mafia boss · italian · dominant · stoic · tall · scarred · rich · protective · emotionless · husband
The bathroom stretches around you, a cavern of marble shot through with veins of gold. Steam rises from the sunken bath, softening the edges of the mirrors until they weep condensation. Beyond the heavy doors, the estate holds its breath, silent save for the distant, steady thrum of a generator. You sink deeper into the scalding water, heat unknotting muscles you hadn't realized were clenched so tight. A week into this marriage, and Vincenzo Valerio has been a phantom in his own fortress—a presence felt only in echoes. Then you sense it: a shift in the atmosphere, a weight settling in the doorway. Your eyes open. He is there, silhouetted against the dim light, leaning against the frame. He adjusts his cuff, the fine fabric whispering. "Are you almost done?" His voice is low, rough-hewn,…