Sorry for the late update. I had such a hard time trying to figure out how I wanted this chapter to go, this chapter went through a lot of plot changes. Hope you guys don't enjoy this TOO much... 😂😈

<-I-L-A-<<< I scrolled through all the condom jokes Aiden and Giovanni had sent. They were as creative as the group chat's name, "Gucci Gang 420 Bang Bang".

"Important messages, huh?" I asked Matteo, sarcastically.

"Safe sex is important." He joked in his seriousness as he set his phone down on the table.

"I thought you said that there won't be any spams."

Matteo admitted, "It won't be for long. I'm making Aurelio add a feature where you can mute Aiden and Giovanni's notifications."

I shook my head and laughed. Aiden was a year older than me, 30 years old, but he reminded me of a little boy. He was naive and clueless most of the time, proving to be the perfect victim for Gio's impractical pranks.

As for Giovanni, the 31-year-old man claimed to have a 'sexy imagination' rather than a 'dirty mind'. I've yet to have a decent conversation with him. Every time he opened his mouth, Giovanni would spew suggestive, sexual statements or questions. I've never met someone who can turn any situation into a sexual one.

"Ciao," Aiden said, smiling as he came to our table.

"What are you doing here?" Matteo asked Aiden.

"Huh? You told me to come in." He answered, confused.

Matteo rolled his eyes and rephrased his question, "What were you doing around the area before you found us?"

Aiden explained that he had just come from meeting up with an old friend. By the look on Matteo's face, he knew who exactly Aiden was talking about. I was left in the dark as they spoke about mafia matter. As Aiden talked, standing at our table, I noticed that he drew a lot of attention from nearby customers.

"Aiden," I interrupted him. "Go grab a seat and sit down with us."

Aiden looked around the restaurant, scanning for an empty seat. Instead of getting a chair from an unoccupied table, Aiden approached the table taken by the pretty girls that had staring problems. I shook my head, knowing that Aiden wanted something more than just a chair. Men will be men.

"Evening, ladies." He greeted them with his handsome smile.

"Hello," they all said in unison. Their voice harmonized almost perfectly in a seductive and flirtatious manner.

"Is the seat taken?" Aiden asked in a sexy husk.

"No, but I'll trade it for your number," a gorgeous brunette answered, batting her curled eyelashes.

"Deal," Aiden smirked, cockily.

He recited his phone number out loud to the brunette. Her friends, sitting around her, who heard his digits whipped out their phone in secrecy to add Aiden in their contacts.

"Put me under as Arden." He winked, giving his fake name to the brunette.

"I'm Gaby. It's short for Gabriella."

Aiden looked surprised, "Woah, that's my grandmother's name."

"Huh?" Gaby asked, confused.

My eyes widen, shocked. Why would Aiden say that? All his chances with the girl had gone down the drain. I looked over at Matteo. He sighed and frowned.

"Aiden!" Matteo signaled him to come back, trying to save him from a bad impression.

"I got to go, Gabri," Aiden said, "That's what I call my grandma. You see, I think it's a prettier way to shorten Gabriella."

My jaw slightly dropped and Matteo facepalmed himself.

After unintentionally giving seven girls his number and insulting Gaby, Aiden returned to us. He dragged his chair behind him as he smiled cluelessly and innocently, reminding me of a little boy once again.

>>>-M-A-T-T-E-O-> "Ila, looking good!" Aiden said, sitting down.

Ila smiled as she moved a strand of hair behind her ear, "Thanks."

Anyone could see that Ila was particularly prettier right now. Her hair, as well as her makeup, was done. The dress that she picked out hugged her waist, complimenting her petite figure. Ila's jewelry that shined in the light as she moved couldn't compare to how she glowed with radiance. She looked absolutely beautiful and I didn't tell her yet. Not because I forgot. How could I when that's all that I've thought about the whole night?

It's my routine. I take them to dinner and then back home. Next, I walk her to the door and say that she looked pretty, sexy, gorgeous, etc. Then, if the mood was right, I'd lean in for a kiss and hope that one thing leads to another.

