The Godfather's Temptation (Age Gap Mafia Romance), page 1
Table of Contents
The Godfather’s Temptation
Excerpt from:
Taken: Her Two Savage Bikers
Contact Information & Current Releases
Copyright Oct 1, 2020
By Terry Towers
All rights reserved. With the exception of brief quotes used for critical reviews and articles no part of this book may be used or reproduced without the written permission of the author Terry Towers. Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.
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This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors imagination and used fictitiously.
Royce Caine.
Ruthless, deadly, and unwavering.
He’s the most feared man in New York.
And he’s my kryptonite.
You see, I’m hardly your average girl.
Growing up in a world of savage men doing brutal things for money and power changes you.
So, I’ve made my share of bad choices in my life.
The most questionable being that I fell in love with my boss.
Godfather’s Temptation
by
Terry Towers
Chapter 1
Tasha
I was just about to call Romano’s Italiana to book dinner reservations for my boss, Royce, when the door to my office burst open and framed in the doorway stood Elijah Caine, his son. Tall, impeccably dressed in a dark gray suit that matched his eyes, and fucking pissed. I didn’t even have to ask how he was; the look of anger distorting his otherwise handsome features told the tale well enough. Elijah and my boss, the Godfather of New York City, had a love-hate relationship – mostly hate if I were to be completely honest. I didn’t know the details behind the rift that had formed between them as it predated me. Working directly with Royce, all I could do was speculate, but the signs were there.
Forcing a smile to my lips, I attempted to pretend I didn’t notice his anger. “Elijah, it’s so good to see you again. How’s life on the island treating you?”
Elijah and I had never been friends, but I’ll admit that at one time I’d had a crush on him. But that was many years ago; the only person I had eyes for now was his father – unfortunately his father was nearly twice my age of twenty-six and didn’t see me as anything more than the girl who ran his day-to-day life and fetched his lunch. My father was close to Royce, but I don’t think he even knew I existed until I started working for him.
Ignoring my question, Elijah entered my office, striding across the room toward his father’s office, not bothering to close the door behind him from the main area where a dozen or so realtors were working. “Is my father in his office?”
Craning my neck, I confirmed that all the realtors were looking, while pretending not to look, inside my office. I couldn’t blame them; I’d be staring too. The realty company was one of the many fronts my boss had. The workers outside were all 100% legit, and quite successful without the help of my boss and his connections.
Elijah didn’t wait for me to reply. Grabbing the doorknob to my boss’s office he turned it and shoved the door open, disappearing inside and slamming the door behind him with such force that the pictures on the wall rattled. Moments later I could hear the men shouting at each other, though what was being said wasn’t decipherable.
Getting up from my desk, attempting to look unfazed by what had just happened, I crossed the room, closing the door to the main sales floor, saying, “Go back to work everyone, nothing to see here.”
Shit. Running a hand through my waist-length raven colored hair, I sighed. Elijah showing up always meant something bad had either gone down or was going down. The two men getting together was never a good thing; they mixed like oil and water. If it bothered my boss though he never showed it. I’d been employed by Royce for five years now and had learned how to read my boss’s mood. I’d guess I would be one of the only people in the world close enough to him to be able to see through his facade. I’d wager that when Elijah left, Royce would ask me to cancel his dinner at Romano’s and then spend the evening drinking one of his bottles of prized bourbon.
I longed for them to get along – for both their sakes. Royce would never admit it, but I knew he wished that himself. There was just too much history and bad blood between father and son. I doubted either one even knew where to start to work toward a resolution.
It’s none of your business; he’s your boss and nothing more, I told myself as I tried to focus on the invoices in front of me. But it was an exercise in futility for me to keep my nose out of it, because I’d fallen for Royce quite some time ago, despite knowing that my affections would never be reciprocated.
I’d barely gotten through a dozen invoices before the door swung open and Elijah appeared at the door just marginally less angry than when he’d arrived. “Have a good day, Tasha,” Elijah growled as he stormed past me and out the door, leaving both doors wide open in his wake.
Well… At least he remembered my name this time.
Getting up from my desk, I made my way to the door to the sales floor and closed it again. I sighed, spinning around to see my boss in his office doorway across the room from me. He was a replica of his son, tall, well-built, and as handsome as sin with slate gray eyes that made my heart skip a beat. There were subtle differences though; there were streaks of gray at his temples where the blond had once been and he had a goatee where his son was clean-shaven. There were also crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes that had just begun to appear the past couple of years.
While his son was good looking and had a definite alpha appeal, his father had a sex appeal that transcended just looks. He was the kind of man that other men feared even if they didn’t know who he was, while women’s panties would moisten just from a smile. If only he’d consider me as more than just the girl who scheduled his appointments and balanced his books.
“Did you book my reservation at Romano’s?”
