The Mafia’s Wanted Desires

ASHLEY

I was a little skeptical about my dress. I mean, I didn’t know what he would think about it. Was it appropriate for where he was taking me? What if he thinks it makes me look fat? But then, I loved the dress. The thick brown material pressed firmly against my body like a second skin. It accentuated my curves and highlighted the shade of my skin. It was a long-sleeved dress that stopped little inches before my knees. The plunging neckline exposed a little cleavage, cupping my bosom perfectly.

I had my hair tucked securely in a sleek low bun, highlighting my look with soft makeup. My lips were coated in a dark red lipstick that made my lips appear fuller. My entire look screamed daring at a glance, but I loved it. I paired the dress with a pair of stunning nude stilettos. I smoothened my palm over my sleek hair, sighing a little, then picked up my perfume and sprayed the sides of my neck and my wrists.

If he doesn’t like it, I could always change it.

‘He’s not Adam.’

My subconscious reminded me.

Not wanting to dwell on that thought, I picked up my nude bag and stepped out of the closet. My eyes met his frame that was seated on the edge of the bed, tapping away on his phone. He looked dapper in his crisp navy shirt that was tucked in black slacks. No shit, that man looked like he was made for the runway.

I cleared my throat to signal him of my presence. He looked up from his phone, his eyes anchoring on my lithe frame. Those green eyes did a slow crawl over my body and I watched him tuck his lips in between his teeth. He got up from the bed, striding over to where I stood. He closed in on me, his arm snaking around my waist and he tugged me forward, eliciting a gasp from me.

“I meant it when I said you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.” He professed, his eyes steadily on mine. He didn’t shy away from my gaze. He wanted me to see what I did to him. He wanted me to see how I made him feel and I did see it because it had butterflies erupting in the pit of my stomach.

He brought one of his hands to my face, grazing my cheek with the pad of his thumb. My eyes caught the diamond band on his finger and I couldn’t hide my surprise. My palm came over his hand and I looked up to face him.

“Your ring…” My voice trailed off, coated in surprise.

“You are still wearing it,” I noted, and those thick dark brows drew together in confusion.

“Did you think I would take it off?” He queried and I swallowed, unable to come up with an answer, “Or you think I would stop wearing it because I am a crime lord?” He scoffed.

“It’s a symbol of my faithfulness and loyalty to you, to show you that I place you above all others, that you are my Queen. To show you that I honor our vows and I wouldn’t do anything to break them. It’s an…extension of the way I feel about you.”

“I meant it when I told you till death to do us apart on the altar.” He added and those words were like a harsh jam to my guts, punching my breath out of me. I felt a bead of tears forming in my eyes, and a shaky sigh leaving my lips.

“I am never taking it off because your presence will forever be engraved in my heart.” He concluded, drawing me in for a soft kiss on my lips. I looped my arms around his neck, deepening the kiss.

Fuck, something was changing.

Something was changing and I could feel it. My confidence was beginning to waver and I was starting to fear the control this man had over me. It made me want to submit to him, to give in to what it was that was brewing between us, seeking to consume us and mold us into a whole.

I broke off the kiss, panting heavily.

“Come on, let’s get going before I change my mind and decide to bend you over that fucking dresser.” His words came out in a low growl and I bit my lips, refraining from telling him I would love that.

“I hope you don’t mind me packing my hair?” I didn’t know what prompted me to ask but I did and I was glad I did. I watched his eyes light up at the fact that I put him into consideration concerning my hair.

“Gets on my nerves but I can manage, I wouldn’t want other men ogling at what’s mine.” He deadpanned and I rolled my eyes at his words.

“Shall we?” He asked me and I bobbed my head in response with a grin playing on my lips. He took my bag from me and wrapped his hands around my waist, leading me out of the room.

Duncan was waiting by the bottom of the staircase and our eyes clashed, on cue. His expression was unreadable, but that didn’t deter me from sending him a victorious smirk. I don’t know but there was something about the guy that made me want to rub it in his face that he fucking works for me. It felt so satisfying. I didn’t know if it was definitely because my friend was not-so-subtly in love with him and his austere ass couldn’t see it.

