Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 699 -

*Elio*

I tiptoed over to the balcony door and opened it as quietly as I could before taking the call from Alessandro. Luckily, everything in our penthouse was such high quality that it was easy to slide the door open without it making a noise at all. One glance at Cat told me that she was still sleeping soundly. I was glad that she was able to sleep after everything that had happened today. Watching her sleep filled me with such peace; just knowing she was safe was all I needed in life. Her involvement in the mafia life still worried me greatly. But seeing her sleeping safe and sound was a great reminder of how strong she really was. Hell, she was handling what had happened today better than I was.

It didn't bother me at all that Antonio was dead, but that didn't stop me from seeing his body slumped over every time I tried to close my eyes. Death was a necessary evil that came along with the mafia territory, but I wasn't heartless. I still didn't like seeing a person's life fade from their eyes.

Overlooking the city, I hit answer on my phone and held it up to my ear. "It's Elio," I said quietly as I shut the door behind me.

If Cat was able to sleep soundly, I didn't want to be the one who ruined it. She deserved her rest.

I could tell by the background noise that Alessandro was already on a plane heading our way. I couldn't lie, I was glad that he was coming. Although I felt like everything with Antonio and Junior had gone as well as it could have, the fact that Junior had managed to slip away had left me feeling off-kilter and worried.

I would feel better once Alessandro was here to assess the situation himself. His expertise would be much appreciated. I also hoped to have a private conversation with him about how he dealt with the strange feelings that were swirling through me.

It wasn't guilt, not at all, more just... a general wondering if things could've gone differently. I was curious to know if Alessandro had felt similarly when dealing with his first few deaths. The man was cold-blooded for sure, but surely, that didn't mean he didn't think about it.

"Hey, thanks for answering. I know it's been a long day, but I felt like I needed to talk to you a little more one-on-one," Alessandro said.

"Sure, no problem. I wasn't sleeping anyway," I admitted.

I wasn't ashamed of the fact that the shootout had left me a bit shaken, but I didn't want Alessandro to worry about me either. I wanted him to know that I was capable of leadership, no matter what happened.

I just needed time to adjust to the new normal. Going from real estate development to working in the mafia was a pretty fucking big life change.

"Yeah, that adrenaline rush is fucking crazy, huh?" He chuckled. "There's nothing like a shootout to remind you of your own mortality."

"Yeah, it was a lot to process. I'm just pissed we let Junior get away," I said. "And I wish we'd managed to keep Antonio alive. I feel shitty about the fact that his death was basically meaningless."

"Don't worry about Junior. We'll figure it out. He's all alone now, without his dad to tell him what to do. We'll replace him soon enough. And as far as Antonio is concerned, he was a dead man walking anyway. It was only a matter of time before we took him out. He probably got lucky. Now he won't be tortured for information," he paused, then said, "Look, I wanted to let you know that Franky has been reporting to me on everything, and he's been really impressed by you your decision making, how calm you stay under pressure, all of it. And he's not an easy man to impress, which means I've been impressed as well. I know this shit isn't easy, but you handle it like a pro."

"Thanks, Alessandro, that means a lot," I said earnestly.

I hadn't expected him to start heaping me with so much praise, especially considering that I still viewed the mission as partially failed. His words helped ease the uncomfortable feelings I'd been dealing with all evening.

"So, when I get there, we're going to need to talk about where you want to be and what you want out of all this. After all, you are your father's son, and I happen to be a strong believer in the idea of birthright. I wasn't allowed to take leadership for a long time, maybe for my own good, but I happen to be a little salty about it, and I don't want to do that shit to you, especially now that you've proven yourself."

I raised my eyebrows, intrigued at his words. I had assumed that I would eventually take command, but I didn't realize it would be so soon.

Did I want to be the boss already?

I could only think of one person who I could talk it over with. I glanced through the glass door in Cat's direction, where she was shifting around in her sleep.

"Well, I won't lie, that definitely sounds enticing," I told Alessandro. "I look forward to talking to you in person."

