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of-tatooine · 17 days ago

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DULCE PERICULUM. | CHAPTER VII - WINE

before me nothing but things eternal, and eternal i endure.

(John Wick x Reader, Santino d'Antonio x Reader)

full work

With every other step taken, it became increasingly harder to ignore the fleeting feeling of anxiety within your body.

Left, right. Another left. Passing through the city streets as they pulsed with a life of their own. An accustomed rhythm in your footsteps echoing across the concrete, passing by each stranger.

The leather boots did a good job at keeping your feet comfortable on your short walking adventure, you prayed for Gianna once more again for the help in your outfit choices.

You had expected a challenge, yet not like this. Not to this extent.

It was not the body that complained this time - it was the mind and the thoughts running rampant within causing the annoyance, the ringing headache of overthinking. So much so that you had indicated your driver for the day to let you off a couple of blocks before you got to the destination, in hopes of the brisk winter air aiding in clearing out the doubts.

All it did was to make you shiver further.

It was impossible to hit them all at once.

The bastard knew it, as per his smug attitude throughout the morning. It was in the way he talked, not even holding back on any information - he knew there was no piece of it that would help you achieve this. He knew exactly what he was getting you all into. He knew he would never be truly free.

This is what you got for underestimating the Russian.

Tarasov had deliberately given Wick a task that even he could not complete, even with all of Camorra’s soldiers behind him for support. After all, why would he want his most precious assassin exonerated? To leave all of his talents on the table, without a guarantee of someone else, at some point in his life, poaching him?

Even though you knew John had nothing left to do with this brutal life of his - if it had come to the point of asking Camorra for help.

He must have really loved her. More than he ever thought of loving you.

You should have known that when you opened that door.

All the passing years, and you had managed to keep the events that led to you parting ways a secret to Santino - the details of them, at least. For someone who had an entire mob under his pinky finger, someone who was so meticulous to usually cover all of his tracks, yet he had not pried deeper into just how and when.

The importance of details had dissipated the moment he had seen your appalled face, hints of dried tears lingering at the edge of your eyes. No words came out of your mouth, they did not need to, as you had thrown yourself into his arms for the comfort of his presence, his warm body pressed against yours.

You had not told him much. You did not need to.

Santino was a man who valued their promise and he was not going to send whoever needed help astray.

What kind of man would he be, had he not accepted to help a man who was desperately clawing his way out to reach his one true love?

Santino had understood. After all, he was bound by the same fate. A fate that he so wished to be true that he was willing to live and let go.

However, you had to admit one truth - he may not have been fully cognizant of just what you all had stepped into, by the way the odds were looking.

Engulfed in your thoughts as your too short of a walk came to an end, with the sight of the entryway to the New York Continental appeared in its’ full grandeur - complete with a red carpet, the marble exterior stretching up in iconic architecture. A quiet architectural marvel hidden in plain sight in Lower Manhattan, a good fit for the affluent neighborhood.

A bit more subdued than the Continental you had been used to, but it would have to do the job.

The doors opened in a silent reveal, suddenly grateful for the central heating that made you feel cozy at an instant, your cheeks slightly red from the outside breeze. The expansive lobby greeted you, hints of light jazz echoing through the high-reaching marble columns, in contrast with the dark green furniture scattered across. The luxurious finishes of dim lighting, men and women on their best behavior lounging, waiting for a special other. Visiting the Continental always came with it’s surprises, as you would never fully discern just who had been involved in the New York underworld, with the hotel guests often a mix of civilians as well as people who were in the game.

Throughout your life, you had often wondered what it was like - to not have the slightest idea that the stranger calmly sitting next to you in the lobby had strangled a soul to death with their mere hands just hours prior. To be so disconnected, so ignorant yet not by choice.

Must be nice.

A hand digging through your purse for the small stash of coins, your fingers grasped one to hide it under your palm - up until the moment you approached the front desk, to a familiar face.

“Welcome back, miss,” Charon offered a stoic smile, his tone calm and collected as always, looking up from the typing that he had been finishing up.

“Business or pleasure?”

“I will not be staying, thank you,” you politely replied, happy to see a harmless, familiar face for a change that day. “I wanted to ask if the manager was in today at this hour.”

Charon gave a knowing look, his hand outstretching softly towards the marble staircase just towards his back left.

“The manager is always in.”

