The Mafia's Forbidden Desire

"Sei morto!" I heard a voice yell while I was leaning on my best friend's car, smoking in the underground parking lot of a club.

Out of curiosity, I peeked up to see what was happening, and the smoke of the cigarette suddenly filled my lungs at the sight of what I saw, and I puffed.

A blonde man who had bruises all over him was on his knees, surrounded by men. Dangerous men. One of them was holding a gun to his head.

I was born into a world of crimes, and I witness things like that regularly. But I still haven't gotten used to it.

"Who is that?" I heard a voice say, and it was followed by footsteps. I quickly started thinking of ways to run away; I didn't want to get into trouble. If my dad knew I was out clubbing, I'd be in deep shit.

Before I could gather my thoughts, an image suddenly appeared before me, and I gasped.

He was breathtaking! He had dark brown, lustrous hair and mesmerizing hazel eyes. He had a strong jawline and was dressed in a tailored black suit that accentuated his physique. His presence exuded power, and in an instant, I knew that, without a doubt, he was a powerful mafia boss.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, his Italian voice was rich and deep.

I laughed awkwardly and lifted my cigarette up for him to see. "Smoking. Obviously."

"What did you see?" He asked sternly.

"Nothing." I quickly said.

"I said, what did you see?" He asked again as he took intimidating steps towards me. But I wasn't intimidated.

"I said nothing." I repeated.

"You must not mention this to anyone."

A small smile crept on my lips as I replied. "I know."

My father is a mafia don, and I know the rules. I wouldn't be that stupid to mention what I saw to anyone.

He raised a questioning brow as he stared at me. I knew he was wondering why I wasn't afraid of him. He had expected me to shriek and shiver at his presence. But men like him don't scare me.

"Even if I mentioned it to anyone and the law enforcement got to know about it, you'd still find your way out." I continued when I didn't get any response from him.

"I know." He nodded. "It's going to be less trouble if they don't find out. And I wouldn't have to hunt your silly ass down."

"And do what?" I raised a brow. "Kill me?"

"That's what's frustrating." He pressed his lips together. "I don't touch women."

I wasn't surprised. Most mafia bosses have that rule. They don't hurt women and children.

Suddenly, I had the curiosity to know what that man did that caused him to beat him to a pulp.

I knew it was none of my business, but before I could even stop myself, I quickly asked. "What did he do?"

He stared at me, amused. "You seem fearless."

A small smile touched my lips. "Maybe because I've seen this multiple times."

He squinted his eyes. "So you know who I am."

"I don't know who you are, but I know what you are." I muttered.

"So, tell me." He inched closer to me. "What am I?"

I couldn't explain why, but his close proximity caused me to start breathing heavily. "A mafia boss." I quickly said.

He nodded slightly. "I guess you're from a mafia family also. Who is your dad? And why did he allow you to come to a place like this? without a body guard? Girls in our world are meant to be protected at all times."

Something about him amused me. He seemed hard and, at the same time, soft. He was a combination of both.

"My dad thinks I'm in bed, sleeping." I said, and I subconsciously licked my lips.

"You sneaked out." A small frown creased his forehead. "What if you get attacked?"

"No one's after me." I blurted out.

He took another step closer and cocked his head. "What if I do? If I had pulled that trigger and if you had seen me-" he suddenly curved his big palm around my throat and pinned me to the car, causing me to let out a sharp gasp. "You know, I could have gunned you down also."

"My dad would have hunted you down." Was what I managed to say.

"He wouldn't have known that his daughter was out here getting killed."

Damn, he was killing me. His hand on me was causing heat to lick every sensitive part of my body, and I hated it. He was a stranger, and I wasn't supposed to feel that way for him. The more I stared at him, the more his lips called for me, and the more I wanted to get a taste of it. Before I could even stop myself, I stepped on tiptoe and sought his lips.

"What's happening here?" I suddenly heard my best friend say, and I quickly went back on my feet. She saved me.

He released his grip on my throat and turned to look at her. "And you are?"

"She's my friend." I quickly said. "We came here together."

He returned his gaze to me. "Be careful." He muttered and dashed out before I could even reply.

I stood there, mesmerized, as I stared at his retreating figure, unable to believe what I was about to do, unable to believe that I could react to a stranger the way I did-a mafia boss at that. And in a flash, that stranger was gone, with no means of contacting each other.

"Who is he?" My best friend, Ruby, asked, snapping me out of my trance. "Did you get yourself into trouble?"

