Chapter 1 Meet Gabriel Lockwood

Gabriel Lockwood Age: 32 Nationality: Italian American Job: Leader or the Italian mafia in New York Physical description: 6’3 foot, tanned, muscular body. Dark brown hair, blue eyes, chiselled face with a scruffy beard. Full lips. Personality description: cold, courageous, determined, unforgiving, conceited and arrogant, persistent, reliable, adventurous, seductive. Family: Raphael Lockwood (father) Alex (mother deceased) , Michael Lockwood (younger half brother), Amelia Wood (younger sister) Friends: Jason Moore (best friend) ****** Meet Gabriel Lockwood ***** My name is Gabriel Lockwood but everyone calls me Gabe. In the mafia world, I am known as The Heir. That’s all because of my father. Raphael Lockwood. I took over the Italian mafia in New York City around two years ago. Father decided to step down and I took over. My sister is the leader of the British Mafia in New York while Michael decided he doesn’t want anything to do with this business. He is the CEO of Lockwood enterprises and he is doing really well for himself. I can’t deny that I like my lifestyle. I like danger and I live for the adrenaline and the thrill of the moment. Father raised me differently from my siblings. First of all, I am the older one so straight away he assumed I would take over the mafia. Since I was four years old I started to learn different martial arts so I could defend myself physically. Then we started with the gun training and then the psychological training. We all went through it. We got tortured, beaten, starved all to make sure we endured torture and never spoke the information we knew. Once I was bullied in school and I knew better than to break the guy’s nose. When I got home and told dad what happened he punished me for not defending myself. After all, I am a Lockwood. After that day everything changed. I became a bully. I became the one people feared. But I never attacked the innocent and defenceless. I protected them and attacked the jocks and the popular. I hated school. But I had forced to go to college and so I did. I became a man whore during my teenage years and it got worse with age. I like my woman. And I love sex. But I don’t like an easy woman. But then none of them resists me anyway. I’ve never been in love and I only had one girlfriend my entire life. Marriage and kids are not for me. I’m hoping to leave the mafia to my niece. Would be nice for her to join the British and Italian. Amelia thinks I’m insane and that father will make me marry to someone to have an heir. You might think I need to put my foot down and stand my ground. I do. But with father is a completely different story. I know he loves me, but he made me a machine. And I am okay with that. I need to find a woman to follow this path with me. A woman that wants the same as me. Power and money. I know that will be difficult as most women do want to get married and have kids. But I need a Queen to reign next to me. My father became stronger and people feared him more when he met his wife. His reason to live and breathe. I always wanted something like that but I like sex too much.

Chapter 2 Meet River Wilson

River Wilson Age: 28 Nationality: American Job: Waitress / University student (social worker) Physical description: 5’5 ft, curvy, dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, tanned, full lips, straight nose. Personality description: tough, trustworthy, responsible, resourceful, observant, intelligent, suspicious, responsible, caring. Family: River doesn’t know who her family is. She was in the foster system and never got adopted. Friends: Alicia Steel, Jonah Green, Pedro Rodriguez **** Meet River Wilson **** My name is River, I know, I have a boys name. I guess the sperm donor and the baby carrier didn’t want a baby. I was left at the maternity the day I was born. That was it. I have no clue who my biological creators are and I honestly don’t care. I was named after the nurses that took care of me. That’s all I know. I was put up for adoption but no one ever wanted me. Who wants a girl with a boys name? I was in the foster system until the day I turned eighteen. I can’t say I had horrible experiences with foster. Had some less pleasant than others. Some of the families were great and I hoped they adopted me but I was never wanted. That creates a dent in my personality. I was never wanted and that made me tough and untrusting. I have a really hard time believing people. I always think they have a hidden agenda. I was always a good student. I wanted to go to college and be someone so I could afford a better life for myself. But once I turned eighteen I had to leave and find a place to live and a job. So I had to drop out of college so I could afford to live. I have been working as a waitress and as housekeeping in hotels for as long as I can remember. But I finally got a good job now as a waitress at the Lockwood five star hotel in New York. I work as much as I can so I can pay for college because I went back to study part-time. I am studying to become a social worker. I want to try and help as many kids as I can. My social worker was a really good woman, she did everything that was in her power to keep me safe but there’s so much she could do, so she inspired me to do the same. If I can change one kid’s life it will be worth it. I’ve had a couple of boyfriends in my life but they always ended up disappointing me. I’m not a one night stand kind of girl but sometimes I like to flirt and have a make-out session when I go out clubbing with my friends. No harm in feeling wanted is there? My friends say I am loud and extrovert. But I always thought that was only a mask. A way to pretend to be okay while I hide in the background fighting my fears and insecurities without people noticing.

