polite. She had Norwegian features. Her hair was of a light, flaxen hue, falling in soft, silken tresses down her shoulder, her eyes were as blue as the seas and she had a well defined jaw. She was a few inches taller than Serafina and had an athletic build. Serafina was pushed to ask why she wasn't playing a sport but she clamped her lips shut and smiled at the lady. "Nice to meet you, Sigrid. My name is Serafina and it's nice to meet you." Sigrid smiled. "I was informed of your arrival so I decided to put something together for you. I made stir-fry pasta. Would you like to have some after you are well rested?" Serafina hadn't eaten a thing all day. The day hadn't even ended and a lot had happened already. From Giovanni blackmailing her into working for him to signing a contract to this and all she wanted to do
"You're evil and manipulative. I think you're doing this to punish me for trying to steal from you this morning." "Then you're wrong, Serafina." "I already told you I hate being called that. It's Marcia." She gritted, her eyes wide in anger. "I don't care what you hate. I am going to call you what I want to call you." Giovanni replied in a cool voice. "What do you want from me?" She cried in frustration. "I think I made it quite clear earlier today. I want you to work for me," He replied, his grey eyes undressing her. "Need me to shed more light on it again? I don't mind." Serafina bit her lower lip in frustration and turned away from him. She walked to the bay window at the other side of the spacious living room and stared at the other building directly after the pool. How did it come to this? If she'd known, she would have just slept with him and left the next morning. But she wanted more. She always did. It was becoming a terrible habit. She ignored the fact that she wa
It had been six weeks since Serafina last heard from Giovanni or even Geraldo. Neither of the men had called her. After the contract termination, Serafina had expected Geraldo to ask her or visit for the sole purpose of finally ending everything but none of that had happened and she had patiently waited. So she decided that he didn't really mean it when he terminated her contract and the feelings of feeling like an outcast began to return. If the contract hadn't been terminated, why then hadn't any job been given to her? She deserved to know what was going on. The past month had been hell for her. This week was going to make it her fourth month here, which meant she had two more months let before the contract expired and in the space of that time, all she had encountered were scenes that threatened to mess up with her. Drake had been more persistent, threatening to do something terrible to her if she didn't provide him the necessary information and she had spent mo
It had been months since Cecilia saw her son and as soon as he walked into the room, she tore away from her friends and jumped into his arms, kissing every part of his face as she cried about missing him. Giovanni, easily catching her by the waist, burst into a smile and closed his eyes as he received her kiss. As much as things were slightly rocky between them both, they could actually pretend to care about each other. Giovanni did care but he knew he was in a really toxic relationship with his mother. She cupped his cheeks and gave him a once over before bursting into laughter. "Look at you! You're so ripped. Did you take steroids while I was away?" "Not at all, mother," he replied with a chuckle and looked over her perfectly made hair to see the women all staring and whispering. He ignored them and faced his mother. "Don't forget I am built like my father." She slapped his arm and laughed but it didn't get to her eyes. She slipped her arm around his and began t
"You should give it a rest, Giovanni," Geraldo said from where he sat at the other side of the room. "She clearly isn't to be trusted. Overthinking won't change what she did." Giovanni had been pacing around the room, obviously angry at Serafina. He couldn't quite place why she was speaking to Drake in the first place. What had he not given her? A roof to live under? The luxury to pay for whatever she wanted and to have literally anyone at her beck and call. So what was it this time? He wasn't so sure anymore but one thing he was most definitely sure of was that he would never trust her. Not anymore. Drake was an enemy and anyone who discussed him was also an enemy. "Of course, it wouldn't!" He snapped. "Do you think I don't know this? Hell, I haven't trusted her since the first day I met her." "But you spent how many months looking for her? Almost a year even," Geraldo burst into laughter. "You care about her more than you are willing to admit." "Not an
"Good girl. Yes, keep going. Don't you fucking stop." "But I am overstimulated!" Serafina cried out, spasming against the table. "I am feeling too much at a time." Pushing towards her, Giovanni snatched her wrist and placed her fingers back on her wet nub. He hissed a breath before taking a few steps back and folding one arm over the other. "Keep going until your nerve endings are no longer excited." He took a few steps back and drew out a seat this time, watching with legs spread apart as his hands brushed his crotch from time to time. He could imagine her mouth wrapped around his thick length, himself pushing in and out of her with deep, brutal thrusts that would leave her mouth sore for days. He could imagine himself slipping in through her and feeling her walls clench around him as he kept thrusting in and out. Her cries filled the room and she kept spasming and calling out for him to hold onto her but he didn't. He just remained seated, watching her with so much c
