Sneaking into his heart

Chapter 6

Lucia

It was a wonder I was able to face Adriano with a straight face. His earlier actions had rocked my entire foundation, sending me careening towards an uncharted territory where there was no reason or logic, only sensations. The worst was that I wanted to remain in that place, craved to be brought back there even now. It was my first time ever kissing a man, and he just had to be my worst enemy. How revolting! My disgust stemmed mostly from the fact that I couldn't control my responses in that moment and ended up kissing him back. I felt desire for my sister's murderer! The shame scalded me, making me want to scrape away at my flesh. 

"You are to report only to me from now on." Adriano suddenly declared snapping me from my thoughts.

I looked at him quizzically. "No need to contact Ryan or anyone else." He went on nonchalantly. "Let me see your phone."

I eyed him skeptically as I retrieved it from my bathrobe pocket, then handed it to him.

He gritted his teeth when his eyes landed on my phone. He then snatched it from my hand, unceremoniously tossing it to the ground and crunching it beneath his boots. 

"What the hell are you doing!" I lashed out, staring in disbelief at my brand new iPhone, smashed beneath his feet with bits and pieces scattered around it. I doubt it was even repairable at this stage.

My eyes then darted to Ryan's equally ruined phone, which happened to be the same color and make as mine.

"Do you hold a grudge against red iPhones or something?"

"That's right." he grumbled, then added in a louder tone. "I'll get you a new better one."

Better than this just recently released, overpriced iPhone? My phone was supposed to be the best currently in the market, so it's impossible to find a better one! It seemed like on top of being a murderer, this guy was a lunatic. 

"You'll also be changing your number."

"Why?" I asked, unable to hide the indignation in my tone. I've had this number from the beginning and gave it to all the significant acquaintances I made over the years. It would be such a pain to inform them all of my change in number.

"Because I said so." He emphasized. "You're working under me now, so you must learn to follow my orders without question. Also, you're not supposed to share this number with anyone else. If it's necessary, then you can ask me for permission first. I will grant it only if it is deemed worthy."

"Are you f*****g kidding me?" I shouted, unable to keep from voicing out my thoughts in the face of my outrage. I inhaled deeply for patience. "Don Adriano, in case you weren't aware, I'm just your employee. Not some f*****g slave you can order around."

He gave me a condescending gaze. "This is how I treat my workers. Deal with it."

"You do this to all the people who work directly under you?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yes!" He spat. "So either you accept my terms  or quit the job if you do not feel up to it."

I narrowed my eyes. Is he trying to test me?

"Still, what you are demanding is quite unfair, Don. I have a life outside of being your employee."

"What kind of life exactly?" His charcoal eyes burned through me, some unknown emotions swirling in their depths.

An answering pang rose from my chest from his question. None. I have no life outside of work. No friends, no family and rarely interacting with anyone. Because what I was doing was too dangerous, I even distanced myself from Mel over the years. My life was all about revenge now.

"My personal life." I gritted, giving him a look which said that it was none of his business.

A storm briefly raved in his eyes before he tuned it off. "If you have some friends you want to share your number with, then I might allow that. Though Ryan will not be one of them."

I gazed up at the ceiling, feeling utterly exasperated. I was tempted to shove my dismissal letter in his face right this moment just so I could be free from his aggravating presence. Except once you enter the mafia world, the only way out is by death. Besides, my revenge is too deeply ingrained within me and I could never give up on it.

I lowered my head to gaze at him wearily. "Fine!" I eventually exclaimed. "We'll do it by your terms, boss." I used my most venomous voice to say the last word.

He grinned with satisfaction and I tried to ignore the butterflies in my stomach this expression on his face gave me.

"Do you have any other commands?" I asked sarcastically.

"We'll talk about them tomorrow."

So he did have more of those unreasonable conditions! "Okay. Well then..." I turned around, heading towards the door, the desire to be away from him as soon as possible overruling everything else.