Chapter 3 Chapter 1 - I hate this

Gabriel POV I walk into Mike’s office in the hotel and I sit behind his desk. I hate doing this. Why didn’t he leave his assistant to do this? I take a deep breath and I start reading the contracts. Why did he have to go on holidays and leave me here? I know he doesn’t trust anyone. He’s kind of like me that way. But he’s more serious than me. I guess it comes with the territory of being a big fancy CEO. I pass my hands through my hair and I keep doing his fucking job. I know I was the one that told him to go on a vacation somewhere but he didn’t have to leave me dealing with this. I wasn’t made for the business world. My kind of business is ruled by fear. I prefer weapons to people. “Mr Lockwood” - I hear his secretary say as she approaches the desk. I lift my eyes to meet hers. “Sir, the manager would like a word” - she says and I nod my head. Whatever it is I’ll listen and I’ll tell him to wait for Mike to come back. Not long after I hear a knock on the door and I tell them to come in. A tall man walks in. He looks terrible as if he was crying. What the hell. I can’t deal with this. “Sir, I am sorry for bothering you, but we have a client in the restaurant that is making the staff’s life a living hell” - he says “And yours by the look of it” - I say He looks at the floor while he fiddles with his fingers. “Let’s go” - I say as I stand up and put on my jacket. God how I hate wearing suits. I fix my tie as we walk out. Once I reach the restaurant I see two men shouting at the staff. “You’re incompetent, I said I wanted my steak rare, and you bring me this” - he says to the girl standing in front of him. I approach her from behind and I clear my throat as I stand in front of them. “Gentlemen, I will ask you to leave the hotel immediately” - I say with a stern tone “And why would that be?” - he asks in a thick french accent. I lean forward placing both my hands on the table supporting my weight as I look deep into his eyes. “Because I am telling you to” - I say “And you think you are better than us? Hein?” - he asks and that’s when I realise I wasn't made for this. I grab the guy by his collar and make him stand up. His eyes go wide and I hear the girl next to me gasping. “You either leave using your own feet or I will make sure you never use them again” - whisper at him. “Security” - I shout and the two big security guys stand next to me. “They won’t be as polite” - I say The guy grabs his stuff cursing under his breath and starts walking. I adjust my jacket and smile at the people around in the restaurant and I start walking out. As I am leaving my eyes meet the most beautiful brown eyes I’ve ever seen. She’s serving a different table. She’s wearing the normal restaurant uniform. White shirt and a black pencil skirt that hugs her curved body perfectly. I shake my head and walk back to the office hoping I won’t be interrupted again and I can finish this and go have some drinks tonight. Once I’m done I walk out through the back door so I can get to my car. I strip the jacket before I get in and fold the sleeves to my elbows. I look at the time and realise I don’t have time to go home and change but luckily for me I always have some clothes in my office at the club. The drive didn’t take long and once I Parked the car and I have the keys to one of my men I went inside and into my office to change clothes. This is more like it. I think looking in the mirror. I don’t bother with a jacket as it is hot in here. I walk to the bar to find Jason waiting for me with two girls already. He has one in each arm and they are both holding drinks with straws and placing it in his mouth. He is a fucking legend when it comes to women. “Hey” - I say as I approach them. “Gabe, meet my friends” - he says with an evil smile on his face “Ladies” - I say taking a seat on the stool in front of him. One of the girls comes to me and wraps her arms around my neck and I slide my hand on top of her ass. She smiles at me and we stay like this for a while. Her body between my legs as we talk and drink. My hands slide between her waist and her ass as I start to get horny. Her dress leaves nothing to the imagination