Dancing in Sin (Marchetti Family Series Book 1), page 1
Dancing In Sin
Sins and Obsession Duet
The Marchetti Family
Book 1
kelly Kelsey
Copyright © 2024 By Kelly Kelsey
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Cover design by Crowe Abbey Covers
Editing by Ce-ce Cox of Outside Eyes Editing and Proofreading
Proofreading by Mich
Created with Vellum
If you are looking for a nice, hearts and flowers type of Hero, then this is not the book for you. Now if red is your favorite color, then you are in the right place. Nico Marchetti is every shade of red, over the top, morally gray and alpha in all the best ways. So, buckle up and make sure you have a spare pair of panties because Nico awaits you in all his deliciousness and red flag glory….
Contents
Trigger Warnings
Playlist
1. Nico
2. Ocean
3. Nico
4. Ocean
5. Nico
6. Ocean
7. Nico
8. Ocean
9. Nico
10. Ocean
11. Nico
12. Ocean
13. Nico
14. Ocean
15. Nico
16. Ocean
17. Nico
18. Ocean
19. Nico
20. Ocean
21. Nico
22. Ocean
23. Nico
24. Ocean
25. Nico
26. Ocean
27. Nico
28. Ocean
29. Nico
30. Ocean
31. Nico
32. Ocean
33. Nico
34. Ocean
***
Quick Note from The Author
About the Author
Books
The Jump Series
Thalia
Sweet Addiction
Knox
Madison
Sweet Possession
Asher
Remi
Sweet Temptation
Prologue
Eden – Age 18
Trigger Warnings
Somnophilia
Dubious Consent
Violence (Not toward the heroine)
Controlling Behavior
Mine, Mine, Mine
Red Flags Everywhere
Morally Grey Alpha Male
Playlist
Morally Grey - April Jai
Middle of the Night - Elley Duhe
Love in Ruins - Gyffin, Sinead Harnett, Luxlyfe
Sound off the Sirens - Sam Tinnesz
Wrong -- Max Schneider (feat. Lil Uzi Vert)
Gasoline - Halsey
Adrenaline Rush -- (feat. MORGAN) Sigma, MORGAN
Supermassive Black Hole – Muse
She Drives Me Crazy – Fine Young Cannibals
Many of Horror – Biffy Clyro
Closer - Nine Inch Nails
Radioactive - Imagine Dragons
Chapter 1
Nico
My black loafers pound on the tile floor as I make my way to my office. Dante Vitale, my best friend since we were children and a capo of mine, follows close behind. The loud bass of the music vibrates off the walls, through to my chest as the noise pounds in my ears. We are at The Executive Club, my high-class gentleman’s establishment. I haven’t been here for a while, too caught up in business with the Marchetti famiglia. My family.
My papà is Lorenzo Marchetti, Don of the most powerful organized crime family ruling New York and Capi Di Tutti Capi of the Cosa Nostra. I have been primed since the day I was born to follow in my papà’s footsteps and will eventually fulfill my legacy, my birthright, when the day comes for him to eventually step down. For now, I am his second in command, his underboss, learning everything there is to know and helping him rule the famiglia and our city with an iron fist.
“Leo informed me that we had some new girls start a couple weeks ago,” Dante says from behind me. Leo is the manager here at The Executive Club. Like most of my inner circle and friends, he is someone I have known since childhood. I know that he is someone I can trust to run the place, which is why I gave him the position in the first place.
“Have him bring their files to the office, so we can look over them,” I grunt. It’s something Dante and I always do. Personally go over every new girl’s file and vet them. It’s for our employee’s safety more than anything, but it’s also to make sure the people I have work here don’t have any affiliation with or are spies planted by our enemies. We don’t want that. We like to know who we are bringing into our clubs.
“Already asked for them,” he responds drily, a hint of insult in his voice that I even asked him.
Pushing through the door to my office, I round my desk and take a seat. My gaze shifts to the blackout window that overlooks the whole club. I can see everything that happens down there, but nobody can see what goes on up here. Exactly how I like it.
“Drink?” Dante asks as he pours his glass of whiskey from my bar cart.
“Macallan.” I drawl as I start up my laptop.
Logging into the system, I pull up my emails and start to go through them. It’s mainly boring shit. Figures. Consignments. Outgoings. Profits. All stuff I hate to look at but know I need to, to keep the place running smoothly. Though I trust Leo, I like to see for myself what’s going on with my businesses.
Dante places my drink on a coaster before dropping down in the seat opposite me. I focus back on my laptop, only for my head to snap up when a heavy knock raps at the door. “Come in,” I say, knowing full well that it will be my manager. The door pushes open almost immediately and Leo steps inside, confirming my thoughts.
“I have the files for you,” he says, holding up what looks to be several manilla folders.