"I didn't say you could leave yet!" 

I stopped in my retreat, inhaling for patience. "What else boss?" 

"I don't trust you to come back here on time to report to me in the morning, so you'll be staying here."

"What?" I spun around, my gaze one of indignation. "I refuse!" No way I could sleep in the same house as this murderer, unprotected and at his mercy. Especially not after he was a  breath away from jumping me just now.

"It wasn't a question, Lucia." He said impatiently.

"I will make sure to get here before 9 tomorrow morning."

"Of course you will, but I will make sure of that."

"Boss," I tried reasoning. "It would not be proper for me to stay over at your place."

"I'm the one who ordered it so it won't cause any problems." He then walked towards me, gripping me by the arm and all but dragging me away.

I tried fighting his hold, but my movements made my bathrobe threaten to come loose, so I had no choice but to try my best to match up with his brisk pace. How ill-advised it was of me to have neglected going back to fetch my car. The guy took the opportunity to further taunt me by deliberately pulling at my arm with more strength, which caused the bathrobe to slide off. I firmly held the collar in place, my burning glare connecting with his amused eyes. 

"If I'm going to stay here, at least give me some clothes to wear!" 

"I'll have someone bring some over in the morning." His voice took on a more husky tone as he went on. "As for tonight, you can just sleep naked."

I fired my gaze at him but he merely glanced back in amusement. I thought I had gathered every possible information about Adriano over the years, but it seemed like I had missed finding out that he was a lecherous pervert. I didn't bother responding to his comment, keeping my scowling face straight ahead.

His house was designed in a chic nouveau-riche style, every inch exuding sheer opulence. We went up several flights of stairs, each of which gave way to a sumptuous anteroom with several doors lining the walls. The fourth floor led to a much smaller space with only two doors adjacently lining the walls.  Adriano went to one of the doors, opening it to reveal an exquisite room, bigger and more ostentatious than any I had ever seen. I was unable to keep from openly gawking around as I crossed the threshold. This place was even more magnificent than five-star hotels.

"I'm glad you like your new sleeping arrangement." Adriano remarked.

I turned to him, my eyes slightly widened. "I'm sleeping here?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Does my house impress you that much?"

I canted my head to the side, feigning nonchalance. "I'm just impressed with the designer's skill. Do not take it personally."

He gritted his teeth. "I'm the one who personally designed this room."

"Yeah right." I drawled, then strutted over to the bed, forcing myself to casually settle on it. This place was so lavish that simply standing here made me nervous. Still, I couldn't let it show how impressed I was with his place. For some reason there was always this sort of inner instinct which compelled me to hold my ground whenever I was facing him.

"If there's nothing else, I'd like to get some rest now." I stated dismissively, staring at him impatiently.

His eyes took on a dangerous gleam. "You dare order me around in my own house?" He slowly advanced towards me, the threat oozing off him making the atmosphere tense.

Shit! The last time he gave me that look, things didn't end well for me. I raised my hands in surrender in an attempt to placate him. "Of course not! You must have heard me wrong. I was just trying to politely ask you to leave."

He stopped at the foot of the bed, right in front of me, then leaned down, placing his hands on either side of me. I had to pull my head back otherwise our lips would have touched. My heart started drumming in my chest, his closeness yet again making me self-conscious. It took all my will-power to keep from scooting backwards. I would rather die than let him witness the nervousness his mere presence triggered within me. However, it was the lust now rapidly rising from my lower body which was proving harder to conceal. His face up close was even more handsome and the way those eyes bore into mine, seeming enthrall me. I could feel an answering desire emanating from him as he closely perused my face and body. As if out of  reflex, his handsome face gradually approached mine. I also felt entranced by the moment, the temptation to also lean into him, and feel more of him, being too great. Right before I was completely dragged under by the overwhelming pull, I managed to control myself enough to voice out my warning.

