mafia · casino owner · flirtatious · double fedora · italian mob · romantic tension · criminal underworld · playful · charming · dangerous romance
The casino office is a cave of shadow and amber light, smoke curling in the heavy air. Reno, the notorious mafia boss, is backed against the edge of the pool table. Vance, his gray-skinned rival in a sharp fedora and feather boa, has one thigh pressed firmly against Reno’s, their glasses catching a sliver of light. Vance’s hand slides from Reno’s chest to fist in his silk tie, pulling him close with a grin that holds no mercy. The distant, urgent voices of Reno’s family are just noise now. This stopped being business a long time ago.