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“I will. I will go further to pledge an offering of assistance should any one of your territories face attacks from any enemy. You have my word.” I sat back, glancing at Mattia. I’d yet to see anything but a smug expression on his face until today.
When he gave me a nod of respect, I took a small breath.
I could see the others nodding as well. Perhaps I’d finally gotten through to them.
“Very well, then I will offer my loyalty to you as Don of both territories,” Don Caldone said. “And I will consider turning over my rule to my son. However, not yet.”
“There are three other conditions,” I said casually, amused at his holdback. We were all control freaks. “You will accept my wife as an equal and you will honor both Enzo Lazarro and Mattia DeLuca as emissaries of this organization. They will bring continued energy as well as both sides of my combined territories to the table.”
“No woman has even been allowed a seat at the table.” Don Rizzo’s continued holdback was now becoming irritating.
“Shut up, Rizzo,” Romano told him. “You need to move into a new century. Women have been ruling our worlds for years, including your own.”
The man hissed under his breath then nodded. “Fine. But she will never sit as leader of this organization.”
“Very well. But you will honor your promise as well.” Or else. I rose from my seat, heading toward the door. As I walked outside, I took a deep breath, the fragrance of fresh flowers scintillating.
But not nearly as much as the perfume my beautiful wife had selected on such a glorious day. As I nodded to Raphaelo, he grinned as only he could do.
“You beat them down, huh?” he asked as he opened the door to the SUV.
“I did.”
“In record time too. Impressive.”
Laughing, I eased my arm inside, taking a deep breath when Lucia grasped my fingers, allowing me to help her to the pavement.
She smoothed down her dress then dared to press a kiss against my mouth, darting her tongue inside like the tease she was. I had no doubt her flaming red lipstick had stained my lips.
“Are we on, darling?” she asked, purring afterward.
“We are. Play nice,leonessa.”
“You know me,” she said, pretending to yawn. “I never play nice.”
“That’s what I was counting on.”
* * *
Lucia
The roar of the Harley’s engine kept every muscle aching, my pussy wet. I had my arms wrapped around the man I loved as he took me for a drive, forcing me to wear a blindfold. The breeze, the rough ride, and the scent of the man were exhilarating. I had no idea what he had up his sleeve.
When he began to slow, I lifted my head, trying to gather various scents to help me ascertain where we were. All I could smell was the forest and honeysuckle.
Along with his heavy dose of desire.
He parked, cutting the engine, easing off the bike then removing my helmet. When he pulled me to a standing position, I turned my head from side to side.
“When are you going to take the blindfold off?” I asked, acting as if I was annoyed when I was anything but. The man had showered me with gifts over the last few days, his attempt at taking my mind off the horrific events admirable.
While I’d yet to be able to forgive my father, my mother continued to remind me that I was required to do so. Maybe in time, but I would never forget what he’d done to me and to my family. At least Sophia seemed more normal in a world where normal wasn’t easy to achieve.
“If you don’t stop asking then I might just refuse to allow you to see your surprise,” D’Artagnan growled in my ear. Every time he did, shivers trickled down my spine.
We remained living in his cozy villa, although six thousand square feet on five hundred acres could hardly be considered small.
It remained to be seen whether we’d eventually live in one of the two estates. For now, Enzo and Mattia ruled the respective roosts, slowly starting to become friends. Imagine that.