and it’s been a couple of weeks since I had sex. I could use the distraction and the pleasure. ******************** ******************* ******************** River POV I walk into the hotel through the back door as we are supposed to. I walk into the changing room and place my bag inside my locker. I’m a little early so I decide to go talk to the restaurant manager to see if she has any extra shifts for me this week. I knock on the door and she tells me to come in. I close the door behind me and she smiles at me. “River, how can I help you?” - she asks “I was wondering if you had any extra shifts for me this week?” - I ask her “Not this week, sorry, but if someone doesn’t turn up I will definitely give you a call to cover” - she tells me “Thanks” - I say turning around ready to leave. “River” - she calls me “Yes ma’m”“I have a party of seven people tonight and I would like you to serve them, you are definitely the most experienced waitress and they are important people” - she says and I nod my head “No problem” - I reply turning around and leaving. Usually big tables means good tips. So that’s okay by me. I have a really good salary but I still would like the extra cash. It’s always hard to live in New York and go to college. Everything is so expensive. Good thing is we are allowed to have meals after work so i rarely need to buy food for home as I eat at work. Saving some money. I get changed and put my hair up into a ponytail. I check my white shirt in the mirror and I walk out to the restaurant. I walk into the kitchen and I am greeted by Pedro and Alicia that are doing the same shift as me. They were the ones that got me this job. I met Pedro in one of the last foster homes I was in. We became instant friends. And Alicia was dating him at the time. It didn’t last long but they stayed friends which was nice. We are still missing Jonah in our group but he doesn’t work here. He works in a art gallery downtown. He is the most successful of the four of us. I meet him in the club when we were nineteen, he fell head over heels for Alicia but she never wanted anything to do with him. She only wanted his friendship. I think she is still into Pedro but she claims that I am insane. Oh well. “Hey, how are you today?” - Alicia asks giving me half a hug while Pedro looks at us. “I’m okay, I’m tired. Class was manic today” - I say as I grab a cup of coffee and I start sipping on it. “Okay staff” - We hear the restaurant manager’s voice “Today we have a party of seven that River will be waitressing, Pedro you will be at the bar, Alicia doing the floor with Kacey and Ruth” - she says and we all nod and smile. We like everyone that we work with. Everyone is extremely nice and polite. We all take out jobs very seriously. “River, your party is here” - the manager calls and I follow her out of the kitchen and into the restaurant. They take their seats and I offer them menus asking what they want for drinks. After their order is places I walk to the bar and I ask Pedro for the drinks. I stand near him making small talk while he prepares the drinks. Once ready I place them at the table and proceed with service. I see two men from the corner of my eyes giving Alicia shit. She’s bright red and I can see she is about to cry. They are being extremely loud. In any other job I would e marched to them and tell them to fuck off but I can’t lose this job. Alicia calls the manager and then everything becomes a blur as I am extremely busy bringing food out and making sure everything is up to standard. The restaurant goes quiet and I look around to see The hotel manager and another men talking to the guys. I couldn’t see his face but he had a nice build. Once the shift is over and I take a seat in the changing room Alicia sits next to me. She takes a deep breath. “Let’s go to the club” - she says at me and Pedro. “I’m tired babe” - I say pulling my jeans up and doing the button. “Come on, this was really stressful, live a little, it’s Friday night” - she says and Pedro nods his head. “I’ll call Jonah” - he says stepping out of the room. “Pleaseee” - Alicia says and I smile. “Fine, one drink, two dances and I’m out” - I say grabbing my purse.

