Page 12 of The Mafia Bachelor

Avery springs away, and I reluctantly let her go. I draw my suit jacket over the bulge of my erection and face down our new audience.

“She stole his first kiss,” seethes one of the women. She has long, sleek blonde hair that’s so ironed perfect I’m not sure it’s real.

I bark a laugh. “I’m not Sleeping Beauty.”

The girl scowls and mumbles an apology.

“And I had to see her, since she’s leaving.” I tap Avery’s bottom patronisingly as my mother’s thunderous face appears at the back of the small crowd. “Cinderella is off home.”

My mother takes in the situation with a practiced glance, which is impressive given I’m an only child. “I think it’s time for the ‘most memorable of the first evening’ presentation.”

“Of course,” I reply blandly.

“I’ll go,” Avery mutters, turning.

I catch her shoulder, keeping her in place. “Not quite yet.”

I hold out my other hand for the red roses my mother is offering and take it without responding to her significant glance towards one of the other women gathered around us. Clearly, Mam has a favourite, as well as a way that she wants to do this, complete with lots of silly games and formalities.

“It’s been a most enlightening event, and I’m delighted to meet you all.” And conveniently enough, it’s not a lie. This is the perfect excuse to get to know Avery, and while I would rather just take her home today, she might need a bit more time. So my delight is more that these women have already been so effective in pointing out all my good features to Avery, including my considerably sized cock.

It’s going to make convincing her to be my wife all the easier.

The last of the women have gathered around us in the large entrance hall. “The rose for the most memorable first impression goes to Avery. For calling me ‘cute’, which is a new one to me.” I offer the flower to her with a smirk, and she takes it with a trembling hand.

“And you need to select which of the other women you want to go through to the next round, Killian,” my mother says.

“She’s taking this seriously,” I say confidingly to the women in general, and about half of them laugh.

I’m tempted to sweep a hand and eliminate all of them. But these are the daughters, sisters, and friends of my allies. I need to at least play at being polite, even if they don’t have a chance of winning.

“Off you go, you’re done for one night,” I say to Avery, with a calculated hint of condescension.

She lets out a squeaky, “Thanks.”

From the corner of my eye, I watch Avery walk away. Then I turn back, and begin giving out roses, more or less at random, to select some companions for my girl.

But I’ve already made my choice.

4

AVERY

I keep stroking the rose petals with my fingers all the way home. The red is the most intense I’ve seen, and the texture is like the finest velvet, or silk.

My brain knows Kill gave it to me because his mother would have insisted I left otherwise, but my stupid heart is clinging to the symbolism and his kiss.

Also probably calculated.

There was no chance we weren’t going to be caught. He was doing exactly what he paid me for. I was running interference.

I sneak into the house. It’s completely quiet. My parents are asleep. But although I lock the door behind me and undress in the dark, as silently as I can so I don’t wake anyone, and get into bed in my long pyjamas, I can’t sleep.

My lips still tingle from Kill’s kiss.

My body has shudders of pleasure from just the memory.

In the morning, I wake to find a message from something called Paddington Station, saying I have a money deposit from Archway for an eye-watering amount of money. It feels too good to be true. A scam. But a quick search online reveals this is a way for mafias to discreetly pay their contractors. I have to go in person to Padding Station to pick it up.