I don't know what I was expecting from this date with Ila. I just needed to get rid of the attraction I had. It was doing me no good. At first, I wanted to be with her because of guilt. I'd check up on her, making sure she was adjusting well. Then, I wanted to be with her just to be with her. It made me wonder if my sincerity towards her was just greed.

I've just set up a trap for myself. Conflicted, I took a drink of my water and wished it was something stronger.

I watched Ila pushed away Aiden, who was trying to get her to look at the mole on his back.

"No," Ila said as she tried to keep Aiden from taking off his shirt, "We are in a restaurant."

I chucked. She was too good for me, innocent and harmless. Ila was too much of a goody-two-shoes. She was against almost everything I did, the drugs, the driving, and the killing.

"Hungry?" I asked Aiden as I slid my full plate in front of him. He stopped struggling against Ila and grabbed my chopsticks immediately. "So, what did you learn?"

"The guy told me that Stollo convinced the Furfanti to turn against us," Aiden told me as he munched.

I frowned. "What should we do in response?"

"Surprise attack?" Aiden asked. He set down his chopsticks and began to karate chop the air in front of him. "Hiya!"

"What does this Stollo guy have against us?" Ila asked, curious.

Her question made me feel bad. Since she was new, Ila rarely knew what was going on and always ended up being excluded from the conversation.

"He's out for vengeance for some of his best members' death," Aiden explained to her," He thinks that we are responsible for killing them."

"It's something we would have done," I admitted after some thought, "but neither my father or I gave out that order."

"Someone in Il Bisbiglio could have done it without you knowing," Ila suggested.

"It's a probability." I lifted my shoulders and brought them back down, shrugging. It's a probability, but an unlikely one. The people that I had chosen to collaborate with Stollo's men were wiser than to do something that stupid. They're too fearful to pull an act that would betray Il Bisbiglio, especially knowing what will happen to them when I figure out.

<-I-L-A-<<< "Should we ask for the bill?" I asked.

Aiden just finished the last dish. He leaned back in his chair, wiping his stained mouth with a napkin.

"Wait," he said. With right hand balled up in a fist, Aiden pounded his chest. After a few second, Aiden opened his mouth and let out a big burp. "Now, I'm ready."

"I already paid," Matteo said. He pulled out his wallet and set down a couple hundred bucks down as a tip.

"Let me guess. When you called to make the reservation?" I asked.

It was a good thing that Aiden had a black hole for a stomach or else all of the leftover 10 dishes would have gone to waste.

Matteo nodded in reply. We got out of our seats and I started to walk towards the exit with Matteo when I noticed that Aiden was still sitting down.

"I need a little help," Aiden said as he held out his hand.

I offered my hand and he took it. I pulled with my might, barely lifting him.

"Aiden, at least try and get u-"

Unexpectedly, he got up and I came crashing into him which brought Aiden back to his seat with me on his lap. The only good thing that gravity did was keep my dress down from flashing people.

"At least you took me out for dinner first," Aiden said as he shrugged.

Matteo, who watched this all played out, rolled his eyes and grabbed me from the elbow. He helped me get off of Aiden and to my feet. Then he grabbed Aiden's forearm and got him standing upright.

"I guess third wheeling can fun," Aiden said. He patted his stomach, which to my despise wasn't even slightly bloated.

Matteo and I parted away from Aiden to our car. He opened the passenger side door for me but I didn't go inside.

"I'm driving," I said, holding my hands out for the keys.

Matteo frowned, "It was just that one time, Ila."

"Keys," I demanded.

Reluctantly, he handed over the car keys.

"If I knew you were going to drive, I would have gotten a drink or two." He muttered as he strapped himself in the passenger seat.

>>>-M-A-T-T-E-O-> The car in front of us honked, startling Ila. The driver rolled down its window and stuck his arm out, giving us the middle finger. The gesture surprised Ila.

I chuckled, "It's Aiden."

"Of course it is." Ila sighed.

I rolled my window down to return his love. Seeing my middle finger, Aiden put his thumb up.

"Matteo stop flipping Aiden off," Ila ordered as she rolled up the window with the control buttons on the driver side.

