Arranged

Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

C armella

Numb.

There was no other way to describe the way I felt. There was nothing inside. I’d gone through the different stages of emotion much like many did after a death or divorce.

Disbelief.

Sadness.

Anger.

Refusal.

Acceptance.

Right now, I was lost in a vast sea of nothingness, barely performing my duties as a doctor the last few days. My father had been released the morning of the great engagement party and announcement and I couldn’t care less.

What did that make me?

I hadn’t told anyone what this night would mean, especially my staff. I wouldn’t be able to keep it from them for long since my father had ensured there would be a huge formal announcement in the paper.

I’d ignored his calls and texts, refusing to accept them until my stepmother had arrived at my house only the night before. She’d thanked me for saving her daughter, my half-sister from the horrible fate. Only then had I agreed to go.

I waltzed into my father’s house, barely cognizant of the activity. I knew there were people everywhere, caterers and bakers, musicians and wine experts. I noticed the photographer milling around the dining room and purposely avoided him. Planting a smile on my face and pretending made me sick.

The only thought in my mind was about Amber and my little boy. His father didn’t give a shit about him, yet my father would make good on his threat. I was certain of that. Gabriel’s presence had been demanded and at least there was a playroom on the second floor. He would be consumed by the dozens of new toys I’d seen when dropping him off with the babysitter hired for the night.

My stomach was revolting. I needed a glass of wine. I headed for the kitchen, determined to avoid the festive atmosphere as long as possible. I could open my own bottle of wine and use the glass I wanted. Fuck the rest.

Some mafia princess I’d turned out to be. I couldn’t care less about protocols.

But I’d smile for the cameras and pretend I gave a shit about Dion. Meanwhile, the thought of him kissing me turned my stomach.

“Carmella. Your father needs you in his library.” Sasha suddenly appeared out of nowhere, her lips pinched while the rest of her looked perfectly coiffed.

“Hasn’t he done enough?” I threw back, determined to pour the glass of wine first. I selected an expensive bottle, throwing open drawer after drawer until I found an opener. I was crude in the handling of the fine cabernet, but who cared? My father could buy a goddamn vineyard.

“It could be worse,” she said from right behind me. She even tried to appease me by handing me a wineglass. I’ll be damned if I didn’t want to toss it across the room, smashing it into hundreds of shards.

“I’d love to hear how.” I poured the wine into the chosen glass, not caring one bit that I sloshed a huge puddle on the counter.

“Please. Just try and remember what this will mean for both families.”

“I adore you, Sasha, but stop drinking my father’s Kool-Aid. Just do yourself that one little favor.”

“He’s been good to me. To us.”

I heard her just before I walked out of the room. So the hell what? Snakes and bears could be good right until they struck, ending your life. I took my time heading for my father’s library, doing what I could to calm the rage and my nerves.

Drago kept a watchful eye as always, glancing up and down at me as if a piece of meat.

“I suggest you keep your eyes engaged somewhere else,” I told him. He was guarding the door like the bulldog he was.

He sneered at me, acting as if he wouldn’t let me pass. I kept my eyes locked on his, daring him to push me. After a few seconds, he moved aside.

“Good boy,” I told him.

After knocking, I walked right inside. Fuck protocol.

I expected to see Dion with my father. Instead, Alejandro stood just off to the side. Seeing the handsome man in a tuxedo momentarily took my breath away. He looked incredible.

When he turned and noticed me, his eyes opened wide before he offered an appreciative gaze.

“You look beautiful, sweetheart,” my father said. “Please. Come.”

I closed the door behind me, as apprehensive as I’d ever been. “Where is Dion?”

He glanced toward Alejandro. “There’s been a change of plans.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning Alejandro is now Don Santorelli’s Underboss. Dion suffered a grievous injury and may not recover.”

“So the engagement is off.” I suddenly felt giddy.

“Not exactly. You’re simply marrying someone else.”

When Alejandro offered a slight smirk, every muscle in my body tensed. “You.”

“I assure you Alejandro will make a fine husband. He and I have been talking. He likes you and I approve of the engagement.”

“You approve, Father? Are you fucking out of your mind? You can’t toss me around from man to man as if I was a commodity.”

“You mean like you did to yourself, whoring your body until you finally got pregnant?”

My father had never talked to me that way. I was so horrified I couldn’t respond.