"No." I said as I pulled the car door open. "Let's leave here."

There was no way I was going to tell her that I almost kissed a man who almost killed someone. She knew nothing about my family or the underworld. If I told her what happened, she would undoubtedly freak out.

...

"Rosa!" I heard my mamma's voice call, and I jolted awake.

"What?" I asked with a sleepy voice.

"Get up and give your sister something to wear!" She exclaimed as she trudged towards my walk-in closet, with my sister, Sofia, following closely behind her. "I can't believe she doesn't have a decent dress to wear."

I drew my brows together in confusion. "Why are you looking for clothes for her to wear? Are you going somewhere?"

She quickly turned to look at me with her face twisted into a small frown. "She's meeting Antonio Russo today. You were told yesterday; how could you have forgotten already?"

Antonio Russo was the man that my sister was said to be engaged to.

I slammed my palm against my forehead and groaned. "I totally forgot."

"I see." She grunted as she turned back and continued walking. "By the way, why are you still sleeping? You went to bed early yesterday."

"I am just tired." I lied as I stretched. She had no idea that I went clubbing while I made all of them believe that I was sleeping. The thought of that brought back memories of what transpired between me and the unknown mafia boss, and I caught myself daydreaming about him. I quickly shook my head to push the stupid thought out of my head. There was no way I was meeting him again. And even if I did, there was nothing that could happen between us.

Jumping out of bed, I followed them to my walk-in closet and watched as my mamma rummaged through my clothes.

"Here. This should fit you." She said as she pulled out a black sequin dress and threw it at Sofia.

"Mamma!" Sofia whined. "It's not my engagement party."

"It's not too much." She retorted as she started walking out of the closet, leaving no room for Sofia to complain. She half turned to look at us. "You both should get ready before he arrives. He would be here in an hour."

With that, she dashed out of the closet, leaving me and Sofia alone.

"I don't want to get married to him." Sofia groaned; the second Mamma was out of sight. "I just want to live happily ever after with Oliver."

Oliver was my sister's boyfriend.

"Then..." I placed my finger on my chin thoughtfully. "Run away with him."

She raised a brow. "Should I?"

"Yes." I nodded. "But your love story would end before it even began. Papà would find you guys, and you know what would happen after that."

"Oliver dies."

I nodded. "Yes."

"I hate this life!" She groaned in her hands.

"You are not alone." I said as I inched closer to her and wrapped my arms around her. "But this is the fate we are born with. We cannot marry for love. We can only hope to find love in our marriages."

I felt so bad for my sister because women in our world never get to choose their spouses. My sister was given out as a pawn in a business agreement. I would have been the pawn since I was the first daughter, but due to my dirty past, my papa considered me unfit for the agenda.

"I've heard Antonio's story. I've heard how ruthless he is. I can't believe Papà betrothed me to him." She cried.

"You'll be fine." I consoled her as I patted her back. "I'm sure you would."

I allowed her to cry on my shoulder for a few minutes while I told her soothing words before she finally pulled away from the embrace and wiped the tears off her face. We freshened up afterwards and got dressed, ready to meet Antonio Russo. A man who was popular for his ruthlessness. I couldn't help but wonder what he looked like.

"He's here." Mamma said as she opened my room's door, and Sofia gasped. "He's in your father's office. Meet us there now."

After Mamma left, I turned to look at Sofia and held her hand when I noticed how shaky it was. "You'll be okay." I assured her. "Let's go now."

Nodding, she started walking towards the door, and I walked right beside her with our fingers intertwined.

When we got to Papa's office, we stopped in front of it, and I could literally hear Sofia's heart beating hard against her rib cage. She was nervous.

I gave her hand a gentle squeeze and assured her again. "You'll be fine."

"I hope so." She blew out a sharp breath and quickly opened the door.

"They are here," Papà announced as we slipped through the door.

Hoisting my head up, I saw a very familiar figure standing beside my Papà, and my heart sank into my stomach. No, this can't be. I panicked. He can't possibly be Antonio Russo.

The guy from the club can't be Antonio Russo!

ANTONIO.

Never in a million years did I expect to see the daring girl I met at the club yesterday here. The girl who enchanted me with her captivating green eyes.

So, she was a Moretti. That explained why she was fearless and didn't seem intimidated by me. Was she my supposed fiancée?

"Antonio, I present to you Sofia Moretti." Roberto said as he gestured at the girl who came in with the daring girl. The girl who dared make my cock go crazy.

She wasn't Sofia. So, who was she? Rosalinda, her sister?

