Her Mafia Obsession

CHAPTER 5: LINGERING DESIRES

The days blurred into each other. Mia’s obsession with the case against Salvatore Ricci consumed her… every thought she had, consumed by him, by the fight he represented. As hard as she fought against it, she couldn’t avoid the heavy tension hanging in the air… a quiet, unwavering current that crackled within them whenever they were in the same room.

She became a late-night worker, poring over case files, trying to connect all the dots she could see. Salvatore’s trial was coming up fast and Mia was coming to realize this wasn’t just another case, but a war that Salvatore was fighting on his own terms.

It was just a week since they’d met outside her office, yet here she was in one of his most exclusive properties, seated in a leather armchair in the sitting room of the penthouse suite opposite him.

The walls were covered in expensive art, the air heavy with the smell of leather and old whiskey. Under them stretched the lights of the city, but Mia wasn’t thinking about the lights. She couldn’t think of anything but him.

Salvatore reclined in his chair, rotating a glass of whiskey between his fingers. He didn’t take his eyes off her when he spoke, his voice slow and low.

“I trust you’ve been keeping yourself Ms. Caruso.”

Mia sat up in her chair with her fingers twitching; she was forcing herself from crossing her arms.

“I’ve been handling your case,” she said, fighting to maintain her even tone and her racing pulse under the weight of his stare.

“There’s a lot at stake. I don’t have time to waste.”

Salvatore’s mouth smiled, but it wasn’t friendly.

"Good," he said.

“I love a woman who works hard.”

His speech was silky and well-practiced. He was playing a game, but Mia didn’t know if she was a part of it now or if she was just a pawn.

“I’m going to be needing access to more of your associates,” Mia said, leaning in.

“The more knowledge we have, the better our odds in court. I’m assuming you don’t want this to turn to a conviction.”

Salvatore arched a brow, his mouth quivering.

“What makes you think I need to avoid it?”

Mia’s gaze went to the glass in his hand then back to his eyes.

“Because if you were convicted of a crime, things would be... complicated for you,” she said, her voice firm.

“And you don’t like complications.”

Salvatore chuckled darkly, swirling the whiskey.

“You are sharper than I thought you were.”

His compliment didn’t knock Mia off. She’d come across men like him in the past… charming, powerful, with a dangerous edge just below the surface. Charm didn’t make much of an impression on her.

“I would like to talk to your contacts,” she said.

“The ones who can give account of where you’ve been, people who can stand up for you.”

The look in Salvatore’s eye suddenly changed, and the smile vanished from his face.

“You think you can just come into my world and ask for favors?” His voice lowered, the tone a clear menace.

“You’ll need more than just a pretty face to be entitled to it.”

Mia battled the cringe away from her. And she knew everything was a test, a game he played to keep her off balance, to see how far he could push before she snapped. But Mia wasn’t a woman who fell apart. Not in her professional life. Not in her personal life.

“I don’t want any favors,” she said evenly.

"I’m asking for access. If you want me to represent you, then I need to do my job. Do you want a conviction or do you want to get out of this alive?”

There was more tension between them, a quiet challenge in the air. Salvatore studied her for a moment, as though considering to push her further, or to go along with her terms.

And finally he leaned forward and placed the glass on the table with a soft click.

“I really respect you, Mia,” he whispered, his voice now soft, almost intimate.

“But this is not a game, don’t get this twisted. In my world, I call the shots."

Mia held his gaze without wavering and even though his words made her shiver, her breathing was steady.

“I don’t play by anyone’s rules,” she said in her cold, simple voice.

“But I’ll play this game… your game… if it means getting you out of prison.”

Salvatore's mouth twisted in a smile again, this time somber, happy and curious at once.

"We’ll see, Ms. Caruso. We’ll see."

***

Mia went back to her apartment that evening, the consequences of her conversation with Salvatore still lingering in the air. So was the echo of his voice in her mind, of him filling the room and not letting her think straight.

She shook her head, attempting to force away the thoughts, but they would not go. When she closed her eyes, she would see him: his black eyes, his sense of command, the feeling that the world was tilting out, under her feet.

She had accepted his case for a reason. She had a duty to her client. But something else tugged at her. Something, she couldn’t quite grasp yet. And the less she paid attention to it, the more it consumed her.

Mia entered the shower, hot water running down her body, but it did not cool the heat of passion that was beginning to scorch within her chest. She balled her fists, trying to ignore the ache in her chest… the ache that had nothing to do with the stress of the case and everything to do with something else.

And she hated herself for it.

***

Mia spent the days in a daze. Her exchange with Salvatore Ricci weighed down on her like a cloud of darkness. And no matter how hard she tried, she kept thinking about the way he had looked at her, like he knew what to say or do to keep her off balance. How his voice had lowered to that intimate tone, as if he was telling her secrets meant for only her ears.

