#*brulessa

[muse-legion]

closed starter for: @moondustlings

One ring of this specific ringtone and Bruno jolted awake in the middle of the night. He knew it was urgent just by the sound of the bosses ringtone. Two sentences and he jumped up from his king sized bed and only seconds later, he tossed the for emergencies already prepared bag into the trunk of his SUV; rushing to the airport. To be the second in command was both, an honor and a curse. Travelling was nothing new to him but he wasn’t particularly eager to go to the states, even if it was only temporarily, until the immediate threat was eliminated - but he had no choice but to follow the leaders call.

He’d slept on the plane, got changed and made sure to look presentable for the boss, before he left the airport and got into the car his boss had sent. It wasn’t every day he’d been invited into the patrons home. Upon his arrival, he left the limousine and approached the front door, straightening his suit before he rang the bell. His sunglasses concealed his azure eyes as he waited for the older male to open it. The urgency of the matter became even more evident when he didn’t have to wait for more than thirty seconds to be met with the boss. But to his surprise, he wasn’t alone. A young woman stood behind him and while Bruno didn’t recognize her, he assumed she had to be related.

“Boss.” His voice firm and serious; he took off his sunglasses, greeted the boss first, then waited to be introduced to the femme.

[muse-legion]

@moondustlings

[muse-legion]

Brulessa and mirrors

@moondustlings

[muse-legion]

Bruno’s gaze remained locked on her own, his lips twitching into a very brief, one sided smirk. “Whatever is necessary.” He simply responded, well aware Alessa probably knew perfectly well what his occupation entailed. Regardless, he didn’t think it was necessary to point out the obvious. And just maybe, he intended on challenging her just a little. His smirk increased and a laughter escaped his lips at this one word she gave away. “Did the grand Alessa Moretti just admit defeat? Wow, wonders do happen after all.” The second in command mocked her playfully, only to go back to his poker face right after. “Is that so? Then tell me, Alessa.” He leaned in a little closer and lowered his voice to make sure no one but her could hear his next words. “What are your vices?” His face now only inches away from her own, he deepened the eye contact for a moment, before he slowly straightened up again. “I’m not sure about that. You just know how to wrap him around your fingers it seems” Bruno didn’t miss the spell she had on her father and other people but he was determined not to fall under it himself. “Don’t get your hopes up. We’ll eliminate the threat and you’ll be safe and free again soon.” You and me both. He added in his mind. “I bet you’d love that but don’t be disappointed, if my bodyguard qualities aren’t what you imagined them to be.” He was still trying to convince her, she’d be better off with someone else as her bodyguard. Bruno was standing with his back towards the mansion and slightly turned his head back, call it sixth sense or just a gut feeling. “Why do I feel like we’re being watched?”

And just that moment, the lady of the house stepped outside and approached the pair. ‘Bruno! Finally. Welcome, I hope you’ll enjoy your stay despite the circumstances.” He quickly turned around and gave her a polite smile. “Mrs. Moretti. It’s an honor to meet you in person.” Bruno offered his hand and placed a faint kiss onto the back of hers; a sign of respect and courtesy. ‘Please, call me Isabella.’ She then turned her attention towards her daughter. ‘Alessa, why don’t you give Bruno a tour? I think it would be good for him to know his way around the house should it ever be necessary. ‘ He didn’t want to be rude, so he didn’t protest although he really wanted to tell her it wasn’t necessary. Instead, he gave Alessa the say something look. And just when he thought it couldn’t get worse, Isabella added ‘why don’t you stay for dinner tonight? You must be hungry after your long journey.' Damn, now he knew where Alessa got it from. Smiling at her politely, he didn’t have the heart to turn her down. She was the bosses wife after all. “It would be my pleasure, Signora. Grazie.”

