Charlotte

"You didn't have to do this you know." I smiled, eyeing myself in the mirror as Luca fastened the clasp of the diamond drop necklace he got for me.

"It's a special night, I wanted you to have something special to remember it by." Luca breathed against my neck, kissing softly. "What do you think?"

"It's beautiful." I stared at the person looking back at me in the mirror, a vague image of myself. The woman in the mirror looked older. More sophisticated and mature. She looked like she belonged in this world, even thrived in it. There wasn't a hint of the vulnerability and nervousness that I felt on the inside. I was playing an elaborate game of dress up, and I could only hope that people wouldn't see right through me tonight.

The red satin dress from the boutique was making its debut tonight. As I stood in front of Luca, I felt a glimmer of that confidence that I felt the first time I wore it sneaking back in. I loved it even more now, especially the way the fabric felt against my skin as Luca slid his hands down my ribs, caressing every inch of me he could.

I melted under his touch every time.

"I can't wait to show you off tonight." Luca smiled, nudging me back until I sat on the edge of the bed. He bent down in front of me and grabbed my ankle. His fingers trailed up my leg as I bit my lip, stifling my moans. If he kept this up, we weren't going anywhere tonight, and we both knew that.

"Luca..." I protested, halfway hoping he would continue. All I wanted to do was climb into that great big bed with him and get lost in a world just for the two of us.

He ignored me, his hands trailing up my bare thighs. The higher he got, the inferno inside of both of us raged. As his fingers brushed against my naked, slick flesh, realization washed over him. I wasn't wearing any underwear.

"Are you trying to torture me, Tesoro?" He groaned.

I smirked, bending down and picking my lacy thong up off the bed. I slid it into the front pocket of his suit pants before he could protest.

"Now I'm wearing you're mark..." I put my fingers to the necklace. "And you're wearing mine."

Luca's grin was taunting.

He leaned forward, his head disappearing beneath the fabric of my dress.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to contain myself as his tongue lapped against me. Holy shit. I could hardly even breath as I clutched the sheets as if my life depended on it, reeling from the electricity was between my legs. His fingers and tongue worked in tandem, and my body responded to his every whim.

"Relax." He breathed against me, his breath hot on my skin.

I tried to comply but my body was already aching for him. I needed him; it wasn't just a desire anymore. I needed him both physically and mentally and I wasn't sure I would survive without him. I hated the control he had over me, but I loved it at the same time. The very thing that starved me, also sustained me.

After a few seconds, I felt the absence of this warmth and the scruff of his chin swept against my thigh. He nipped at the tender skin, and I cried out in shock.

He sat up, a wicked smirk on his face. "Now, you're wearing my mark, Tesoro."

This was a dangerous game we were playing. After last night, there was no more denying it. We were from two different worlds and neither of us wanted to leave ours. This couldn't go on, and the longer we let it, the closer we got to the day it would all be over.

"Ready?" He offered me his hand, as if it hadn't just been deep inside of me.

Luca

Charlotte was a fucking goddess, and the entire way to the club, I cursed my responsibilities as Don. I was rock hard from just those few minutes with Charlotte and the way my body craved her was paralyzing. All I could think about was getting her back to the hotel room and ripping that dress to shreds. She was a smoke show in it, but I was much more interested in what was underneath.

And if we could only get through this damn opening, I could give Charlotte the attention she deserved.

After months of tedious preparation and hard work, it was finally here, and as we pulled up to the club, I let out a heavy sigh of relief. This club was the first thing the boys and I opened without the help of Antonio and I was pretty damn proud of it.

It made it even better that Charlotte was here to experience it with me. After all the bullshit the last few weeks, I was hoping we could finally relax a little bit  Although in the presence of so many criminals, that might prove hard to do. I could envision all the attention that would be on her, but there would be no mistaking that she was mine.

There was something about her tonight that struck me a little differently than usual. She looked like she fit right in to this world, and even if she was playing a part for me, it got my mind wandering. If she stayed all those years ago, how differently would our lives have turned out? If she knew who I truly was? If she knew who she truly was?

Keeping this secret from her was really starting to wear on me, especially as I was my love for her continued to grow exponentially. Our entire relationship was built on deception, and while it was never my choice to keep it from her, would she ever forgive me? Honestly was the one thing she considered a dealbreaker; would she ever get past this?

