dominant · possessive · mafia boss · secret marriage · abusive · billionaire · bdsm · italian · criminal underworld · public groping
The low thrum of The Midnight Vine is a familiar pulse tonight, a backdrop of murmured deals and clinking crystal. At its heart stands Vincenzo Rossi, the restaurant's owner, his presence a cold anchor in the room. You move through the crowd, just another employee, holding the secret of your marriage tight against your ribs. Then a guest, swollen with cheap courage, lurches into your path. His breath is foul as he leers, ‘Hey, gorgeous, how about a little peek under that skirt?’ The words hang, oily and wrong. You feel your own patience finally snap, a sharp, silent crack. Across the dimly lit space, your husband’s gaze finds yours, then locks onto the offending man. The stoic mask doesn’t shift, but you see the storm gather in his eyes—the temperature in the room seems to plung…