"And this is Rosalinda, her sister." Roberto continued, confirming my guess as he gestured at her.

"Rosalinda." I muttered, my gaze fixed on her. Though my intention wasn't to say that out loud, it just happened to slip off my lips.

"Have you met her before?" Roberto asked, with curiosity lingering in his eyes.

Yesterday, she mentioned that she sneaked out of the house. Talking about our encounter would only put her in trouble. I didn't know why I was protecting her, but-

I flicked my gaze at him and shook my head. "No."

My attention should be on Sofia, the reason I was there, not Rosalinda.

So, crossing my hands over my chest, I cast my gaze at Sofia. "Nice to meet you, Sofia."

She only nodded her head in response. She didn't seem to like me. I didn't either; I was only marrying her because of the benefit I would get from the alliance with Roberto and also because I needed a bride who would bear me an heir.

I glanced briefly at Rosalinda before flicking my gaze at Roberto. "Can we speak in private?"

"Why?" Roberto asked, confused. "What's wrong with her? Don't you like her?"

I shook my head. "I want to speak in private with Sofia, not you." I said, and he let out a sigh of relief.

"Rosalinda, let's excuse them." He said as he started walking towards the exit.

Rosalinda glanced briefly at me before turning on her heels and trailing behind her father.

Unable to take my gaze off her, I watched until she was completely out of sight. Fuck, she was damn hot, and my cock kept throbbing under its cover, wanting to go after her.

I gave my head a slight shake, waving off all the dirty thoughts that were roaming through my head. I was getting married to her sister, Sofia, and these unholy thoughts should be about her, not Rosalinda.

Clearing my throat, I darted my gaze at Sofia. "We would be getting married soon. We should get to know each other."

"Is that necessary?" She asked. "It's not like our marriage would be based on love, so-"

"It is." I cut her off. "You would be bearing my children, and I need to know everything about the mother of my children."

Her eyes widened. "Children? Are we going to, like-" she pointed between the both of us. "Me and you?"

She must be perplexed at the idea of having sex with me prior to conceiving my children. I didn't like the idea either. But it was something we had to do once we got married. If only Rosalinda was the one with whom I was engaged, it would have been much easier for me, as I was insanely attracted to her.

"Yes." I nodded. "So, tell me about you. I want to know everything."

"Uhm..." She scratched the back of her neck.

"If you are not ready, we could do this another day." I quickly said. She was wasting too much time, and I didn't have all day. "Our wedding is not until two weeks from now."

"Two weeks?!" She exclaimed, widening her eyes in bewilderment.

"Yes." My eyes narrowed. "Your father didn't tell you?"

"No." She panicked.

Was she that terrified about the idea of getting married to me? Well, the deal had already been signed, and there was nothing she could do about it. She would have to deal with me for life, just as I would.

The only thing she had to do was abide by my rules, and she would be fine.

"I am done with you." I dismissed her. "Go and get your father."

Without hesitation, she turned on her heels and dashed out of the room.

A few minutes later, the door was pushed open, and all my expectations were to see Roberto walk through the door, but he wasn't the one. It was Rosalinda.

She was holding a tray bearing a bottle of wine and a wine flute. Her hips swayed as she walked towards me, and each step she took went straight to my groin, causing it to throb uncontrollably under its covers. Fuck! I wanted her.

"I was asked to bring this to you." She said as she placed the tray on her father's desk, which I was seated beside.

I nodded my head in acknowledgement.

"Thank you. For not telling my papa about yesterday." She muttered and sighed. "He would be with you shortly."

She didn't wait for my response before turning on her heels and starting to walk away.

I longed for her, and as much as I hated to admit it to myself, I didn't want her to leave. I wanted her to stay. With me.

Before I could stop myself, I uttered her name. "Rosalinda Moretti."

Slowly, she turned to look at me. "Yes?"

Why did I call her? I fucking didn't know, but I had to quickly think of an excuse.

"You don't expect me to pour myself a drink, do you?" Was what I could come up with.

Without giving me a response, she inched closer, picked up the wine bottle, and popped it open. As she poured the wine into the glass, all my mind thought of was making her squirt. Just like the bottle was squirting wine. Fuck! I wasn't thinking straight. I wanted her. I wanted to feel her warmth around my cock. I wanted to feel the taste of her lips, and that was crazy.

She handed me the glass of wine, but I shook my head. "Drink it." I said.

Making her drink it would make her stay for a little longer. Call me crazy, but I desperately wanted her to be with me.