He was so self-absorbed!

And of course, my instincts were right because I saw his jaw locked, something flickering in his eyes but it was gone as soon as it came, making it so hard to decipher.

“Good morning, boss.” He directed his gaze at my husband, who was clinging to me as though his life depended on it. God, I loved how this man smells. It made me want to eat him up.

“Hello, Duncan,” I smirked at him, and boy, if he could roll his eyes, he would. I was acting like a petty bitch but I didn’t give a fuck.

“Good morning, Mrs Gray.” He answered curtly and I chuckled. Arden walked past him like a breeze and we sauntered further into the living room, walking in on Alberta, who was just ambling out of the kitchen with a vibrant smile on her face. Her energy was so contagious and I could feel a smile forming on my lips.

“Good morning, Mr Gray. Good morning, Mrs. Gray.” She chirped, greeting us.

“Good morning, Alberta.” I grinned at her but the bubbly expression was quick to morph into a frown when I noticed that the grumpy man beside me didn’t respond and that caused me to jab him in the ribs with my elbow.

“Good morning,” he grunted, correcting himself.

“Peach and I won’t be having breakfast. We’ll be eating out. There’s somewhere we need to get to.” He told her and she nodded with a smile. I sent her a warm smile before Arden pulled us out of the house. The car was already prepped by the time we got there. He pulled at the knob and helped me into the car before getting in through the other side.

“What about the guards?” I asked him, arching a brow.

“They are in the car behind us. I want us to have some privacy, besides. I want to be the one to drive my girl to where we are going.” He grinned at me and I turned crimson at his choice of words. “My girl.” It made my heart flutter in a way before I could feel the effect of him calling me his girl. He dropped a soft kiss on my lips.

I was a blushing mess.

He leaned forward and helped me secure my seatbelt around me, fastening it. His hot breath fanned my face in the process, opening up my pores, and I saw him smirk at the effect he had on me.

“Tight enough?” He asked me, his lips twitching.

“Yes,” I breathed.

He moved away from me, and after fastening his seat belt, he drove us out of the Villa.

I tried to probe him for answers throughout the ride but he wouldn’t say a thing to me. He was so insistent on not telling me where he was taking me and always found a way to evade my questions so subtly. The man was so sleek and sly. I gave up trying to get answers from him and just allowed myself to enjoy the ride and we soon arrived at our destination in no time.

He drove into the vast compound, pulling over in the parking lot that seemed void of cars. The compound was home to a tall, dazzling skyscraper that looked like they had just finished working on, but the upper part was covered in a way that wouldn’t let me see the top of the building properly. Looking down from the endless height had me a little dizzy in the car. My eyes wandered around the compound in confusion and he stepped out of the car, opening the door so I could step out too.

“Where is this?” I asked him.

“Come on, let’s go in.” He urged me with a smile and I rolled my eyes, taking his outstretched hands. He led me into the building, pushing the glass doors open. I could have sworn I couldn’t feel my jaws anymore by the time we stepped in.

The first floor was breathtaking!

Everything in here was a shade of white and a stunning dark grey color. The modern interior design threw me off completely. There were no words to describe it because it was captivating and intricate at the same time. His hands on my waist had me blinking, snapping out of my daze.

“This place is so beautiful,” I remarked and he chuckled, kissing my cheek.

“Wait till you see the top floor.”

He led me to the elevator, punching in some numbers on the buttons and it opened up so that we could step in. The sliding doors were sealed shut as we made our way to the top floor. I was a little worried and conflicted because I didn’t know what was going on, but the assurance I saw in his eyes when our eyes locked, calmed me a little.

The elevator sounded with a ding before I could utter a word and he led us out. We set foot into the quiet lobby and I furrowed my brows. We stopped right in front of a huge door and he turned to me with a smile.

“Are you ready?”

“Uh…yeah.”

