Married to the Mafia Boss

Shirley

I’m about to walk into the dining room the morning after I arrive when I spot Dominic coming through the front door.

“Dom-Dom,” I declare, rushing to hug him.

“Little Shirls,” he gushes. “How’s the West Coast treating you?” He hugs me tightly and then lets me go.

“Are you here for breakfast?” I ask.

“Kinda,” he grins. “I’m taking you out for breakfast. I want to catch up. I’ve cleared it with everyone, so grab what you need, and let’s get going.”

“Bistro?” I ask with a grin.

He nods. “You know it.”

I grab my purse and sunglasses and follow him out to his car. I slip into the passenger side and buckle in. As we pull off, I glance around the area, pensive.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Dominic asks.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just checking out the neighborhood,” I comment.

We arrive at the bistro, and Dominic opens my door for me. I flash him a mischievous grin. “Thank you, kind sir.”

I breathe in that rough New York air, masked slightly by the delicious food smells wafting out of the family bistro. We walk inside, and I see Kira standing just outside the kitchen, talking to the hostess. She sees me, and her face lights up. She hurries over and gives me a tight hug. “Shirls! I’m so happy to see you.”

“You look fabulous, Kira. Being a married mom-chef suits you.” I kiss both her cheeks.

Kira walks with us to our private section. “I can’t stay long. I’m on the morning shift.”

“Always running around, just like when we were growing up,” Dominic teases. “Especially when it was to rescue Shirley and Pierce.”

I shake my head. “When the mafia family is more stable and sane than your own family, you should know how bad it is.”

The three of us chuckle before Kira says, “We must make a plan to have a big family lunch and get everyone to come.”

I wave her off. “I don’t want a fuss made just because I’m visiting.”

“You’re family. I’m going to make it happen,” Kira says sternly, using a very ‘mom’ voice.

She hurries off when someone calls her back to the kitchen, and Dominic orders two cappuccinos.

“So, you’re going for Staten Island.”

It wasn’t a question.

“Yes,” I smile confidently. “I’m sure I can outbid anything the other families throw our way.”

“Well, once you win, you will have to return to the West Coast and let Pierce come over because everyone here is too busy to run that operation,” he picks at the breadsticks as we speak.

“I prefer the West Coast,” I say as casually as I can. I would never admit that I prefer it because I want to be as far away from Evgenii as possible. I look out the window, my thoughts drifting.

“You okay?” Dominic touches my hand lightly.

I beam at him. “Never better.”

A Few Years Prior

I sit on the sand next to Ariana, Vittoria, and Bella. The four of us have decided to kick off my twenty-first birthday celebrations with a day of drinking cocktails on the beach before we go out later.

Ariana and Vittoria are on their fronts, tanning their backs. Ariana has fallen asleep, while Tori has her nose stuck in a book. Bella and I stare at the ocean from where we’ve laid down our towels, laughing at each other’s jibes.

A shadow falls across our bodies, and I shield my eyes to look up at a handsome older man. His hair has just started to grey in areas, making him more dashing. He looks foreign and enticing, or maybe that’s the drinks talking.

“Afternoon, ladies. I was just wondering if my friends and I could join you?” he sweeps his hand behind him. We all look that way to see four friends wave at us.

We go quiet and then burst into laughter before I take over the situation. “I’m sorry, this is a private birthday party.”

His smile doesn’t fade as he nods. “Understood, we won’t push. Who is the lucky birthday girl?”

My traitorous friends all point at me and start laughing.

“Can I at least know your name? And maybe your number?” He grins. I can see he knows he is charming, which is exciting. I love a man with confidence.

“My name is Shirley, but I’m not going to give you my number.” I try not to blush. I’ve been working on maintaining composure since I started working for Alessandro, but it’s so hard after a few drinks.

“Well, Shirley, I am Evgenii, and it’s a pleasure to meet you,” he holds out his hand, and I offer mine. He leans down and brushes his lips against my fingers, almost triggering a shy giggle.