Chapter 4 Chapter 2 - The club

River POV As we arrive at the club Pedro shakes hands with the security outside and he allows us inside without waiting in line. We hear a lot of people protesting but we ignore it and we smile at the security. Once inside I am hit by the smell of alcohol and sweat. I scrunch my nose but I try and ignore it. We walk to the bar and Alicia lifts herself up at the bar and hugs the barman from the counter. They giggle for a bit and then she looks at me. The music is loud and I can barely hear anything. I approach her “What do you want to drink?” - she asks “Vodka and coke please” - I reply and she places the order. I keep looking around and moving my body slightly to the rhythm of the music. Alicia passes me my glass and I take a sip. It’s strong and o feel it burning down my throat. “Come on” - she says pulling me and Pedro to the dance floor. We all start dancing and not long after I feel a pair of hands on my hips and I am ready to smack whoever is touching me but I see it’s Jonah. He shakes hands with Pedro and blows a kiss at Alicia while we all dance. After a couple of drinks and an hour later I excuse myself to go to the bathroom. Once I get there there’s a line outside So I rest my back against the wall waiting for my turn. I start fiddling with my phone when I hear two girls chatting. “He’s the owner” - she says passing her fingers through her hair “I know, he is so hot, but I’ve heard he is involved in some illegal stuff” - the other one says. I shake my head and focus on my phone again. Once I finish my business I go back out and find them in the bar. I look around while Alicia is ordering the drinks and I am met by the most amazing blue eyes looking at me. He looks serious so I look away. I shrug my shoulders and pay attention to my friends that are now doing shots. “Come on” - Jonah says passing me the glass I drink it and start coughing straight away. “What was that?” - I ask “Whiskey” - Jonah says “That’s just horrible” - I moan taking a sip of my vodka. “Let’s dance” - I say feeling the alcohol clouding my judgment already. We walk to the centre of the dance floor and I start dancing with my arms up and eyes closed. “I love this song” - I shout as I start to sway my body to the sound. That’s when I am hit by the most amazing smell of aftershave and I feel a warm hand on my hips. For a second I enjoy the touch. It’s foreign to me. Gabriel POV The girls went to the bathroom so I am keeping my eyes in that direction for when they come so we can go to the VIP area. It’s a lot quieter and we can have some fun without anyone fussing about it. I could use getting head right now. I keep looking and that’s when I see the girl from the restaurant. She looks absolutely amazing in her jeans and white that hugs all her curves. Her brown eyes meet mine but soon she moves them to the group of people around her. Her hair is long. It goes to the middle of her back. Making it even sexier than when I first saw her and was neatly tied up into a bun. The girls come back and one of them hugs me. I can’t take my eyes off of that girl. “You guys go ahead” - I say to Jason. He follows my eyes and he smiles at me. He taps my shoulder and holds both girls by their waist walking them to the VIP area. “Isn’t he coming?” - I hear the girl asking but I couldn’t hear Jason’s reply. I walk to the middle of the dance floor when the dark-eyed beauty is dancing and I place both my hands on her hips pulling her back to me. When her body touches mine I feel a jolt of electricity run through my body making my cock react to it straight away. She gasps as my hands travel from her hips to her waist. She turns around and slaps me straight in the face. I turn my head as her hand slaps my face. My eyes meet hers and I see the excitement in her eyes, but at the same time, I see fear. Both the guys with her walk to me and push me away from her. They definitely have no idea who I am or what I am capable of. “Keep your hands to yourself” - one of them says while he swings to punch me in the face but he misses it. The girl walks between us and shouts. “I don’t need you to defend me” - she says looking at her friends - “And you need to learn to respect women” - she shouts at me I can’t help but smile. She is a feisty one. I like it. I raise my hands in my defence and she looks at me with anger but her eyes soften a bit. “Can I buy you a drink?” - I ask her Her girlfriend smiles at her nodding her head. She looks at all of them and they look upset. I can see that she’s struggling with her decision. “Fine, I’ll go” - I say walking away. I can feel her eyes burning on me. But I know when I’m not wanted. But believe me. She will want me. She will want me so bad that I will have to kill her for wanting me so much. I walk into the VIP area and Jason is sitting with the two girls sucking him off. Great. Now she’s busy giving head to him. I walk to the bat and I sit on the stool looking at the dance floor. I can’t believe I didn’t ask her name. Stupid. But I can find out. Easily.