Alejandro did it for me.

“While I am required to respect your position, Don Lupini, you will never talk about my fiancée again like that. Do you understand me? She is mine now. Period.”

I hadn’t heard Alejandro say more than a few words and certainly never as aggressively. To say my father was shocked was lame in comparison to the myriad expressions on his face. For once, I felt vindicated, but that was short lived.

If Alejandro truly believed he could control me in any way, he was dead wrong. I shook my head. “Fuck both of you.” With that, I turned and stormed from the room.

With my head held high.

Fuck all of them. I’d go far enough away my father couldn’t reach me. Then I’d find a way to live my life as I wanted.

Tears filled my eyes and I did my best to avoid anyone else. I had to get away. There were too many people, too many eyes. I fled to the back door, fumbling to unlock it. Drago was right behind me, continuing to be my father’s fucking lapdog. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave me alone.”

Drago said nothing. Rarely did he ever open his mouth. However, I had no doubt he’d report my whereabouts back to his master.

Once outside, I took a deep breath and rushed toward the garden. It had been my favorite place when I’d been forced from my childhood home. The only place I’d felt comfortable and could think on my own.

I’d done all my dreaming there, enjoying the thought of finding the perfect prince to remove me from the tyranny of my father’s household. That had never happened, but that was also when I’d decided to become a doctor.

The night was chilly, but I could barely feel the outside temperature, the anger so intense I fanned my face as I rushed through the iron gates. As soon as I was inside, I headed for the fountain, holding back the tears until I sat down.

Then they flowed. I’d promised myself I wouldn’t cry, but I’d failed. I couldn’t do this. I wasn’t a puppet. I had no desire to be anyone’s trophy wife. How could I get through this night?

The sobs overtook me until I felt a presence.

There was an intense crackling of energy pouring through me, sensations that were extremely unusual. I jerked into a standing position, refusing to be any more vulnerable than I already felt.

Floodlights had been activated by movement, the twinkling fairy lights adorning every tree creating a luminous if not eerie glow along the pathway. A portion of the man remained in the shadows, the figure unwilling to breach my private space.

Yet there was no doubt who was standing only feet in front of me.

“Alejandro,” I whispered, the coarse sound of my voice a clear indication of my fury.

He took two steps closer until I was able to see his face more clearly. Enough that I was able to enjoy his chiseled features, a strong jawline carrying high cheekbones and a nose that would have been considered aristocratic had it not been broken at least once. The slight flaw added to his masculine physique instead of taking away from it, as I’d seen with so many of my father’s brutal men.

Although in my mind they were more like savages. He bore no outward scars or glaring tattoos, another rarity in a world where men were branded at an early age. He would appear more like a movie star instead of a hired gun if I didn’t know any better.

“ Esprimi un desiderio su una stella ,” he said in a deep voice, the husky sound resonating in my system.

Make a wish on a star.

I laughed, the sound as bitter as the way I felt. “I fear that wish would create unpleasant actions. Too many men would find my desires… reprehensible.”

“Then they are men undeserving of your wisdom and beauty.” He moved even closer.

“While I appreciate what you said to my father as well as the flirtatious words, you seem to underestimate both my anger and unwillingness to play the game of bullshit. Been there, done that. I can’t say I would have ever worn the t-shirt, but you get the point.”

He smiled, an unexpected reaction, and for the first time, his entire face was lit up, his expression softening. The man wasn’t just handsome. He was gorgeous, sinfully so. I was floored with the fact my pulse had increased. Few men had any effect on me. Derek and his nasty, cheating actions had darkened the horizon for anyone else.

“I must admit I would very much like to see you in that t-shirt. Even once.”

His comment allowed me to laugh. “Yes, well, come to my house. All you’ll see when I’m relaxing at home is a woman longing for comfort. You know. Sweatpants. Jeans.”

“There is nothing more beautiful than a woman in flannel.”

I looked away, the draw to him too intense. “I don’t mean to burst your bubble, Alejandro, but I’m rarely impressed with anyone attempting to snow me. And I have no intention of marrying you.” I even lifted my mostly empty glass of wine in a silent toast that he’d been let off the hook.

What I could do to avoid my father’s wrath I’d yet to determine, but I was a smart girl. I’d figure it out.

“A doctor.”