"what do you do?" alessa wasn't innocent — her entire need for a bodyguard was based on the fact that she was now intertwined with her father's lifestyle. but part of her wanted to hear him say it, admit to the things he does on her father's behalf. hearing him defend his cigarette usage so hard made her laugh. "touché," she answers, holding her hands up in a sign of defeat. "keep your vices; we all need them." it frustrated her that he was so connected to her family yet she knew next to nothing about him. of course her father had talked about him over the years, but this was their first face to face meeting. and alessa hated that she was just as interested in as she was attracted to him. "my dad wants what i want," she replied. ever since she was a little girl the man had spoiled her — rotten, some might say — and nothing had changed as she got older. it might have been even worse, because the older she got, the more she could manipulate out of other people and not just her father. so far, bruno seemed immune to her spell. "i think you should get used to being around," she said. "don't be surprised if your tasks are lessoned in favor of trailing me." while she didn't doubt her father would still keep him occupied for his original intentions, she also knew that bruno would be around her more than maybe he anticipated.

[muse-legion]

He’d heard a lot about her and had to admit her father wasn’t exaggerating, when he said she was stubborn, although Bruno had told him he was biased and soft because she’s his daughter. Alessa was obviously, spoiled rotten and used to getting her way but he was neither surprised nor impressed. In his mind he’d already given her the nickname princess but for now he’d keep it to himself. Was he expecting her to lose interest or the opposite by turning her down? That was the question. “Because I’m not a specialist for this kind of job and have other things to do. “ Bruno shrugged his shoulders slightly on his way out. What bothered him the most about this conversation was the fact that he knew she had a point. And Bruno was loyal to the core to Mr. Moretti and thus would protect her with his life when it came to it. But he wasn’t going to tell her, if only to prevent her from taking advantage of it. As he walked past her, he made sure to “accidentally” brush his arm against hers; only a ghost of a touch and yet enough for her to notice the contact. Upon opening the door, a fresh breeze entered the hallway, filling the air with the scent of his cologne.

Bruno didn’t expect to be followed outside and looked over his shoulder, raising an eye brow at her. Was she just giving him a lecture about smoking? The urge to make a snarky remark along the lines of yes mom was strong but his self control didn’t fail. “Out of all the things I do, this is probably the least dangerous.” He simply commented in return, as he inhaled some more nicotine. “Is aging a bad thing? I’ve heard women think men get hotter with age.” Taking a step closer towards her, he locked his eyes with her, intensifying his gaze once he stood right in front of her. “I’m constantly on the verge of getting myself killed and you’re telling me I shouldn’t do this to myself?” And for the first time in her presence, he couldn’t contain a subtle chuckle. Noticing her smirk but not letting it affect him evidently, Bruno finished off his cigarette and threw the remains into the bin next to them. “I’m not an easy kind of guy, Alessa.” In every sense of the word, he added in his mind but instead he paused again, before he finally let her off. “If you’re exposed to high risks, I could be there, if that’s what your dad wants and if I’m not occupied with my actual duties.”

he didn't immediately cave in to her, and she strangely found it appealing. because of her father, she had men and women falling at her feet her entire life, practically begging to fill her every whim in hopes of moving into the good graces of the moretti patriarch. at a young age, she saw it as pathetic yet she used their hopelessness to her advantage. while she hadn't thought bruno would be on their level, she wasn't prepared for him to outright turn her down like he did, eve going as far as to basically tell her to not hold her breath. it was refreshing yet it did nothing to curb her attention that she so badly wanted to give him.

"why not?" she replied back, simply shrugging her shoulders. alessa couldn't show all of her cards right away and outright tell the man she found him attractive and that was why she wanted him to follow her every move. desperate wasn't a good look. "dad says you've been his right hand since you were a teenager, so there's no one he trusts more. i'm obviously the most precious thing in his life, so it just makes sense." she gave him a look that said duh to punctuate her explanation before she tossed her hair over her shoulder. for just a moment, she watched him leave because the sight wasn't the worst thing in the world, but it was time for bruno to learn just how stubborn she was.

"you know smoking is bad for you," she explained, hacking a dramatic cough as she waved off the cloud of smoke that surrounded him. "it also ages you, like, really bad. you shouldn't do that to yourself." alessa posted up on the wall next to him, eyeing him up. "why don't you want to be my babysitter," she teased with a playful smirk. "don't you think it'll be an easier job than whatever my dad has assigned for you here?"

