Conquered by the Mafia Boss

“We don’t have to see Johnny. Just tell him I agreed to it.”

Suspicion knits his eyebrows together as he walks to his closet and yanks out a fresh suit. He stares at me while shoving his legs through the slacks.

“We have to go see him.”

I’m speechless as he finishes dressing, clearly oblivious to the fact that my limbs are shaking.

I follow him to the bathroom, where he’s tucking in his shirt and running a comb haphazardly through his hair. His eyes find mine through the mirror.

“Please, Jack. I’m scared of him.”

His expression doesn’t change. “You should be. He’s the devil.”

The drive to Le Zinc, Johnny’s notorious hangout, is torturous. Jack couldn’t care less about me, so all I can do is clench my thighs and try to will myself to not be such a fucking coward.

Jack keeps shooting me glances filled with contempt.

“He’s not going to touch you. If anything, he’ll kill me. Stop being such a baby.”

Small fucking comfort.

“Stop being such a jerk.”

The car explodes with his laughter. It’s so startling that I jump in my seat, and I look over incredulously to see him grinning from ear to ear.

“Bridget-”

“Beatrice!”

He smiles at me. “Beatrice, you’re overreacting. He’s not that bad.”

I dig my nails into my knees. “You didn’t get a charred corpse at the doorstep of your home. You didn’t see it-”

His tone turns nasty. “Spare me, okay? I don’t care about your beloved biker asshole. I don’t want to hear about it!”

He’s such a goddamn prick.

This is what my life is resigned to, I guess. Endless spats with a man who just wants to use me for my body. Seriously-he said it to my face.

I try to hold it together and then he stops his car a block from the restaurant. He turns off the engine and gets out of the car without a second glance, but I’m frozen in my seat. Sharp raps against the glass startle me and then he opens the door, a dark glare on his face.

“Let’s go. I don’t have time for this shit.”

Calm the fuck down.

But I can’t. The pressure between my eyes keeps building up. My life is a goddamn mess, and I’ve jumped into bed with a man who hates me. Who has a monster for a boss. My eyes burn and I keep them closed. My hands balls into fists. I dig my fucking nails into my skin.

I feel him reach across to unbuckle my safety belt.

“Please, Jack.”

He relents, letting out a sigh. “Fearing men like John is pointless, sweetheart. If he wants you dead, you’re dead. There’s nothing you can do about it. Nothing.”

His hand lifts to my face and gently wipes away my tears. It’s the first time he’s done anything remotely nice to me. Somehow that makes me well up.

“On my life, nothing will happen to you.”

Like that means anything, coming from you.

I slide my hand into his and he helps me up, closing the car door behind me.

“It’ll be fine.”

Jack rubs my back briefly and then steps away, because his compassion has limits, I guess.

Le Zinc is a trendy place smack-dab in the hipster region of Montreal. Pristine white tablecloths cover every surface. Women in black cocktail dresses and pumps sit across from their dates in full view of the wide glass. Somewhere in that dark restaurant Johnny sits, surrounded by his entourage.

Jack grabs my upper arm, my skin tingling with electricity as he brings me close. It’s as if he fears I’ll turn tail and run. The hostess opens the door and nods at Jack, clearly recognizing him.This belongs © NôvelDra/ma.Org.

“Bienvenue, Jack.”

“Bonsoir. Same place?” The hostess wears a floor-length glittering gown with thousands of black sequins. I’m horribly out of place in my knee-high boots and jeans.

His hand falls from my arm and I immediately miss it. Blood roars in my ears, the sound of the restaurant deafening. It’s packed with people, which makes me feel a hell of a lot better.

Jack leads me away from the noise to a private room enclosed in glass. There he is, sitting at the far end of a long table with all of his captains. My heart squeezes with a sudden thrill when I see Maya, to his right. She cradles a baby in her arms. For a moment I stand there, watching the scene. Johnny’s face cracks with a handsome, incredibly warm grin as the baby returns a heart-melting smile. He leans over and gives the baby a peck and then he grabs the back of Maya’s neck and gives her a long, lingering kiss. She glows at him. God, they look happy. In love. It’s way more than I hoped for.

“Come on.”

Jack’s voice snaps me out of my trance and I follow him as he opens the door.

Oh fucking hell. I don’t want to be here.

A dozen or so men look up from their meals and stare at me with bored expressions, except Johnny, who stands up from the table with a grin that reminds me of sharks.

“Johnny, sorry to disturb your supper.”

He moves past me, leaving me at the far end of the table as he greets his boss with a kiss on both cheeks. Then he looks down the table at me and spreads his hands slightly.

Fine.

Stiffly I move down the table and Maya recognizes me, standing up with her baby.

“Beatrice!”