Filed to story: Bring It On My Mafia Life Novel (Rhea & Lukas)
She wasn’t looking for her to start up some loving mother-daughter relationship with her, no, that would never happen again because it was too late for that. After all, her mother could be living a good life somewhere and as cheated and aggrieved and angry as Rhea was at her, she couldn’t ruin that.
Lukas stretched his hand for her to take and as soon as she put her hand in his, he pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her, placing his chin on top of her head because as tall as Rhea was, Lukas still towered over her.
…..
They stayed that way for a while, just wrapped in each other’s arms, enjoying the warmth of their bodies until Rhea asked, “You’re going somewhere?”
“Mmm hmm, duty calls,” Lukas answered and Rhea pulled away so that she could look into his eyes with questioning looks.
“Don’t worry, it’s not dangerous, just a few meetings with my clients and I’ll be home to spend the rest of the day with you, amore,” He kissed the top of her head and her heart missed a bit. Gah, this teenage love, Rhea blushed red.
Looking away from him, she took in his appearance and as usual, Lukas was dressed in his designer shirt and jeans, but her brows slightly furrowed when she found out that the top buttons were opened, revealing his bronze chest and his firm chest. As the young leader of the crime family, Lukas always worked out and kept himself in shape and Rhea liked to trail her hands down those hard biceps.
“These clients…” Rhea started, her words coated with an emotion that Lukas was trying to get a grasp on,
“Are they men or women?” She asked, her hands fingering the lapels of his shirt.
That was it, she was jealous, Lukas found out and for some reason, the thought pleased him. The fact that Rhea was jealous meant that she was afraid to lose him, right? So he decided to tease her a little.
Lukas had a thoughtful look on his face when he said, “I didn’t ask around but I think I have an appointment with -“
Rhea didn’t even wait around for Lukas to finish the rest of his statement before she literally growled, and began to button up the rest of his shirt right up to the top button. Clara was already giving her a big headache, what if a more powerful client falls for Lukas this time?
Instead of kidnapping his sister Chloe, what if the woman gets so obsessed with Lukas to the point that she seduces him and they have a child together? Can she be able to endure that? Would she spend the rest of her days chasing off Lukas’s admirers? That seems like a lot of headaches.
Knowing Daniel, he would no doubt have the both of them get married especially if she comes from a powerful background unlike her. Now that she thought about it, Rhea realized that she and Lukas were not in the same league. If Lukas had gone through the proper way, the both of them wouldn’t be together.
Lukas was from a powerful crime family and needed to marry someone of the same standing – and she was not that person. Sure, she had a few grand in her trust fund that would come into her acquisition a year later, but she has no standing, no connection, no supporters. In one word, she was ordinary.
“I like it when you’re possessive,” Lukas said, nuzzling his face into her neck and deeply inhaling her scent. If Rhea was a drug, then he would happily have her every day.
Rhea sighed, rousing from her thoughts. She tilted her head to the side, giving him more access as Lukas began to pepper her neck with kisses and made her shiver.
“I wish I could spend the rest of the day with you,” Lukas murmured into her skin before pushing himself back with a lot of willpower.
“We could have a quickie,” Rhea couldn’t even believe that she was the one suggesting that. What was happening to her?
“I would love to, however, you’re too tempting and I don’t trust myself around you. So till I return home, sweetheart,” He said with a hint of dark promise that made color rise to her cheeks.
And just like that, Rhea let him go.
Holding Something Over Him
“You can be assured Mr. Altair that your goods would arrive safely across the border without a hitch and on time. Thank you for doing business with us,” Lukas assured his last client of the day.
“Of course, I trust the Luciano family and their capability,” The man said, the both of them standing up to their feet and shaking hands as they sealed their deal. As soon as Mr. Altair left, Lukas slumped back to the seat with a sigh. He was exhausted yet the thought of going home filled him with energy.
Home? Lukas had never considered the base as home since he had properties scattered across the country and abroad that saw to his need whenever he traveled. As a crime lord and a criminal, he had to be careful with his dealing, and that included his location as well.
Hotels that didn’t belong to his family were quite risky since his enemies could spy on his activities and assassinate him or even set him up and serve him like breakfast for the FBI. Even with his family’s hotel, he still had to be cautious of his relatives. ‘A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household’, the Bible didn’t lie about that part.