"Boss..." I said almost pleadingly, my tone coming out strained from my constricted throat. 

This seemed to snap him back to his senses, and he quickly retreated backwards as if I had burned him. He then gave me a look filled with resentment as if my very presence offended him. He kept this up several unnerving minutes where he also appeared to be trying to determine something. Then, without another word, he turned his back on me and stalked out of the room, as if he was in a hurry to get away from me. 

Once he was out of sight, I reclined back on the bed, sighing as I finally allowed myself to relax. Every second spent in Adriano's presence was so nerve-wracking. I threaded my fingers through my hair, cradling my head. If I had doubts in the past, I could now say for sure that Adriano was attracted to me. Nothing else could explain his behavior. It seemed unbelievable, even bordering on being crazy, but I had to recognize the facts for what they were. However, what caused me to worry was that I also couldn't control myself around him. I had been acting like a freaking b***h in heat, a single smouldering gaze from him being enough to render me mindless. The memory of our earlier kiss flashed through my mind and my insides immediately clenched with need. I could still feel the way his tongue stroked every inch of my mouth, his unique taste... 

I moaned, massaging my temples, trying to soothe my brain away from all thoughts about Adriano. Why was it like this? I have seen and even interacted with countless attractive men in my life. Heck, even Ryan was incredibly attractive, though he failed when compared to Adriano, but I never felt the desire to respond to any of his advances. Anyway I had never once felt attraction for any men, yet why did I suddenly feel unexplainably horny whenever my worst enemy was around?

"Don't!" I chided myself, when my treacherous mind yet again pulled forth swoon-worthy images of him. "Don't go back there. It'll be okay, just think about Chris." And I did... I thought of the loving smile on her beautiful face, the haunted look she started occasionally displaying when she began working here. My eyes darted around the lavish room, seeing it in a whole new light. Adriano made all these riches by taking advantage of weak and helpless people like me and Chris. My gaze on my surroundings turned venomous. All this money was made from innocents' tears and blood! Chris... My poor sister! How could I disregard the injustice done to her and drool over that murderer's looks? No, I can't allow myself to feel like this! The next time I face him, I'll pull forth all the painful memories to control my reactions. And as from tomorrow, I'll be doubling my efforts to quicken my revenge. 

The resolution gave me some strength and I got up from the bed, heading towards the wardrobe. However there wasn't even a piece of clothing in the furniture. I didn't trust Adriano to not try to enter my room at night and take advantage of me, so I was hoping to at least wear something decent for the night. I bet that perverted fucker did this deliberately... And he had the guts to accuse me of trying to seduce him at every turn! Huffing out in frustration, I returned to the bed and reclined down in my bathrobe. I'll just force myself to not sleep for tonight. Anyway there was no way I'll be able to relax enough to succumb to the drowsiness when I'm so close to my worst enemy. I instead directed my thoughts to Chris, replaying endlessly the miseries she went through because of me. I burned the image of her beautiful face through every inch of my brain as a reminder of why I cannot allow Adriano's good looks to cloud my judgement. 

Adriano 

I stormed into my bedroom, slamming the door shut behind me. That woman unnerved me so much! What was more annoying was that I kept falling for her attempts at seducing me. Even now my body burned with desire and I had to hold back from returning to her room to f**k that luscious body until I can quell this arousal she stirred. I instead walked to the adjoining bathroom and turned on the shower making the water freezing cold. I then allowed the low temperature to numb all my senses in hopes that it will also make my lust die down. I closed my eyes, focusing on the water sluicing down my body, trying not to think about the temptress dressed in nothing but a bathrobe. Just a slight tug and I could unravel the sexiest body I have ever seen. I tried not to remember that soft ample chest pressed against me and the way those hard n*****s stabbed at me, begging for attention. Without realizing it, my hand had fisted my erection which was still straining despite the freezing temperature. I stroked myself to images of taking her savagely, of making her scream with pleasure as I ruthlessly plowed into her until she became addicted to every part of me. My lust spiked to peak  heights, the heat in my body rising to such a degree than the freezing water turned hot once it connected with my skin. I came with a groan, painting the glass wall of my shower, imagining it to be her. Stepping out of the water, I placed my hand against the cool surface, my gaze on the newly splashed liquid slowly flowing down, as I tried to catch my breath. I couldn't believe I actually couldn't hold back my lust for her. In my whole life, I had never once felt inclined to do s**t like this. Yet, this girl made me feel like I was back to being a horny teenager who couldn't even control himself. 

