Page 108 of Bene

Mario’s hand connected with her hip, his fingers digging in painfully and taking her breath away. Her hand on the whisk stilled as she dragged in a quick breath. “Why?”

Vanna swallowed hard. “What?”

“Why will you fuck anything else with a dick, but you won’t even look at me?”

She didn’t fuck anything with a dick.

A whole total of three sexual partners.

Bene being one of three.

Mario’s real problem was that he wasn’t one of them.

“I—”

“Once we’re married, I’ll no longer give you the option of coming to me willingly. I hope you understand that, Vanna.”

“So you keep saying.”

His hand left her hip and found the back of her neck instead. He grabbed hard enough to leave bruises behind, she was sure.

“Knock off the fucking attitude,” he snapped. “Because I don’t mind showing you what that attitude gets you in this house, you rude little bi—”

His threat—the same one of many that he simply recycled with Vanna—was cut off by the sound of a door opening and slamming shut before footsteps echoed in the entry hallway leading to the moderate sized kitchen. All at once, with the chance someone might see him being physical with her in an abusive manner, he let her go and stepped back.

Vanna breathed a sigh of relief.

And also scowled.

She’d burned the bottom of the chocolate.

Perfect.

Well, he could eat his disgusting glazed cake.

She didn’t give a fuck.

“Mario, man,” came a familiar voice as the footsteps came closer.

Mario swung away from Vanna, and she removed the pot from the burner. Shutting the stove off, she turned with the hot pot to take it to the kitchen island and begin the process of straining the chocolate as Mario’s sidekick—demeaning? Yes, but also true—Jase came into the kitchen with a grin that annoyed Vanna instantly.

His next words only made it worse.

“Got some news you’re gonna like, man.”

Mario rounded the kitchen island, picking up a pear from the fruit basket as he passed. “And what is that?”

“Got word a certain boss was arrested at his house today.”

“You serious?”

Vanna glanced up from her work, knowing better and that she should mind her own damn business, but she had never been very good at those things. Thankfully, neither man seemed to notice her interest in their conversation.

“Yeah, Guzzi,” Jase said, “guess a couple of his boys were taken in, too, and a lot of the family’s men.”

It took every ounce of willpower Vanna had not to react to that statement. She knew better, anyway, because if Mario saw it, she would pay for the mistake later. Hadn’t she already pushed his buttons enough for the day?

She thought so.