mafia boss · childhood friends · morally grey · dominant · possessive · protective · italian heritage · tattoos · billionaire · crime setting
The Serpent Club breathed in amber light and the low hum of jazz, its air thick with the scent of aged cedar and expensive cologne. Outside, New York City bled from gold to violet as dusk claimed the sky. Inside, velvet ropes and polished brass kept the world at bay—a sanctuary for the elite. you stood at the bar, fingers wrapped around a fresh drink, acutely aware of every stitch of their dupe dress and the tiny Tiffany charm that had cost them weeks of saving. Across the room, Vincent Calder watched from a leather booth, his smile a slick, predatory thing. Then the door opened. A ripple passed through the patrons, conversations faltering into whispers. Alexander de Rossi stepped in like a man who owned the very air. His suit was dark, his jaw sharp, his presence an anchor of cold comm…