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DOMINIC

Dominic never imagined watching a woman he genuinely cared for leave him at the restaurant would sting this much. He filled Claudia with angst and loathing and wanted to pursue her quickly. The strangest part was that he didn't even think about the idiotic contract he had created earlier. He was trying to figure out how to make it up to her.

Claudia was special. She was an angel. She differed from other women. When he proposed, her expression penetrated him. Everything could have gone differently. Scratch that. He could have explained it better. To help her understand, Dominic knew he should have told her what was bothering him and been more honest about his father.

Claudia's beautiful soul walked through the restaurant without glancing back. Her confidence was captivating. How she could just leave him like that sparked his interest. He understood the risks. But, what the heck? He needed to find the woman who had won his heart. She owned him.

Dominic jumped quickly from his seat. He grabbed the server by the sleeve as he walked by and said, "My wife and I will be right back. Don't clean our table."

Did I just call Claudia my wife?

That thought just tickled his stomach. He'd told her he didn't want anything more than a fake fiancée, and here he was, referring to her as something different. His head became dizzy just thinking about it.

Dominic was on his way out to rectify the situation, as he didn't want to lose the one good thing in his life. He could see Claudia walk straight out of the door, so he needed to pick up the pace and let his feet guide him toward heaven. He was putting her on a pedestal, but that was where she belonged, and he was going to do everything in his power to keep her in his life.

The chilly air startled Dominic, who was aware of how close she wanted to be to the bus stop. "Claudia. Please listen." He probably should have declared that as a question instead of a statement.

She turned around and glared. Her eyes would have been crimson if he had looked closely. From the woman who sat across from him in a restaurant, it was very different. Even though it was evening, Dominic felt like the sun was burning the back of his body. Claudia had never been so upset. Let alone a madwoman. "Listen to you? You want to use me to get something for yourself? No thanks."

"No, that's not what's happening." Dominic cleared his throat to catch his breath.

"You were about to pay me to pretend to be your fiancée. After everything we've gone through, it may not seem like much, but I thought it was genuine. Then you go and do this. How am I supposed to agree to that?"

Dominic wanted to move their conversation to somewhere private, but Claudia spoke so quickly that it was hard to pull her away from the crowd.

He wouldn't be shocked if someone filmed them fighting on a crowded New York sidewalk and later uploaded the video to the internet. He wasn't bothered how other people viewed him; talking things out with Claudia was more important.

"I want to know everything, Mr. Beretta."

"Oh, so we're now referring to ourselves by our surnames?"

When the street light above her beautiful head started to shine, Claudia crossed her arms. He just wanted to hold her all night and run his fingers through her hair. But right now, he had to focus on the current discussion at hand.

"I apologize, Dia. Before I said anything, I knew I had made a big mistake by presenting the offer so quickly. Please listen to me."

Claudia gave him a low growl as she stared into his eyes and told him, "The next bus comes in two minutes. Use them well."

"Thank you."

Dominic looked around at the growing crowd and pulled Claudia to the side so they could talk as quietly as possible.

As he took a deep breath, he drew nearer and calmed down, uttering, "My father just told me I had to marry into another family. You know what I mean by family, and if I say no, it will start a full-scale war. My world makes killing easy. When I told my father I was dating somebody, your name came to mind. You were the first thing I thought about. Since it came out, my father thinks I'm getting engaged. I had to lie, so I thought giving you something would help. Dia, I didn't mean to offend you. I never planned this. It just happened."

Claudia stared. He felt like a billboard under her gaze. He knew it wasn't the right moment to think this, but her look was alluring. She searched his face, looking for clues. He eagerly awaited her reply.

"You think of me a lot?"

"Yes, Dia. All the time." Dominic rested his hands on his hips and licked his lips. "I think about you when I'm not working. You were the first woman I thought of when talking to my dad. I would never mislead you. If I wanted to take advantage of you, I would only offer you money. The offer still stands. I felt you earned it. Despite what you may think, I was enjoying our date."

Claudia's face strengthened, and he realized he had won her back. He might have been hallucinating and struggling with grandiose illusions, yet he clung to hope. "Fine. Let's talk."

"Only that. I just need to get out of this deal with the other family, or else they'll do something about me. It's just..." Dominic fumbled for words. "I've put people in danger before. People I loved. And because of something my father did, someone I cared deeply about was a target. Amelia wouldn't have... She would be here if that hadn't happened." Claudia wiped his tears as he spoke. "I didn't want to drag you into this mess, but it's out there. I'm afraid of losing you, and I don't want that."

Claudia took Dominic's hand and cleared her throat as she looked into his eyes. "I'm sorry that I left. I should have heard what you needed to say, but trying to pay me is what threw me off. For some people, it's not a bad thing to do, but for me, it is. I feel like a dummy."

"I know, baby. I feel terrible about how I treated you."

She raised her lashes and smiled. "You called me something other than your pet name."

Dominic nodded and grinned a little. "Look. Let's talk about this back inside. We'll place a new order for fresh food, and then I'll show you the contract I made."

"A contract?"

"Yeah. It's one of my bad habits. I have to write up documents when I buy or sell something. It's only for official reasons, in case something goes to court."

Inhaling a big breath, Claudia sniffed and agreed. "That makes sense, I guess. I do want to read it to make sure I'm not agreeing to something I don't understand and that could hurt me."