His relatives were not brave enough to challenge him face to face for the leadership position, hence they would find sly means to bring him down. Unfortunately for them, Lukas was not shy about dealing with them and they should have learned from the past already.
In one word, Lukas was not specifically attached to any of the houses until Rhea came around and he began to consider the base a home because of her. Unlike Daniel who destroyed the house, he grew up in after his mother died just so he could destroy any emotional attachment he had for her. His mother’s death almost destroyed him and Daniel didn’t want his legacy to be a pussy.
According to him, emotions made one weak. However, Lukas knew otherwise, emotions didn’t make one weak, if anything, they made them stronger. Because he swore to God, if anyone dared to touch a hair on Rhea, he would chase them down to the end of the earth and destroy them even down to the third generation.
The third generation code was previously used in the Mafia and long abandoned because of its unfairness, flaw, and cruelty, but for the sake of Rhea, he wouldn’t mind activating it. Thinking about it now, Lukas felt the sudden itch to go home to Rhea which was strange. However, he remembered that Rhea could be pregnant for him and women in that condition craved love and attention, right? Was that why she was suddenly clingy in the morning?
Shit.
…..
Lukas cursed.
How could he have forgotten about that? However, Lukas needed to look into her request for a job which meant going to his clubs and making the arrangements.
But then, if Rhea was indeed pregnant with his child, that means no dancing. Not while he was alive and she was with his, no, their child. He would pamper till she was done with the child’s delivery. Then maybe after a year, or two, or three of childbirth, then she can take up dancing, right? Or maybe never.
Why does she even need to work when he has more than enough money that Rhea could squander all she wants? But Lukas knew that he couldn’t convince her to stop working, not if he didn’t want a war on his hands. Because sometimes, it seems like a dream that he and Rhea were together after the uncountable times they butted heads. Rhea was so damn stubborn.
Fine, he’d go home later, Lukas decided to ignore the strange feeling he was getting. He would get Rhea the job first and announce it to her later as a surprise – she would be overjoyed. Having made up his mind, Lukas reached out to grasp the bottled water on the table in front of him only for his hand to mistakenly knock it down and the water spilled to the ground.
Lukas bent to pick the can up while one of the staff came around to wipe off the water, but it was at that moment that he froze as if something struck his mind. Lukas was not a superstitious believer but at that moment, he sensed deep within him that something was not right, call it a gut feeling or something.
Was it Mimi and Winters? Did something go wrong with their mission? His mind wandered over to them instantly since both of them were the ones likely in harm’s way. But then, if that was the case, Victor would have called him already. Although Mimi and Winters were not to do anything except search for Chloe, in case their identities were compromised and their purpose discovered, Victor was the backup until he arrived.
But things shouldn’t go wrong unless Mimi went against his wish and tried to bring back Chloe forcefully. Damn, he warned her against that! Lukas was just about to call his cousin when his phone’s screen lit up instead and it was Victor calling him instead. As if that was not enough, his other phone flashed at the same time and his stomach sank, Lukas knew instantly that something happened.
Without a second thought, Lukas picked up his cousin’s call, asking immediately, “Tell me what’s happened?”
Victor retorted instead, “I should be the one asking what you did to provoke your father?”
“What?” Lukas was confused. What was Victor talking about?
“Your wedding card is all over the place with the date printed on Sunday, which is fucking tomorrow! Is there something you’re not telling me?” Victor announced and Lukas felt like all the air was knocked out of his lungs.
He didn’t even hear whatever else Victor was talking about because he was lost in his own thoughts. At that moment, it crossed his mind that Daniel would only print those cards if he was sure of holding something over him.
It dawned on Lukas,
Rhea.
Shit.
The Devil Staring At Her
Rhea was bored at the base, but the loneliness multiplied the moment Lukas left for his job. There was no Mimi to gossip with and Winters to annoy because they had each gone on their mission as well. Even Victor, who she could bother for more details on Lukas’s past, was away to help the girls in their mission in case things go wrong. To make it worse, Beatrice was on leave, she wanted to spend more time with her family since becoming a grandmother and Rhea was not close to any other staff in the house but her.