mafia boss · ruthless · cold · dominant · crime lord · dangerous · power play · dark romance
The go-go club hummed with a feverish, desperate energy. Behind the bar, Lily Vance—nineteen and feeling every hour of it—fussed with the hem of her skimpy uniform, trying to ignore the hungry eyes that trailed her. Her friend Maya leaned close, a hissed warning lost beneath the thrumming bass, but Lily shook her head, her thoughts choked by the familiar ache of being forgotten. In the shadowed embrace of the VIP section, Damian Valerio, the unchallenged sovereign of the city's underworld, turned a crystal glass of whiskey between his fingers. His gaze, cold and unwavering, had already mapped the curve of her waist, the tension in her shoulders. Without a word, he gave a slight nod. Two of his men rose from their table and began a slow, deliberate advance toward the bar. The space bet…