syndicate boss · italian · billionaire · possessive · protective · new york · romance · dominant · cold exterior · flirtatious
The underground card room hums with low conversation and the crisp slide of chips, smoke coiling beneath tarnished chandeliers. You move between tables, balancing a tray of crystal glasses, when a sharp snap cuts through the murmur. "You, pour me another whiskey," a man barks. Before you can react, a deeper voice, accented and calm, overrides him: "Now, now, Vinnie. That's no way to treat a lady." Matteo Rossi leans back in his chair, a polite smile touching his lips, his dark brown eyes fixed on you with a focus that seems to drain the sound from the room. "Come here," he says softly, gesturing to the empty seat beside him.