Betrayed (Chianti Kisses #3)

BETRAYED

Book Three

THE CHIANTI KISSES SERIES

TARA OAKES

This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

First edition. July 20, 2015

Copyright c. 2015 Tara Oakes

Written by Tara Oakes

Published by Twelve Oakes Publishing, inc.

Book Cover: Image by CBB Productions

TO MY LAMBCHOP, MY LOVE

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

All good things must come to an end.
BETRAYED
marks the end of the CHIANTI KISSES series, and
wasn’t
the easiest to write. These characters have lived in my mind, in my dreams for so long that it was hard to put an end to their story.

But, I hope they’ve become vivid enough to live on in your own dreams.

Then, maybe, it isn’t so much of an end… as a beginning.

Thanks so much to everyone on my team who’s helped yet again. To my assistant Alicia, it’s been a busy few months. Thanks so much for picking up all the little odds and ends that my scatter-brain forgets. To my editor Laura… another tight deadline… another saving grace… another red pen out of ink.

To my street team, The Trollops, and Kerri the ringleader… thanks so very much for all the time you guys put in to helping a sister out.

And last but not least… the readers. Thank
you
so much for coming along this journey with me. Every review, every email, every comment… they all mean so much to me.

Without further delay… get ready to be
BETRAYED.

PROLOGUE

The definition of BETRAY:

1. v
   :
   To deliver or expose to an enemy by treachery or disloyalty.
   
2. v
   :
   To be unfaithful in guarding, maintaining, or fulfilling.
   
3. v:
   To disappoint the hopes or expectations of; be disloyal to.
   
4. v:
   To deceive, misguide, or corrupt.
   

CHAPTER ONE

DOM

“You sure about this, Dom?”

Truthfully… no. But I know the direction my life is taking leaves me little choice in the matter at hand. I’ve lived my life as honestly as I could. I’ve done my part in strengthening the legacy of the company my father helped build from the ground up. I
can’t
jeopardize the reputation of that company, ATH, by having it mixed in with the new elements of my world.

“It’s gotta be done, John. We’ve got to make some space between my name including anything that could come along with it later down the road, and the company,” I answer my brother-in-law.

This isn’t an easy conversation for either of us to be having. We’ve each had our roles, groomed to be what we’ve become. They weren’t supposed to change. But… they did, and all those years of being the CEO of our joint family business has trained me well to prepare for the worst while protecting our investments.

I can’t live a double life. I can’t do what my father and John’s father tried to do… to be successful, respectable businessmen on the outside, while maneuvering their way around the seedy underworld that helped bring them their success.

That criminal split-life earned John’s father, my father-in-law, an early grave. I saw how it affected those he left behind; his youngest child and only daughter-my wife V- and her brothers and mother. Now that I’m a husband myself and soon-to-be father, I can’t bear to place them in that position.

I would have liked to say I had a choice to make, but I didn’t. The movements against my family and the danger they were placed in… they couldn’t be ignored. They
won’t
be ignored. I had to choose a side… and I did.

Now, I’m just following through on that decision.

I have to sever all ties with ATH, Atlantic Trade and Holdings, in order to protect it from any downfall that may come in the future. Just because I’ve decided to move to the other side of the law to do what will need to be done, doesn’t mean the rest of my family, or V’s, needs to get pulled into this with me.

I won’t make the same mistake my father-in-law made. I’ll be totally committed to the new direction my life will be taking. I won’t let any stupid mistakes or weaknesses catch me and trip me up. The only way to do all this is to stay the course and not be pulled in too many directions.

John needs to take over the helm at ATH, and I need to take up the head of our
other
family. The one
not
related by blood, but rather by oath, by old promises and debts that our culture and lifestyle don’t forget.

“I’ll do this for you, Dom, but we both need to be clear that this is only temporary. Once all this shit is cleared up, you take back the reins and I go back to my quiet little office over in Jersey City.”

I pass the stack of legal papers over to his side of my desk. Well, actually, I guess it’s
his
desk now. He signs the papers in the appropriate spots, next to my own name. All that’s left is the board’s approval. With each board member being either of my blood or family through marriage, I don’t doubt the measure will pass the majority needed to make it official.

