Undressed By The Mafia God-Chapter 118: You’re So Tense

When her fingers brushed against his arousal beneath the warmth, her pulse quickened.

Satisfaction flickered quietly across her face. Even exhausted. Even burdened. His body responded.

He still wanted her.

She let her touch linger just enough to confirm it before continuing the careful wash of his thighs.

In her mind, a single thought bloomed with fierce certainty.

Fuck the New York girl.

No matter what happened across oceans, no matter what temptations brushed against him in foreign cities, he returned here.

To Vienna.

To this house.

To her.

"You’re so tense, Luciano. You should relax. You’re home now. With me." She let the loofah slip from her fingers, abandoning pretense, and allowed her hands to glide through the water toward his cock. Her touch was no longer cautious. She traced his cock slowly, teasing, reminding him that beneath the weight of legacy and violence, he was still a man with a body that should answer to her.

She leaned closer, her hair brushing his shoulder, her breath warm against his skin.

Luca allowed himself to feel it. The heat. The softness. The simplicity of surrendering to the moment.

Then the tension returned.

"Go dress up for dinner," he said abruptly, sitting up in the bath. Water cascaded down his chest as he shifted, breaking the spell as cleanly as a snapped thread. "I’m famished."

"Of course." She lowered her head and kissed him hard, lips pressing against his with urgency that bordered on desperation. A reminder that she was here. That she was willing. That she was his.

When she pulled away, she rose gracefully from her kneeling position and walked out of the bathroom with careful poise.

Luca watched her go.

The curve of her hips. The silent pride in her stride. The devotion he could neither fully embrace nor reject.

He dragged a hand through his damp hair and exhaled sharply. "Well, fuck," he muttered under his breath. He sank back into the bath, staring at the ceiling as steam curled upward. He would have to buy Veronica the moon in exchange for this.

*****

Meanwhile, across an ocean, New York breathed differently.

Veronica sat in the shop.

Luca had sent a text when he landed.

’Arrived.’ 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

That was all.

She understood the rules. He had explained it to her in detail.

"You’ll barely hear from me," he had warned.

Phones could be tapped. Conversations could be monitored. Walls could grow ears if the wrong technician was paid enough.

Luca had drilled it into her patiently, repeatedly. Sensitive conversations must be had in a controlled environment.

"Arent you leaving yet?" Rosa asked, wiping her hands on a towel as she eyed Veronica with mild surprise.

It was past her closing time. There were still no walk in customers and Tony was in charge of delivery. There was no need for her to still be there.

"Uh... uhm... soon," Veronica replied, snapping back from wherever her mind had drifted. "Rosa? A minute?"

Rosa raised a brow but leaned her hip against the counter, giving her full attention.

"I would like you to come shopping with me tomorrow," Veronica said. "I need to get a few things for the shop. Valentina can fill in for you while we’re away."

"Of course," Rosa said immediately. "What things?"

"A lot of things," she said. Her lips curved. "See, I have this black card, and I want to use spending as a form of punishment."

Understanding dawned quickly.

Rosa knew exactly who the punishment was meant for.

Sweet Veronica Scalese tangled up with Luciano Genovese. A name that did not belong in Sunday church pews. A name that carried weight in rooms Veronica would never see.

Rosa did not know the details. She did not ask for them. But she knew the dynamic was strange. Unbalanced. Dangerous in ways that had nothing to do with physical harm.

It sounded forbidden when said out loud. Veronica and Luciano. Like two stories stitched together from different books.

And yet.

Rosa had watched Veronica glow. Watched her laugh more easily. Watched her eyes soften when her phone lit up with his name.

"Creative," Rosa said finally, a grin tugging at her mouth. "I must say. Spend him into submission." She chuckled.

Veronica gave a small laugh in return.

It sounded light, but it cracked slightly at the edges.

"Exactly," she said. "If I can’t be mad at him, I’ll bill him."

New ovens for the shop. A new espresso machine Rosa had been eyeing for months. Maybe even renovations. She would swipe the card and imagine each transaction as a silent protest.

Rosa sighed dramatically. "Listen," she said, lowering her voice. "If you really want to punish this person, we could stop by an adult store too. There are diverse tools and equipment meant to effectively punish a man and make him enjoy it at the same time." She winked, entirely too pleased with herself, then waved goodbye and disappeared out the shop.

Veronica sat frozen. Her mouth dropped open.

Rosa?

A slow heat crept up Veronica’s neck.

She did not know whether to laugh or gasp. The suggestion lingered in the air long after Rosa had left, bold and shameless and unexpectedly tempting. Her fingers instinctively wrapped around the bracelet at her wrist. She wondered what he was doing at that exact moment.

Was he with her? With his wife?

Were they in bed already?

She looked back toward the entrance where Rosa had just exited.

Punishment was absolutely in order.

But If she was going to play this game, she had to learn the rules properly.

Quickly, she moved. She packed her bag, cleared her desk.

Tomorrow, she would shop and educate herself.

*****

Luca finally rose from the bath.

Water slid down his body as he stepped out. He grabbed a thick white towel from the hanger and wrapped it low around his hips.

The warmth had relaxed his muscles, but not his mind.

When he stepped into the bedroom, Bianca was waiting.

Dressed for dinner.

Perfection once again. Loud elegance. Diamonds rested at her throat. Her makeup had been touched up, lips freshly colored, eyes subtly darkened. Not a strand of hair out of place.

(I did something stupid. See Author’s note.)