I scratched my forehead trying to focus on something else. This was exactly the kind of thought I wanted to avoid. She was mine tonight, and I was going to take full advantage of it. That was all that mattered.  We would deal with whatever was to come later.

"You look stunning." I reached across the seat and squeezed her hand. A sliver of her upper thigh was visible through the slit in the dress and I thanked my lucky stars she chose this one. Knowing she was bare beneath the dress would be more than I could handle tonight.

"Thanks to you." She smiled, her cheeks turning a soft shade of crimson. I loved knowing I could make her blush like that. She fussed with the material, pulling at it slightly. "You dressed me up like a princess. Are you sure it isn't too tight?"

"You could make a potato sack look like a ballgown." I teased her, helping her out of the car. "Besides, I don't think anyone here is going to be concerned with the dress you're wearing; they'll be more interested in the girl in it."

This place was crawling with hundreds of people, way more than I ever expected. Normally, I shied away from formal events like this, but I made an exception for this opening because Angelo had insisted it would be good for business. Standing here looking at what a production this had turned into, I had to admit he was right.

I recognized most of the patrons here. We weren't opening up to the public until tomorrow, so everyone here was specially invited. Friends, enemies I wanted to keep close, a representative from nearly every other Mafia organization we did business with. All except Silvano. My invitation to him went unanswered—I couldn't imagine why.

Charlotte and I walked inside the club with several pairs of eyes watching our every move. This was the first time I brought a woman to a function like this, so everyone knew Charlotte was special. The attention made her anxious and she stood behind me timidly. It wasn't often she was nervous, and when she was, it only made me want to protect her more.

"There's a lot of people here." She whispered, scanning the crowd around us. Her shyness was new to me. Normally she was so sure of herself and confident. It was cute to see her out of her comfort zone.

"No one more important than you, Charlotte." I assured her, gripping her hand in mine tightly. "Are you ready?"

She nodded and I led her towards the doors where two security men stood. Each nodded at me as we walked up and opened the double doors up for us.

"Good evening Mr. Catalano."

"Good evening." I nodded. I led Charlotte through the doors and watched her expression change as she took it all in. The wonder in her eyes made me smile. I loved each time I got to introduce her to new things. If I could show her this life wasn't all bad, maybe I could make her stay.

"This is unbelievable, Luca." She gazed around the room, soaking in all the details.

Our tour this morning was the bare minimum and it was like a different world from then My staff had truly spared no expense. Lavish decorations adorned the room where cocktails and appetizers were being served. Everything was on the house tonight since it was our private event. That's how these things always worked. If we kept the alcohol flowing, soon enough all of the grimy billionaires we invited would be upstairs pouring their money into our casino.

On the third floor is where the real fun would begin. It was reserved for business, and we'd run everything from drops to meetings out of there. You needed a key code to even access it, and no one could get up without prior approval.

Just as I thought, Charlotte and her paintings were the center of attention. People couldn't get enough of them and I was sure after tonight, she'd have orders for several more. I was incredibly proud of her as I watched her talking with some of the guests about her work. She lit up when she spoke about her work, and I would never get tired of it.

Tired of sharing her attention, I walked over to her and snaked my arm around her waist. "Pretty cool, huh?"

She was talking with Francisco Calligari and his wife, Mona. They were here for Ibiza, and Francisco ran a string of dry cleaners that moonlighted as drag clubs.

"Your girlfriend is spectacular, Luca." He beamed. "I have to have her out to Ibiza immediately so she can design art for one of my new clubs. We'd love to have you both."

"That would be great, Francisco. We'll get it scheduled." I smiled.

They left us, and Charlotte and I had a moment to ourselves for the first time all evening.

"You're quite the hit." I kissed her cheek, pulling her close to me. What do you think of all of this?"

"The club is incredible. You did an amazing job." She smiled, lacing her fingers in mine. "Do you know all of these people?"

"They're mostly acquaintances. Many have them have done business with the Romano's for years. Some of them are from other families. It's customary to invite business partners to this type of thing."

"Business partners." She repeated. There as a little apprehension in her voice. All of this still scared her, and being in the company of so many dangerous men was overwhelming.

"Why don't we go upstairs and get a drink where it's a little quieter?" I offered, leading her toward the back elevator.

"That sounds great."

"And if you're lucky, I'll let you roll the dice for me during a couple rounds of craps." I teased. I wasn't much of a gambler, but out of all the games here, I thought she would enjoy watching craps the most.

"Every woman's dream." She rolled her eyes playfully.