As I’m the largest shareholder thanks to V’s own shares combined with mine before we got married, it was also necessary to draw up documents placing all of our joint stock solely in her name. Those papers sit in my briefcase, ready to be delivered next.

The muted thudding of the pen scraping against paper on the hard antique wooden surface of the desk ends as John stares at the completed forms.

“I guess it’s done then.” He seems somber.

With a large family of his own, he knows the amount of work that his new position will require of him… and the toll it will take on Mary and the kids. They’ll find a way to make it work, I have no doubt, but the going won’t be easy in the beginning.

It wasn’t difficult for
me
back when I took the helm, living a bachelor lifestyle, but I also could have salvaged a little more time for myself if I
really
had a desire to. John’ll be able to find that time.

I take my copy of the packet, slip it back into the manila envelope from which it originally traveled here, and place it in my briefcase. I do my best not to look at John. This is hard enough, having to leave what was my home away from home for so many years.

The small silver-edged picture frame with V’s sparkling eyes and perfect smile is the only other thing I take from the desk. I fit in on top of the papers in the leather-bound case, next to the cold black steel of the gun hiding in the corner, truly solidifying the double life I’ve been leading for the past few weeks.

The case is closed, locked, and I grab the handle to swing by my side as I vacate the chair. It’s John’s now. His father once sat in that chair, and now it’s his.

In a way… it’s kind of poetic, like somehow this crazy twist of fate that’s affecting us all is somehow meant to be.

~*~

Carmine, dressed in his Italian, black, tailored suit quickly stashes his cell phone in his pocket as he sees me approaching from the building.

“All set, boss?” He opens the car door to the back seat of the sedan.

His movement is smooth enough to the average bystander, but knowing that he’s recovering from the gunshot wound that was initially meant for me has me eyeing the masked signs of discomfort.

The docs say he’s well on the way to recovery, and he never complains, but I keep an eye on him anyway. Things have been quiet lately, ever since Moretti’s been taken out, but I know they can stir up in the bat of an eyelash. I can handle my own, but Carmine is not only my driver, he’s my protection.

I need to make sure he’s mentally
and
physically up to the task.

As for loyalty… let’s just say I’m keeping him close for a reason. If it weren’t for the fact that his family ties stretched as far back as they did and his actually taking a bullet for me, he’d be eight feet under along with his former capo, Moretti.

You know that saying, keep your friends close and your enemies closer? Yeah, well, in this life, there are no friends. Just family. And that’s not always measured by blood. Carmine’s staying close to my side where I can keep an eye on him and decide whether he’s family or not.

I toss my briefcase into the darkened interior of the car and use the opportunity to loosen my tie. I’m not a CEO anymore. I don’t need to dress like one, either.

“You hear back from Joe about this week’s numbers yet?” I ask.

Carmine rolls his eyes. “Yup. He’s a cranky sonnuva bitch today. Says he’s sending the numbers to you later today.”

I laugh. There’s no love lost between those two. Joe’s stepped back into things now that I’ve needed him, holding true to the oaths he swore to my family long ago. He’s no fan of Carmine and volunteered himself to put the bullet in his head, convinced he’s a coward looking to side with whoever is in the lead at the moment.

“Good. Once we get those we can move forward with the meeting.” I throw my suit jacket into the depths of the car and hear the material land softly on a nearby seat. I move in after it.

“You got it, boss. Where to?” He closes the door behind me before taking the driver’s seat himself.

I exhale long and deep. It’s been a long day and there’s one more thing left to do. I’ve been dreading it, but I know I need to get it done before word spreads of the deal John and I just made. In a family like ours, things tend to spread quickly. John’s wife, my sister-in-law Mary, will no doubt be calling V later about her husband’s new job.

“Home. Let’s go home, Carmine.”

In the coolness of the late summer evening, with the purple and orange-hued sun setting behind us, we leave Manhattan and head home. I feel a sharp ache as I look up to watch the city skyline fade in the rearview mirror. It’s the end of an era, the end of one life… and the beginning of another.

~*~

The soft music playing through the recessed wall speakers is deep, the low beats humming through the air and reverberating through me, sending an electrical current charging into my body.

The lights are dimmed, the mood set.

Damn!