"Me too. Now get some sleep. It'll be a big day tomorrow."

"Alright, I will," I said before hanging up.

I turned back to look over the balcony, leaning against the metal railing and watching the cars drive by below. The city wasn't very active at this hour, but there were always a few people who had places to be.

I tried to imagine how it would feel to take control of the US branch of the Valentino mafia family. It filled me with an overwhelming feeling of power to think of how many people would be under my control. I knew I would do a good job. I was levelheaded enough not to let the power corrupt me. And with Cat by my side, I was sure to be able to make the right decisions. I could lead our family to replace more success than we had ever known. Now I just needed to see how Caterina felt about that.

I went back inside and was happy to see that Cat was already awake. Although I'd wanted her to sleep, I had been too overwhelmed with the idea of taking control to not wake her and talk to her immediately.

She laid on her side watching me, her big eyes shiny in the dark. She was so perfect, I could hardly believe it. She had been by my side every step of this journey to join the mafia, and I knew I wouldn't have been nearly as successful without her and the advice she provided. If I was going to take control, I could only do it with her at my side.

"Is everything okay?" Cat asked, moving to get out of bed.

"Yeah, yeah, don't get up, I was just about to get in with you," I said quietly.

But I soon found out she had already been up. She had changed into a little black nightie that made my mouth water. As she sat up against the pillows, one of the straps slipped over her shoulder and revealed the generous swell of her breast. Fuck, how did I get so lucky? I stopped dead in my tracks as I stared at her, unable to move. Finally, she patted the bed next to her and broke me out of my trance.

I fell into the bed with a groan and laid my head in her lap. She absently trailed her fingers through my hair, and I closed my eyes with the pleasure of it, loving the closeness we shared.

"So, who called?" Cat asked.

"It was Alessandro. He was calling to tell me that he and Franky have been really impressed with me," I said, my voice swelling with pride.

I was a bit embarrassed at how much I wanted to share Alessandro's words with her. I knew she loved me, but that didn't change the fact that I still wanted her to be impressed by me. I wanted her to know that I could keep her safe, provide for her, be everything she needed me to be.

"Of course they have. You're amazing," she said with a smile, still tangling her fingers in my hair.

I grinned up at her, basking in the compliment. It meant everything coming from Caterina. Her hair cascaded over me as she leaned down to kiss me.

I put my hand on her cheek, caressing her with my thumb as her soft lips pressed against mine. I wanted to deepen the kiss, but we had more to discuss.

"Alessandro said he wants to discuss next steps with me while he's here," I said after she pulled away, "He said he's pretty big on birthright, and he wants me to follow in my dad's footsteps."

"This sounds serious, Elio. Do you think he's going to ask you to be the new boss in the States?" She bit her lip in thought.

I reached up and tugged on her chin with my thumb to free her lip before swiping my thumb across it. I wanted to kiss her again, but she was too lost in thought to lean forward again.

Instead, I nodded up at her. That's exactly what I thought, and Alessandro had all but confirmed that it would be happening soon.

"What would you think about that?" I asked carefully.

I wouldn't do this if she didn't want me to. I had no desire to do it without her by my side.

"Hm... Elio, mafia boss," she said with a smile. "I think that sounds exactly right."

I thought about what she'd said and found that I completely agreed with her. This was my destiny, my birthright, as Alessandro had said. I wanted it more than I had been willing to admit to myself before. I was ready to take control, and I knew I would do well.

"I only want to do this if you'll be with me through it all," I said, sitting up and putting my arm around her shoulders so that I could pull her close to me. "You have the final say, always." I pressed a kiss to the shell of her ear before whispering, "You know I can't live without you."

She moved so that she was facing me, her legs straddling my lap. Her little nightie shifted even further so that I could see one of her nipples. I wanted to take it in my mouth, but before I had the chance, her mouth was on mine. "I say yes," she said as she pulled away, panting. "Let's do it."

I didn't answer her with words. Instead, I let my body do the talking. Soon, we were both naked, our bodies writhing together in the sheets... everything was falling into place.