The Maid: Mafia Romance (Series)

Welcome to My World

Oh, the sweet and bitter taste of love. But this was definitely love. I loved Giovanni, loved him enough to cross the ocean to be with him, where I would be immersed in his world.

Right after my final exam, we boarded his private jet. Nineteen hours later, we arrived in beautiful tropical Singapore. I said tropical because they had beautiful colorful flowers everywhere. Not to mention the air was hot and musty, a different kind of heat to what New York City was during the summer.

I had only managed to inhale three large breaths full of air before Giovanni whisked me off to the hotel and into the spa clinic, not wasting even a second for me to recover. Not that I needed any rest since I had slept through our long journey.

I had a complete makeover at the spa, with manicure, makeup, and hair done, then was put into a designer dress and now driven to this fancy French restaurant. Everything was just a blur. I hadn’t a clue what was going on. And it wasn’t until he whispered in my ear, that my world came into focus.

“Welcome to my world.”

Giovanni took my hand, leading me into the high-class restaurant, with chandelier lights and glittering wine glasses greeting me on the way.

The hostess slash waitress-I wasn’t sure what she was called-led us into a private room. Giovanni guided me in, his warm hand on the small of my back. I was nervous. I had told him so numerous times before, even before we landed in Singapore. And now my nerves had increased tenfold.

As soon as the door to the private room was open, I was met with three hot men and one beautiful woman. They all glanced at us when we neared their table, but it was the woman who got up from her seat and approached me, extending her arms wide, bringing me in for a hug like I was her long-lost sister.

“Giovanni. Giovanni.” She clucked her tongue, shaking her long voluminous hair from side to side, smiling at me through her bright-green eyes and rouge-red lips. “Finally, you have decided to introduce her to us. Hello,” she addressed me like I was a wee kitten. “My name is Kimberly. What’s your name?”

“I’m Jenny Stone,” I answered back, in awe of everyone and everything around me. Never had I seen such beautiful people in one setting. For a minute there, I thought I was on a film set, surrounded by movie stars. Because that’s what these people were like: hot, drool-worthy, glamorous people with movie-star good looks.

“Wow, Jenny. You are such a cute wee thing. No wonder Giovanni couldn’t stop talking about you.” She surveyed me up and down, making me blush under her inspection.

I felt a bit self-conscious actually, what with my measly self on display. No way could I compare to her. She was as beautiful as a goddess, as sexy as a siren, especially with the red dress she had on, and that revealing neckline, golly, it only enhanced her cleavage even more. No wonder she used the word cute on me. As for her, she was a total bombshell.

“Isn’t she a pretty wee thing, Julian?” she chatted away, and my eyes immediately lit up with recognition.

“Sir Julian, hello,” I harped excitedly. Finally, someone I knew amongst these beautiful strange faces.

“Hello, Jenny,” he greeted back warmly.

“Sir Julian…” Kimberly frowned. I watched her give the man a once-over before her gaze flipped back to me. “You called him Sir Julian, Jenny?”

“Yes,” I nodded. “He came to visit us at Cory Mansion a few months back.”

Kimberly went into a laughing fit.

Did I say something funny?

I turned to Giovanni, silently asking him for help. He responded with a shrug of his shoulders and a devilish grin to his face. The damned devil left me to fend for myself.

What could I expect? I was minding my own business a few months back, and now here I was, dropped in the middle of a glittering room, rubbing shoulders among the elite. I had thought being presented to the queen would be a hard task. But this was way harder. I didn’t really know how to behave or respond in this kind of situation.

Kimberly stopped her mini laughter and took me at arm’s length. Like a big sister, she gave me her advice. “Now, Jenny, you call him Julian. He’s no sir. He hasn’t been knighted by the queen yet. He is just an ordinary guy.”

From across the room, I could hear Julian’s voice. “Am I really an ordinary guy?”

I observed Kimberly throwing her gaze over her shoulder, and Julian caught it. Even from this distance, I could feel that electric pulsating tension between them. I sensed their relationship was a special one. And it was confirmed when Kimberly mouthed, “Definitely ordinary.”

I knew it. They were lovers. No way would they lock eyes with each other-for what felt like eternity-if they weren’t special to each other.

Kimberly finally broke eye contact first and took me to my seat. But not before I ended up in a game of tug-of-war between Giovanni and Kimberly. Of course, I was the rope.

“Kimberly, who said you could take my girl?” Giovanni started the first round, reaching out and tugging me back into his arm.

