Five Mafia Captors’ Virgin: A Reverse Harem Romance

by Casey, Nicole

  It made no sense since we were all working toward the same goals, on the same team but Queenie saw me as the enemy somehow. It was silly when she was the one who accepted all the glory for our findings.

  Basically, she got the credit for all my hard work. Some of my team members found that knowledge insufferable but I liked to look at the big picture—we were working toward a brighter future, weren’t we? Who cares who got the credit?

  I liked working for Mirror, Mirror Inc.

  The only thing which would make it better would be getting out from under Queenie’s reign.

  “Are you done here?” Queenie snapped, her green eyes flashing. It was remarkable that she and Hunter shared eyes of almost the same shade yet there was nothing remotely similar about them.

  She’s a cruel hag underneath that Estee Lauder and Chanel while Hunter is gorgeous and warm.

  “Almost,” I replied quickly. “I just need to pack a few more samples.”

  “Well hurry up. Our flight is early and I don’t want to hear any excuses as to why you’re late.”

  She didn’t give me a chance to respond as she stormed away, her bony shoulders erect and haughty. I wouldn’t have known how to answer that anyway—I’d never been late, not once.

  I stepped up my pace and finished collecting what needed to come with us to Hof, reaching for my cell as it began to ring in my lab coat.

  “Sasha Snow,” I answered automatically, even though the display clearly showed my mother’s picture.

  “Oh, good! You haven’t left yet!” Mom breathed. “I was worried I’d missed you.”

  “Mom,” I groaned quietly, shooting a look over my shoulder to ensure I wasn’t being overheard. “I told you I’m leaving tomorrow morning.”

  “Honey, I really wish you’d reconsider this trip. You know, it’s called Iceland for a reason. It’s cold and—”

  “Mom,” I sighed. “I’m really busy trying to get everything together right now. Can I call you later?”

  “You won’t though, will you?” Mom muttered, inspiring an instant guilt in me. Mothers were born knowing how to shame their children and mine was no different. From the minute I’d told her about the impending trip, she’d been nothing but fatalistic.

  I reasoned it was her job to be an alarmist but I wished she could have been happy for me.

  “I promise I’ll call you later, Mom,” I grumbled. “But I really have to go.”

  I could feel Queenie’s scathing look, even without raising my head.

  “Fine.” She didn’t bother to hide the hurt note in her voice and I rolled my eyes heavenward.

  “Bye Mom.”

  I disconnected the call and gathered the rest of my belongings. Cautiously, I glanced at my boss who seemed fixated on me, even though there were still others milling about the lab.

  “Need anything else, Amanda?” I asked pleasantly and her scowl deepened.

  “I need you to not take personal calls when you’re on the clock,” she shot back. I smothered a biting retort and instead nodded.

  “Of course. It was just my mom, making sure—”

  “Is your mother a personal call?” Queenie interrupted.

  There was no reasoning with this wench.

  “It won’t happen again,” I muttered, even though I knew no one else had to adhere to the rule. It wasn’t like I was glued to the phone, gossiping with Alex all day or something.

  “I’m heading out,” I told her, turning away before she could get on my ass about something else. “I’ll see you at LaGuardia in the morning.”

  “Don’t be late!”

  I didn’t bother to address the inane comment with a reply. There was no sense in fighting with her. I’d long ago realized that.

  As I pushed my way out of the lab and stripped off my gloves and lab coat, I wondered if maybe my mom was right to be worried about the trip. It wasn’t the isolation or the cold, however. No, it was spending a month with that relentless shrew which made me apprehensive.

  I shoved aside my reservations as I exited my workspace and weaved through the small inner office before finding myself at the elevator banks.

  My phone was ringing again and this time it was Alex.

  “We still on for dinner?” my best friend chirped in my ear when I answered. “And you better not say no. If I’m losing you for a month, you’re letting me take you out for dinner.”