Moments later, you were two gold coins short yet a decadent drink stood between your fingertips.

A dry Chardonnay sparkled in your crystal glass, your fingers laying flat on the base in a subconscious haze, gently swirling the liquid. The candlelight on the marble table catching your eye, the flame almost hypnotizing as it shone in a golden hue on your features.

Situated in the corner booth, sultry red leather a contrast to your black suit - you had the overarching view through the speakeasy, a cacophony of the after-lunch rush of people chatting at the bar, green and red ambient lights mixing to create an air of secrecy.

Knowing the manager personally certainly had perks.

“I did not expect to see you here so soon,” Winston spoke, awakening your senses, sitting right across from you. He would raise the dirty martini he was holding in a small toast, you reciprocated the gesture momentarily.

“Are you complaining?”

“I would not dream of it,” he would answer after taking a much awaited sip of his first drink of the day. He had hoped it would not be a long one, yet he had always been proven wrong - with unruly guests, civilian troubles and potential rule breakers, the Continental could sometimes be a relentless tide of responsibilities.

However, you had been a breath of fresh air always, in any room you stepped in - even when Winston could see traces of unspoken troubles beneath the surface of your thoughts.

“I am at a loss, Winston. È impossibile.”

Looking through his glasses, one hand on the book that he had been captivated under before you stepped into the bar, his full attention diverted to you then.

“Did you tell Santino?”

It had been hard to gauge Winston’s feelings towards Santino at times, often finding him unnecessarily childish - but beneath it all, you knew he knew that Santino meant well. There was a certain splendor that came with having the power and wealth he had at a very young age - even he could not have denied that.

At least, Winston was confident that you were safe with him, at all times.

For him, nothing else came close in importance.

“I will, tonight, when I get to the apartment,” you clarified, taking another sip to savor. Upon the gold coin tip, it was no surprise that the bartender had treated you to one of the finest wine they must have had in stock.

“Viggo knew too. That bastardo knew just how to get under my skin - he knows what he is asking for cannot be done. Not with a million of my men.”

Winston nodded softly, not at all surprised at the mob boss playing tricks. It was a man’s world, where everything could be fair and permitted, surrounded with the right excuses.

However, this time - it was life or death for John, a man with, quite literally, no other way out without your plan succeeding.

And, of course, you had no plan. How could you? How could you gather two dozen of people without blowing up the cover, who all hated each other’s guts and even more so, wanted Viggo to be dead?

A potential answer dawned, head tilting slightly even though you had already known exactly what he would have said.

“We could use the Con-”

“No.”

A sigh escaped your lips, mumbling a lo pensavo, a hand raising slowly in self-defense. “Just trying my luck.”

“There must be a way without breaking all of my rules, my dear,” Winston said, a small smirk on the corner of his lips, an attempt to lighten your mood.

“You just have not turned the correct stone yet.”

You could only nod in agreement, pensive eyes meeting his blue ones, a fleeting pause before asking a question that you had harbored for far too long in your being.

Did you really want to know? Ignorance is bliss was a common motto around the uninvolved. Maybe, for once in your life, it was worth it to listen to the unaware, do as they do.

You did not.

What you knew, in this world of yours, could not hurt you. It could not break you apart. Every piece of information was money, time and effort well spent.

And as the words slipped into thin air in a fog of hesitation, you felt it—an undeniable certainty within your being that this moment would haunt you with regret, for days to come.

“Do you know anything about her?”

The sounds, laughters and clinks of glass seemed to disappear from earshot.

Much to his expectation, he knew just exactly who you had been asking for. Catching him mid-sip, Winston allowed himself a second to collect his thoughts - it had been the inevitable, after all, a simple matter of time till you had asked someone.

“Only what John mentioned to me - that they met at a restaurant.”

That, you already knew first hand.

“Anything else?”

Winston’s expression grew kinder, leaning back towards the booth to get comfortable in contrast to the subject at hand causing slight discomfort.

He would never want to hurt you.

“She is a photographer. That is all that I know.”

“Ah,” you would exclaim, your voice betraying you in a small crack and your gaze contemplating, staring at your hands resting on the marble bistro table - mind elsewhere. Your fingers involuntarily tracing the diamonds on your bracelet.

“If there is ever a sliver of doubt in your mind,” Winston started, voice gentle and filled with sympathy, “you are doing the right thing here.”

