Mafia's Liaison

Courtney

Then

The moment I've waited for is here. He forgot to chain me back up because there was a problem he had to attend to. My body ached excruciatingly as I rose to my feet. I tiptoed to the door and looked to my left and then to my right.

Get out of there, Courtney.

Run!

I ran down the corridor as fast as I could, fearing he could come back any minute. I could hear one of his goons yelling for me to stop. I kept running. My heart thumped against my chest as I climbed over the fence and tumbled to the ground. Quickly getting back onto feet, I ran into the woods. I ran until I had to stop to catch my breath. Leaning against the tree, I smiled at my new-found freedom.

I've finally escaped him after all these years.

Years of torture.

The beatings.

The attacks.

I begin to run again, making my way to the edge of the forest. I'm sure it's not going to take him long to figure out I'm missing. He probably already knows. I kept running until I can't run anymore. I stop at the edge and begin to run again when suddenly I'm on the pavement. All I see is two brightly blinding headlights. I let out a scream in as I feel my body being thrown on the road… then darkness.

What happened?

Where am I?

I fluttered my eyes open to come in contact with a guy with sandy blonde hair and a worried expression. “Oh thank goodness! I thought I killed you. Are you okay? Is there someone I can call?”

Suddenly the memories come rushing in, as he bombards me with questions.

The escape.

Getting hit by a car.

Get out of there, Courtney.

“I'm sorry! I have to go!”

He forced me to lie back down, “It's okay, this is my boss’s house. He has a private hospital here at his estate. Why were you running?”

I can never let them know who I was running from. They might be working for him for all I know. He hands me a plate of food and water.

“Can I call anyone for you… friend… relative?”

I shake my head. “It's just me. I have no home... no job... nobody.”

He thinks for a moment and tells me he’ll be right back. He returns with an older man standing next to him, “Hello my name is Giovanni Lucchese but you can call me Gio. I understand you need a job and somewhere to stay. I own a club in town and many properties. I can offer you an apartment and a waitressing or bartending job if you would like.”

There's got to be a catch.

Nobody offers something like this.

Not without wanting something in return.

“What's the catch?” I asked.

“No catch. I just want to help you. This young man is Nate, he works at my club. If you want the help the apartment and job are yours. I have a daughter about your age, she'll bring you some fresh clothes.”

This is your chance at a fresh start, Courtney.

“Okay. I'll take the apartment and job. Thank you so much for helping me.”

He nods and leaves with the guy I’ve learned is named Nate. A brunette girl about my age comes in with a fresh set of clothes in her hands. “Hi. I'm Caterina, I brought you some clothes then later I'll take you to your apartment and let you rest. After you recover, Nate will train you at the club.”

A week and a half later had passed and I’ve recovered. I still have faint bruises from that night I escaped. Caterina and I have become great friends. Her chocolate-colored hair that falls down her back. She's got the same body build as me and has a best friend named Lucien. I have yet to meet him, though. She said I would meet him the night I start working at her father's club.

Nate comes by every day to check on me. He’s constantly apologizing for hitting me with his car. I always keep telling him not to worry about it, but he always brings it up. Tonight is the night I start work. I'll be starting out waitressing, then work my way up to bartending. We arrive at work and Nate hands me my uniform. I frown.

I'm supposed to wear this?

Nate chuckles and shakes his head at my disappointment, “It's not as bad as it looks. Hey, look at it this way, you'll get more tips.”

He smirked, looking me up and down.

I go to the bathroom and change into my uniform. When I’m dressed, I stepped out of the bathroom. Caterina grins at me. “Courtney! You look great.”

I rolled my eyes, “I look like a whore.”

“Make sure you come to my table tonight. I want to introduce you to Lucien and Alec.”

She winks at me, and heads towards her table, sitting with two guys. One has brunette hair who seems to hold authority, and the other one is the one that piques my interest. He has short brown curls and striking blue eyes.

I meet Nate at the bar and nod towards the table, “Who's that with Caterina?”

He throws a towel over his shoulder, “That’s Lucien Genovese and Alec Vitale. Her two best friends.”

