~~~~~


Giuseppe refused to answer any further questions about the Accardi family, leaving Nicolo to wonder. Who was she? How could one glance from her chocolate-brown eyes make him desire her? He could almost see the sun reflecting off her naked, tanned skin, and he licked his lips, his pants feeling tight, yet again.

This passion, this fire, made him want to devour her, from her head to her precious toes. His grip tightened on the edge of his desk until his knuckles turned white, and he felt his body tense as an image of her face twisted in pleasure filled his head.

It was the first he ever did something so disgraceful in his office, yet it was a necessary evil if he wanted to function around her scent all day. That sexy scent. He swallowed again, feeling a lustful beast rising in his chest. Lili was not even in the room and all he could think about was her.

And he only knew her for a week. A knock, the stiff professional sound, doused him with cold water and he called for his guest to enter. Piero, followed by Lili, appeared and his fist tightened as another foreign emotion curled through him.

Did she have any suitors? How did he put himself forward as a potential? The cool, indifferent look in her eyes doused him with a chill, though. Did she not see him as a man? She gave him a slight smile before bowing, her attention seemingly elsewhere.

Her job was to be on standby should he need anything throughout the day, so that meant remaining in the room with him. He watched as she placed his breakfast before him and turned to organize his bookshelf, refusing to look at him again. Was her response yesterday all in his head?

“Boss? Giuseppe got arrested for ‘underworld’ connections!” Startled him from his thoughts, and he turned to the Soldati. “Good thing you refused the partnership. Many of his connections fell with him.”

The truth came to light; he realized as a newspaper appeared in his hands. There was the exhausted face of the man who looked far different from twenty-four hours ago. Double-agent refuses to speak. Someone in the background covering things. The Accardi. Lili. As these realizations occurred to him and he locked eyes with her from across the room.

The air of mystery, the sight of her turning to glance at him with those doe-brown eyes, and the part of her lips had him mesmerized. What was she doing to him? He wondered, as she locked eyes with him.

Then he turned his attention to the paper before back at her and a wicked smile lifted the corners of her lips. If she had something to do with it, then he could understand that smile. Only, there was one other problem. He stood when the idea occurred to him.

Though he cleaned up and tucked everything away earlier, every time he thought of her, his blood ran hot, so she could see his very obvious bulge. Though her eyes darkened a little with lust, she played off her blush and turned back to her work. If she was still here, did that mean he was still under investigation?

“You still believing what that liar said about the Accardi? Odds are they’re real, but I doubt Lili worked that closely with their investigations.” Piero stated with a shrug. “She seems far too innocent, plus I know the person who recommended her. She’s completely harmless. Have you seen her?”

“Yes, she’s got a rather cute frame. Much too small to hurt anyone.” Nicolo replied, watching as her form came closer, and Angelo turned to look at him in shock. “You’ve seen the women in this world. I would think her much too innocent to get involved in something like this.”

He nodded but shrugged before his attention turned back to the television; Nicolo could see over Angelo’s shoulder. The sound of the newscasters and reports echoed through the room, filling the silence, until he felt her presence right behind him.

Her scent came closer, drawing his eyes up from her arms to her chest, before clashing with her beautiful brown orbs. She took his breath away while making him hungry for more, all in one glance. Lili leaned closer, her lips approaching his, making his eyes close automatically, only for her to pull away the last second, leaving him panting.

“My Don, you have work to complete, as do I. We’d best get to it.” He swallowed as she continued, a careful tilt to her head. “Excuse me, I must go to the restroom.”


~~~~~


What just happened? As soon as I set foot in the bathroom, I locked the door behind me. I was to avoid getting involved, yet here I was, rising to his bait. But he made it very clear just who caused the bulge visible when he stood. And feeling that desirous gaze on my spine had me panting with need. Those burning green eyes filled with lust for me. Never had a man looked at me like that before. Just the thought of satisfying him had my toes curling in my tennis shoes.

Was Stella right? Were Italian men all like this? Though all the members of my family were of Italian descent, their base was the States. Cosa Nostra. The Boss and his family. I was born in Italy, raised in America, and none of the men there looked at me like that. No, there was something in those emerald pools that had my stomach tightening every time our eyes met. I wanted more. To touch him, taste him, and breathe him in.

Other men desired me. That I was familiar with. But they never dared to approach me. Either out of fear for their lives, or respect for my family, if they knew who my family was. If they were brave enough to approach, they would run scared when my family appeared. When I married, whoever I married would earn a title, one respected and feared all over the world. If I get married. But I really didn’t want to marry, either.

Nicolo entered my mind again, his fiery gaze sliding over my body like a caress meant to leave me wanton. I walked over to the mirror, eyes focusing on my flushed cheeks, lusty gaze, and parted, panting lips. I needed to finish my mission and get out of this family before I crossed into dangerous territory. Even if it meant getting my hands dirty. I pulled out my phone, intent on listening to a few of the recordings I captured around the house.