She drew her brows together. "Why?"

"Do I have to have a reason? I want you to."

She shook her head, and before she could speak, I did first. "It's an order, Rosalinda. You dare not defy me."

She tipped her head to the side, and I could see the irritation that was starting to mask her expression. "And what if I do?"

I thought she was fearless and didn't seem intimidated by me yesterday because she didn't know who I was. Because she didn't know that I was Antonio Russo. I stroked fear in people, and no one dared to defy me; not even her father could talk to me the way she just did. But she was different, and that I found interesting.

"What would you do?" She continued when she didn't get a response.

An amused smile touched my lips. "You are fearless."

"That's because you gave me your word." She retorted.

I cocked my head as I asked curiously. "And that is?"

"You don't touch women." She said boldly. "You said that yesterday."

"Drink." I said sternly. Her fearlessness might be amusing, but I hated it when I was disrespected. "I might not harm you physically, but there are other ways in which I can get to you. So, if I were you, I wouldn't defy me. So, now-"

Before I could complete my sentence, she gulped the wine down, surprising me. I had expected her to rebel for a little longer.

"Done." She said, with rage seeping through her voice as she placed the glass violently on the tray. "Asshole." She muttered under her breath, but I heard her. Who the fuck did she think she was to call me that?

A sudden rage boiled within me as I leapt to my feet and gripped her neck. "What did you just say?"

As I stared at her, the rage within me melted away in an instant and was replaced with lust. Her lips were stained with the red wine she just drank, and the urge to take her lips into mine and suck the wine off them surged through me. It was the same urge I had yesterday while my hands were on her neck before her friend interrupted.

A sound suddenly escaped her lips, and I could swear that it was a moan. Before I could process why she made that sound, the door suddenly dinged open, and I quickly pulled away from her. I turned to see Roberto venturing inside the room, and with the look in his eyes, I was certain that he saw us.

ROSALINDA.

Antonio Russo's charm worked on me. Again. His presence had such an immense effect on me. An effect that made my body react to him in ways that it shouldn't. I hated it. I hated him. Not only because I disliked his annoyingly bossy nature but also because he was my sister's fiancée and I wasn't supposed to be attracted to him. But I was.

"What's happening here?" Papà asked briskly as he approached us.

"Rosalinda here needs to be taught some manners." Antonio said as he slouched on the chair where he was seated. "I wonder why you aren't strict with your daughter's. Strict enough to stop them from sneaking-" He paused, darted his gaze at me, and smirked smugly. "I mean, stop the them from going around and disobeying people."

What was his deal? He was punishing me by making me believe he was going to expose my sneaking escapade to Papà. And hell yeah, his punishment worked because I almost hyperventilated. If Papà ever found out that I usually sneak out of the house, I'd be done for real, because that would mean the end of my social life. And not only would he put extra care into watching me; he would use my dirty past to shame me and make my life a living hell. Hell, no.

Papa darted his gaze at me and shot me a glare before returning his gaze to Antonio. "I apologize for her manners." He said and sighed before asking. "What did she do?"

"I asked her to drink a glass of wine, and she refused." Antonio reclined in his seat and clicked his tongue. "How disrespectful."

Asshole.

"You choked her because she refused to drink?" Papà asked, and I could sense the mild irritation in his voice.

He also found it annoying. Who forces a woman to drink wine while flaunting their power in the process?

Antonio placed his hand on the desk and started tapping it gently with his fingers. "Yes."

"I apologize." Papà sighed before flicking his gaze at me. "You can go."

Nodding my head, I dashed out of the office.

I hate him. I grunted as I made my way to my room. He was so annoying, proud, arrogant, and bossy. He was the embodiment of all the negative character traits. At that moment, I pitied my sister, for she would have to put up with him for the rest of her life.

"Rosa." I suddenly heard my sister call as I pushed my room's door open.

I turned to look at her, and my heart broke at once when I saw the tears streaming down her cheeks.

"What happened?" I asked, concerned, as I wrapped my hand around her shoulders and walked her into my room.

"Antonio said we were getting married in two weeks." She managed to say in between sobs as we trudged to the bed and sat in it. "Papà didn't tell me that it would be this soon."

"Two weeks!" I exclaimed in bewilderment. "That's too soon."

I wondered why they wanted to rush the wedding when no preparations had even begun.

"I thought I still had time to spend with Oliver. But-"she burst out crying, and I didn't know what to say or do.