To Ila's luck, since she didn't know the way back to the mafia house so well, we followed Aiden from behind. He'd exaggerate his turns, making them sharp and quick as he pretended that he was being tailed by cops instead of us.

"Matteo?" Ila asked.

I looked up from my phone and to her. "Hm?"

"In books and movies, mafia people are cold and cruel. You look the part, but you haven't played it." Ila said, stating her observation.

I thought about all my actions before I met Ila. Cold and cruel was correct. I was harsh on deadlines and heartless when it came to the consequences.

Ila had gotten the idea that I was spontaneously nice. If she knew of all the things I've done, she'd know I was far from a gentleman and closer to a monster.

I've noticed that I haven't been doing my bad habits, drinking, having emotionless sex, and smoking. I've blamed it on being incredibly busy but I knew it was because Ila was watching me. Being around her made me want to show Ila the better side of me.

I shrugged, unsure of how I could respond and went back to my phone.

<-I-L-A-<<< We got to the house by 10:32. Our date that lasted 3 hours felt like it was only 30 minutes.

Aiden went into the dining room to talk to the people who were still eating dinner.

"I'll bring you to your room," Matteo said as he put his hand behind my back.

He led me past the stairs and into a hall.

"Where are we going?"

Matteo stopped me in front of a metal door and pressed a button that had an arrow pointing up.

I gasped, "The elevator is fixed?"

Matteo nodded. "I had them work on it while we were out of the house."

At the sound of a 'ding', the metal door slid and we walked in. There was a rail for holding attached to the mirror walls of the elevator. Matteo pushed the button that had a number 3 for the third floor and I felt the elevator move up.

"My calves thank you," I said. I was happy that I didn't have to walk up two flights of stairs anymore. Although, my legs were getting toner day by day.

In a minute, we arrived on the third floor and Matteo walked me to my bedroom.

I unlocked my door, "Thanks for dinner and my phone."

"Ila?"

I turned around, my hand still on the doorknob. "Yes?"

Matteo didn't reply. Instead, he scanned my face in deep thought, looking as if he was trying to read my mind.

"Matteo, are you okay?" I asked about his strange and sudden behavior.

"Yeah, I was just thinking about how stunning you look tonight and how I want to ..."

Matteo stopped talking, trailing off as his gaze fell upon my mouth. Quick without hesitation, his placed his hand behind my neck. Matteo dipped his head as he pulled our face together, colliding his lips on mine.

Just like my body, my mind froze. The butterflies that stormed my stomach moved south. Overwhelmed with the intense feeling that came with his touch, I closed my eyes.

My brain finally processed what was happening and told my body to act upon the comprehension, kissing him back. Without knowing it, my hands were at his sides, closing the space between us.

>>>-M-A-T-T-E-O-> Ila got out of her paralyzed state and responded, settling my doubts of getting rejected. Ila pulled our bodies together and my mind that had settled for just a kiss lusted for something more. I was reminded of Marcella's warning during our dinner, "Matteo, don't you even dare think about sex on the first date!"

Screw it. I wanted to see how far we could take it.

My free hand found the doorknob to Ila's room and I opened the door. Successfully getting in, I nudge the door shut with my foot. Still entangled with each other, I walked her backwards to the bed. My heart beat faster as I got excited. Would she let me treat her?

<-I-L-A-<<< I giggled at the back of my knees hit the bed. I fell to my back, pulling Matteo on top of me. My mind was foggy, intoxicated on the high rush Matteo brought me. As we made out on my bed, I tried to make some sense of what was about to happen.

"Matteo..." I said, breathlessly trying to put words together. "Are we... thing?"

Matteo, who had moved down my jaw to tenderly suck my neck, answered just as breathless as I was, "What we're... doing... It means... something."

"I'm... not... no one night stand." I grabbed his tousled hair, tugging him upwards for him to face me.

"I'm not planning on it." He said, successfully being the first one to say a complete sentence.

I nodded eagerly, "Good."

He brought his head down, attacking me at the lips. His hand that traced on my skin caused me to shiver. I moaned as I closed my eyes, bracing myself for pleasure.

<~> Oof, let's give Matteo and Ila some privacy ... Please show much love by voting, following, sharing and commenting.