The Italian Read online T.L. Swan

Categories Genre: Angst, Romance Tags Authors:
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Total pages in book: 163
Estimated words: 163540 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 818(@200wpm)___ 654(@250wpm)___ 545(@300wpm)
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They laugh again, thinking this is the funniest thing that they have ever heard. It’s annoying that the thought of him being fat and pig like is so amusing to these two. I hate that he’s so damn gorgeous. I want what’s on the inside. I couldn’t care less about his fancy packaging, and I’m not even joking. I really do wish he was a podgy delivery driver because then we could have a normal life.

My phone rings.

“Excuse me for a moment,” I say to them before answering. “Hello.”

Enrico

I watch Olivia answer the phone. She begins to write in her diary, and a smile crosses my face.

“Oh, Rico,” Giorgio whispers. “Look at you.” He grabs me by the elbows and inspects my face. “Happiness suits you, my friend.”

I glance back at Olivia still on the phone. I find it hard to look anywhere else. “What are you doing this afternoon?” I whisper to Giorgio.

Giorgio frowns. “Why?”

“I want to go shopping. Olivia needs a new wardrobe and I could use your help.”

Giorgio clasps his hands together. “She does. I’ll cross myself off for the afternoon.”

“Meet me in the foyer in ten minutes?”

Giorgio winks and blows Olivia a kiss. She gives him a wave, and he disappears out the door.

“Goodbye,” she says, ending her call.

Her eyes find me again. I close her office door and take her in my arms.

“Rico,” she whispers. “I’m at work.”

“I know.” My lips drop to her neck. “But, as the delivery driver, I didn’t get a signature yet.” I take her lips in mine, my tongue slowly sliding through her mouth. I feel my arousal begin to flutter.

She pulls back from my kiss. “Rico, not now.”

I smile and give her behind a hard squeeze. “It has come to my attention that delivery drivers are seriously underpaid and underfucked. Where is my motivation to deliver more packages?”

She giggles. “Well, one would hope that you don’t expect sex for every parcel you deliver. What kind of delivery man are you? Go home, I’ll see you tonight.”

With one last kiss, I turn toward the door.

“Rici.” I turn back and stare into her eyes. “Ti amo.” She smiles.

My heart somersaults, and I move to take her back in my arms. “Let’s go home now,” I breathe.

“No, I’m working.”

“Resign, you don’t have to work here.” I kiss her again.

“You are an awfully distracting delivery driver.”

I stare down at my beautiful girl, she brings me a happiness that I never knew was possible.

I kiss her one more time. “Until tonight, my love.”

I walk down the corridor toward the elevators and my phone rings. It’s Sergio. He’s in Sicily.

“Hey,” I answer.

“We’ve got a problem.”

I roll my eyes. I don’t need this shit today. “What is it?”

“Lombardi has been going around town stating that he owns Sicily and Roma now—that he has run Ferrara out. He’s boasting that we have retracted with our tails between our legs. People are beginning to stop and take notice of him. His cocaine is top quality.”

I exhale heavily. “We know that’s not true, don’t we?”

“My intel tells me that he’s coming to Milan.”

“Why?”

“He wants our brothels. He’s coming to scope them out.”

“I won’t let that happen.”

“We need to take back the blow, Enrico.”

“No.” I feel my anger rise. We have been arguing about drugs for months.

“We need the cocaine market. We cannot pick and choose what we own. We either own everything, or we have nothing. You know that it’s only matter of time before he becomes so powerful that nothing will stand in his way. He has five hundred men on his team now, and that number is growing every day. If he gets even more power, if he takes the reigns, we know what happens next.”

I clench my jaw.

“What happened last time when someone became power hungry, Enrico? What happened when they tried to take the crown?”

I close my eyes.

My father was killed in cold blood.

“I’m not a drug dealer, Sergio. I will never be a lowlife fucking drug dealer,” I whisper angrily.

“Ferrara has fought for thirty fucking years to hold our territory, and now you are going to just let them waltz in and take it without a fight?” he growls.

“We are smarter than that.”

“You are not being smart. You need to fucking level up, Enrico. Our girls are living in fear of him coming into our brothels. We have all but handed him our cocaine racket. What’s next? The gambling? Then what? Then what’s he going to fucking take?”

I clench my jaw as I stare at the wall. “Barr him.”

“What?”

“He and his staff are not to step foot in our brothels or gaming lounges again.”

“He’ll go crazy. His favorite girl is one of our high-end units. He won’t not see her without a fight. You’ll start an all-out war.”

“Then we go to war.”

I sit in the parking bay outside Olivia’s office.


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