Cursing under my breath, I quickly finished my shower, stepping back into my bedroom. My gaze unerringly went to a door off to the side which would give directly to her room. It was the first time that I had allowed someone to stay into this adjoining bedroom. I convinced myself that it was just so I could keep a close watch on her in case she tried anything against me. Not because I wanted to keep her close. However, with my senses now heightened, the temptation of opening that door and going back to her side was too great. With my teeth gritted, I dried my body then clambered onto the bed, hoping my exhaustion would be enough to drag my consciousness towards a much needed sleep. My eyes remained glued to the door leading to Lucia's room throughout, even as I lay in bed, waiting for drowsiness to overtake me. 

Even in my sleep I wasn't spared from the erotic torture as my dreams were plagued with images of holding her, some of the scenes almost romantic while others projecting carnal lust. I woke up the next day with a raging and unrelenting hard-on, her name and alluring face the only thing my mind felt like clinging to. I groggily got up, then headed to the bathroom for another bout of cold shower which inadvertently led to another round of stroking myself to images of her. Damn that beguiling witch! When will this craving for her fade away? As much as I wanted to act on those urges, I didn't trust her enough to allow myself to get close to her. Or maybe it was just me dreading that I might lose myself if I got too deeply involved with her. I hated that my perfectly honed self-control kept slipping around her, the very thought making me tempted to push her away for good. Yet at the same time, I couldn't bring myself to do it.

Once I was dressed, I headed towards her room, unlocking the door which she seemed to have carefully locked from the inside.

"Get your ass off that bed, now." I boomed as soon as I breached the threshold. "We've got lots of..." The words died down in my throat when l laid my eyes on her peaceful sleeping expression. Something stirred in my heart and I found myself unwilling to disturb her fitful slumber, yet unable to pull my gaze away at the same time. A sliver of commonsense then managed to force its way to the fore and I scowled. I didn't do these kind of distantly admiring s**t normally, yet here I was acting like a love-sick fool. I directed my irritation at her for entrancing me even in her sleep. I reached down, grabbing her shoulders, shaking her body violently.

"f*****g get up already!" I shouted.

She moaned in protest, shifting to the side. "Just a minute more, Chris."

My eyes widened, white hot fury like I've never felt before overtaking me. My teeth were gritted so hard, I felt like they might break at any moment. This b***h dared call me by another man's name? Who the f**k was this soon to be dead motherfucker Chris that she would moan his name in her sleep. I gripped the cover which was wrapped securely around her body, then roughly shoved it off of her. However, the sight which was revealed to me caused my breathing to deepen while my whole body turned even more ablaze, though this time with lust.

She had evidently chosen to wear her bathrobe to sleep but the clothing had gotten off of her while she slept. It now merely hung by her shoulders, concealing nothing of her luscious body. I feasted on every inch of this tantalizing display in front of me. My earlier actions had snapped her awake and she blinked several times, still in a muddled state. Frowning, she turned her head to the side, those alluring green eyes connecting to mine. Realization then struck her and in a flash, she had scooted to the other extreme of the bed, wrapping the bathrobe around her and clutching it tightly as if her life depended on it.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She screamed.

Her anger triggered my own. "Who the hell is Chris?" I raged at her.

Her expression morphed to something akin to panic and she tried to scoot even further away from me.