“You know what?” Ariana sits up. “Why don’t you join us after all? The more, the merrier!”

I glance at her wide-eyed, but Evgenii claps his hands and waves his friends over. “Wonderful. Perhaps Miss Shirley can tell me more about herself.”

As we laze on the beach, now in a much larger group, Evgenii and I talk about each other. It’s as though we are separate from the others in our own space, and physically we’re just encroaching further and further into each other’s space.

When it’s time to leave, Evgenii walks us to the parking lot, where a driver is going to pick us up. My girls seem to be putting on a united front because they conveniently walk ahead, leaving me alone with Evgenii. He’s old enough to be my dad, and the fact that he’s interested in me just drives me wild.

“I hope you enjoy the rest of your birthday,” he says quietly, standing before me.

I look up at him with bright wide eyes. “Can we see each other again sometime?”

He slips a card into my hand and then uses his other hand to hold my chin, tilting it up. He leans forward slowly, and I can smell his earthy aftershave and the beer he’s been drinking. Our lips meet, and I know instantly that this is fate.

My eyes flutter closed as he wraps his arm around me and pulls me against him, kissing me deeply.

When we part, he chuckles. “Call me if you want to see me again.”

I’m still dazed by the kiss, so I awkwardly wave goodbye. When I return to the girls, they all squeal and tease, but I’m so excited.

Evgenii is simply perfect.

Present Day

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t even notice Dominic had ordered the full breakfast for both of us. I sip my lukewarm coffee and pull a face. “Sorry. I was distracted.”

“I noticed,” he teased, picking up his cutlery and tucking into his food.

I start to cut up my sausages and bacon, then set my knife and fork down and look at Dominic seriously. “I’m going to tell you something. Hear me out.”

“Is this about the bid?” he asks, his hand pausing its trip to his mouth.

I nod. “Kind of. I want to scope out what the competition is bidding to make sure we win, and I think I’m going to have to do a bit of digging.”

“We’ve got people who do that for us,” he says, finally eating his waiting egg and sausage.

“Yes, but I prefer to dig into it myself. There are things that other people won’t know to look for.”

“Okay, so how are you going to do that?” he asks.

“By spending some time with who will probably be our biggest competition,” I say casually.

Dominic frowns. His forehead furrows when he does this. Then he sighs. “Are you talking about the Volkovs?”

“Evgenii is the one making the bid. We have a connection that I can use to Sorvino’s advantage. I could find out what he’s planning, slip him false information about what I’m thinking, and then, before Ivan Volkov knows it, we own Staten Island.” I grin, nodding with a sense of finality as though this is the best plan ever because, well, it is.

Dominic shakes his head as he talks around his food, “That isn’t a good idea, Shirls. You remember what happened the last time you got mixed up with the Russians. Alessandro will not like this idea at all.”

“I’m not a naive little girl anymore, Dom. This time I know what I’m dealing with and who I’m dealing with. You know I would never do anything to betray our family,” I insist, trying to keep it professional and my emotion out of it.Property © NôvelDrama.Org.

We finish our food, and Dominic wipes his mouth on a napkin. “Shirls, I trust you more than anyone else. You know that. You are family. You have always been since that day we came and got you. But I don’t want you to get hurt by doing something you might not be able to handle.”

I nod as though I agree with him, then finish my coffee. “I acknowledge your fears, but I’ve got this, Dom. Watch, you won’t believe how I play the little Russian playboy at his own game. Trust me, okay?”

Dominic sighs and nods. “I do. If you need me, just call.”

I smile warmly, and we get up, stopping to say goodbye to Kira as we leave the bistro. I have many happy memories here and one or two not-so-happy ones.

Dominic drives us back to the estate, and as soon as I’m inside, I go to my makeshift office on the second floor. I scroll through my blocked contacts and see Evgenii’s name. I hope that his number hasn’t changed. I unblock him. Long ago, I cleared all messages from him as I just wanted to forget he existed, and now I’m willingly putting myself back in his crosshairs.

He has no idea what he’s in for.