  “I wouldn’t stand you up,” I promised. I couldn’t imagine leaving for Iceland without seeing Alex.

  “I’ll be there in an hour. I just need to go home and change first.”

  “Forget about changing,” Alex laughed. “I want to squeeze every minute I can get out of your face.”

  * * *

  Halloween had thrown up all over Manhattan but I found myself relishing it somehow. When I was a kid, I’d always loved the holidays and New York was nothing if not over the top when it came to celebrations.

  First Halloween, then Thanksgiving and finally Christmas and New Year’s.

  I’d be back the week after Thanksgiving and I regretted that I wouldn’t be around to spend it with Alex and my mom. I said as much to Alex, stifling a melancholic sigh.

  “Will you pop by on my mom over Thanksgiving?” I asked her. “She’s guilting the hell out of me.”

  Alex chuckled and tossed her short bob easily.

  “That’s what makes Ariel, Ariel,” she reminded me. “Of course I’ll check in on her. I’ll even bring her a plate. I’d invite her over but I know how she feels about Harlem.”

  We snickered and Alex leaned across the table to grab my hands. I offered them to her and she squeezed them tightly.

  “I’m not going to get all sappy and sentimental with you, Sash, because you know that’s not really my style but I’m going to miss you. I want you to be extra careful, all right?”

  “I think you guys have the wrong impression of Iceland,” I chuckled. “It’s really not a block of ice, you know?”

  Alex scowled at my flip response.

  “I hate to be the one to tell you this, honey, but I’ve traveled more in my job than you have in yours.”

  I grinned at her and tightened my grip around her hands.

  “I know. You’re the next Barbara Walters,” I teased. “No one is going to know what hit them when you get your first exclusive.”

  “Nice deflection, Sash,” Alex muttered, her eyes meeting mine earnestly. “You can’t make me forget my worries by flattering me.”

  I shrugged.

  “It was worth a shot.”

  Alex’s lips parted as if she wanted to say something else but she seemed to think better of it.

  “Just promise me you’ll be careful, all right?”

  I exhaled heavily.

  “I’ll do my best,” I grumbled. “I just hope that Queenie lays off me while we’re there.”

  Alex’s eyes darkened.

  “She’s still on you, huh? What is her problem?”

  “Apparently I am,” I chimed.

  “Hopefully this will be your ticket out from under her supervision,” Alex offered supportively. “I mean, if you don’t kill her first.”

  “You know I wouldn’t kill anyone without you, Allie. You know where to hide all the bodies.”

  Alex laughed and raised her glass in toast.

  “Truer words have never been spoken, sister.”

  At that time, I didn’t know how this trip was going to change my life…forever.

  Sasha

  The flight from LaGuardia to Reykjavik was almost fifteen hours with a five-hour layover in Boston. At least Mirror, Mirror had granted us business class accommodations so the flight was relatively seamless, even though I was seated alone near the front of the section.

  In my mind, leading up to the trip, I had envisioned Hunter and I sitting somewhere private, maybe sipping on complimentary champagne and talking about how we both loved dogs. He’d lean in for a kiss and we’d gaze into each other’s eyes…

  The reali
ty was me spending the journey with my headphones in my ears, craning my neck on occasion to look behind me and see that Hunter and Queenie were seated together.

  At least they aren’t interlocking arms and toasting one another with goblets of wine, I mused.

  In fact, from what I could see, Hunter seemed enthralled in his laptop almost the whole time. I didn’t even see him sleeping.

  By the time we landed, my body was aching from the pressure and I was looking forward to getting to our accommodations. I knew we weren’t staying in a hotel but I hoped wherever it was had a comfortable bed.

  What I hadn’t anticipated was that it would be another five hours of driving before we got to Hof.

  The van which took us through the long, winding roads was not built for such a long trip but despite my exhaustion, I couldn’t stop gasping at the landscape as we moved. I’d never seen anything so beautiful in all my life. It was like something out of a fairy tale, the snow-capped fields and towering mountains beyond as far as the eye could see.