I glanced at Caterina’s right to see a dark-haired man dressed in a suit. He’s scanning the club cautiously as if he’s protecting her. He shifts uncomfortably in his seat when she leans her head on his shoulder. Okay, this one must be Lucien. I shifted my gaze to the one on the left to see another man wearing a similar suit. He throws his friend a smirk over Caterina’s shoulder. He then turns his head to meet my stare and wipes the smirk off his face. He runs a hand through his chestnut-colored hair and leans forward and puts his hands under his chin. He pierced his eyes into mine and cocks his head to the side as if he’s challenging me to make a move.

I swallowed hard and cleared my throat, averting my gaze from the more intimidating one. “Caterina, what would you guys like?” I asked.

“Courtney I'd like you to meet Lucien and Alec,” Caterina tells me.

“Just bring us a bottle of whiskey and three shot glasses,” Lucien muttered.

I nod and head back to the bar. “I need a bottle of whiskey and three shot glasses.”

Nate glanced at me and puts the bottle and glasses on my tray. “It looks like you have an admirer.”

I glare at him, “I most certainly do not.”

He places the bottle and three shot glasses on the tray. Looking past me to their table, he smiles. “Alec can't seem to take his eyes off you.”

I rolled my eyes and carried the tray to their table. Nate was right. Alec can't seem to take his eyes off me. His intense stare is making my stomach twist in knots. He licks his lips and looks my body up and down, “It's nice to meet you too, Courtney.”

I took four hundred dollars in tips home, and that's the last time I’ve seen Alec at the club. Of course, I see Caterina and Lucien in there every day. I see the way Lucien looks at her, but she doesn't notice. She's completely oblivious to his intense stares on her ass and protectiveness. Three months have gone by, and I finally have a sufficient amount of money to buy me a car. I decided on a simple Honda Accord, nothing too flashy. I don't want to raise suspicion to anyone. I hang out with Caterina and Lucien all the time. Tonight, I'm supposed to have dinner at her house with her family. I'm nervous as hell. I hope her family isn't associated with whom, I fear.

The devil I'm hiding from… the reason I ran.

I rang the doorbell and Giovanni greets me with a smile, “I'm so glad you could make it. I assume you are doing well, yes?”

I hugged him and kiss his cheek, “Yes I'm great and starving. I could use a drink too.”

Giovanni raises a brow in question.

“It's been a long week,” I assured him.

I followed him to the dining room and took a seat at the table, “Everyone this is Courtney. She’s friends with my Caterina, and works at the club.”

I sat down and felt an intense stare on me. Alec is the only one staring at me, and it's making me nervous again. He looks like he's studying me as if I'm a threat. The way he acts kind of reminds me of Sergei. I need to be careful of him and make sure to keep my distance from him.

“Excuse me, where’s the bathroom?” I asked.

Giovanni points down the hall. I rush off to calm myself down. When a knocking on the door startles me, I crack it open only to find Alec pushing me to the wall and trapping me inside.

“What are you doing here?” Alec growled.

“I thought I was having dinner.” I spit out.

Are you looking to get a good fuck?” he sneered, curling his lips in disgust. “If that’s the case, Lucien is off limits to you.”

I give him a shove,” Oh I get it, you're hard for him.”

He slams me back to the wall and leans in dangerously close. “Just keep your eyes off of Lucien, and we won’t have a problem.”

I smirked, “You’re totally hot for him.”

He slams my back to the wall again and does the one thing I never expected him to.

He kisses me.

Fucking kisses me!

I shoved him away and bring my knee upward. He crumbles to the floor and groans. “Fucking hell girl, what was that for?”

“For kissing me. If you want to keep your balls intact, I suggest you keep your hands off me.”

It's been three weeks since that dinner. Not a day goes by when I don't think about that kiss.

Sitting in my apartment waiting for the pizza to arrive, I hear a knock. I know it's too early for it to be the pizza. I look through the peephole and groan.

Why the fuck is Alec here?

I open up the door, and he pushes his way in. “What do you want?”

“I've come to bring your paycheck. Giovanni sent me.” I rolled my eyes and try to snatch the envelope from him, but he pulls it back. “Nuh-uh. Where's my kiss?”

“Get the hell out!”