She looked pitiful, and I wish I could do something about it. I wish there was something I could do to help her live her happily ever after with Oliver like she desired. But there was nothing either I or she could do. Her fate had been decided. A cruel fate she had no say in. And she had no choice but to painfully accept it.

Sighing, I moved closer to her and wrapped my hands around her. "You'll be fine."

"I won't." She shook her head vigorously and jerked away from the embrace. "He wants to turn me into a baby-making machine. That's all he intends to do."

A scowl flashed across my face. "What do you mean?"

"He said we should get to know each other only because I am going to bear his child." She told me, and I could feel anger rising up inside me.

"That bastard." I murmured under my breath, but loud enough for Sofia to hear.

"You dislike him also, right?" She asked, and I sighed.

She was getting married to him, and I wanted her to grow to like him. I didn't want to say anything negative about him and crush her spirit. I felt guilty enough for being attracted to him.

I held her hands in mine. "He would be nice to you. Just give him time."

The door suddenly dinged open, and Mamma appeared before us. Worries quickly skated across her face when she caught sight of Sofia crying.

"Oh dear." She muttered as she ventured into the room and sat beside Sofia on the bed. "What's wrong?" She asked concerned, wrapping her arms around her. "Is this because you don't want to get married to Antonio?"

"Yes." Sofia answered truthfully. "And no one told me I'd be locked up in bondage in two weeks. I had no idea it would be so soon."

A scowl flashed across Mamma's face before she quickly replaced it with an expression I couldn't quite place. "I agree that two weeks is too soon because it's such a short time to prepare for a wedding. I tried to convince your father to change the date, but he said it had been finalized. So, there is nothing I can do about it." She paused and sighed before she continued. "And you will not be locked in bondage. You are going to have a beautiful marriage, and I want you to believe that."

"You want me to believe what's not true?" Sofia shook her head. "No, Mamma."

Mamma sighed, then flicked her gaze at me. "I almost forgot. Your father asked me to call you. That's why I came here in the first place. He's in his office."

"Is Antonio still there?" I asked curiously, and she nodded.

"Fucking shit!" I groaned, and Mamma shot her brow up.

"You don't like him?" She asked, but it sounded more like a statement.

Did I like him? I asked myself. I loved what his voice did to me. I loved the feeling of his palm wrapped around my throat. I loved how he made me feel. But did I like his personality? His arrogant, bossy personality. Of course not.

"Why not?" I asked as I leapt to my feet, my tone dripping with sarcasm. "He's a perfect gentleman."

"Just go." Mamma groaned, shooing me away.

"You'll survive." I patted my sister on the shoulder before dashing out of the room and making my way to Papa's office.

What could Papa want to discuss with me in the presence of Antonio? I thought as I nervously knocked on the door. No matter how much I loved what his presence did to me, I didn't want to be close to him. The desire I felt for him was wrong on so many levels, and I needed to stop fueling it. To do that, I needed to stay away from him.

Papà permitted me to enter almost immediately, and I pushed the door open.

Antonio's gaze on me was the first thing I noticed when I entered the office, and those alluring eyes of his caused my clitoris to throb. Damn, I wanted to feel his tongue on that.

He was sitting on the visitor's chair in front of Papà's desk, while Papà was sitting behind his desk.

"Rosa." Papà called as I slowly sauntered towards them. "Antonio and I were just discussing your sister's wedding dress."

"Your mother suggested that she get her dress from Lily Bridals." Antonio added.

The effect of his gaze on me intensified upon hearing his voice. I hated it. I hated that just a look from him was capable of making my body go wild.

A lump formed in my throat, and I swallowed. "I believe Lily Bridals is a good place. I have seen a lot of positive reviews from their customers online."

"Good. I just wanted to hear your opinion." Papà said, and I nodded. "You'll be going there with Sofia tomorrow. And-" He lifted his mug of coffee and took a sip before carefully placing it back on its saucer. "Antonio would drive you both there."

Hell. Fuck. No. All I wanted to do was stay away from temptation in the form of a man to prevent my forbidden desires from growing out of control. But from the look of things, that wasn't possible as he was my brother-in-law, and seeing him was inevitable.

"It would be wise for you to rid yourself of any trace of disrespect that resides within you before tomorrow." Antonio stated, and when I cast my gaze at him, my eyes met his, his enthralling hazel eyes drawing me in as butterflies danced within the depths of my stomach.

Fuck! Overcoming my desire for this man would be exceedingly difficult. I hated him as much as I was attracted to him.