  It was dawn when we landed but the shortening of daylight was already apparent and the sky was still black until we found ourselves passing through Hof.

  Our driver was a jovial man named Magnus who happily cited off Icelandic history in a heavy accent which made understanding nearly impossible. Still, no one stopped him and his voice was soothing, lulling me almost into a trance as we slipped through the rustic country.

  I was wedged between Queenie and our suitcases in the back seat, the rest of our equipment piled high in the rear cab while Hunter rode in comfort in the passenger side with Magnus.

  Queenie didn’t say much but I could tell she didn’t like being pressed up against me any more than I did her.

  I prayed silently for the housing to appear but when it did, I gasped in shock.

  “Is this it?” I asked dubiously when the caravan pulled up to something that reminded me of a storage container. We hadn’t seen a house for miles and I couldn’t gauge how far we were from civilization. I really hadn’t been paying attention to be honest.

  “What were you expecting? A day spa?” Queenie spat. “This is a research and development trip, princess.”

  I bristled but I held my tongue as we piled out of the van and began to unload the van.

  “It’s really isolated,” I breathed, mostly to myself and suddenly both my mom’s and Alex’s warnings came flooding back to me in a torrent.

  “It’s cozy,” Hunter chirped and I looked at him. I hadn’t realized he was at my side but I was glad he was there. It was nice to have an ally against the evil witch.

  “Come on,” he urged, nodding toward the long, rectangular building in the empty, snow-dusted field. “Let’s see what’s inside.”

  His excitement was contagious and I reluctantly followed him, my heart racing slightly as I took in the sparse surroundings.

  We needed to collect moss samples for testing and I knew that we weren’t going to find what we needed in the city but this wasn’t what I’d pictured. At all.

  “Do you expect us to do all the work, princess or are you going to do something too?”

  I chewed on the insides of my cheeks and reached for a piece of baggage, careful to avoid Queenie’s gaze.

  I couldn’t believe she was starting with me after all that travel. Then again, she was probably extra bitchy because she was hungry and tired too.

  Not that it made her sympathetic in any way.

  I hurried toward the open door and paused at the threshold, taking in the compact space which we would call home for the next four weeks.

  To my chagrin, I realized there were only two bedrooms, each with two beds. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that I was going to be stuck sharing with my dreaded boss.

  This keeps getting better and better, I thought grimly, shuffling into the living area to set down my bag. The main room was an open concept with a kitchenette, equipped with a stove and fridge. There were a set of worn corduroy couches and a scarred wooden coffee table but beyond the kitchen was a section for our research. It wasn’t sterile but there were all the makings of a proper lab.

  “We’re going to have to do something about that,” I commented. “Quadrant it off so there’s no cross-contamination.”

  “You think I didn’t think of that?” Queenie asked sarcastically. “Geez, thank God we have you here, Sasha. We’d be lost otherwise.”

  I gritted my teeth and ignored her, making my way to one of the bedrooms to investigate.

  “There’s still more stuff to be brought in. Don’t even think about having a nap!”

  I whirled and glared at her before I could stop myself, my black tresses fanning around my face in defiance.

  “I was just looking around!” I hissed.

  “We’re coming, Amanda,” Hunter told her, stepping between us as if he sensed a brawl about to erupt and she scoffed, storming back out into the snow.

  “Jesus,” I muttered, shaking my head. “What is her problem?”

  “Everyone’s just tired,” Hunter told me and I snorted. That was a good excuse now but what about the other three hundred and sixty-four days a year?

  “Why don’t you help Amanda and I’ll see what we can scrounge up to eat,” Hunter suggested, flashing me a warm smile. Instantly, I felt my heart melt and I nodded, my anger dissipating.

  “Sounds good,” I agreed, awed that he was offering to cook. I returned outside where Queenie was talking with Magnus, the load apparently forgotten.