Chapter 5 Chapter 3 - Dinner

River POV I finished class and as I am walking to the subway I bump into Jonah. “Hey” - I say half hugging him “Just the girl I was looking for” - he says “What’s up?” - I ask him as we both walk together. “Isn’t this the guy from the club?” - he asks showing me his phone. “Yeah” - I say grabbing it from him and scrolling to see what it says about him. I read the article and it’s basically nonsense. It’s just saying he is still single and available. Although he took this supermodel to the premiere of some movie. Is he famous or something? When I see his name my mouth goes dry. Gabriel Lockwood. I’m finally placing a face to the name. He’s never seen in magazines. He is a really private person apparently. Usually, we only see stuff about his siblings or his parents. Nothing really about him. He is always in the shadows. “River?” - I hear Jonah say and I look up at him giving him his phone back. “Sorry, I zoned out” - I say “I noticed” - he says with a smile on his face - “daydreaming about Prince Charming?” - he asks “He’s more like a frog than a Prince Charming” - I reply. Who am I trying to kid? The guy is a Greek god. He has an unbelievable body and the most beautiful green eyes. Out of my league anyway and he is a player. I can’t deal with that right now. We go home and as we are at the door Alicia opens it. “You are never going to believe this” - she says pulling me inside. “What the hell Alicia” - I say pulling my arm back. Jonah closes the door behind us and I see a bouquet of flowers I walk to the table and I grab the small envelope. I rip it open and I read the card. “I am sorry for how I treated you at the club. Love Gabriel”“Who is it from?” - Alicia asks and I cover the card against my skin. “No-one” - I say grabbing the flowers and putting them on a vase. “Come on River” - Alicia says “I’m kind of curious as well” - Jonah says “Guys, can you please get off of my case?” - I ask them walking into my bedroom and locking the door behind me. How did he find my name and my address? Why is he even sending me flowers? Argh. I hate men like that. That assumes that they can just send some flowers and they are automatically forgiven. Not happening. I sit on my bed grabbing all of my books out and I start studying. I have finals next week and I haven’t been able to sit and study properly because of work. Today is my day off and I wasn’t needed for an extra shift so I have to focus. About one hour later I hear a knock on the door and Alicia walks in. “Hey, brought you some food” - she says placing a tray at the end of my bed. “Thanks” - I replied smiling at her. Alicia sits on the chair in the corner of the bedroom. “Look River, I am sorry for being nosey, you know it’s all from a good place” - she says “I know, I just don’t want to talk about it, and I really need to study” - I say “You’re not going to tell who’s it is from?” - she asks pouting a little. “From a guy in my class, happy?” - I say looking down at my books again. “Okay, you really don’t want to talk about it, but can you please eat something?” - she says and I nod my head grabbing a bit of lettuce and putting it on my mouth. Alicia leaves my bedroom closing the door behind her and I take a deep breath. Sometimes I think it would be better for me to move out. I share an apartment in the Bronx with Jonah, Alicia and Pedro. It’s seemed like a better option at the time. We were all struggling financially. Well, I am still struggling. I can’t even afford health care if it wasn’t for my job to actually pay for it. We live in a three-bedroom apartment. The boys share a bedroom while I and Alicia have our own space each. They thought it would be better this way and we were both really thankful. *** One week Later *** I finished my last final and as I walk out of NYU I take a deep breath. It’s summer break finally and I can relax and work as much as I can to get some money so I can move out of the shared apartment. I don’t want to sound inconsiderate but I would really appreciate some space. They are always on my case. Especially after the flowers. I haven’t seen Gabriel since the club. But I have a feeling that I will be seeing him soon enough. I walk into Starbucks to get some coffee and after I get my iced white mocha with caramel drizzle I walk out and I decide to walk to work. It’s early and I have plenty of time to walk the six blocks to work. I look around and I see so many tourists walking around and taking photos is everything and that’s when I realise I e never been a tourist in New York. I would like to do touristy things one day. As I reach the back door of the hotel for the staff I see Alicia outside smoking. I reach for her cigarette and I put it in my mouth. She grins at me and lights up another one for her. I’m not really a smoker I just enjoy it sometimes. Once we finished it we spray our clothes with some perfume I carry with me and we go inside. We both clock in and get changed into our uniforms. I put my hair up into a ponytail and I apply dark red lipstick and some mascara. Once I’m ready we walk