He twisted the handle and paved the way for me to step into the vast office. He was right when he told me to wait until I saw the top floor. It felt as though my breath was knocked right out of me. I was dumbfounded at the beauty of this office. There was something so distinct about the allure of this room that I just couldn’t pinpoint the view.

It was amazing with the massive see-through glass that covered the backspace. There was even a balcony attached to it, decorated with a red cushion and a round glass table. It was so simple but I couldn’t stop imagining what it would feel like to sit out there and just relax. I bet I would feel on top of the world.

The interior of the office screamed luxury and royalty at a glance because just before the gigantic glass, was a black swivel chair with a huge shiny black desk in front of it, which had two chairs tucked in front of it. There were huge black shelves at the left side of the room, accompanied by a cute little bar a few feet away from it. It had two tall black stools in front of it.Copyright by Nôv/elDrama.Org.

And in the middle of the room stood a round glass table, a plush black sofa, and a matching cushion. The ensuite bathroom wasn’t so far from where I stood.

“Do you like it?” His soft voice came up behind me as his hands rested on my waist, pulling me to himself. He pressed a kiss to the skin of my neck and I couldn’t fight the smile that crawled up my space, a soft sound eluding me.

“I love it!” I squealed.

“It’s yours,” he deadpanned, and for a moment there, it felt like I was brain-dead. I couldn’t comprehend what he had just said. My body grew numb under his touch, a shaky breath evading me afterward.

“Sorry…uh, I don’t…I don’t understand you…” My words came out so rushed after I found my voice. It sounded as though it was breaking and I heard him chuckle.

“This whole building belongs to you,” he affirmed, and I let myself out of his grip, turning to face him. I took several steps backwards without being shoved by anything, my legs threatening to give me away. I could feel beads of tears forming in my eyes, my heart thumping wildly against my chest.

I was immobilized.

I didn’t know how to react to what he had just said and that seemed to worry descending upon him.

“Baby, don’t you like it?”

“Is it the interior or the location?”

“Is it too much?”

“Fuck, Peach, say something__” I cut him off with a scream and threw myself in his arms, my legs lifting off the ground. My screams were soon muffled, breaking into loud sobs. I didn’t even know how to feel.

All my life, I have always wanted to pursue my dreams of owning a publishing firm, but there have always been obstacles, now and then, even though I didn’t allow that to deter me. But seeing him being so supportive of what I wanted to do made me so elated. It made my heart swell with pride. I was filled with so much excitement that I could barely comprehend it.

“Fuck, I don’t even know how to thank you right now. I swear, I am going to pay you back every dime.” I sobbed.

“I didn’t do this so you could pay me back, Peach. What’s mine is yours. Heck, I would empty all my bank accounts for you, if you asked. That’s how serious I am about making us work out,” he began, and I hiccuped.

“I realized that holding you back from pursuing your dream doesn’t speak well of me. If anything, I was trying to hold you back and that’s not what I want, Peach. I want to be that man who stands by his girl’s side and watches her grow, watch her evolve, and watch her actualize her dreams,”

“I don’t want you to see this marriage as some sort of bondage. I want you to be your person and chase your dreams. I want you to do all that by my side and I would rather stand with you than stand against you.” He concluded, his voice thick with compassion and something akin to adoration.

I couldn’t find the right words to say to him. I just held on to him so tightly, bawling my eyes out like a little child, without caring that I could smear my makeup. He understood that I just wanted him to hold me in his arms.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“The papers are on the desk, you can sign them whenever you are ready. No pressure, my love.” He pressed a kiss on my hair and I sniffed.

“Why did you do this?” I queried.

“Because…”

“You have so much control over me and I am willing to do anything for you, just to put a smile on your face.” I didn’t see him but I could imagine a wide smile on his face while he uttered those words and if I didn’t know any better, I would say he sounded so whipped.

He dropped me to my feet, his eyes not leaving mine. I could see in his eyes how much he meant everything he said to me. So, I leaned forward and connected our lips, looping my arms around his neck.

If I wasn’t so sure of anything.

I was sure of one thing.

And that being the fact that,

I adored this man, to bits and pieces.