Revenge Vows: A Forced Marriage Mafia Romance (Ruthless Mafia Sinners)

As soon as she walks into the room holding the ice bucket, the imbeciles around me fall silent. I seethe with rage as I watch their savage eyes tear at her perfect body.

Why does she have such a short skirt on? And why are her nipples poking through her top?

I clear my throat. “Gentlemen, can we carry on?” I ask as she puts the bucket down on the glass table.

I swallow as my eyes linger on the lush curves of her breasts, barely contained by her thin top. She’s wearing her long hair down tonight and it slithers over her shoulder as she bends over, looking like a river of dark reddish silk in the dim lights.

She sets down the delicate glasses that she brought with the bottle on the table, her eyes meeting mine briefly as she does so. I feel a shock of desire lancing through me as our eyes connect.

I’ve never seen green eyes like hers before, but it’s not just their color that is making my cock leap to life in my pants. There’s something sad, knowing, and too-perceptive in her gaze that calls to me.

She’s a mystery, different from the other girls in the club, and I’ve always wanted to know more about her.

Not that I will ever take action on that desire. I can’t mix business with pleasure, and bringing home a cocktail waitress who is just a bit too pretty to be working for me is a mistake I cannot afford to make.

There’s a reason that I’m the best at what I do. I don’t make mistakes, and this red-haired, curvy beauty is just the type of woman who sees too much and doesn’t like what she sees.

“What’s the rush, Viper? Let’s have a toast,” Gilberto says with his eyes fixed on her chest.

Her long, beautiful fingers undo the foil covering the wine, and she pops the bottle, careful not to be too loud. She begins to fill their glasses.

I fight to tear my eyes away, but it’s impossible. As she leans over, her top lifts to show her curvy waist and pierced belly button.

I can hear the men whispering and groaning amongst themselves.

“What’s a man gotta do to get a night with you?”

I clench my fist as my eyes fall on the man speaking to her. It’s Fernando, Gilberto’s right-hand man.

She doesn’t respond. All my servers are trained to be silent while they work. Instead, she flashes a smile and carries on filling their glasses.

Fernando chuckles as Gilberto whispers something into his ear, with his eyes still fixed on her.

“I’m talking to you, sweetheart. Don’t play so hard to get. We know you’re just a whore,” he says, and the men laugh.

She still doesn’t respond, but she has a fake smile on her face. I clench my fist tight and hold my breath. I wouldn’t appreciate them badgering any of my girls like this, but it bothers me even more that they are treating her this way.

One of my men positioned behind me leans down. “Give us the word, boss,” he whispers.

I shake my head and motion him back to his position.

She fills their glasses and places the bottle back in the rack. She’s about to leave when Gilberto grabs her waist.

“Didn’t you hear him, sweetheart?” he asks.

Fear comes into her eyes, and she swallows. “Let go of me,” she says. Her voice is sweet and melodious, and my errant cock again leaps to life. I grit my teeth and drag a hand through my thick, dark brown hair as I try and get myself together.

Gilberto grins. “So you can speak.”

“She can, Gil, and she says to let her go,” I say. There’s a current of danger lacing my words, and I curse my own wayward feelings for this girl. If these animals think that she is something special to me, they will want her even more.

Gilberto grins and lets her go.

She stands with her head bowed for a moment, but then she lifts her eyes to meet mine again. I can see the fear in her green gaze, and I want to banish it immediately.

The wild, crazy part of me that built my empire gnashes its teeth just below the surface of my skin, desperate to kill, maim, and beat these men to prove to this waif of a girl that she is safe with me.

The logical part of my brain knows that would be bad for business. My heart tells me that there are other business partners and that these ones can die right now if it means making the woman standing dejectedly across from me smile.

“What are you waiting for? You may go,” I say a bit harshly to cover the riot of emotions warring in my chest. She actually looks hurt for the briefest second, but then she turns and leaves quickly.

“Sorry about that, Viper. You have quite the collection of girls here. It’s enough to get a man distracted.” He turns to Fernando, and they chuckle before looks at me again. “We might just have to stay the night.”

I throw back my head and begin to laugh. The sound is a bit unhinged and it certainly doesn’t sound happy. I’m going to have to how these mother fuckers why I’m called Viper.

The smile fades off both their faces as they watch my amusement. I get up from the table like a predatory animal, straightening my suit jacket before I turn to my men.

“They are hilarious gentlemen, aren’t they?” My men chuckle dutifully in response.

I open my hand and waggle my fingers at one of my men. He passes me his gun, and I grip the barrel, tapping the butt of the handgun in my open palm contemplatively.

I walk around the little circle of men at the table, tapping the gun against my hand and smiling ever so slightly.

“You know, gentlemen,” I say to the men at the table who are all looking very nervous. “I have always said that if one end of a gun doesn’t work, the other end is just as effective. Maybe you haven’t heard that. I find so many people are not aware that shooting someone isn’t the only way to use a gun to make a point.”

I incline my head ever so slightly, and my men move rapidly to restrain my guests at the table. As I’m watching, my guards extend Gilberto’s and Fernando’s hands toward the middle of the table.

By the time their eyes widen in realization of what is to come, it’s too late. With two quick slams, I bash the butt of the gun on their fingers, enjoying the satisfying cracking sounds as I break their bones.

Their screams are like music to my ears as I lean back and gesture to my men to let them go.

My guests fall back in their seats, groaning in pain.

