The Mafia Boss's Only Assistant

The very first day Selena was sent over as the Don's mistress, she tracked down the casino where I worked. She ordered her men to drag me into the casino's private lounge. She was draped in a slinky evening gown, lazily rolling a casino chip between her fingers. Her red lips gleamed like ripe cherries, and one look at her made it clear she wasn't someone to cross. She looked me up and down several times, taking in my plain T-shirt and jeans before finally speaking, disbelief thick in her voice. "You're Dorothy Bennett?" I nodded. She raised a hand to hide the smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. "I'm Selena Seraphine. The Seraphine Family sent me here." As she spoke, she unconsciously straightened her shoulders, showing off her curvy hourglass figure. Her thick, cherry-red lips looked slightly swollen, and her chest was obviously padded to look even fuller. She'd once been a beauty pageant winner, and every inch of her had been carefully crafted to climb the social ladder by marrying into wealth and power. I knew she hadn't come here with good intentions, but all I could do was give her a polite bow. When I raised my head, I caught her staring straight at my chest. "I heard you just schedule the Don's appointments and get $300,000 every month? He even bought you a priceless pink diamond. Are you his assistant, or his paid plaything?" Her remark sent the others in the casino into an uproar. They all turned to gawk at me like I was some kind of sideshow attraction. Selena simply kept staring at me without blinking. "What else do you do besides managing his schedule?" I answered honestly, "I handle every problem that comes up in the boss's personal life." "Personal life problems?" She nearly burst out laughing. "You mean you take care of his physical needs, right?" "I'm not responsible for sleeping with him..." "Plenty of women would kill for that chance. Don't play coy like you didn't just luck into the deal of a lifetime." Everyone assumed that "handling personal problems" meant sleeping with the man. What they forgot was that Elio was the Don. A "small personal task" could be as simple as pouring him a cup of coffee. But it could just as easily turn into deadly work, like shaking down deadbeats for the Mafia, negotiating ceasefires between feuding families. One wrong move, and you were dead. A coworker who'd always had it out for me chimed in with a sarcastic tone, "I heard the Don even gave her an entire villa to use as she pleased." Selena raised an eyebrow and let out a dismissive scoff. "You get paid that much to sleep with him, and you still wear jeans? Come on, we're talking about the Don. Even if you're a total frump, you could at least put on a dress." As if she'd just realized how rude she'd sounded, she switched to an exaggeratedly sweet tone. "Oh, honey, don't get me wrong. One look at you, and I totally believe you're only qualified to bring the Don tea and pour his drinks. But do you actually have the skills to deserve a $300,000 monthly salary? If I were you, I'd wear the most expensive dresses every day and cover myself in the finest jewelry. Everyone in the Golden Mane would see exactly how stunning the woman at the Don's side was." Every word she said cut like a knife. More and more people started hooting and jeering. "Knock her off her perch, Selena! Take her place!" "Dorothy's only here to pay off her dad's debt. Why the hell does she get to be the Don's assistant?" "You've got way more connections than she does. You're much more suited to stand beside the Don!" The smirk on Selena's face grew even wider. She sent for David, the underboss. "From now on, I'll be in charge of the Don's schedule. I'll do a much better job than she ever did." She said it as though the decision had already been made. David clearly wanted no part in the mess. "The boss will never agree to that." Selena let out a sickly sweet, tinkling laugh. Then, with her bright red nails, she slipped two high-value chips into David's pocket. "The Seraphine Family sent me to the Don, remember? He'd never get mad at me over some random debt slave." The words carried weight. David fell silent, clearly weighing his options. Then she pointed straight at me. "As for you? You're fired!" She took a step closer and looked down her nose at me. "Listen up, everyone! If I take over this role, I'll double all your bonuses. Our drug business will bring in way more cash, and every one of you will make more money because of me." I kept my head down, both hands clamped over my mouth, my whole body shaking. Selena mistook it for sobbing, and her smug grin widened with satisfaction. Her smile was sweet and fake. "Be smart about this. Get the hell out of here while you still can." I couldn't help glancing up at her for a split second. I almost blurted out, "Are you serious?" Was she really going to drive me away from Elio's side? This was the best thing that could've happened to me! Someone was finally rescuing me from this living hell.