The Don’s office wasn’t the only place I planted bugs in. Since my task involved identifying current and future threats to the Omerta, I needed to add a recording device to all the rooms of the Villa, without being suspected of any wrongdoing. And it wasn’t a simple job. As I listened to the different voices, a conversation caught my attention. Maybe I wasn’t meant to hear it, but it didn’t stop me from listening in. What was Nicolo thinking? And why am I so interested in him?

“You seem mighty interested in that maid. Wanting to bone her?” Piero asked with a knowing voice. “She is your type, isn’t she?”

“It’s more than that, Piero. Lili seems… different from other women. Like she could handle a lot of stress.” Nicolo replied, his deep voice making her heart pound in her chest. “It’s rare to find a woman like her in this world.”

“But she’s a Legit. You sure you want to drag her into our dangerous territory?” Angelo wondered, making her give a wry smile. “She could get hurt.”

I wanted to hear more but worried about my phone being overheard, so I turned it off. I knew what he was seeing. The fearlessness, passion, and authority. My confidence. I wanted to tell him everything. Who I was, why I was here, and my purpose. Then I noticed something, a shift in the atmosphere, and I fingered the grip of my magnum strapped to my waist. For once, I was glad the Romano House had a dress code for maids, since I could hide the gun’s butt with my coat.

Someone was just outside the door. I could hear the hammer of a gun click, and I got as low as I could to the floor before pulling a compact out of the nearby drawer. There was still one more enemy under this family I had to find. Maybe someone was on to me, or perhaps this attacker witnessed Nicolo’s response to me. In this world, there were enemies everywhere. It was why the Mafia had few they trusted, and even fewer outsiders could enter our ranks.

Even if I could question everyone, the multitude of people who saw Nicolo and me together were too many. Keeping low to the ground, I slid closer to the door, then used the compact to angle the mirror under it. Unfortunately, I could not see what kind of gun they had besides the fact it was a silenced semi-automatic. The person twisted the doorknob, their face concealed by a ski-mask, though I could tell it was a male by his build.

“Miss Lili, the Don is looking for you.” The voice called, accented by heavy Italian. “He asked I bring you to him.”

I closed my nose with my fingers and lowered my chin. If I were careful, I could throw them off my trail. I just needed to think of who I wanted to mimic. Stella. This was another part of my training, the ability I often attributed to my grandfather, who was a master of disguise, and I was more than happy to use it. Even though it got me into trouble often as a teenager. Now, I used it on my jobs when my life was in danger, which happened more often than I cared to admit.

“Sono Stella!” I countered, watching as the person slipped the gun under their black leather jacket. “Lili è in cucina.”

“Grazie signorina Stella!”

When the person stepped away, I waited a few minutes before stepping out of the room to return to the Boss. If that person were after my life, I would have to be careful not to alert them. As I walked through the finely decorated halls, I ran into Stella and thanked her, which only earned me a confused nod. We returned to our duties without another word, and I reentered the Don’s Office.

The room emptied, and I set to clearing the glasses and plates away, my focus linear. Who was that today? Why was I a target? Should I mention it to Nicolo? But I had no evidence, no suspect, or a motive. Here, I am a maid, not a Donna. It was the first job I ever had to remind myself of that fact. Nicolo would have no reason to protect me, so I couldn’t tell him about it.

“Infiltrato.” I heard him say and glanced over my shoulder to see him on the phone. “Chi è?”

His Italian was beautiful. Nicolo’s voice was deep, even in his mother language, and I loved listening to it. I tore my gaze from him as he turned to look at me and refocused on my task. I needed to finish my job, not get caught up in whatever he caused my heart to do. But I still wondered what he liked, what his hobbies outside of their world were, and what his policies concerning the family were.

Yet I needed to be careful. It would be easy to let my guard slip around him and reveal who I really was. My purpose here was to gather intel and protect the underworld. Why did it feel as though he was not a danger to it? Like there was someone else using his family to hide? I mindlessly filled my cart with my cleaning supplies, thoughts far from the menial task.

“Lili.” His voice so close to me startled me from my thoughts and I turned to find him standing far closer than he should be. “Allow me to apologize. Stella informed me someone questioned her about you, so I think your life is in danger.”

“Danger?” I almost laughed until I reminded myself again that I could not directly tell him who I was, so I played along. “I see. Well, it is not as though it is your fault, my Don. Lady Liliana was often in danger, as was I. It is nothing new.”

His features twisted for a second before he sighed and offered me his hand. For several moments, I wondered if I should, because I did not know how I would handle his touch, but I eventually shrugged and took it. A shiver ran up my arm, sending my heart into overdrive, and I had to part my lips to catch my breath; my eyes focused on his as they darkened with desire. It was a passion so hot, a flame so dangerous. I wondered if I should just let myself fall into bed with him. But logic won.

“They think you are my woman.” He continued, leaning closer. “So, let me make you mine. My men will protect you.”

“I am a maid, my Don. It would not be proper…”