Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

S ofia

I finished the last sip of my coffee, savoring the warmth and flavor as it spread over my tongue. The breakfast put in front of me was more than I could ever eat, and the chef still seemed to be making something else, but I didn't pay much attention as to what, because I couldn't even think about stomaching another bite.

I glanced down at myself, still wearing nothing but Massimo's oversized button-up shirt. It hung loosely on my frame, barely reaching mid-thigh. Embarrassed, I blushed thinking about how I was wearing nothing underneath, but somehow, I still felt warm and cared for, because it was exactly how he wanted me to be.

Because he liked me this way.

As if on cue, the door to the kitchen opened, and in walked two men, two perfect strangers. I rushed to pull my shirt down, ensuring that it covered as much of my body as it could. I almost squeaked in surprise, but luckily, I swallowed it back before I made a sound.

One of the men was built like a mountain. He was tall, extremely muscular, and broad-shouldered with a commanding presence, like a cage fighter or some sort of bodyguard, while the other had a leaner build and piercing green eyes, but an equally imposing aura about him. They paused when they saw me, and I felt a blush creep up my cheeks.

Oh, my God. Please let the shirt not be see-through…

"Well, well, well," the taller one said with a grin, "the boss never brings a lady home, let alone has one stay the night. You must be someone really special."

I felt my face flush even more. "I—uh, I'm Sofia."

The other man chuckled. "I'm Leo, the boss's consigliere. And this is Stefano, his chief enforcer."

Stefano nodded, a playful smile on his lips. "Nice to meet you, Sofia. It's not every day we see someone wearing the boss's shirt. He must really like you."

If I hadn't been so embarrassed, I would have liked his teasing nature, but right now I just wanted a black hole to open up beneath my feet and swallow me whole.

My cheeks were on fire now. There would be no coming back from this. I prayed that they wouldn't know that I was naked underneath this shirt.

"Nice to meet you both too," I stammered.

Leo tilted his head, scrutinizing me a bit more closely. "You look familiar. Do we know you from somewhere? Have you been around the estate before?"

I hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell them the truth. Would they know my father? Was he that caught up in all of this?

"No, I haven't been here before, but you may know my father. I'm Marco De Luca's daughter," I explained.

Both men's eyes widened in recognition, and I shifted a bit uncomfortably in my seat. It felt strange to be in a world that my father was more than familiar with that was still entirely foreign to me, not to mention more than a little dangerous.

Stefano let out a low whistle. "Marco De Luca's daughter, huh?"

Leo nodded, his expression softening. "Your father is a good man. We're sorry for the trouble he's in right now."

"Thank you," I said, feeling a mixture of pride and anxiety. "I appreciate that."

I stood up, feeling the hem of the shirt lift slightly, and quickly tugged it down. "If you'll excuse me, I should get dressed."

They both nodded, still wearing those annoyingly knowing smiles.

"Of course," Leo said. "We'll be here if you need anything."

I hurried out of the kitchen and made my way upstairs, my heart pounding like a drum in my chest. As I entered Massimo's master bedroom, I paused, taking a moment to steady myself. The closet door was slightly ajar, and I could see a glimpse of what lay inside.

When I opened the door the rest of the way, I saw that half of the closet was filled with my things—clothes, shoes, accessories—all neatly organized. I'm not sure how he managed it, but I hadn't heard a thing while we were eating breakfast. His men must have come in another entrance with my belongings or something. I didn't know how it had all taken place, but it was a relief to see all of my familiar shirts, pants, skirts, dresses, and shoes.

It felt like a little piece of home in this strange new world.

I strode forward, reaching for one of my favorite dresses and quickly changing into it. I blushed again when I remembered Massimo's directive.

To be a good girl or a bad one…

Decisions, decisions.

As much as I wanted to play with him though, my ass still felt a little sore from the spanking over his knee yesterday, and the threat of his belt was enough to make me think twice about disobeying him again, although there was a deep part of me that was more than a tiny bit intrigued. Surprised at myself, I shook my head. Who'd want a man to hold her down and take a belt to her ass before he fucked her?

That was crazy. I was crazy. All of this was crazy.

With a deep sigh of discontent, I decided to explore what was likely my new home for the time being. I stepped out of the bedroom and walked down the grand hallway. The opulence of the place was overwhelming, with its marble floors, beautiful handmade tapestries, and priceless artwork displayed all over the walls.

I even stopped to take in the massive vineyard through one of the many oversized windows, enjoying the view and marveling at the vast expanse Massimo's estate encompassed. I wandered through the rooms, each one more luxurious than the last, until I found myself in a small office.

The room was tastefully decorated, with a large wooden desk at its center and bookshelves lining the walls. A computer with a massive monitor facing away from the door sat on the desk, and I felt a surge of curiosity.

This was my chance to learn more about Massimo, to know more about the man who had taken my virginity in the shower just last night.

I blushed at the thought, pressing my thighs together knowingly. I felt different, lighter, and I drew my lower lip in between my teeth as I stared at the computer.

Yeah. I was going to do this.

I closed the door behind me and approached the desk, sitting down in the plush leather chair. The computer was already on, and I quickly navigated to an internet browser.

Taking a deep breath, I typed ‘Massimo Sartori' into the search bar and hit enter. I didn't know what I would find, but I needed to know more, needed to know what kind of world I was being thrust into.

At first, the search results were overwhelming. I clicked on one of the more reliable-looking links, a news article detailing his rise to power. As I read, I learned about his various enterprises—nightclubs, casinos, real estate ventures, exports including olive oil and wine, and much more. He was a major player in the business world, his influence extending far beyond Florence and even past my home country of Italy.

I continued reading, this time focusing more on his personal life than his professional one. There were very few mentions of any romantic relationships, practically none to be honest, which made the comments from Leo and Stefano earlier all the more significant.

Did that mean I meant something to him, or was this all just because of my father? Would he throw me aside the second my father was free from danger? Was there something between us, or was I just looking into things too much like I always did?

I didn't have any answers to my questions though, and despite my perusal of the internet, I didn't really find any either.

So I kept searching, this time about his criminal empire. He'd told me he was a mob boss, but what did that really mean?

As hard as I tried though, I couldn't find anything that spoke to him being a mafia boss, no illegal operations, not even a hint or a whisper that this man was involved in organized crime. I pored over forums and news sites, but I found nothing.

I leaned back in the chair, my mind racing. This was the man my father had trusted, the man who now held my fate in his hands. Could I trust him too?

Just then, I heard footsteps approaching the door. I quickly closed the browser and stood up, trying to compose myself and pretend like I wasn't just doing what I was doing. The door opened, and Massimo walked in, his presence filling the room.

"Sofia," he said, a hint of surprise in his voice. "I see you've found the office."

I nodded, my heart pounding. "Yes, I was just exploring the estate. It's… impressive."

He smiled, closing the distance between us. "I'm glad you like it. Can I help you find anything?"

I hesitated, taking a deep breath. Maybe I should be honest. He hadn't seemed to want to hide anything from me before, so maybe I would actually get somewhere asking him about everything rather than searching the internet for information about him. And even if I did want to hide it, I hadn't thought to delete my search history till now, so chances were he was going to find out anyway.

"Actually, I was trying to find some information about you."