CHAPTER ONE
Verb: Fill (someone) with great delight; charm. The process of putting someone under a spell. EG: The blue of her eyes enchanted him—and he was forever lost to her.
He was everything a girl could hope for — everything she could dream up. Men like Luca Alfero only existed in my wildest fantasies. His brother Frank was quiet, always quiet, but Luca? He could wake the sun, moon, and stars — he could breathe life into the very dead. – Joyce Alfero
I T WAS A DANGEROUS game. Then again, life was dangerous. I toyed with the straw in my coke, teasing it between my ruby red lips, once, twice. Finally. He looked. I glanced down, as if ashamed of my bold behavior when really it was the exact opposite – it was on purpose, everything I did had a purpose when it came to him.
For fifteen years I’d been after one thing and one thing only.
Luca Alfero.
He’d always been polite, cool, almost indifferent… which only propelled me further into the mad obsession I had to steal his heart—make it beat for me and only me.
“Woman,” A gruff voice said next to me, “You may as well be wearing a damn sign.”
“Frank.” I breathed a sigh of relief. “I didn’t see you there.”
He let out a grunt and ordered a whiskey on the rocks. “Story of my life, eh doll?”
“Was there something you needed?” I touched the string of pearls clasped around my neck, unable to stop the nervous gesture, my eyes wanting so desperately to glance to the left to see if Luca was watching.
Frank tilted his head, his stormy blue eyes kept me captive. Women were obsessed with Frank almost as much as I was obsessed with Luca. He was rumored to be the heir to the Alfero crime family, even though Luca had always been more ruthless in his killings as if he truly enjoyed taking life from others. I shivered half in fear and half in delight. Danger had always fascinated me. And Luca… he was fascinating.
“I wonder,” Frank took a long sip of his drink and leaned back against the counter. His white shirtsleeves were pulled up over muscular forearms, he was a big man, a menacing man, then again most men I knew, were. “What you’ve got planned for him next?”
“Hmm?”
“Coy,” He smirked, “I like it, gives the idea that you have absolutely no idea that you’re playing with fire and forgot to bring a bucket of water.”
I rolled my eyes.
He leaned in, the scent of his musky cologne caused me to hitch my breath. “But here’s something you don’t know… my brother will never look at you the way you want him to if you do nothing but shoot him sexual looks and paint your lips red. He may want you from afar, but he doesn’t have what’s needed to take you.”
“And you do?”
He tilted his head back and laughed, his tan throat mocking me almost as much as his musical laughter. “Perhaps.”
I tried to fight the flare of desire that ran through me. Frank looked at me the way I wanted Luca to look at me—with desire. But the desire was easily squashed down when I realized what he was saying… pick him, pick a different option, because I was going to fail.
“I don’t want you.”
“Don’t you?” He stopped laughing, “Seems to me that the only thing you’ve got on your mind is this… snag a boss, snag him fast.”
Bristling with irritation I clenched my teeth to keep from saying something that would get me killed.
“That’s ridiculous.” I crossed my arms. “Luca being the possible boss has nothing to do with my attraction to him.”
“Then it’s his… what? Overly friendly demeanor?” As if on cue a fight broke out near the side of the bar. Luca’s fists when flying as they connected with a man’s jaw and then his ribs. I winced and looked away, blood made me nervous but the way that man fought for it—well it did things to a girl. “Like I said,” Frank lifted his empty glass, “You’ve got no chance in hell.”
“Watch me.”
“I’ll do you one better.” He leaned
Verb: Fill (someone) with great delight; charm. The process of putting someone under a spell. EG: The blue of her eyes enchanted him—and he was forever lost to her.
He was everything a girl could hope for — everything she could dream up. Men like Luca Alfero only existed in my wildest fantasies. His brother Frank was quiet, always quiet, but Luca? He could wake the sun, moon, and stars — he could breathe life into the very dead. – Joyce Alfero
I T WAS A DANGEROUS game. Then again, life was dangerous. I toyed with the straw in my coke, teasing it between my ruby red lips, once, twice. Finally. He looked. I glanced down, as if ashamed of my bold behavior when really it was the exact opposite – it was on purpose, everything I did had a purpose when it came to him.
For fifteen years I’d been after one thing and one thing only.
Luca Alfero.
He’d always been polite, cool, almost indifferent… which only propelled me further into the mad obsession I had to steal his heart—make it beat for me and only me.
“Woman,” A gruff voice said next to me, “You may as well be wearing a damn sign.”
“Frank.” I breathed a sigh of relief. “I didn’t see you there.”
He let out a grunt and ordered a whiskey on the rocks. “Story of my life, eh doll?”
“Was there something you needed?” I touched the string of pearls clasped around my neck, unable to stop the nervous gesture, my eyes wanting so desperately to glance to the left to see if Luca was watching.
Frank tilted his head, his stormy blue eyes kept me captive. Women were obsessed with Frank almost as much as I was obsessed with Luca. He was rumored to be the heir to the Alfero crime family, even though Luca had always been more ruthless in his killings as if he truly enjoyed taking life from others. I shivered half in fear and half in delight. Danger had always fascinated me. And Luca… he was fascinating.
“I wonder,” Frank took a long sip of his drink and leaned back against the counter. His white shirtsleeves were pulled up over muscular forearms, he was a big man, a menacing man, then again most men I knew, were. “What you’ve got planned for him next?”
“Hmm?”
“Coy,” He smirked, “I like it, gives the idea that you have absolutely no idea that you’re playing with fire and forgot to bring a bucket of water.”
I rolled my eyes.
He leaned in, the scent of his musky cologne caused me to hitch my breath. “But here’s something you don’t know… my brother will never look at you the way you want him to if you do nothing but shoot him sexual looks and paint your lips red. He may want you from afar, but he doesn’t have what’s needed to take you.”
“And you do?”
He tilted his head back and laughed, his tan throat mocking me almost as much as his musical laughter. “Perhaps.”
I tried to fight the flare of desire that ran through me. Frank looked at me the way I wanted Luca to look at me—with desire. But the desire was easily squashed down when I realized what he was saying… pick him, pick a different option, because I was going to fail.
“I don’t want you.”
“Don’t you?” He stopped laughing, “Seems to me that the only thing you’ve got on your mind is this… snag a boss, snag him fast.”
Bristling with irritation I clenched my teeth to keep from saying something that would get me killed.
“That’s ridiculous.” I crossed my arms. “Luca being the possible boss has nothing to do with my attraction to him.”
“Then it’s his… what? Overly friendly demeanor?” As if on cue a fight broke out near the side of the bar. Luca’s fists when flying as they connected with a man’s jaw and then his ribs. I winced and looked away, blood made me nervous but the way that man fought for it—well it did things to a girl. “Like I said,” Frank lifted his empty glass, “You’ve got no chance in hell.”
“Watch me.”
“I’ll do you one better.” He leaned
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