She kissed him. She pressed her lips into his, moved until she could fit into his body before she glided hers against his. She didn't stop there. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply, with everything within her. Two weeks. She had yearned so badly for him for two good weeks and he hadn't touched her. Now that he had given her the permission, she felt like she was burning up, like her skin was aflame with a fire only him could extingusht. His fingers sank into the skin of her waist as he returned her kiss with the same fervency. He himself had nursed his feelings for two weeks. He had held back solely because he didn't want her to feel like he was coming onto her because she was at his home. "Do you know how long I waited for this to happen?" He sighed into her mouth before his lips grazed her jaw softly. "Do you know how hard it was to not touch you? I literally was stripped of everything and I held onto the last thread of respect so I didn't touch you." "I d
Roderick pulled away from her immediately, breathing heavily and glaring down at Serafina who remained on the chair, trying to catch her breath. Roderick attacking her had come as a shock. Hell, she hadn't seen it coming. She knew she should have trusted her guts when he started acting all strange. Giovanni on the other hand, grabbed Roderick roughly, pulling him across the room as they made for the exit. "You're still as crazy as ever, huh?" Giovanni hissed as he pushed him forward. "I knew I hated you the moment several women came up talking about how you assaulted and molested them because they said no to you. That's how tiny your ego is, huh?" "Fuck you, Giovanni," Roderick hissed and turned to glare at him. "You think you can have any woman you want. Of course, they throw themselves at you. You know nothing about a deflated ego because you're seen as an epitome of masculinity all the fucking time! It's why the women let you fuck them. It's why they come bac
In less than two weeks, Serafina was up and standing strong. Giovanni had insisted on her remaining at his place for safety purposes but she wasn't used to being so close to him. "I should go back to my apartment," She said to him one evening at the dinner table. Giovanni gently placed his spoon on the dining table and looked up at her. "Why?" "It gives me a sense of individuality." She replied and forked a chunk of meat into her mouth. It wasn't the full truth but she went with that. It would be weird telling him how she hadn't felt wanted since she woke up.Sighing, he picked his fork. "If you insist, I'll have you driven back to your penthouse tomorrow morning." It was so easy for him to let her go. She'd expected him to make her stay by either begging her or making her see reasons but he hadn't. She was suddenly annoyed by that fact. He hasn't touched her since she arrived at his place. Even after she'd healed properly. She remembered when they stayed up
"Where the fuck is the doctor, Geraldo?!" Giovanni yelled at the top of his voice as he lifted Serafina's unconscious body out of the car. "In here!" Geraldo called out from where he stood at the side of the door. Giovanni hadn't panicked this badly in his whole life. Seeing her bleed out had stirred something in him and he wished he had taken the bullet instead of her. The doctor was waiting when he got into the ward. A nurse rushed in right after she was placed on the bed, a tray filled with sterile instruments in her hand. "How long will it take for this procedure to happen?" Giovanni asked. "I'll have to see how severe the wound is before I can tell," The doctor said as he began to inject IVs into her hand. They worked on the machines and moments after, he turned to Giovanni. "We need her stabilised first. She lost so much blood and she might need a transfusion." "Okay. How does that work? Do I donate my blood or something?" "We'd have to check her
No way was Uncle Jaime standing before her. It had to be a dream. She blinked a few times to be sure that it wasn't. That grin. That sinister pair of blue eyes that matched hers. Her hands trembled as she walked into the room and she tried hard to remain in composure. She fell back into her native language as she spoke. "What are you doing here?" "Too afraid to speak English so they don't hear you?" Jaime laughed. "He can hear everything you're saying." "Does it matter?" She asked. "What the hell are you doing in America?!" "Sweet, sweet niece. It is absolutely none of your concern. I mean, if you had chosen to remain with me, maybe life wouldn't have taken a bad turn for you." "You!" She hissed. "You took everything from me! You gave me no option!" "I did," He took a few steps close towards her. "I asked if you wanted to be adopted." "At eighteen?!" She screamed. "Are you fucking for real right now? At eighteen, I had every access to my parents pr