And, deep down within you, you knew you were doing the right thing. You knew he was right, there was never a moment where his words rang truer.

Why, then, you would ask yourself, did it poke a wound so deep? Why did the thought of his freedom to run to the one he loved, caused lingering, burning pain at the core?

The answer to your questions had been in your own eyes all along - laced with a certain sadness of betrayal, of remembrance.

Winston could see it clear as night and day.

In a fleeting moment, all he could offer you was the quiet solace of a shoulder to lean on, a company of an old friend - the sole presence a steady anchor amidst the storm of your chaotic mind.

He wished, oh, just how much he wished - he could take it all away.

“Go home to him,” he whispered, leaning closer for good measure, his hand softly placed on your shoulder in guidance.

Winston knew he had to bide his time, knowing that the right moment to unmask the truth would eventually arrive.

Even if he had to wait an eternity.

#dulce periculum #john wick reader insert #john wick fanfiction #john wick x reader #santino d'antonio x reader #santino d'antonio #santino x you #winston john wick #john wick universe #john wick #keanu reeves #riccardo scamarcio

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triviareads · 2 years ago

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Any mafia Romance book recommendations?

I do indeed. All titles are linked to storygraph summaries.

Anti-Heroes in Love Duet by Giana Darling: My favorite mafia books by far. The heroine Elena is an attorney hired by Camorra capo Dante to defend him. Elena's gone through a lot and she's closed off and considered an "ice princess". What I love is that Dante doesn't dislike this aspect of her (he's very into it), but he helps bring her out of her shell. Dante's also a great hero- he definitely falls under the category of "will fuck you up (and fucks hard) but is just a really nice (if morally dubious) dude" and he's very obsessed with Elena. It's very sexy. Would absolutely recommend, as I would the other series Giana has written for Elena's sisters, Cosima and Giselle.

The Professional by Kresley Cole: This one is Russian mafia (mafiya?). Features the iconic kidnapping of Natalie right off of a Nebraskan (?) corn field by mafia enforcer Sevastyan. Basically, Natalie's biological dad is the head of the mafia and Sevastyan works for him, so there's this *forbidden* aspect to it. Natalie just writes really hot stuff (see: the sauna scene, and the one in a Parisian sex club), along with some top-notch banter and some really over-the-top shit.

The Master by Kresley Cole: Funniest of the three books. Cat is a substitute callgirl hired by mafioso Maksim. This book is hysterical(ly hot) for soooo many reasons. For one, Maks likes his sex bondage-heavy and clinical, so when he tells Cat to strip and tie herself up or whatever, she's like "lol nope, you need something more intimate than that" and this man is SHOOK. And then there's this whole freakout he has about her allegedly trying to baby-trap him, so he basically imprisons her in his own penthouse (her revenge comes in the form of shamelessly using his credit card and walking around in a bikini during his business meeting). Oh yeah, and a chastity belt IS employed.

This is the second book in the Game Maker series. The only reason I'm not recommending the third is because the plot got kinda weird for me. But if you're into heroes with pierced dicks, go wild.

Mafia Mistress by Mila Finelli (aka JOANNA SHUPE- and no I'm not over it): See, this is a mafia book where the age gap isn't cringe, and it honestly might be because they didn't marry. In fact, Francesca is meant to marry the head of the 'Ndrangheta's son but then this man, Fausto, obviously can't help want her for himself. Nor can she. At all. Iconic moments include Frankie sexting Fausto from Rome so well he flies over immediately to make her sit on his face, her doing some A+ research on exactly what paparino means, and getting so freaked out about eating lamb that not only does she abstain, in the next scene he gets her a baby lamb that she names Lamborghini.

Sidenote: Apparently Mila has a shop where you can purchase excellent merch like this:

Desperate Measures by Katee Robert: Not *quite* mafia, but Jasmine is a part of some kinda crime family that Jafar is now in charge of by killing her father (yes, this is a series of twisted fairytales). Heads up, there's a lot of CNC in this one. Also a lot of daddy stuff. Also a good amount of sex club stuff (owned by Hades!). It's great. Well-written. Jafar is one of those heroes (anti-heroes?) you really do hate before you love him. I'd honestly recommend every book in this series.

#mafia romance #book recs #giana darling #kresley cole #mila finelli #katee robert #contemporary romance

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