out and the manager stops us. “Girls” - she says “Hi Sophie” - Alicia says “I need you both at the VIP room upstairs today, we have a family dinner party of six adults and one toddler” - she says We both look at each other and we shrug our shoulders. “River you will be serving and Alicia you will be at the bar, whenever you are not busy at the bar you go help River” - she says and we both nod going towards the elevator to get the room ready “Who do you think it is?” - I whisper “The owner and his family? Usually, they are the only ones that use the VIP room” - She tells me and I turn my head to look at her. “The owner? As in Michael Lockwood?” - I ask “Yeah, I’ve served them before, they are not fussy and they tip really well, last time I got two hundred” - she says and I nod my head. Two hundred would be half of what I have to pay rent for next month. That would be absolutely great. We walk into the big room and we get to work. We get one of the big round tables set in the middle of the room. As I am setting everything at the table Alicia is getting the bat ready and sticking up. Once I finish I help her out. We finish and we just chat behind the bar when the double doors open and I see him. Gabriel Lockwood. Gabriel POV “Dad” - I say shaking his hand once I walk into the house - “Happy birthday”“Thank you son” - he says “Are you all ready?” - I ask him “Your mother is taking forever to get ready” - he says while he looks at the stairs. I chuckle at what he says. The truth is that she never takes too long and she always looks amazing. Mom walks down the stairs and I can see dads eyes shining. “Hello son” - mom says hugging me and giving me a small kiss on the cheek. Although she is not my biological mother she raised me as her own never making any distinctions between the three of us. I open the house door and we all walk to the limo waiting for us. Mom is the first one to get in and then dad and I’m the last ones. The drive didn’t take long and when we arrive at the hotel we see the paparazzi already waiting for us. I really hate them. I take a deep breath and I open the door walking out of the car. I can see all the flashes from the photos and people shouting dads name asking questions. Mom and dad wave slightly at them but I just put my sunglasses on and ignore them. I’m not very keen on the press. They are annoying always on the way and they make my job a lot harder. Good thing I control most of the press anyway. Nothing about my business is ever printed. If they want my protection they have to protect me. Once inside the hotel, I take my sunglasses off and I hug Amelia. I half-hug Mike. “Hey sis, where’s my niece?” - I ask “She’s with Ethan, she wanted to walk” - she says “Gonna go look for them” - I say walking away from Amelia and Mike that is now talking to our parents. I walk through reception and I find Ethan sitting on the floor with little Leah. Once she sees me she smiles and runs to me. “Hey princess” - I say holding her up in the air. “Gabe, Gabe” - she says. She hugs me and I hug her back. “Are you a hungry princess?” - I ask her and she nods her head. “Hey mate, how have you been?” - Ethan asks shaking my hand “I’m good, and all of you?” - I ask back We make small talk as we walk back to where I left them all. Once we get there we are informed that our room is ready. We all walk into the elevator and we go up to the VIP room. Once the doors opened I am greeted by River. Her eyes looking at me. I smile when I see her and we walk to the table. I take my seat and Leah starts protesting that she’s not sitting next to me. Amelia moves her high chair to the seat next to me so she was standing between me and her. Mike sat next to me and we all started chatting. River approaches the table and smiles at us avoiding eye contact with me. “Hello, my name is River and I will be your waitress tonight, can I get you something to drink?” - she asks and dad starts ordering wine for the table and water bottles. Once he finishes she looks at me but with the same speed, she looks away. I am facing the bar so I can see her talking with her friend from the club the other night. Alicia is her name. Yea I pulled a file on River. I know everything I need to know about her already. River and Alicia walk to the table carrying the drinks. River starts pouring some red wine on all the glasses and when she gets to mine I touch slightly her leg and she starts pouring wine on top of me. I push the chair back standing up and tapping the cloth napkin on my clothes. “I’m so sorry sir, I’m so clumsy, I really apologise, please let me pay for the dry cleaning” - she says not sounding convincing. I know she did it on purpose because of me touching her. I just wanted to feel her skin again but she poured half a bottle of wine on my pants. River walks to the bar to grab another bottle while Amelia laughs at my situation. “I’ll have her fired” - Mike says “No, don’t, it was just an accident” - I say “She spilt half a bottle on you” - he fights back. “Bro, let it go. It was an accident” - I say walking away to the bathroom.