Chapter 2 Tensions

Alfredo's POV

I knock on the door to my father's office and slowly allow myself in. My father, Philip Romano, head of the Romano mafia family, was seated behind his large mahogany desk, a large cigarette in his hand. Standing beside him was Micheal Clemenza, his driver and right-hand man. There were three other men in the room; Peter Durelli - his consigliere or advisor, Bruno Tonali, and Federico Ricci, both of them enforcers in the family.

I greeted them all and my father gestured for me to take a seat on the empty chair beside his desk.

".......... As I was saying," Peter continued, "the Mirettis still aren't willing to negotiate for peace. All attempts to reason with them fell on deaf ears."

I watched his Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he explained everything that had transpired in the meeting between him and some members of the Miretti family. The Mirettis were the only standing enemy of my family. Every other family that had opposed my father, he crushed one after the other. I didn't pay much attention as the meeting dragged on. I wasn't interested in the family business and didn't like the idea that one day, the mantle would fall on me. My dad knew about this but ignored it and always insisted on my presence in all meetings, even if I wasn't going to contribute.

"Did their boss show up for the meeting?" My father asked. He was supposed to be there too, but he decided not to.

"No, boss. It was just me, their consigliere, and a few of their men."

"Did you feel you were in danger at any moment?"

"Not at all." Micheal bent to whisper something in my father's ear and my father nodded afterwards.

"Have you been able to get in touch with the families of our deceased? You know how important that is."

"Yes, boss. But I couldn't get a hold of Leonardo's family." Peter tugged at the collar of his shirt, twisting his head as he did. I could tell he was feeling uncomfortable.

"Keep trying and keep me posted. Moving forward.............."

I zone out and my thoughts wander till the meeting came to an end. Both enforcers were dismissed and my father and Peter started another conversation. When I sensed my presence was no longer needed, I slipped out of the room. I decided to take a drive and headed outside. There were five cars parked in the compound. I chose the Ferrari and walked up to it. I peeled down the graveled road, enjoying the cool breeze that blew into the car.

Twenty minutes later, I drove into the parking lot of the Elegance, a luxurious five-star hotel and bar, located in the heart of the city. My family had shares in the hotel so I was always given the VIP treatment, except on a few occasions when I didn't want to attract attention to myself.

This evening was one of those moments. I wanted to get laid badly. My dad wasn't a fan of my sex life but I didn't care. I couldn't find any woman worthy enough to get married to. I parked my car and alighted from it. Music was blaring and people were singing and dancing along. The place was filled up and I was relieved at that because it meant I won't be paid much attention. I nearly collided with a waiter in my haste to get into the lounge.

On getting in, I located the long, red lounge chair and plopped onto it. Two people, a man, and a woman, were seated at the other end of the chair, guzzling each other's lips. They didn't care about their surroundings and were lost in a world of their own. I smacked my lips in disgust and signaled to the bartender. Normally people would go to the bar to order their drinks, but because of who I was, I had the power to demand my drinks be brought to me.

The drink was served and I sip slowly, my eyes searching for someone. I spotted her across the room by the snooker table, laughing heartily at something one of the guys playing had said. I kept staring at her and after a few moments, she turned and gazed in my direction. She winked at me and I waved in response. I began to imagine the things I wanted to do to her. I beckoned to her after a while and she crossed the room to meet me. Her hands slid onto my chest from behind me and she nipped at my ear. I felt something tingle in me. She had that effect on men.

"Alfredo, where have you been?" She asks as she takes her seat beside me.

"Home, busy," was my reply. It was a total lie. I had been avoiding her. Why? I didn't know.

"Hmmm." She grabbed my drink from the table in front of us and took a long swig. "Do you know how long it's been?"

"Three weeks, Alfie, three weeks." She said after I didn't respond.

"As I said, I've been busy," why was she acting like she was my girlfriend or something? There was nothing between us, we were just having fun. I hate commitments and I wasn't looking to settle down with anyone.

"Wanna go upstairs?" I asked, changing the subject. I stared directly into her eyes.

There was no response as she emptied the contents of the cup and poured herself another drink from the bottle of martini. All these while, her eyes never left mine. She was trying to torture me and she was succeeding at it. I didn't understand how, but she always managed to get me aroused effortlessly.

After a few seconds, she rose from the chair, her eyes inviting me, and headed toward the elevators. Her taut arse wiggled, threatening to break free of the extremely short skirt she had on. I waited until she got into the elevator before I stood up and followed.

We were alone in the elevator and we stood facing each other, our eyes communicating our thoughts.

My boner was very obvious and there was nothing I could do to conceal it.

The elevator bell dinged, the doors coming apart to reveal an empty corridor and I took advantage of that to reach for her. She dodged my grip and smiled wickedly. I was filled with lust and I couldn't hold myself any longer. She was aware of this, yet she kept torturing me, enjoying every moment of it.

I attempted to grab her again and she ran off, coming to a stop at the front of the door on the left side at the end of the corridor.

The room was specially reserved for me, another perk of my family having a share in the hotel ownership.

I produced the keys and opened the door as fast as I could. She entered first and pulled me in by my shirt. I cupped her face in my hand and crushed my lips against hers.

They tasted like honey and vanilla mixed together. My hunger was dominant now and I no longer had control of my actions. We continued kissing and her arms curled around my neck. She started undoing my buttons, her lips never leaving mine.

She was about to unbuckle my belt when I remembered.

"Wait," I whispered and freed myself from her hold.

"What is it?"

"The door," I answered simply and proceeded to close it.

*************************

We both got dressed and she hugged me from behind as I made to go out the door. I could feel her breast against my back, her nipples still erect.

"When will I see you again, Alfredo?"

What the fuck did she want from me? were the first words that came to mind, but I didn't give them a voice.

Instead, I ignored her question and slowly disentangled myself from her grasp. I could feel her staring at me as I walked out the door. I liked her a lot, but I just didn't want to commit to anything serious. Why? I couldn't even answer that. Funny, right? I walked down the corridor towards the elevators.

It was occupied and I waited patiently, watching as the numbers glowed one after the other, indicating the floor it was at. It finally got to my floor, the doors opened and there she was, the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. A ravishing beauty with long, auburn hair, dressed in a short red gown that accentuated her curves and revealed a little bit of something we Italians called scollatura.

Our eyes locked and didn't leave each other as she stepped out of the elevators.