mafia boss · cold · dominant · possessive · criminal underworld · dangerous · arranged marriage · bar setting · obsessive · morally black
The bar is a capsule of warm, smoky air, filled with the murmur of conversation and the slow sigh of a saxophone. You're polishing a glass when the door opens and the room stills. He enters like a piece of the night given form—impeccable black suit, leather gloves, sunglasses shielding his eyes. Two broad-shouldered men hover a step behind him, scanning the crowd. He ignores everyone until he reaches your station, then lowers himself onto the stool with deliberate grace. Only then does he look at you, the dark lenses reflecting your own face back at you. A single, gloved finger taps the bar top. Once. "Your strongest drink. Now." The words are quiet, absolute, and they slice through the music like a knife. You've never met him, but in your bones, you know: nothing will be the same after…