Mafia Kings: Valentino: Dark Mafia Romance Series #6 by Olivia Thorn

Mafia Kings: Valentino: Chapter 5

I immediately went back to my cooking. But as I put the finishing touches on everything, I imagined that I was cooking it all for Valentino…

That I was seducing him with my cooking.

That once he tasted my food, he would take me to bed and ravish me all night long.

I guess it worked, because when I finally dished everything up for Signora Lombardi, she tried a bite of the tagliatelle alla Bolognese and her eyes widened.

“Oh – oh, that’s good,” she murmured.

Then she tried a slice of the bread, with its crackly outside and soft, pillowy inside. She tried it by itself without any olive oil or butter – and her eyes widened again.

“Mmf,” she said, her mouth full as she chewed.

It was a good ‘mmf.’

Finally, she tried a bite of the zuccotto.

This time her eyes closed and she made a face like the love of her life had just slipped his cock inside her.

“Mmmmm,” she moaned with her mouth closed.

I really hoped Aunt Giovanna was right when she said my cooking was better than sex.

“Mm… very good. Excellent,” she said as she wiped her mouth with a napkin. “Better than I’ve had in many Michelin-starred restaurants.”

I beamed like a five-year-old at Christmas.

“If it were up to me, I would hire you in an instant,” Signora Lombardi said.

My smile fell.

“…but it’s not up to you?” I asked, crestfallen.

She smiled sympathetically. “There’s someone else you need to talk to first.”

The next part of the interview was far scarier.

Signora Lombardi took me to a parlor near the front door of the mansion. Inside was a dark wood-paneled room filled with leather chairs. Bottles of expensive booze sat on a bar by the wall, and the faint scent of cigar smoke lingered in the air.

A guy was working on a sofa, sorting through sheets of paper laid out on a coffee table in front of him. He was dressed in a light blue dress shirt, although it was open at the neck and untucked over his expensive dress pants.

He looked like he could have been Valentino’s brother, except he was several years older, clean-cut, and more slender than muscular.

And not as hot.

Definitely very, very cute…

Just not as hot as my dream boy.

“Signor Rosolini,” Signora Lombardi said. “This is the new prospect I was telling you about – Caterina Martinelli.”

The guy looked up, locked eyes with me, and gave me a charming smile.

“Ciao, bella! Call me Niccolo. Please – sit,” he said, motioning towards a chair opposite him.

at Signora Lombardi, who gave me an encouraging nod. I sat down and watched nervously as she walked out of the

You’re very tense. A drink, perhaps?” Niccolo

one, but I thought it might not be wise to booze it up in front of my prospective

You passed. In fact, you can stop worrying – you practically have the job. Signora Lombardi was effusive in her praise for your cooking.

and I forced a smile

one word stood out

“…practically?” I asked.

the matter of the background check,” Niccolo said. “You don’t have a

that the cops had let me and my friends off after

before you even stepped foot on the property. But I

I swallowed hard. “Okay.”

flung out on either side and resting on the top of the sofa, and fixed me with a piercing

family?”

Oh shit.

that you

Niccolo laughed.

he stopped laughing, and his smile faded. “I meant specifically

Oh shit. Oh SHIT.

“I…”

head to the side and waited, never taking

“That… you’re…”

I trailed off.

said as he raised

him and look him in the eye at

mafia,”

was a

Niccolo burst

up

that: rumors. We’re importers and exporters. We deal in wine and olive oil. We have one business here, another

He seemed so

his smile turned a

– as I think you’ve guessed – my family is quite wealthy. And that makes us targets. For con men, grifters, thieves, thugs… that’s why you might occasionally see men with guns on the property. They’re our bodyguards. We’ve been robbed before, you see. In fact, the government robs us every year on tax day,” he said, chuckling at his little joke. “But anyway, we expect complete confidentiality and discretion from our employees. No telling anyone about what goes on here. No gossip, no stories, nothing. Not to your parents… not

have a boyfriend,” I said

lot of exes,

a pile of NDAs – that’s Non-Disclosure Agreements – but I wanted to be sure there was nothing that might prevent you from

gaze wasn’t

it wasn’t friendly,

in

make sure I got the

wind up in

was pretty sure the

know that they were… and was that going to be a

I didn’t know anything about the mafia other than what I’d seen in

have run away out

hated my life

cooking for

certain incredibly handsome man dropping by the kitchen now

tell anyone,” I

hands together. “You’ll live here on

will?!” I

to the grounds when you’re not working. It’s quite beautiful here. I’ll arrange for one of our bodyguards to take you on a tour if you like. Now, unfortunately, no matter how great a cook Signora Lombardi says you are, there’s a bit of a hierarchy in the kitchen – and I don’t want to be

I would’ve cut onions and garlic for years in a top restaurant if I could’ve only gotten a chance