I look at the bloodstained gun in my hands and turn to my men. I hold out the weapon, and the man who passed it to me takes it back.

I return to my couch, smoothing my suit.

“Now listen, gentlemen,” I say, looking at the men before me, who are clutching their hands. “I won’t put a bullet through both your heads simply because it’s our first time doing business, and it would be a shame to end our working relationship just like that, don’t you think?”

“You’re fucking crazy, Viper” Gilberto says, trying to get up. My guards press him back down into his chair. He winces but stops trying to flee.

I smile. “The next time you walk into any of my clubs and call any of my girl’s whores, I will have your tongue cut out of your mouth. Do I make myself clear?” I growl.

“We heard you, man. Fuck,” Fernando says.

I smile. “I knew you both were reasonable men. Let’s carry on, shall we?”

It’s not surprising that both men are cowards. They have let a couple of broken fingers turn them into quivering messes. We come to a deal, but I’m not impressed with what they had to offer. I feel vaguely let down by the meeting.

I have my men escort them out and I go back into main part of the club.

“Now, what’s the boss himself doing up here?” Gracie asks as she sees me.

I sit down at the bar. “Can’t a man visit his own club?”

She smiles. “Well, you can, but you’re distracting the girls,” she says.

I turn to see that the girls in lingerie who were either dancing or sitting with my clients now have their eyes subtly, or less-than-subtly, focused on me.

She leans over the counter. “How does it feel to be a heartthrob?”

I smirk. “Make me a drink. Something strong,” I reply. I run my hands over my face, feeling the scrape of my tidy beard beneath my fingers. I used to love engaging in violence to get business deals done. It used to make me feel like I was alive. Tonight, however, I just feel tired.

She winks. “I’ll just be a minute,” she says.

From the corner of my eye, I search for the green-eyed beauty. I wonder where she went off to, and then I wonder why I am searching for her at all. Pretty women with perceptive eyes are too much trouble for people in my world.

And what would I tell her if I did see her? Do I owe her some sort of apology?

I shake my head. I must be getting soft in my old age. Not that I’m old, but this business ages people rapidly. I can feel my world-weariness threatening to pull me into the grave.

“A penny for your thoughts?” Gracie asks, appearing from nowhere with my drink.

I thank her and take a sip of it before I say anything else to her.

“There’s this green-eyed girl. Long red hair…” I begin.

“You mean Alyssa,” she says.

So that’s her name. “Yes, I think so. Where is she?” I ask, clearing my throat so that I don’t sound too invested.

Gracie searches my face with a smirk. “Now, don’t tell me—” she starts, but I cut in.

“I just want to know if she is still on her shift. Those…guests of mine…they were handsy with her. I just want to be sure she’s okay,” I say.

Gracie sighs. “She was one of our best. Unfortunately, her shift finished a few minutes ago, and she announced that she isn’t coming back. Maybe her encounter with those thugs you invited in here was what made her want to leave.”

She levels an accusatory look at me, and I hold my hands up in surrender. “Hey, if you want a boss that works aboveboard, feel free to find one. You know the kind of people that I do business with.”

Gracie makes a tsking noise at me and shakes her head. There are few people that I would let talk to me like this, but Gracie and I have been friends for most of our adult lives. She’s one of the few people who can dress me down when I deserve it.

“I’m never going to find another girl like her to work here,” she tells me with a sigh. “Do you know how much we get each night just because of how sexy she looks opening a bottle?”

I swallow at the memory of her long fingers caressing the cork before pulling it out of the neck of the bottle. I can believe Gracie’s words. I wanted to jump over the table and sink my cock into the red-haired beauty every time I saw her.

“You’ll find another girl soon,” I say.

She says something else back, but it’s drowned out by my restless thoughts. My men return, and Gracie turns her attention to them, flirting with them until I finish my drink.

I abruptly rise from the bar and wave at my guys to stay put. I shove through the curtains at the back of the bar, my eyes restless. I see her, bending over to grab her bag, her delicious ass right in my face. She gasps and whirls when she realizes I’m standing behind her, pressing a hand to her slim, pale throat.

“Oh!” she says breathily, and I love that her voice is a little deeper than you might expect. “You scared me!” she says accusingly.

I smile briefly. “I’m sorry…I…” my voice trails off. Finally, I say, “You’re quitting.”

She nods, and something like sadness washes over her face before being replaced by what I can sense is a fake upbeat attitude. “I have family who needs me. I can’t stay,” she says apologetically.

I nod, looking down for a moment, then I step closer to her. “I’m sorry those men were so rude to you earlier,” I tell her, and I mean it.

She swallows hard, and I can hear the sound. “You took care of the problem,” she reassures me. “They won’t bother any of us again.”

“Are you sure that I can’t convince you to keep your job?” I ask her.

She shakes her head, wisps of red hair floating around her cheeks. “I’m sorry.”

“I’ve wanted to do this ever since I first saw you,” I say to her, and then I press my lips with hers. I tell myself to be gentle, but the feel of her, and the taste of her mouth makes me wild immediately. I crush my lips on hers, driving her back behind me until she fetches up against the wall.

I hear her sweet little gasp of delight as she opens her mouth beneath mine and rocks her hips up to bump into my own. I suddenly feel like I’m going to die if I don’t get inside her body, and she seems to be entirely open to the idea as well.

“Come with me?” I invite her, my chest rising and falling rapidly as I look down at her trapped between me and the wall.

Wordlessly, she nods, and I take her hand and tug her after me.