He does the complete opposite and lounges on my couch. “I think I like it here better.”

Just then my doorbell rings, and it's my pizza. I hand the cash to the young boy, but he shook his head no. “No need to pay. It's been taken care of.”

Of course, Giovanni.

He always does stuff like this. Alec gets up and leaves in silence, avoiding any eye contact with me.

Arrogant asshole.

Who did he think he was coming here?

The next day, I meet Caterina for lunch at the diner, and she asks me. “So what's the deal between you and Alec?”

I wrinkle my nose up in disgust, “There is no me and Alec. I hate him and he hates me.”

She laughs. “Well, he did pay for your pizza last night, and volunteered to take your check to you.”

I nearly choke on my food.

He did what?

“Bullshit!”

She shakes her head and laughs. “No, I heard him talking on the phone running his credit card.”

That can't be.

Why would he pay for it and not stay to eat any of it?

About halfway through my shift, a drunken customer sneaks up behind me and drags me one of the private rooms and clamps his hand over my mouth.

“If you're quiet I'll make this quick.” He starts pulling up my skirt when I hear a gun cocking and a familiar voice.

“Get your fucking hands off of her.” He growled.

The customer pulled away and I open my eyes to see Alec raging mad. I thank him, but he shrugged his shoulders like it’s no big deal and leaves me stunned and confused at his actions.

Why does he keep helping me if he hates me?

What the hell was he doing with a gun?

The most important question… why the hell did he kiss me that night at Giovanni's house if he hates me?

The week flies by in a flash. The club is packed with horny men and sluts looking to get free drinks and laid. Tonight, I'm working at the bar. Nate was nice enough to train me as a bartender. I wiped down the counter and looked up to see Lucien standing in front of me.

“A bottle of whiskey and three shot glasses, right?”

He smiles and nods, “Yeah, Alec seems to be agitated more than usual tonight, so I will probably be back for more.”

Should I tell him what happened between me and Alec?

“Alec is something else. You know, that night at Giovanni’s dinner he warned me to stay away from you. At first, I thought he was gay for you. Then, he surprised me… he kissed me.”

Lucien pauses, glancing towards Alec. “I think he has a thing for you.”

Does he have a thing for me?

No way in hell.

“Whatever Lucien, enjoy your evening.”

Standing outside on break, a body pushes me to the wall. There's only one person who does this shit. I can smell the mixture of his cologne and alcohol on his breath. Alec.

I tried to push him away, but he pushes me into the wall even harder. “You know, asshole I'm really tired of you shoving me against walls.”

He tightens his hold on my wrists and hissed, “Did you have fun being a whore with Lucien? I warned you, didn’t I?”

His strength is no match for me.

“You’re crazy!”

He's so close to me I can smell the whiskey off his breath as he bites on my neck.

“Go back inside, you're drunk,” I whispered.

I know I'm angering him even more, but I've had enough of this. I do the only thing I can think of and raise my knee as hard as I could. He falls to the ground, holding onto his balls.

“Damn bitch.” He growls.

Lucien and Giovanni rush outside with guns drawn, “What the hell is going on?”

I hold onto my wrist rubbing them and look down at Alec holding his balls. “Ask Alec! He's the one who can't handle his liquor and decided to attack me.”

They look at each other, and Giovanni tells Lucien. “Get him out of here!”

Lucien drags off an unconscious Alec and my boss looks at me, “Why don't you take the rest of the night off. I'm sorry about him. I don't know why he's acting like that.”

My mind wanders back to them having guns. “Why do you guys have guns? Is this some kind of illegal establishment?”

Giovanni nods. “I'm afraid so. I’m the boss of the Italians.”

All of a sudden, my vision goes blurry and everything is spinning before everything goes dark.

As I start to come to, I remember everything that went down moments ago.

Alec attacking me.

Giovanni's confession.

Mafia.

All my fears are coming to a reality. I think Giovanni senses my fear too because his face instantly softens as he pulls me into a hug. “Don't be afraid, I'm not going to hurt you.”

I feel the tears threatening to fall as my body falls into his embrace. This time it's not tears of fear it's because someone cares about me. He's not going to hurt me. For the first time in my life, I feel safe.