"Of course."

Dominic's pulse quickened. This plan might work. Not getting engaged to Irene was fine with him. Claudia's discussion of their fake engagement and agreement soothed him. That meant seeing her more and possibly inviting her to move in. His priorities were wrong. That was unavoidable. Oh well. He was only taking part in what had become their reality.

"After I give you the papers, you can take as long as you want to look over them. We can change anything. I'll give you the money as long as you pretend to be my fiancée while I figure out what everyone is planning."

Claudia looked surprised. She probably had to ponder the large check before realizing how much she was getting. All she needed to do was become his fiancée. It wasn't a dirty deal. Dominic understood her frustration, as their relationship was already fragile. He had been a real jerk at first.

He was glad to continue their date at the restaurant. She was also hiding a smile. Her eyes told him she would consider everything, which was reasonable. Her life changed quickly.

"Is there anything you want to ask me before I even show you the contract?" Dominic kept it quiet. After all, they weren't talking to the public about their personal business, and he didn't know if any enemies were lurking in the restaurant.

"Exactly what does it entail? Pretending we're happily engaged?" Claudia whispered that last part. Even when the restaurant played music, everyone could hear their conversation.

"Maybe we should discuss this later in my car. Let's just have fun on our date."

Claudia smiled. "You're right. I've been craving this date with you since we met."

Dominic held her hand and traced her thumb. "You're not the only one, Dia. After reviewing your application and the other information my recruiting manager had gathered on you, I had to find out who you were. I named you Dia because those three letters captivated me."

She bit her bottom lip. "I would like to know if any part of you wants me to be your fiancée in this entire ordeal, or would we become more?" Claudia asked after the waiter served two glasses of sparkling champagne. "I'd like to explore more of where we left off in your office."

Were his cheeks red? Dominic was sure they were. "I can't deny that if I had to pick someone to do this with, it would be you. I'm embarrassed to admit that I reflect on our time in the office far more than I should."

She giggled like a young girl. It was adorable to him. "I assume you mean us working together."

"Of course. Just the two of us working. That's all."

Lust was in the air as they sat there. It was baffling because Claudia had just walked out of the building. Life was odd, but he didn't worry about what was going to happen. There was, of course, some doubt about the fake engagement. Who knew whether everyone believed it? He and Claudia would still need to know more about how to act like they were together. His father would always be skeptical. Like the Guarini family.

In the car, they talked more about the contract. Dominic didn't speak, but her questions surprised him. "Just act like you love me," he said, holding her gaze. "Anything that a lover would do. That's how we'll fool everybody."

Claudia smiled and took a deep breath, taking all of this in. "Couples usually go on more dates and tell their friends who they are dating. They also sleep together. I'm guessing we will not do any of that?"

Dominic laughed. "I'm not sure. Our relationship is tricky. My life is hectic, and I don't want to make things more complicated. I also don't want to hurt you. Adding you to this agreement is a rare thing for me to do. Even though I am in the Mafia, I don't want to harm innocent people."

Telling her about his past calmed him. They could finally forget the negative circumstance. He couldn't figure out why Claudia didn't appear to care. She appeared bold and tolerant of him. He told her everything in hopes that she would accept him. That saved their growing relationship.

"Why do you feel like you might hurt me?" Claudia asked, turning to face him. "Would you ever lose control or something?"

He shrugged as he turned. "I don't know, Dia."

"I'm just saying. In the office, you kept things short. And now you want me to pretend we're engaged. You're holding something back. You think I can't deal with your life in the Mafia?"

Mafia. Even if she was right, the term shook him. Dominic hated hearing it, especially from her. But it was who he was. It was impossible to hide that information. He replied, "It's not that I don't think you can handle it, but I don't think you should go through it."

"But doesn't faking our relationship so that you don't have to marry into another mafia family bring me into this?"

Damn it. "You're right."

"The thing is, you need to tell me the truth from now on. That doesn't have to be put down in our agreement. I must hear from you. I want to know everything that is important. You keep secrets from me."

"Well, I don't think you'll have to play my fiancée for long. After a month, we can pretend we're finished. It depends."

"You're not doing what I need you to do."

He turned to her and said, "I promise we'll talk. A lot."

After that, they let the drive to his mansion unfold. They clasped hands as he drove the nearly empty road that reached his front gate.

Dominic looked at his house, and their eyes met, igniting the car.

"Your home is gorgeous," she said. "On the way over here, I wasn't sure how I would adjust to doing this with you, but being here now feels right."

He smiled. "I'm glad. Less stress is best. Don't worry about anything."

They stared at one another while entering the doorway. Sparks ignited this time. They both rushed forward and passionately kissed each other, realizing they must have been thinking alike.

Kissing Claudia was not part of the deal. Dominic advised her that they couldn't. Still, his touch on her body drew her closer. She distracted him. Her kiss was highly engaging. Her warmth was soothing, and he needed her. He wanted her. She was the antidote to his chaos, as he phrased it in his mind. But he knew he would drag her into his mess. He didn't want to do that.

They needed to discuss the details of the contract now, but it will have to wait. Despite telling Claudia earlier that they couldn't get intimate, Dominic couldn't stop himself. Not regarding her.

Everything was off the table.

His determination was to keep her in his life and make certain that she was happy, no matter what it took.

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