“Oh, Giovanni, don’t be such an ass. Jenny needs a friend. Look at this room. Four fully grown men. It’s intimidating for her.” And Kimberly took my other arm, tugging me back to her side.

“Jay sits next to me,” Giovanni said, unrelenting, and I ended up being pulled back to Giovanni’s side. If this carried on any longer, I would end up like a licorice, stretched to the maximum.

I wanted to sit next to Kimberly, but before I could voice my opinion, she made her decision.

“Fine. I give up,” she said, letting my hand go, and I immediately bounced back into Giovanni’s arms. “No one can ever get in your way when you love something.”

Love? Did Kimberly just say the word love? Did that mean Giovanni loved me? But he never really said that word in front of me. Still, after hearing Kimberly say that, I couldn’t help blushing, because just maybe Giovanni did love me, and maybe I was not just his mere plaything.

I glanced up at Giovanni at that moment, and he grinned, that devious one that always made my insides melt. Yes, maybe he really loved me. I hoped no one could see my red cheeks under this lighting.

Kimberly walked to her seat. I felt a bit disappointed at that moment. She sounded cool. If I could sit next to her, I could learn a few tricks from her, especially on how to behave in this high-class setting. And maybe, if I was lucky, we could become friends. How cool would that be.

Of course, Kimberly surprised me once again when she clapped her hands, grabbing the attention of all the men in the room along with myself. “Boys. Move seats. I’m sitting next to Jenny.”

Oh, she was splendid. I had to give it to her. Before I could though, a blond-haired man sitting beside Julian beat me to it. He slapped Julian on the back and said, “Your partner is one sexy dynamite. How did you tame her?”

“Dawson,” she addressed the blond-haired man, “Julian, didn’t tame me. I tamed him.”

Of course, this earned a laugh from the rest of us. That being said, they all stood up and shifted their seats like schoolboys per Kimberly’s instruction, while Julian cleared his throat and tried to tame his girlfriend by saying, “Kimberly, come sit down,” only to get pegged down by her.

“Okay. Okay. I’m coming,” she said, taking my elbow in her hand and leading me to the vacant seat beside her. She had such style when she walked, sashaying her backside and gracefully gliding into her own seat. “Sit here. Let me introduce you to everyone. Giovanni, you’re fine if I introduce Jenny to the others?” It wasn’t a question of permission, merely a statement of intention.

I agreed with Dawson. Kimberly really was dynamite. And I had expected Giovanni to make a comeback since he always liked to be in charge. But he seemed at ease with it all, letting Kimberly take the lead while he casually poured himself a drink, sitting leisurely back against his chair, relaxing, with one hand stretched out to cradle the back of my chair.

“Be my guest.” He gestured with his chin.

Was this how he behaved with his friends? He was so different in this setting, as if he was in his element, unlike at home when he had to deal with all his business stuff. I now saw Giovanni in a new light.

I waited for Kimberly’s introduction. Would I be Giovanni’s maid or his lover?

“Everyone, this is Jenny, Giovanni’s girl.”

Oh! I’m his girl? Doesn’t sound too bad, at all.

I wanted to swat that smile off my face, but my heart was bursting at full bloom, and that smile of mine just stretched from ear to ear.

“We heard Jenny the first time, Kimberly.” Thankfully, Dawson drew everyone’s attention, and my face was well hidden in the dim light. “Now, sit down,” he urged Kimberly.

But Kimberly really was a woman of the modern world. She simply reprimanded him like he was a little schoolboy.

“Tsk, tsk, Dawson,” she scolded him. “That’s no way to talk to a woman. No wonder you haven’t got a girl.”

“Who said I love girls? Men are more my thing.”

“Yes, Dawson, how could I forget. Weren’t you in the news the other day for jilting your male lover?”

“You pay too much attention to that news. And for the record, he wasn’t my lover. Shouldn’t you be introducing me to the little one?”

“Sorry, Jenny, got sidetracked.” Kimberly cleared her throat, then put on her hostess voice. “This man here is Dawson Kensington. His family are aristocrats, part of a noble family from England.”

“Hello, little one.” The man named Dawson spoke, edging himself back into his chair and lifting his hand to wave at me. “Don’t believe Kimberly. I don’t have any noble blood in me. And I’m no aristocrat. If anything, I’m just an ordinary American citizen. Although, I mainly live here in Singapore.”

I didn’t know how to respond to that. He was so cheerful and friendly, detailing all his life in that one speech, so I just said hi.

