His hair was so black it shined. His brows matched that inky color, and they had been arched over obsidian-colored eyes. His eyelashes were long and thick, and they were the only thing that added softness to his eyes. His nose was straight, with cut cheekbones and a strong jaw. His lips looked to be the only relenting thing about him.
Luca Benetti looked like a mortal god. A tattooed God from the small images that peeked out from his collar and cuffs from time to time when he’d move.
And a gifted one, at that.
When he had pressed up against me, demanding I say his name, I had felt just how blessed the man was in the bedroom department. His dick had been hard as steel and pressed against my stomach with no shame or apology.
And humiliation had danced across my entire body when I finally whimpered out his name, and the breathy moan wasn’t entirely due to fear. Even if it hadn’t been to save my life, if Luca Benetti had run his hand up my skirt last night, I probably would have let him.
How sick was that?
“Have you ever met him?” I asked.
Anita shook her head. “No. And, quite frankly, I’m not sure if I ever want to,” she said bluntly. “The man’s dangerous. I can’t imagine running into him would be a good thing.”
“They were just talking about him like…like he was a movie star or something,” I added lamely.
“He’s practically royalty, Remy,” she replied. “Look, you’ve lived in Morgan City long enough to have heard of him, but you didn’t grow up here. The Benetti Family is as ruthless as you can get. They’re unforgiving, and it’s not wise to get caught up in the fandom of their reputations.”
“The Holy Trinity,” I murmured. “You’re talking about The Holy Trinity.”
Anita nodded. “Luca Benetti, Ciro Mancini, and Phoenix Fiore grew up together. Rumor is they’ve known each other since they were like…five or something. The way the story goes is that they bonded when they were young, and Luca brought them with him on his climb up the ladder. It’s said that the only men on the planet Luca Benetti trusts completely are Ciro Mancini and Phoenix Fiore. That he doesn’t even trust his own brothers to that extent.”
“His brothers…” I murmured.
“Giovanni Benetti is the family’s patriarch, with Luca as the oldest son, Salvatore the middle son, and Leonardo the youngest son. No sisters and their mother is rumored to live in the shadows while the men rule the world around her.”
I listened and tried to absorb all she was telling me. The more information I had, the better I could prepare. “Is he married?” I hadn’t seen a ring last night, but if the movies are to be believed, men in the Mafia didn’t see faithfulness as a necessity. They had wives and families, but still screwed around or, flat out, kept mistresses on standby. Hell, movies even painted a picture where the wives didn’t mind the mistresses as long as it was all handled discretely and respectfully.
Anita shook her head. “Not that I’ve heard,” she replied. “And you’d think that would be something that got around.” Her shoulders shrugged. “I mean, when Phoenix Fiore married Frankie Mancini, that shit had spread like wildfire.” I vaguely recalled the talk. “And Ciro Mancini’s marriage hit the streets within days of getting hitched. So, I think it’s safe to say that if their marriages made headlines, Luca Benetti’s marriage would be known to all the world.”
I thought about that. “Isn’t there a rumor that Frankie Fiore is his best friend or something?”
Anita snorted. “Francesca Mancini Fiore is known as Church.”
“That’s right!” I remembered now. “I heard she was dubbed Church because she’s the only person in the world who matters to them.”
“I’m not sure where Ciro’s new wife fits into all of this, but Francesca Fiore is reputedly their greatest strength and their strongest weakness.” Anita’s voice took on a touch of amazement. “If I was going to fangirl over any of them, it’d be her.”
The laugh escaped before I could stop it. I was in a profoundly serious situation and I shouldn’t find anything funny about anything.
“Look, Remy, I get the curiosity is seductive because they seem larger than life, but trust me when I tell you, stay away from them,” she warned. “Stay as far away from the Benettis as you can.”
If only I had the choice.
Chapter 7
Luca~
Being summoned as if I were a child was something I wouldn’t tolerate much longer. I knew the reservations of the elders, but Ciro’s suggestion to just murder them all and start fresh was starting to have merit. I knew Gio’s petty demands were just desperate ploys on his part to remind me that he was still in charge, but I was tired of waiting to take my rightful place. I was already running everything; he knew it and I knew it.
I sat on one of the leather armchairs seated in front of his mahogany desk. The same desk I’ve sat at millions of times. The bastard will be lucky if I continue to let him and my mother live here when I take over. I had no love for my father, and my mother was a non-factor. I didn’t hate her as I did my father, but I didn’t buy her Mother’s Day flowers every year either. Besides, she had Sal and Leo to dote on her.
“Word is the elders are just waiting for you to become a family man before turning on me,” Gio said, trying to rattle me. Little did he know, nothing rattled me