“Thanks. Take a seat.” I motion to the empty chair beside Dante.
Doing as I asked, he drops the files on the desk and sits. “We have four new starters. I did the necessary checks, and they all came back fine.” He gets straight to it, telling me exactly what I want to know. Leo clears his throat. “One of the girls. I couldn’t find any background information on her. In fact, she is kind of a ghost…” I glare at him, and he trails off. “Look Nico, she was desperate for a job. Told me that she lost all her family, and she was all alone in this world. I didn’t outright ask her, but I dropped hints about your enemies, etcetera, etcetera, and she was confused when I started spouting shit. She didn’t have a clue what I was talking about. So, I passed her.”
“It doesn’t work like that, and you know it.” I bite out.
“I know. I know. But she has this whole innocent thing going on and the clients love her.” He sighs. “Honestly, I think I’m quite good at reading people and she isn’t a spy Nico. I know that much.”
“That’s for me to decide,” I growl, my skin heating with anger. Leo knows better than this.
He holds his hands up in surrender, trying to placate me. He knows he fucked up though, the next words out of his mouth confirm as much. “Okay, man. You’re right. I messed up by going against our usual protocol. But my gut told me she was fine. Meet her for yourself. I think you will agree.” He rushes the words out, trying to save his ass.
“Your gut won’t save you if the Russians fire up the place.” My jaw is clenched, my body tense with rage. Leo feels it, the darkness surrounding me, and swallows. Good. Had it been anyone else, I would have fired their ass by now, taken them to the basement, and inflicted untold pain on them. Being a friend gives him a little grace. Not much. But it’s why he is still sitting here.
“Is she working tonight?” Dante asks, trying to break the tension.
Leo glances at him, scrubbing a palm down his face. “Yeah. She has been here for two weeks and is on the roster every night. I asked if she wanted at least one night off but she said she needed the money. And like I said, our clients love her. She is our most popular girl. Men are coming from all over the city just to watch her dance. Our profits are up by at least fifty percent since she started.” He rambles on, trying to downplay his fuck up.
“Bring her to me,” I demand, my tone leaving no room for argument.
Leo nods, pushing out of his chair. “I will go get her.” Rushing toward the door like his ass is on fire, he disappears in the next second.
I shake my head, blowing out a breath. “I swear he is getting softer the older he gets. Hiring girls because he feels sorry for them and without using the proper protocol? I might need to rethink his position here.”
Dante snorts. “He is twenty-eight, the same as us. You don’t see us getting soft. I also don’t think there is more to it than what he told us. My guess is his dick got hard for the girl and that ruled his decision.”
I mull over Dante’s words for a minute, shaking my head when I come to the same conclusion. “You’re right. But Leo was spared some of the stuff we went through. He isn’t in this life like we are. He fucked up this time, but he is our friend. I trust that he wouldn’t compromise this place by making a rash decision just because he took a liking to a piece of pussy, no matter how much he liked her.”
“You know as well as I do, that he wants to fuck whoever this girl is and that’s the only reason he hired her without doing a thorough vetting.” Dante laughs.
I shrug nonchalantly but my curiosity is officially piqued. “Maybe. Guess we will see what’s so special about her when he brings her up here.”
“Guess we will.” He shakes his head, amusement flashing in his eyes. “He knows he can’t fuck the dancers, so it was pointless hiring her if that’s what he wants. He knows full well there is a no fraternizing policy. He fucking manages this place.” He grunts.
Steepling my fingers in front of my chin, I wait for Leo to return. I am officially intrigued as to why my manager made an exception for this girl. It’s not like all of our dancers aren’t beautiful because they are. We only hire beautiful women because The Executive Club is high-end. All our clients are rich - you have to be with what it costs to have membership here. My club is the perfect place if you are looking for discretion, which is why the client list is prestigious. A mixture of politicians, movie stars, Wall Street traders, and business owners frequent here most nights, which is also helpful if I ever need to call in a favor. I have so much shit on most of these guys, they are all just waiting to do my bidding should I ask.
Any man with money and looking for a good time, you can guarantee they are a member of The Executive Club. Which is why the caliber of girls that work here is high. A couple of them are even catwalk models who are looking to earn extra cash. And they do because they are fucking gorgeous. The men love them, and they pay them the big bucks. Sometimes more than they would ever earn on a modeling job. This leads me to my next thought and the reason my curiosity is getting the better of me. What is it about this new girl that has all my members losing their damn minds and my manager acting so recklessly?