“This is Justin Valenti.” Kimberly gestured to the black-haired man sitting beside Dawson.

“Hi,” I said, smiling at the man with the angular face and eyes as blue as the ocean.

The man was quiet and demure, the total opposite to Dawson’s cheerful personality. In fact, if Dawson was the light, Justin was the dark. He’d barely spoken a word since our arrival. Of course, his greeting was a slight nod to the head.

“And of course, the man sitting beside me here is my partner, Julian Devereux, which you already know.”

My eyes shifted to Julian, and I smiled.

“How are you enjoying Singapore so far? Have you been to Garden by the Bay, yet?” he asked.

“No. Not yet. We just arrived today. I think we are going there tomorrow, right bo… ah… I mean Gio.”

Phew! That was close. I almost spilled out the word ‘boss’ in front of his friends. Giovanni did say not to call him ‘boss’ while we were here.

“Yes,” Giovanni confirmed, smiling warmly at me, one hand rubbing my shoulder. “We’ll go to the Flower Dome, too. You’ll like that, Jay.”

“It’s beautiful,” Kimberly chimed in. “You’ll love it. Don’t forget to take lots of pictures as souvenirs.”

“Oh, I will. Gio bought me a new phone. I’ll be sure to take lots of pictures.”

“You do that, little one. Take pictures of Giovanni, too. He hates that.”

“Dawson-” Giovanni started before Dawson cut in, offering me his precious advice.

“And make sure Giovanni doesn’t annoy you too much. Singapore is a romantic city, especially at night. You don’t know where it might lead you.”

“Hey, hey,” Giovanni managed to let his words out this time. “This is definitely a holiday for Jay. I’ll be sure she enjoys every second of it.”

I understood what they were implying, and my face blushed an even darker shade of pink. Giovanni saw it this time, and he grinned, slowly caressing my arm, rapidly making the heat radiate all the way up to the tips of my ears.

I knew what he was thinking. But this was not the time for that. I swatted his arm away. Thankfully, he diverted his attention elsewhere, and I had time to calm myself down.

A while later, the topic of our conversation shifted to business talk. Kimberly was also deep in conversation with Julian. This gave me ample opportunity to survey my new surroundings. My eyes flicked around the room.

Everything was beautiful and amazing. If only I felt the same way. This just wasn’t my territory. I didn’t sign up for this elegant setting and these flashy drinks. In fact, I was satisfied with just staying at home, back in Cory Mansion, New York, serving Giovanni his coffee and kissing him good night before going to bed. This was way beyond my world. But this was his world, full of bright lights, men in tuxedos, and expensive wine. And I’d better get used to it if I were to continue to be his lover.

A sudden thought struck me. Giovanni was mafia. Did that mean his friends were mafia, too? I couldn’t picture any of them meeting in shady places though, selling drugs and killing people, especially with their impeccable outfits and waxed back hair. If anything, they resembled people in the high-class elite, like those reality TV shows of multibillionaire business owners I used to watch on television when I was younger.

“Boss,” I whispered into Giovanni’s ear when the opportunity presented itself. “Are your friends mafia, too?”

Giovanni burst into a chuckle the second those words spouted from my lips. He rubbed my head affectionately and said, “Yes, they are my friends, and no, they are not mafia.”

Upon hearing the word ‘mafia,’ Dawson sputtered on his drink, and Justin simply fixed his gaze on me. Kimberly joined Giovanni’s chuckling fit, and Julian shook his head.

“Little one, we are not like Giovanni,” Dawson said after recovering from his coughing fit. “Although, we do deal in some shady business, but nothing that could get anybody killed. Giovanni, why don’t you tell little one exactly what you do.”

That’s right. All my previous knowledge of Giovanni had revolved around him being of the mafia, but what precisely did he do? I couldn’t imagine Giovanni going around shooting people. Since the beginning, while I was still his maid, I had only been induced to collect money. In a way, I thought he was more of a loan shark, loaning people money with high interest rates. And if they didn’t pay him back on time, there would be consequences. As to the actual consequences, I wasn’t sure what kind of punishment they would be getting. But surely it would never amount to death. The thought of dating a mafia man who killed people made my stomach queasy.

I pushed the thought out of mind. I had lived with Giovanni for a while now and saw his many personalities. He may have a foul mouth and act spoiled most of the time, but he wasn’t the type to execute people with his bare hands. That, I was sure of.

