Total pages in book: 197
Estimated words: 199143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 996(@200wpm)___ 797(@250wpm)___ 664(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 199143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 996(@200wpm)___ 797(@250wpm)___ 664(@300wpm)
Tommas chuckled, and spun Abriella’s barstool around. She found his blue gaze to be both curious and heated as he looked her dress and heels over. “I suppose your punishment would be a hell of a lot less than mine, anyway.”
“Not from my family.”
“Yeah, even from them.”
Abriella realized that he was probably right. It wasn’t like Tommas could pretend to the Outfit that he didn’t know Abriella was coming to his club weekend after weekend to party out her stress.
And to watch Tommas Rossi.
It was his club, after all. He had to know everything that was going on inside of it. And if he didn’t, then that wouldn’t look very damned good on him.
“I would stop coming if you asked me to, Tommy,” Abriella said quietly.
Tommas nodded. “Yeah, I know you would.”
So ask, she wanted to say to him.
Tell me to go away.
The man had to know the only reason why she kept taking these stupid kinds of risks was because she was coming here for him. Because she was toying, and testing, him.
If Abriella wanted to drink and party, she could get into any club she wanted for that. Her brand new fake ID looked better than the real thing.
She didn’t need Tommas’ club.
He had to know that.
Tommas flicked her with another one of his silent, heated looks, and then pushed away from her barstool. “Enjoy your evening, Ella.”
She smiled on the outside, but hurt everywhere else as he walked away.
What was she doing wrong?
What would push the Capo over the edge?
*
Another week came and went.
A new weekend found Abriella right back in the same goddamn spot.
The difference this weekend was that Abriella had stopped playing her quiet game, and stepped up to practically screaming at Tommas in silence.
She could feel him watching her as he did his rounds.
Seeing her dance—watching her with the man she danced with, and the hands grabbing, roving ... touching.
It was just a dance.
Innocent, even.
But she surely hoped Tommas didn’t think so.
When Abriella wanted something, she would have it come hell or high water. She wasn’t quite sure why, but she wanted Tommas. Maybe it was her fascination with the Capo, or maybe it was the fact that everything about him screamed off-limits to her in a big way.
She always had liked things that were wrong and bad for her.
Tommas sort of, kind of fell under that category.
Abriella sighed into the hands of the man she was dancing with. His erection, digging into her ass as they grinded together on the club’s floor, did little for her. He was handsome guy, as far as that went, but she hadn’t even bothered to learn his name.
He was simply a means to an end.
Finally taking her focus off her dancing partner for a moment, Abriella looked over the crowd again. She easily found Tommas at the bar. Usually he was doing his rounds, checking on his workers, or chatting with people that must have been regulars to the joint.
Not tonight.
Tonight he stood alone, drink in hand ...
Watching her.
Abriella smiled at him.
Tommas didn’t return it.
If she had to guess, his end was coming really soon.
*
Abriella fixed her hair in the bathroom mirror, and wiped away a smudge of red lipstick at the corner of her mouth. She gave her appearance one more check, and then left the other women in the club’s bathroom to do their thing without her taking up the sink and mirror.
She barely walked out of the bathroom and someone grabbed her arm. It might have frightened her if she didn’t recognize the deep woodsy scent of Tommas Rossi’s cologne.
He pulled her further down the dark hallway toward his office.
Except they stopped before they got to it.
Abriella’s back hit the wall, hard. The impact took her breath away, but she didn’t mind. Staring down the burning blue eyes of Tommas, she tipped her chin up, defiant.
“What?” she asked.
Tommas bared is teeth. “You know what.”
“I don’t, actually.”
“You do. I am not a stupid man, Ella, and I know what you’ve been doing. Weeks, girl. You’ve been playing a cat and mouse game with me for weeks.”
Abriella smirked, unable to hide it. “Have you figured out which of one of us is the mouse and which one is the cat yet?”
Tommas’ jaw clenched, and his gaze darkened. “You’re going to get yourself in a lot more trouble that you can handle, Abriella.”
She didn’t respond right away. A group of women left the bathroom, chattering away and laughing just down the hall. They didn’t seem to notice Abriella or Tommas in the shadows just fifteen feet or so away.
“You’re eighteen,” she heard Tommas say low after the people were gone.
“So?”
Age meant little to a person who had been forced to act much older than she was for most of her life.
“I’m not a game,” he told her.
Abriella blinked, her gaze cutting back to Tommas. “What?”