[muse-legion]

Communication was key and Bruno always made sure to stay up to date. While he had enough on his plate taking care of the operations in Italy, he still knew, what was going on elsewhere; He was aware of the bosses plans and his daughter dabbling in, slowly taking over more responsibilities but none of that was any of his concern -or so he thought.

A rough hand, adorned with some minor scars, moved up in swift motion to remove the expensive sunglasses- revealing his tattooed wrist, before holding the accessory casually between his calloused fingers. He took one solid step closer, the gaze of his steely blues ever compelling, yet unreadable, as they met her own. For a split second, the shade of azure in his eyes lit up a nuance, as they found her mesmerizing chocolate orbs; a gaze, so intense, it was hard not to get lost. The corners of his plump lips twitched up, only enough to soften his facial expression vaguely but not sufficiently to be considered a smile. And for the first time, her name would fall from his mouth; his voice rich and firm as he spoke. “Alessandra.”

A short pause followed, while he savored the sound of her name and Bruno took her in discreetly, undetectable by others. “My bad. Alessa. Nice to meet you.” He corrected himself, the faint smirk gracing his features left no doubt the subtle innuendo served a purpose. Bruno didn’t believe in the concept of instant connection; in their world there was no space, no time for fairy tales and yet he couldn’t deny the ghost of electricity shooting up his spine at the mere touch of their hands, all of which remained invisible in his expression. During the whole time he was well aware of the wary glances of his boss. Him. Three short letters hit him like a truck and he had to refrain from protesting right away. Instead, he maintained the highest level of self control. “With all due respect, boss. I am no babysitter.” However, he knew there was an immediate threat to his daughter’s life and who would Mr. Moretti trust more than his second? He was fucked. Just when he was about to answer Alessa, the patron spoke up again. 'He’s my second for reasons but protecting someone from bullets is not why I called him here. Bruno has other matters to take care of but I’m sure, if you insist, he could assist the men I’ve assigned to your protection, whenever he’s not busy with his duties. That’s my last word. Understood? Both of you! ' A brief nod was all Bruno could respond, hoping he could go back to Italy soon and focus on his actual job.

"but i don't need a babysitter," she whined before she was quickly corrected by her father. "he's not a babysitter; he's a bodyguard." "same thing," alessa said as she rolled her eyes. the family patriarch had been talking to her about this for days, which meant she had been pushing back for just as long. one stray bullet and the man was going mental. however, despite her flippant behavior, she wasn't dumb. she knew that a very real attempt had been made on her life and if the shooter wasn't such a bad shot, she wouldn't be here today arguing with the man. no doubt someone was pissed at her for actually being good at the family business, but she didn't know why they had to be so dramatic about it. "bruno's coming in today," he had said as she turned to the next page of his newspaper, obviously finished with both alessa and this conversation. "so be nice. this is the first time he's visiting us here in the states."

doorbells weren't really a thing in the moretti household. people were expected, and if they weren't, well, no one of importance was going to be opening the door. when her father called her downstairs, she knew she had to play nice with his friends, so she begrudgingly came down the steps as he opened the door. "coming," she called out, letting him know that she was right behind him. her father's frame was partially obscuring their visitor, so it wasn't until she peeked around him did she see him. and boy did she see. he was what they called tall, dark and handsome, with a rugged look that let her know that he had been in this business a long time. as he took his glasses off, she had to fight the natural instinct to bat her eyelashes, instead choosing to play it cool. "alessandra," her father started and she groaned at the usage of her full name. "sorry, alessa," he said again, "this is bruno. bruno, this is my daughter alessa." she held out her hand to the other man, taking it in her own. he was warm to the touch and she was sure that wasn't all due to the heat from the outside.

"him," she said as she dropped bruno's hand and looked at her father. the confusion was clear on his face so she elaborated. "i want him as my bodyguard or no deal." there was no one else in the world her father trusted more than bruno, that she knew, and if she had to be trailed by someone, she at least wanted to get some eye candy out of it. she looked back towards bruno and smirked. "how good are you at protecting people from bullets?"