A knock on the door drags me from my thoughts. I know it's Leo, so I call for him to enter. He steps inside my office. For a second, I think he is alone until I see a bare pair of legs shifting behind him. The girl. My head cocks to the side, as I try to get a good look at her, but it’s no use because Leo is shielding her with his big body. I frown at the protective stance of my friend, at the tension currently radiating from his body. My jaw clenches. I am over whatever claim he thinks he has on her. Narrowing my eyes, I jerk my head, silently asking him to get a move on. Sighing, he reaches back, taking her hand in his. My nostrils flare in anger as something like possession surges through my body. What the fuck? I don’t know why, nor do I understand it, but it’s there all the same and I haven’t even laid eyes on the fucking woman. I have never, not once in my life, felt possessive over pussy. But right now, I am trying to hold myself back from killing my friend just because he is holding her hand.
Inhaling a breath, I try to calm my racing thoughts and my pounding heart. Running a finger across my bottom lip, I watch my friend with maddening interest, studying him for any sign of what he is thinking, but his blank face gives nothing away. When I feel controlled enough to speak, I say. “Well?”
Leo tenses but having known me long enough by now, he knows what I want with that one word and if he knows what’s good for him, he will not disobey me. His eyes squeeze shut for a brief second and then without saying anything he pulls the girl in front of him. My gaze rakes over her and when it lands on her face the damn air is knocked from my lungs.
Fuck. Me.
Now I see exactly the reason why she is so popular with our customers, and why Leo didn’t vet her properly. I don’t think there is a word to describe this girl. Stunning or beautiful don’t do her justice. She is just more than both those words. So much more.
My eyes roam over every inch of the scared-looking petite girl, studying her, and taking all her beauty in and committing it to memory. Fresh, innocent face with only a lick of mascara and something glossy on her pouty lips. Lips that were made to suck cock. My cock. I shake the thought away so I can carry on my perusal, and I am happy with what else I find. Big sapphire blue eyes. Perfect round breasts and a waist so tiny, I could circle it with one of my large hands. Long, tan legs that look like they go on for miles. And the pièce de résistance and a fetish of mine. Blonde hair so long that it nearly touches her heart-shaped ass which I get a little glimpse of from the way she stands.
Yeah, I can definitely see why Leo made an exception. Still, it doesn’t excuse his irresponsible behavior. He shouldn’t have just allowed her to work here without the necessary checks. And I can’t be seen to let him get away with it, no matter how beautiful she is. I know I said there were no words to describe her beauty, but she is probably the most exquisite thing I have ever seen – and that’s saying something considering I am surrounded by gorgeous women. I have to blink a couple of times to make sure she is in fact real and I’m not just seeing things.
But she is real. So very real and so fucking beautiful that it almost hurts to look at her. She stares at me with those big, blue, hypnotic eyes. She looks so innocent. So damn sweet. My cock hardens in my pants, and I shift to allow it some room. Not wanting to give away the effect she is having on me, I narrow my eyes. Jerking my head to the empty seat, I bark out. “Sit.”
She jumps at the bite in my words, before scrambling to the chair and sitting, like a good little girl. Hmm. Submissive. The things I could do to her. Teach her… I shake my head. Nope. Not going there. I have never fucked a woman that works for me and I’m not about to start now. She will not be the exception, even if she is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. But what if she didn’t work for you? The devil on my shoulder asks. I block out the words and focus on the girl in front of me.
“What’s your name?” I don’t miss the way she stiffens, her whole body going rigid with that one question. My eyes narrow at her reaction but she quickly recovers, her face going completely blank. I search her face, for any sign of anxiety or discomfort but when I find none, I almost begin to think I read her wrong. Questions circle in my head, but they are soon forgotten when the most angelic voice I have ever heard breaks the silence in the room.
“Ocean. My name is Ocean.”
Chapter 2
Ocean
My whole body trembles under his cold blue gaze. He scrutinizes me in a way that makes me both come alive, and want to shrink into myself. I don’t know whether he believes me when I tell him my name, but it’s all he is getting, no matter how much he scares me. My fake ID says Ocean Embers, and that is who I am. I was reborn the day I left my old life and that was the day I became Ocean.
A friend from back home put me in touch with someone who could make me a really good fake ID. She wasn’t lying. It is so good that no one would question that it’s not real – well no one but maybe this guy. One look at him and I can tell that he is not to be messed with. He exudes power. Money… All the things I am running from. And I know without a doubt that he has the resources to find out my truth and, unlike Leo, I don’t think I will be able to use my looks or innocence to my advantage with this guy. He will see right through that, which is why I need to put my mask in place and keep calm. Though my heart pounds erratically in my chest, I know that if I don’t keep my cool right now, then it will give him more of a reason to look into me. I can’t have that.
I have only been at The Executive Club for a couple of weeks and to be honest I thought everything was settled with me working here. Leo never mentioned any other guy wanting to interview me, so I kinda let my guard down and relaxed into my surroundings. That was my first mistake. I should know better by now. Know never to be careless or get comfortable. In the blink of an eye, things can change. I know that better than anyone.