The heat that flared between them was one she couldn’t avoid, no matter how she tried. It was in there, thick in the air, drawing her in. All the words he spoke, all his glances in her direction, kept pushing her toward the edge of something she couldn’t identify. Something dangerous. f*******n.

She couldn’t help but wonder if he was playing her, testing her on purpose, pushing her to see how far she would go.

But Mia had understood deep in her heart that she was also playing the game. She couldn't deny that she wasn't affected, that she didn't feel the intense chemistry that lingered between them.

***

That night, after a day full of emails and meetings, Mia was back in the same lavish penthouse suite, sitting opposite Salvatore. This time the room had a different air, a higher tension, as though something was about to snap.

Salvatore was at his desk, as usual, and he looked up to meet her eyes… but the smile that spread across his face wasn't a friendly one. It was predatory, something looming and knowing in his eyes. He kicked back in his chair, the perfect posture of ease, tension simmering between them.

“Did you get anything done today?” His voice was low, almost teasing, as if he knew exactly how her day had been, with her thoughts straying to him despite all her best attempts to keep them on the case.

Mia exhaled a slow breath and steadied herself.

“I’ve been doing something for you, just like I said I would.”

She hated to admit how much his eyes made her feel pinned like a something under a microscope. He watched her every move, every shift of her body, and it made her uneasy in a way she couldn’t describe. Every fiber of her being wanted to shield her eyes, but she was simply unable to. Something was holding her back.

“You’ve been working, huh?” Salvatore was whispering now, almost purring.

"Tell me, Mia, how does it feel? to be so close… to me? So wrapped up in my world?”

She swallowed, against her will, her pulse racing.

“It’s my duty to be here with you. I’m doing my job.”

His lips curled into a smirk. “Mm, I don’t believe that’s all it is, Mia. I believe there’s something else. Something deeper. You may try to hide it, but I see it in your eyes. I see the way you respond when I talk to you.”

Mia’s heart was pounding, she looked him firmly in the eyes, defiant yet uncertain of herself.

“You don’t know anything about me.”

Salvatore leaned forward, his elbows resting on the desk, gazed heavily into her eyes.

“Oh, but I do,” he said softly, a whisper that caused her hair to stand.

“I know you more than you know yourself.”

He rose slowly then, tedious, shifting his pace towards her with. She could feel the heat radiating from him, the lethal power that felt like it wrap around her. It became harder for her to remain still, to keep her body from reacting to his nearness.

Salvatore stopped in front of her and the air between them hummed with an intense current. She should have backed away. She should have made him stay away. But she didn’t. She stood her ground, her breath swift and short.

“Talk to me, Mia,” Salvatore whispered in that low, coaxing voice of his.

“What are you feeling right now? What is it that you want?”

She bit her lip, resisting the temptation to respond. The way he was staring at her made her feel stripped, as though he could see right through her face. His eyes moved to her lips, and for a minute, it was as if the whole world was confined to the two of them. Her heart sounded loud and fast in her ears, and her own body was a traitor to her.

“You like me,” he murmured, edging in a little closer.

“You want this, Mia. Don’t deny it.”

Mia’s head was reeling, caught between the professional, rational side of her and the raw, irresistible attraction that coiled in her core for him. Her every instinct berated her to move and protect herself from whatever game he was about to play, but another… she couldn’t quite suppress… was drawn to him like a moth to a flame.

“I don’t,” she whispered, her voice quaking even though she meant to sound firm.

Salvatore’s smile grew wider. “Liar.”

His fingers lingered a little longer than they should as his hand came to brush a lock of hair from her forehead. The caress was gentle but it made her shiver and her breath catch in her throat.

For a single moment, they remained there, and the rest of the world ceased to exist. Mia’s pulse raced as Salvatore’s thumb moved across her lip, so soft, yet so intentional.

“Tell me you don’t want this,” he whispered, before kissing her dangerously on the lips.

“Tell me you don’t feel it.”

She wanted to open her mouth to say something, to push him away, but the words died in her throat. The fact was, she didn’t want to say it. She didn’t care to admit that every portion of her was reacting to him, that her heart was pounding, that the warmth between the two of them had edged to the point where it has become blatantly obvious.

His hand slipped from her face to her waist and drew her against him. The closeness was intoxicating. She felt his warmth, his strength, his dominance in his sheltering arms.

For a minute, all Mia could do was breathe, her chest heaving up and down as if she were drowning in the space that crackled between them. She wanted to pull away, but part of her didn’t. A part of her longed to succumb to the temptation raging beneath her, to feel the sensation of being touched by him, to disappear into his world, if only for a while.