“Don’t worry, Jay.” Giovanni took the time to address me. “I haven’t killed anyone… yet. Just as long as they don’t encroach on my turf.” He turned to his friends and announced, “Why don’t we toast to our friendship. It has been over five years now. Jay, what do you want to drink? Orange juice? Coke?”

My eyes were scanning the drinks menu when Dawson asked me, “Little one, how old are you?”

“Dawson!” Kimberly slapped him on the shoulder. “A man shouldn’t ask a woman her age.”

“What? I’m curious,” he responded.

“It’s okay. I don’t mind,” I said to them. “I’m nineteen.”

Dawson grinned from ear to ear. Moving to Giovanni, he teased, “Wow, Giovanni. You sure bagged a young one.”

“What can I say,” Giovanni answered proudly, leaning back in his chair and threading his fingers behind his head, acting like the arrogant mafioso that he was. “Lady luck is on my side. I finally found my beloved.”

My eyes sparked, and my heart swelled as soon as those words left his lips. Despite hearing the name many times in the past, it still sounded sweet and different every time, especially when said in front of his friends.

“You indeed are very lucky, Giovanni. Not everyone could say the same.” This was the first sentence I heard from Justin. I watched as he fixed his gaze on the glass of champagne. I sensed a sad vibe coming from him. Although, I hadn’t a clue what. Maybe being rich was not all it was cut out to be. They all had their own problems, too.

“Jenny, do you drink?” Kimberly’s question prompted me back to the situation at hand.

“Mmm. No. I don’t drink.” I shook my head in the negative.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“You mean you don’t drink, or you don’t know how to drink?” she emphasized the question again.

“I don’t know how to drink,” I said honestly.

“Good. Then I’ll teach you.” Kimberly was about to pour me a glass of red wine when Giovanni stopped her.

“Kimberly. Don’t go corrupting my little bunny.”

“Of course, Giovanni.” Kimberly put the bottle back. “Who would risk their life to do that?” But she winked at me as soon as his eyes left us, and whispered, “I’ll teach you later. Just the two of us.”

I nodded, gladly taking up her offer. A waiter brought my cola and together we made a toast. Glasses clinked and we chugged down our drinks.

Ahhh, tasty. But I really wouldn’t mind getting a taste of liquor.

My tummy growled, which reminded me I hadn’t had food since lunchtime, after a small shopping spree with Giovanni that morning.

I scanned the menu. And only ended up with a headache. Everything in this fancy restaurant was too complicated for me. Why was the entrée before the main course? Wasn’t an entrée supposed to be the main course?

Giovanni sensed my uneasiness. He quietly rasped in my ear. “Want me to order for you?”

I nodded. “Yes, please.”

He smirked, leaned closer like he had some secret to share, and whispered, “Remember to say please, too, after I give you my dessert, tonight.”

That devil mafia boss. Surely, he must have other thoughts in his head, not just sex all the time.

The food soon came after. I was so famished, I wanted to throw my manners out the window and just gobble the food down right then and there. But I had one major problem. Laid out in front of me were various pieces of cutlery. Which one should I use first? More importantly, why would anyone need more than one spoon and fork to eat? Oh, why does eating at a fancy restaurant have to be this complicated?

Then again, maybe I was the only one finding it complicated. Everyone here seemed to be at ease.

I really was out of place. And that feeling only intensified as the night grew longer.

Do I have the right qualities to be Giovanni’s lover? Was I even suited to be in his world?

The answer came to me straight in the face.

I wasn’t. And it hurt, somehow.

I really was inadequate. Just simple things like these I couldn’t master, so what right did I have to be his lover?

I looked down, disgraced with myself. What did Giovanni see in me? If he didn’t think I was his Jennifer, I wouldn’t even be here, in his vicinity, in his very world.

I observed Kimberly interact with Julian, and they seemed like the perfect couple. She was beautiful and seductive and sexy. He was hot and handsome and mysterious. They were a perfect match. Giovanni and I, we were a mismatched pair. I was the plain brown, mousy-haired girl whose lover could rival any hot-ass movie star.

I really shouldn’t feel this down. In the past, I used to not care about my looks. What mattered more was personality. But these days, I felt I lacked in so many things, and especially when put in this situation under bright lights and beautiful people, I couldn’t help but think of my all my flaws.

Kimberly suddenly pushed back her chair, got up, and announced to everyone, “Boys, we girls are going to hang out at the bar. You guys are so boring, talking about business all the time. Come, Jenny, let’s go.”

She grabbed my hand in the midst of the confusion and dragged me to a secluded place at the bar. It wasn’t until she sat me down that I knew she meant business.