I was hoping to surprise her. Looks like she’s already getting a head start. I can see the light shades of evening casting through the large windows. I can smell the delicious scents wafting through the air, overtaking the potpourri and fresh bouquet of roses on the entryway table.

I follow the scents through the empty house, working on the top buttons of my shirt as I eagerly walk closer to where she is. I can hear the clanking and clattering sounds grow as I near the kitchen. Knowing I’ll see her in mere seconds as I round the corners deeper into the house sets my body on fire.

I feel the muscles in my legs tighten, my pulse skip a beat in anticipation, and my lips curl in on themselves coating themselves and preparing to devour her as much as whatever meal she’s making.

The brightness of the kitchen light is harsh as I step onto the cultured marble stone floors of the gourmet kitchen. I work my eyes up as I settle on her tiny curvaceous frame, her back turned to me as I enter the room, unaware of my presence.

Her perfectly tanned, toned legs move like a skilled ballerina’s, stepping and pointing as she dances in place, keeping time with the heavy beats of the music. Her round, sinful hips sway back and forth, swiveling around and unknowingly seducing me for the millionth time.

The newfound plumpness of her bottom is like a drug to me. Her body has been blossoming lately, the hormones doing what they naturally do. Her loose, flowy hair shines from the light overhead, nodding as she sings along to the words.

Her sweet, off-pitch singing struggles to keep pace just as my pants struggle to cover my swelling crotch. Neither one of them are successful.

I see her elbows moving as she’s working at the counter, tossing whatever’s in a large mixing bowl. With only a foot or so between us now I reach forward possessively, take hold of those delicious hips and pull her back into me. She yelps in surprise and drops the wooden spoon in hand as I take her, wrap my hands around her slender shoulders and bury my mouth into her neck.

“Happy anniversary, baby,” I muffle into her supple flesh.

My lips explore her softness as she settles from her shock. It takes mere seconds until she’s recovered, moaning, letting me know just how much her body approves of the way I chose to greet her.

She arches her neck, and I lift my eyes to watch her reflection in the window in front of her. Her eyes are closed, lashes fluttering, lower lip caught between her teeth as she punishes it in sensual torment.

“I didn’t hear you come in,” her breathy words escape as she turns herself to face me.

Along with those dangerously curvy hips I admired earlier, her breasts have begun to grow, multiplying in size. Those same tits push against me, squishing themselves and luring me down. I move my lips, following her collarbone.

I hit her sweet spot, and V inhales sharply. I feel her throat constrict, tightening as she gasps for the air she seeks. Her hands begin a search, weaving through my hair, passing over my skin, doing anything to make as much contact as they can.

The bulging mounds of her breasts are soft pillows that I burrow myself between, pushing the neckline of her low-cut shirt down even further than the swollen mounds stretch it.

“I got your flowers,” her breath hitches, squeaking, as I take her nipple in my mouth, circling my tongue and making the tip respond the way I want it to.

“Did you think I’d forget?” I tear myself from the tightening bud and lift my mouth to lock my lips to hers.

V’s fingers tickle their way down my heaving chest, finding my belt and teasing themselves around the metal buckle.

“Well, you
are
a man,” her lips detach from mine to cast her words onto me with her scorching breath, heating my skin and stoking the burning desire growing in my pants.

I laugh at that, just as she whips off my belt, fumbles with the button and opens the zip in one fluid motion. Her hand immediately slips beneath the fabric, reaching in to take hold of the rock-hard mass she’s responsible for inciting.

I hiss, breathing in through my clenched teeth as she goes to work, stroking the flesh in hand.

“Don’t you want to know what I have for
you
on our anniversary?” her husky, sultry voice teases.

I breathe in deep, basking in the scents of what she’s been busy preparing.

“Lasagna?”

Her fingers tighten, gently pulling and continuing the heavy petting that forces me to grab hold and brace myself on the nearby countertop. She chuckles at my answer, her dark chestnut eyes glimmering, and she slowly shakes her head no.

I cock my head, arching an eyebrow in curiosity. “No?”

She licks her lips, smiling like a vixen and drops to her knees. The part of me in her grasp is now taken between her lips, instantly swallowed to the hilt. I clench my eyes tight, collecting myself as I’ve nearly come undone.