As I find Leo in the dining room and settle into the chair beside him, I can sense the anger rolling off him in waves. I glance up at him from the corner of my eye and realize he’s staring daggers at Kenji as my brother picks the chair across the table from me.
I know my brother well enough to recognize he must have said something. Kenji has a way of getting under people’s skin, of poking at their most sensitive spots and making them squirm. Like a kid with a magnifying glass over an anthill.
I don’t know what he said to Leo, but clearly, he’s found a sore point. “Ignore him,” I murmur, resting my hand on Leo’s forearm.
Don Augusta rises from his seat, raising his glass and turning to solute thecapo dei capibefore addressing the rest of his guests. “I want to thank you all for coming tonight,” he says. “Our family is an old one, with long-standing ties to the families around us, and it’s a privilege to have you all in our home to share this lovely meal. This night marks a momentous occasion, one I hope to announce before the end of the evening. But until then, I hope you can enjoy the food and the company.Saluti.”
“Saluti,” the guests echo, raising their glasses.
There’s no mention of who put tonight’s festivities together, but then, I didn’t necessarily expect there would be. Women are meant to be seen and not heard in the Mafia world. We’re the silent supporters who make our husbands’ lives run smoothly and without acknowledgment. Still, it feels good any time I catch one of the guests appreciating a detail I planned that they particularly like. My lips curve into a soft smile as I dig into the beetroot and blood orange salad with goat cheese that I chose as our first course.
When the salad is nearing gone, the serving staff come in to trade out the plates, putting a course of cranberry-glazed leg of lamb medallions in front of the guest, served on a bed of rosemary mashed potatoes with a side of tender flash-fried green beans.
Again, the choice seems to be a hit—particularly with Don Parelli—and I silently thank Gio for the invaluable tip as thecapo dei capigives his compliments to the chef loudly enough for the table to hear.
By the time dessert is served, I can actually start to relax enough to enjoy the chilleddigestifof limoncello served alongside hastily whipped-up single-serve raspberry cheesecake glasses the chef made using the mix that had already been chilling for a smaller dinner event later this week.
Goosebumps lift along the nape of my neck as Leo leans toward me to whisper in my ear. At the same time, Don Augusta stands to speak again, but Leo doesn’t turn to give his father his attention.
“You did a beautiful job with dinner, Princess,” Leo murmurs, his limoncello-scented breath washing warmly across my skin. Then his strong hand finds my thigh, and heat crawls up my spine as he slowly lets his fingers slide beneath the slit. “I think it’s time for your reward. Don’t make a sound,” he warns and presses a kiss to my bare shoulder, sending my body into overdrive.
My eyes fly wide, my back stiffening as his hand slips further beneath my dress, his fingertips brushing the inside of my thigh. I know the don is speaking, but I can’t hear a word he says as I look at Leo in panic and find a wicked grin curving his lips.
“Leo,” I breathe, silently pleading with him.
“Shh,” he whispers as he shifts his gaze across the table to Kenji, his grin turning smug.
My brother studies him suspiciously before glancing in my direction.
Mortification claws at my stomach as Leo’s eyes move lazily toward his father, pretending like nothing is happening as his hand slowly creeps up my leg to brush against my lace-covered sex.
I can’t help it. I gasp, heat flooding my cheeks as a zing of pleasure ripples through me, and I glance anxiously toward the woman to my left. From the corner of my eye, she looks too focused on Don Augusta to notice, and I press my lips together, determined not to make another sound.
Reaching slowly beneath the table, I shift my napkin to hide what’s happening, and as I press my thighs together in an effort to stop Leo, I grab his wrist with my free hand. But I can’t make any forceful movements without drawing unwanted attention—and I’m no match for Leo’s strength as his fingers curl around the edge of my panties to stroke my slick seam.
A tingling numbness takes over my body. My ears buzz noiselessly as all my senses focus in on the pleasure that pounds through my veins at Leo’s light touch. I shift slowly, trying not to squirm as I struggle to maintain control of my body. I can’t, and my breath catches as he presses two thick fingers inside my throbbing entrance.
Horror grips my chest as Kenji’s eyes meet mine. His narrow suspiciously, then slowly, he takes in the tension of my shoulders, the unsteady rise and fall of my chest—and Leo leaning toward me just slightly, his hand hidden under the table but clearly in my lap.
I see the disgust, the irritation, in Kenji’s face. Then my brother’s expression shutters, the emotion vanishing completely. But he doesn’t look away. He watches Leo, whose lips twitch with amusement as he starts to finger me in the presence of all his guests.
An involuntary shudder ripples down my spine, and I grip Leo’s arm harder, my nails pressing into his flesh, as several people glance in my direction. Desperate not to give awaywhat’s happening beneath the table, I turn my eyes toward Don Augusta. Thankfully, Don Parelli, who sits to Leo’s right, hasn’t seemed to notice anything amiss—nor have my parents, who sit across from him and nearer the head of the table.
But as my arousal intensifies, I have to bite my lips together to keep the sounds inside.
Leo looks completely at ease beside me as his fingers swirl over my clit, spreading my wetness and making each movement more electrifying. I can’t believe him. I can’t believe he would do something so intimate right here, in a room full of such important guests. These people matter if he’s going to be the new Don of the Chiaroscuro family, and yet, he’s toying with me like he wants me to blow the whole evening wide open.
The horrifying thought does little to distract me, though, as Leo slides two fingers back inside my throbbing entrance, bringing me intense relief. I can’t help it. My eyes fall closed, and a soft whimper rushes from me before I can stop it.
“Are you alright, dear?” Maria Degano asks, leaning in from my left to whisper so she won’t interrupt Don Augusta’s speech.
Agonizing embarrassment claws up my neck, burning in my cheeks.Please, don’t look down. Please, please, don’t see what’s happening right under your nose,I beg silently of Don Degano’s wife.
“Yes, fine, thank you,” I say breathlessly, struggling to keep a moan from escaping with my words. “Just a… headache.”
She gives me a sympathetic look and pats my arm before leaning back in her chair to listen once more. I scarcely dare to breathe when I turn back to Don Augusta’s speech.
Leo’s watching me, his gaze filled with wicked enjoyment, and my anger skyrockets, even as a shudder of pleasure ripples through me. Traitorous excitement has soaked the fabric of my panties, and they cling wetly to my skin, hindering his motion, but even that turns me on as he continues to plunge into my depths, his thumb simultaneously teasing my clit.
