Mafia Desire (Erotica)

Ben sat across the table from Gabriella in her favorite restaurant and watched her eyes twinkle with happiness. They’d had a lovely meal and were just finishing up their dessert. The conversation had been lively and saucy at times, and they were both tingling with anticipation for what the night would hold. They’d talked excitedly about their upcoming trip. Ben talked to her about how his session went with Dr. Granger, and she told him about how her import business just took a big step towards expanding with the contract she just arranged with a major distributor on the west coast. They toasted her success then basked in their admiration for each other.

He’d spotted a man sitting at the bar, who was frequently glancing over at Gabriella, and he couldn’t blame the man. She looked ravishing tonight. The simple but elegant black dress she wore complimented her curves, and her luxurious black mane flowed over her bare shoulders. Ben wanted to run his hands through her hair and caught himself imaging her lips pressed against his. He glanced up to her eyes and saw the twinkle was still in them, but her cheeks were beginning to pink up.

“What were you just thinking about Ben?” she said, her voice a little breathy.

“I was thinking about how much I want to run my fingers through your hair and pull you to me for a kiss.” The heat in his expression was enough to melt the candles on the table between them.

Gabriella’s blush spread across her face. “Oh my, I thought it might be something like that. Maybe we should get the cheque and head home.

Ben caught the eye of the waiter and asked for the bill. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gabriella’s admirer get up from his bar stool. Just the slightest wobble in his stance, so he’d been drinking maybe a little too much. He made a beeline towards their table.

“Do you know this man approaching our table?” Ben asked, gesturing in his direction.

Gabriella looked and showed some surprise. She stood up just as the man reached them. Ben stood as well as the man’s look made him a little uneasy

“Raphael! I didn’t know you were visiting the States!” Gabriella said with a smile, but Ben saw the tension in the corners of her eyes. He looked back at the man in time to see him fling his arm in a slap aimed at her face.

Gabriella’s reflexes allowed her to lean back quickly and dodge the hit. Her expression went from surprise to rage in a split second.

Ben stepped forward and caught Raphael’s shoulders from behind, and walked the cursing man down the aisle towards the exit. Gabriella followed, and the restaurant manager met them at the door.

“What is the commotion about? We don’t allow fighting in our establishment,” the manager said tersely.

“This patron decided to aim a slap at my date,” Ben said. “I’m just escorting him outside to cool off, not to fight him.”

The man went still in his grip. He looked over his shoulder at Ben. “Who are you?” he asked

“I’m Ben. Are you going to be civil if I let you go? Because if not, you’re in for a lot of pain,” Ben warned him.

The man nodded stiffly, so Ben released his shoulders and stepped back.

Ben looked at Gabriella. “Do you want to ask him, or shall I?” he asked, giving her the option to control the conversation. She was shaking with anger, so she just shook her head. “Why did you try to slap Gabriella?” Ben asked.

“Because she is a puttana!” Raphael growled.Belonging to NôvelDrama.Org.

“Hey, I don’t know Italian, but I’m pretty sure I know what that word means. Being civil includes your words. We can behave like adults here!” Ben growled back and felt Gabriella’s fingers digging into his arm in rage. He tried to ignore that. “You tried to slap a woman. Here, that makes you a coward. Have we finished with the name-calling?”

The man’s eyes flared with the insult, but he knew he was in no shape to take on someone Ben’s size. He was being given the opportunity to avoid a beating. He wasn’t so drunk that he couldn’t appreciate that.

“She made promises when she was in Italy that I now see were lies,” Raphael said, looking up at Ben.

“What? What promises did I make?” Gabriella asked.

Raphael refused to look at her, so he spoke to Ben. “She was all soft and touched me frequently when we met. She told me that I should come to America and she would show me the sites and make sure I enjoyed myself. Her… kisses were sensual.” The man was struggling, and Ben knew what he meant by her kisses. Gabriella was, by nature, a sensual woman, but this was probably, hopefully, a case of misread signals. He turned to look at Gabriella, who was looking concerned. Ben became worried when he saw her expression.

“No, Ben, it’s not like that. It’s been my experience that for a woman to do business with men in Italy, there’s a lot of flirting involved. It’s expected. But the line is drawn between flirting and outright sex. Raphael, you must be aware of this. I certainly never meant to lead you on. On my last visit, we both had a little too much wine. My aim in kissing you on the cheek was a little off, but we laughed about that afterward. I thought we both understood it was just a mistake.”

Raphael’s pride was terribly hurt. Her words were not making him feel any better, and even Ben’s sympathetic look was painful. “No, you were not clear about your intentions. Obviously, since I came all this way for nothing. I suppose while I am here, I will find another distributor for my products. I’m terminating our contract. Goodbye.” He turned and walked into the adjoining hotel lobby to head back to his room.

Gabriella watched him go with dismay. All that work and poof, gone because of one stupid sloppy kiss and a man’s wounded pride.

Ben led Gabriella back to the table so he could settle the bill, and she could take a moment to decompress.

After he paid, Ben looked at the woman across from him. He could see the gears working. She was trying to salvage her deal.

“How large of a component was Raphael’s product to the deal you worked out for the west coast distributor?” he asked.

“His belts and wallets made up about 20 percent, but without that, the deal falls through.”

“Is there another manufacturer you could use to replace him,” he asked.

“Yes. There’s a company that makes better products, but they weren’t interested because they wanted broader distribution. I have the promise of that now, but the window to meet with them is gone. They’re all heading off to the trade show circuit in two days, and I’d never get to them in time.”

“Make the call to set up a meeting tomorrow. I’ll get you there,” Ben said, pulling out his phone.

“BEN! How are you going to get me to Milan by tomorrow?” Gabriella gasped.