I nodded, “Yes, sir. They said they’d have your table ready for you for seven pm.”
“Good.” He nodded, stroking his perfectly groomed goatee as he stared deep into my eyes, making my insides turn to jelly. He made a half-turn away from me and then stopped himself to face me again. “Are you free tonight?”
Dammit! I sighed. I knew what that meant, he’d have something for me to do that had to be done immediately. Usually when Elijah made an appearance it meant a cranky boss and a pile of work to be done that magically appeared with his son. Fucking Elijah!
I did have plans for the night. I had a date with some guy I met on an online dating app. Calvin. He was a thirty-something construction worker from Long Island. If his profile was to be believed he was a romantic at heart, who loved to spend a fun day at Coney Island and had two cats. If his pictures were to be believed, he was handsome, and fit enough that he’d be able to satisfy the need that I’d been feeling over the past few months. Masturbation just wasn’t cutting it anymore.
Smiling the best fake smile I could muster, I shrugged. “No. Nothing at all. What do you need?”
“I want you to join me for dinner tonight. I’m not in the mood to dine alone.”
This was a turn of events. My jaw practically hit the floor. He’d never asked me to join him before. Sometimes I wondered if he even knew I existed as a woman, not just as his assistant. “Umm. Sure.” My mouth turned into a genuine smile in a snap. “I’d love to.” If it wouldn’t have made me look like a moron, I’d have pinched myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.
“Good.” Bringing his wrist up to eye level he pulled his suit jacket sleeve back and looked down at his watch. “How about this. It’s almost four. Why don’t you go home now and I’ll pick you up at a quarter to seven? Sound good?”
I hesitated a moment, still shaken over this turn of events. “Yes. Of course. Thank you, Mr. Caine.”
“Royce.”
My smiled became so wide that it nearly split my face in two as I attempted to contain my excitement. “Royce.” I liked the sound of that.
What in the hell did a girl wear for a date like this? If it even was a date. I really shouldn’t assume anything until I knew for sure. After a solid ten minutes of indecision I decided to go with the assumption that it was a date so chose a black mini dress that had a low-cut V, which dipped into my cleavage and a skin-tight fitted skirt that landed halfway up my thigh. When it came down to it, the best- or worst-case scenarios really equaled out to the same thing; hopefully he’d see me as sexy as fuck and want me.
I was just putting the finishing touches on my make-up, taking care that I’d never taken before for any man to ensure I looked perfect, when my doorbell rang. Glancing down at my delicate silver watch, I nodded. Six-thirty. Royce was always early for appointments he valued. I wasn’t sure if I should read anything into it or not, because I didn’t
Rushing to the intercom, I pressed the button. “Hello.”
“This is Gavin, Mr. Caine is here for you.”
My heart quickened. Pressing the speak button, I replied, “Okay. I’ll be right down.”
Slipping a pair of strappy four-inch heels on which would bring me to just a couple inches short of Royce’s 6′2, I grabbed a black clutch and hurried from my apartment. The elevator seemed to take an eternity to arrive and deposit me into the lobby. Royce paid me very well for my discretion and my family’s loyalty, so my wages afforded me a moderately-sized apartment on the east side of Manhattan, not that far from Central Park. Having security at the door helped give the occupants a sense of security. Unlike many of the people living in New York, I knew better than most the seedy underbelly that the Big Apple possessed.
Giving the security guard a nod, I walked past him and out the front doors, not missing the fact he gave me a full body up-and-down look of appreciation. I’d take that as a good sign. Gavin, who was slightly older than me, and just a tad shorter when I was in heels, was waiting outside the doors. “Evening Tasha.” Stepping ahead of me he opened the back door of the black Escalade and ushered me inside to where Royce was waiting.
My heart rate accelerated as I looked into the car and saw the smiling face of my boss. He looked more handsome than I’d ever seen him. Normally, he was immaculately dressed in a finely tailored suit without a hair out of place. Tonight, however, he was minus a suit jacket and instead was in jeans with a black button-down shirt, the top couple of buttons undone.
I’d always thought he was handsome, but tonight he was even more jaw-dropping than ever. Casual was very becoming of him. Chewing at my lower lip, I dipped my head and entered the SUV, sliding onto the black leather seat next to him, taking care not to flash him as I took my seat.
“You look beautiful, Tasha,” he said the moment I slid in next to him. It took me by surprise to hear the compliment coming from him. No matter how much effort I put into my looks at the office, he never seemed to take notice, or if he did, then he didn’t let on.
Heat rushed to my cheeks, like a teenager with a crush and I nodded. “Thank you. You’re looking incredible yourself. Dressing a little more casually really suits you.”
“How so?”
Shrugging, I placed my handbag on the seat next to me as Garrett closed the car door. “It makes you look more approachable.”
An amused look gleamed in his eyes. “I’m not approachable normally?”
