Ruthless Mafia Daddy (Alpha Mafia Daddies)

Why am I even here? Why do I keep letting other people make the decisions for me? Rule my life? Hurt me?

Like Sam.

It’s been a while now, but the wound is still there.

I’m not ready for this at all. I’m not ready to get back out there. Not ready to open myself up to love again. Because love will chew you up and spit you out.

Again, like Sam.

I thought I’d be engaged to the man of my dreams by now. Maybe even happily married.

The joke is on me, I guess. Who knew that dream would turn out to be the nightmare of all nightmares. And after this long, I’m still waiting to wake up.

What’s the one good thing to come out of what happened?

I wish I could say this date, but unless the dude sitting opposite me has a personality transplant in the next twenty seconds, this is a colossal waste of my time.

As I knew it might be. As I told my best friend it would be.

But did she listen? Did it stop her from forcing me to be here?

No.

His nasal voice pulls me out of one bad place and into another.

“It’s fun because people consider the game a slightly more complex form of rock/paper/scissors. But in actuality, it is more like chess. You get a team preview, and you have to determine how your team matches up against the other and you control a handful of the stats so there is a lot of ways you can throw off your opponent by making a Pokémon more defensive or faster or something along those lines.”

Pokémon? All I know about Pokémon is that there is a cute little yellow rat that shoots lightning from its cheeks and has Ryan Reynolds‘s voice.

Do I even care?

Apparently, it doesn’t matter either way. He doesn’t need my input on it anyway because he doesn’t even stop to look at me.

“Did you know speed is an important stat in Pokémon? So, training them to be just the right speed to out-speed one of its weaknesses can be a major boon in a battle.” He takes a sip of his beer. “At least for a best of one battle. If it is best of three, then you might want to preserve some of those secrets for a later game if you think that will give you the upper hand.”

Speaking of speed, I can’t believe I spent a good three hours getting ready for this. Cassi owes me big time.

And it feels like I’ve been here forever. I look at my phone. Two minutes to eight. Almost one hour into this date, and I’ve been ready for it to end from minute one.

“And now with newer games, there is a thing called ‘tera’ where you change your Pokémon’s typing in the middle of a battle. You can only do it once per battle, but if you have a Pokémon that might be quad weak to a fairy move and then have it tera-steel, then it suddenly resists fairy moves.”

I smile and sigh. I wish I had a tera thingy or even a fairy move, whatever that is, so I could just fly out of here or poof out of thin air.

“Oh?” I check my phone. Again.

Come on, why is time all but frozen?

My best friend, Cassi, is the reason I’m on this shitty date, and she better keep her end of this deal and give me an out in…one minute and forty-three seconds. She promised.

Then again, she also assured me the guy was nice, and that we had a lot in common.

So far, he’s not living up to my very low expectations.

That’s okay. I can endure one minute and… thirty-six seconds.

God.

“Lately, I really like Weezing. He got a new ability last generation called ‘Neutralizing Gas’ that removes the abilities of all other Pokémon on the field. So, you can negate some beneficial ones from your opponent. Or negate some negative ones from your side.” His smile is all for himself. “There is also Ogrepon. She’s adorable and wears a mask but is super powerful. Her stats are just really good and her ability and typing change based on which mask she is wearing.”

Breathe. You have only…

My eyes fly to my phone again, and I have to swallow a groan.

How is it that there is still one minute and eighteen seconds to go? This thing has to be broken. There is no way time is moving this slowly.

Can I wear one of those magical masks and teleport out of here? Or maybe have him ooze back to where he came from?

“Back in 2016 when I was in the tournament, I was able to predict how I could lose if a certain Pokémon went down. So, even though I was about to go down to one Pokémon, I was able to preserve the ability because the big thing was weather control that year. And since I preserved that Pokémon, I made it to where I still won the game one V. two because I had won the weather war.”

“Uh, that sounds…” I have no idea how to finish that sentence, so I just glance around the bar.

Is there a clock around here somewhere?

I don’t find one.

“So, the big Pokémon back then were Kyogre, Groudon, and Rayquaza and they all had the ability to mega evolve. Kyogre’s ability was called Primordial Sea and summoned the rain on the field for as long as it was out. Groudon had Desolate Land which summoned the sun, which usually weakens water and powers up fire, you know, but Desolate land negates it. Those were cool.”

Man, I’m the desolate one. Why me?Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

I need a drink. Or ten.

My eyes find the glass of red wine in front of me, untouched after that first sip.

It tastes like paint thinner.

Dirk insisted on paying, but only after confirming the cheapest option on the menu.

Can anyone say red flag?

Seriously, where did Cassi find this guy? Craigslist?

Do I really seem that desperate and alone?

The thought makes my stomach churn.

“But the weather wars would happen because if both players brought out their primal Pokémon in the beginning, the faster one activates their ability first, and then the slower one activates the ability. So, the slower one would win the weather war on turn one, because they get to keep their weather.”

“That’s, uh…nice.” I force a smile.

Twenty-seven more seconds.

“Any time you’re ready, Cassi…” I mutter, letting out a long breath.

Glancing around the bar, I can’t help but notice the dozens of happy couples drinking cocktails and roaming their hands all over each other—not caring they’re in the middle of a crowded bar. Because when you’re in love, the rest of the world seems to disappear.

I thought I had that with Sam.

I was wrong.

I’ve been let down one too many times by the men in my life—each one leaving a crack in my heart—and Sam was the catalyst that finally shattered it. And no amount of cheap vino and Ben and Jerry’s has glued it back together.

Work has been my refuge. Started there straight out of college and over this last year, I’ve managed to be promoted to executive assistant to the CEO.

Who needs a man when I have a laptop and a corner office with a view of the Hudson, right? That and a fucking good vibrator with ten settings.

That helps too.

One fleeting look at my phone shows me it’s eight already, and the phone is not ringing.

What the hell, Cassi? Just call already.

“So, a general strat would be to bring out your weather Pokémon to determine speeds of your opponent’s primal, or to keep your primal in the back so your enemy doesn’t know if they are going to be able to get off a fire attack.”

Oh lord, please send a fire attack my way.

I listen to him drone for what feels like an hour more about Pokémon and wars and stats before I check my phone. Again.

How is it only nine past eight.

It doesn’t matter.

I think it’s safe to say that Cassi isn’t going to save me from this date, so I’m going to have to do it myself.

“I’m sorry. I need to visit the ladies’ room for a sec.”

I move to slide off my stool when a warm hand cups my elbow as if to help me down.

Jerking, I turn to look over my shoulder.

My eyes land on the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen.

“Sorry to interrupt.” His voice is deep and rough as eyes the color of onyx flick to my mouth, and my breath hitches.

Who is this man and where has he been all my life?