  “…a week with supplies, as agreed,” Magnus was saying as I neared. “You have radio here, ja? You call if there is problems.”

  “We’ll be fine,” Queenie told him sweetly and I marveled at how she could turn it on and off so easily. Listening to her speak with Magnus, you’d have no idea what a witch she was.

  “I help with bags and I go. There is storm coming,” Magnus continued. “They be saying for days about it.”

  Queenie waved her hands magnanimously.

  “No need, Magnus. You can go. Sasha and I have got this.”

  It didn’t surprise me that she didn’t ask my thoughts on the matter. Some of the equipment was heavy and with Hunter inside, that meant I’d be doing the brunt of the work.

  To his credit, Magnus turned to me and waited for me to agree. What choice did I have but to nod and smile?

  “Thank you, Magnus. We’re good.”

  He beamed at me and turned toward the vehicle, leaving me alone with the manager of my nightmares.

  “I return next week, ja?”

  “Wonderful, Magnus, thank you,” Queenie said in a sickeningly sweet tone that made me cringe slightly. He got into the driver’s seat and drove off, a sea of luggage around us.

  I turned away, another two bags in my hands but Queenie barked out at me, “You know, this is still a work expedition.”

  My eyebrow raised in confusion, I looked back at her.

  “I’m aware,” I replied dryly.

  “You wouldn’t think so with that hair. You still need to be presentable, even if you’re not in the lab.”

  My mouth gaped but no words came out. What the hell was wrong with this woman? We’d been traveling for almost a full day via plane and car. I was wiped and she was going on about my hair?

  “What?” she sneered. “You have something to say?”

  “No.”

  I spun back around and stomped back into the structure, my breaths escaping in short, furious rasps.

  Hunter looked up from the kitchen when I entered, the smile fading from his face when he saw my expression.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, wiping his hands on an apron he’d found from God only knows where.

  “Nothing,” I huffed, shooting a look toward the door but Queenie still hadn’t followed me inside.

  Slowly, Hunter ambled around the side of the counter and made his way toward me, looking into my face with concerned emerald eyes.

  “Amanda?” he asked quietly and I exhaled in an exasperated puff o
f air.

  “I don’t understand what I ever did to her,” I moaned, loathing that I was venting to him. I didn’t want him to think I was whiny but the stress of Queenie’s presence was already getting to me. I needed to let it out before I went crazy.

  “I’m damn good at my job, I do what I’m told,” I rushed on, eager to spill it all before she could overhear.

  Hunter nodded slowly, a bemused smile touching his lips.

  “That’s the problem,” he murmured and I looked at him quizzically.

  “What’s the problem?”

  “She’s jealous of you.”

  I paused, unsure if he was joking or not but I saw a wisdom in his eyes…along with something else.

  “Jealous?” I laughed weakly. “She’s the boss. What does she have to be jealous of?”

  The glint in his irises was unmistakable this time as his gaze raked over her face.

  “Your beauty,” he murmured softly. My heart caught in my throat and I stared at him in disbelief but before I could muster anything clever to say, Queenie stomped into the building.

  “Oh, how nice,” she growled caustically. “Is it break time? Why didn’t anyone inform me while I was slaving away getting your crap?”

  The spell was broken between Hunter and I but the feeling of warmth which had exploded inside me remained.

  Maybe this trip wasn’t going to be all stress after all.

  Sasha

  It took two days for us to overcome our jetlag and fall into a routine. I was grateful for the distraction of work after we organized our affairs and jumped into it. Even Queenie’s presence didn’t seem to faze me as much once I fell back into my research and the familiar juices started to flow.

  It helped that whenever I looked at Hunter now, he was often looking back at me, a soft grin on his face.

  Sure, I grunted to myself. Now he notices me. It’s not like I can pursue anything with Queenie in such close quarters.

  Still, knowing that I had Hunter’s attention added a little spring in my step.

  He thinks I’m beautiful.