Laughing, I sank back into the seat. Like he didn’t know already. “I never said that specifically. You’re just an intimidating man in general – I think you know that. You look more real right now.” The car lurched forward and pulled out onto the road.
He chuckled. “Fair enough. So… Tell me truthfully, what plans did you cancel to spend the evening with me?”
“Nothing at all.”
Shifting in his seat so he could get a better look at me, he gave me a hard stare, his strong, square jaw tightening. “You’re not a very good liar Tasha. You’ve worked for me, and our families have been in business together long enough for you to know who I am and what I really do. So you know that I’m very good at determining when someone is lying to me. And you, beautiful, are lying through your perfect teeth.”
With a sigh, I spread my hands out to my sides. “Okay, you’ve got me. I had a date.”
“Then you’re involved with someone?” If I wasn’t mistaken there was a hint of disappointment in his eyes as he asked the question.
“No. I’d never met the guy before. It was—” I gave him a nervous laugh, slightly embarrassed to be admitting that I was resorting to online dating. “I met him on a dating app and we were going to go and get a coffee. Funny thing is that I don’t even like coffee. It’s just that I haven’t dated for such a long time that I figured I might as well start somewhere.”
He grinned. “Setting the bar high then?”
Oh God, I wished a hole would open up and swallow me whole. “Dating nowadays just isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. It’s become a buffet of people, and you don’t know if they’re even any good unless you take it home. It’s harsh.”
“Hmmm. That’s a fairly crass way of saying it.” Sitting back in the seat, he placed a strong hand on my bare leg just above the knee and gave it a gentle squeeze, sending a rush of anticipation through me, making my pussy clench. “Well, I hope that I’m an acceptable replacement for this man you just met on the internet.”
Forcing myself to remain calm and not get swept up in the excitement racing through me, I gave him a coy smile. “We will see. Calvin the construction worker with two cats seemed like quite a catch, you’d better bring your A-game, sir.”
A clap of laughter erupted from him. “Cheeky. I like it.” Turing his head, he gazed upon me once again, his eyes piercing into me. “Tell me again why it’s taken me so long to ask for an evening of your company?”
“I’m just too good of an assistant to jeopardize.”
“Hmm.” His hand moved up my thigh another inch, stopping at the hemline of my skirt. Yes, that must have been it.”
Chapter 2
“Why did you ask me to dinner tonight?” I asked, picking up my cocktail and taking a sip as I awaited an answer. It had been a question that had been nagging at me since he shocked me earlier with the request. It was so out of the blue. Up until this point we’d eaten dinner filling the time with idle chit-chat, but I needed to know, why now?
“Well.” He leaned back into the red cushion behind him and locked his gaze with mine. The restaurant had placed us in a quiet corner of the room, which was a booth normally set aside for him. It was an old-school style Italian establishment, with dim lighting and candles flickering at the center of each table, creating a romantic atmosphere. I couldn’t have asked for anything more perfect or beautiful for our first date.
But he’s your boss and the Godfather of New York. He’s not exactly the normal type of guy you’d date, a voice at the back of my head chimed in. He’s Royce Caine so be very careful. I didn’t want to listen to that voice. I wanted to get swept up in the moment, but I did have to guard my heart – even if just a little bit.
“Well…” I urged.
“Well, I’d be lying if I said I’d never noticed you before, I’ve found you beautiful for a very long time. But the age gap between us has been an issue for me – among other things.”
I laughed. “Royce, I’m twenty-six years old. Hardly a child.”
“You’re still younger than my son – even if it’s just a few years’ difference. Some would accuse me of cradle robbing.”
“Fair enough. But age is only a number and twenty years isn’t a massive gap when you reach our age. It’s not like I’m a teenager living with the folks.”
“Fine. You make a solid point.” Leaning forward he rested his elbows on the table and steepled his fingers, placing his chin at his fingertips. “Though what I’ve needed more than a lover is a good assistant. Someone who grew up in the circles we frequent so there wouldn’t be questions, or the chance of you turning on me. I can’t hire just anyone for the job you do. I put a lot of faith and trust in you every single day. I couldn’t risk losing that.”
“And I’ve never let you down,” I stated this fact with pride in my voice that flowed through my veins.
My family had worked with and for his family for many years – decades even. My father was currently doing twenty years in prison for the man sitting before me, he’d been sent away when I was eighteen, just as I was graduating high school and starting college. My mother – who knew where she was? I hadn’t seen her since I was seven. The one thing my father had said to me upon being arrested was to not blame the family – meaning our Mafia family. Family and loyalty were the most important things. He’d said he knew the risks, but the benefits had always outweighed the risks. So, like a good daughter, I listened. I didn’t blame Royce or the others within the organization, instead I went to work for them just as my father had done, just not in a capability that would land me in the type of trouble my father had gotten into.
