Taming My Mafia Stepbrother

Cara’s pov

Red mist seeped into my skin and burned beneath as I stomped through my way back to the bar.

I miss you.

The three word text from none other than Luca’s alleged fiancee played over and over in my head like an emergency announcement.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

He had been fucking me for the past two and a half months, made me feel special with his bedroom expertise and heart fluttering dirty talk but what? He and Valentina were still a thing?

The audacity, the absolute, mind boggling audacity of men should be studied, researched and experimented.

I halted to swallow the bubbling rage flaring up my throat, my chest knotting up with the suppressed feeling. I wanted to punch him in the face, kick him while at it. I felt used and I yearned for retribution.

I loathed the warring emotions swarming in me. I was furious at being played, unsettled by how affected I was and furious again with the fact.

A sick laugh tore out of me. I felt threatened. I couldn’t believe it. Luca Salvatore and I weren’t a thing. He was nothing to me, I didn’t care who he screwed or married as long as I wasn’t getting webbed into the mess.

Liar.

Something arsenic formed in my mouth as I tasted the first lick of green bitterness. I kicked at the wall, hissing at the sharp pain jolting through my toes.

The throbbing ache competed with the one in my chest. The thought of Luca two-timing, with me as the other woman obviously, made the bitterness trickle into my bloodstreams.

No wonder he was so reluctant to answer the fucking phone, no one would love hearing their partner’s voice while they fucked their side piece.

Rage boiled inside me. I hated that I was reduced to such a disrespectful position but what I hated more was that I didn’t hate it as much as I hated the thought of him with her.

There was this feeling in my chest, heavy, and erratic. It felt too close to panic.

Never one to exercise self preservation, I let myself envision the both of them together, getting married, being married and I nearly threw up with jealousy.

Does he call her Bambina too? Or does he reserve a term far more endearing for her?

My masochism doesn’t stop there and I began to picture them in bed together, my heart compressing with every mental image.

As much as I wanted to blame it all on Luca, I had a lot to be at fault with. I had known from the beginning that he was out of reach, that he and Valentina shared a history dating way back before I came into the picture. Yet, I still dived head first into whatever it was that we had.

And what was that even? An affair? A lover’s tryst? A fling?

Was I Luca Salvatore’s sneaky link?

I barked out a laugh.

Valentina must be thrilled to be the chosen one. At least she would understand the sexy Italian he reverted to during sex.

A few tough looking men I instantly pinned as Luca’s soldiers poured out from the bend at my right. I quickly masked my angry countenance, turning away from them as they moved past me, obviously heading for their boss’ office.

I heaved a sigh, I’d have to suspend my anger tirade and musings for later. I still had to decide on my next course of action, which actually didn’t need a second of contemplation because a woman with enough self respect would have quit the moment she read the text.

I, on the other hand, was a woman with an addiction, a dangerous, self sabotaging addiction that was Luca Salvatore. It took a lot more than an instant decision. I was currently like a junkie trying to get clean and if you ask me, I didn’t even know when and how I began to get hooked.

Diana pounced on me the second I returned to the bar, her eyes alight with curiosity. The customers had reduced to a handful of men and the other waitresses on duty had probably clocked out or had disappeared to their side job. I was relieved that I didn’t have to explain anything to the bunch of them.

I threw Diana a glance, hoping the guilt I felt didn’t reflex on my face.

Unfortunately, I hadn’t come up with an excuse for my summoning. I had been too occupied with being mad and sorry for myself to think about one.

“So, what happened? What did you do? Are you being fired?”

I settled into a bar stool, wincing at the pain in my boot as I racked my brain for answers to all three questions. “I- uh… we just talked about my absence at a family gathering. Yes, that’s it.” I tucked a lock of my hair behind my hair, hoping that it looked just as decent as it was before my romp with Luca.

“Oh, just family matters then.” Diana said.

I cleared my throat. “Yeah. I’m not getting fired or anything.”

Her relief was visible. “Thank God, I know I shouldn’t have even entertained the thought but Luca just strikes me as someone who wouldn’t hesitate to fire his own mother if she fucked up.”

I nodded solemnly in agreement, suddenly curious about the woman that birthed him.

She must have been a sweet soul considering how Gina turned out but her shortcoming was obviously her only son. The man didn’t even have the basic decency to come after me and explain himself. The fucking jerk.

I realized with a bitter feeling that he never explained anything. Not about his actions, not about himself. I didn’t know him at all and it pricked at the back of my neck like a needle.

Valentina probably knew more than I ever will.

“So what do you say?” Diana asked and I realized I had zoned out on her.

“Um…?”

She rolled her eyes. “I was asking if you were interested in celebrating my birthday with me.”

“When is it?” I asked, my mood picking up. A party was just what I needed. If I was lucky, I’d get to meet hot guys that would get my mind off a particular hot guy.

“Calm your horses baby,” Diana said, chuckling at my sudden burst of enthusiasm. “It’s in a week from now.”

My mood fell back down.

It plummeted to the very low when Luca reappeared, his men following behind him. His intense eyes instantly found me and I despised myself for the little stumble my heart did. His gaze grabbed onto it and held on and I had to remind myself that he was a cheating bastard.

Or something like that.

He paused, something conflicted flaring in his eyes. I held my breath in waiting. Silently beckoning on him to come to me, pull us somewhere private and assure me that Valentina’s text meant nothing. That she meant nothing, that it wasn’t just sex between us. I wanted- needed him to finally put a label on our relationship.

But he turned away and continued past the bar, past me. I watched him exit the place with his men, I watched him enter his fancy car and drive off. Probably off for some law-breaking business.

My heart dipped and squeezed in disappointment.

He didn’t even look back once.