“Yes, a pediatrician, which means I enjoy helping little people. Not those with little intelligence.” He didn’t deserve to take any brunt from my anger, but lashing out was the only control I had at the moment.

“I can see why educating yourself on the effects of birth defects or even PTSD wouldn’t interest a woman such as yourself. Sadly, there are thousands upon thousands of men and women who desperately need insight, care, and just someone to talk to. Wouldn’t the world be a much better place if that was considered the norm?”

Few people floored me on any level. I sensed he wasn’t just tossing out a few selective sentences to gain and hopefully keep my attention. He was speaking from experience.

“A woman such as myself. A mafia princess with more money than common sense?”

He chuckled. “There is much more to you than that. A woman who prefers the simpler, less complicated aspects of life. All forms of mental illness are complicated and draining.”

“Said like a man with experience.”

“Which you can’t find it in yourself to believe. Is that because you consider me a savage as you do the men in your father’s employ?”

He had a way about him that intrigued me. “I wouldn’t limit that to just my father’s organization. All criminals, whether in crime syndicates or on their own.”

If he moved any closer, I’d be able to tell what he’d had for dinner. As it was, I was close to being intoxicated from his incredibly musky yet citrusy aftershave. The subtle hints of cinnamon and lime, a dash of orange zest, and something darkly woodsy captured a few seconds of my breath.

“You don’t seem to appreciate that organizations such as your father’s or the man I work for are very much a family. No, we aren’t flesh and blood, but the fact we’d die to protect each other must account for certain good thoughts in your mind.”

“Or foolish ones. Do you think my father would die for any of his men?”

“Yes, I do, which is why I agreed to this arrangement.”

“Well, good for you. I did not agree, although I can easily tell it doesn’t matter to anyone.”

“It’s not about mattering, Carmella. It’s about honor and loyalty, respect and the continuation of two very powerful empires. Our marriage will serve as an olive branch, which will in turn send valuable and important lessons to anyone attempting to take from us again.”

I did what I could to clap my hands with the wine stem still in my hands. “A lovely speech, Alejandro. Save it for my father or Don Santorelli. What neither you nor my father seem to understand is that I lost my sense of caring a long time ago. I’ve lived for over ten years very much on my own making every decision, living as a typical college student working two jobs so I didn’t need to rely on my father for his money or power. I think I’ve done extremely well and I’m thrilled with the life I live. And no one is going to take it away from me under any circumstances. I hope I’ve made myself clear.”

I was finished with touting reasons for refusing to kowtow down to my father. After successfully sidestepping him, I attempted to walk away.

Alejandro reacted instantly, snapping his long fingers around my arm. He jerked me backward, his full body weight creating explosive heat between us. With one hand full, all I could manage was throwing my palm against his chest and twisting my torso, so my hip was planted firmly against his hulking body.

He grinned and it looked nothing like the pleasant, amused smile from before. The expression on his face was another reminder of why I loathed the life.

When he fisted my hair at the scalp, I was shocked. But his next action floored me.

Alejandro crushed his lips over mine.

My initial reaction was to fight with everything I had in me, almost managing to scratch his face. But his hold was too strong, the searing connection I felt with the man too intense. An instant haze rolled over me, preventing my rational mind from determining the best method of getting the hell away from him.

His lips were soft, his touch possessive. Stars crowded my closed eyes and every inch of my body was tingling. With ease, he tugged me around, so our bodies were molded together and as he forced my back into a slight arc, I was able to detect how aroused he was.

My mouth watered at first until common sense kicked in. How could I be so excited about a man I didn’t know who’d been given the golden keys to alter my life? He swept his tongue inside, unforgiving in his actions. Yet there was a level of passion in his action I hadn’t been prepared for. Tasting the hint of peppermint along with expensive scotch was also strangely attractive.

Finally, I pushed my hand against him, not in a forceful way, but a reminder that we barely knew each other.

Alejandro broke the kiss, taking several scattered breaths as he kept our lips far too close for comfort.

Seeing the look of lust in his eyes sent a quiver all the way to my core.

A part of me was excited, the mystery and hint of the forbidden a powerful temptation.

But the defiant woman in me, the one who’d worked so hard for everything she had, reacted. I tossed the rest of my wine in his face, pulling away immediately.

“Alejandro. I’m sorry, but I’m just not interesting in playing syndicate politics.” I hoped he’d get the message and leave me alone. I thought that’s what he’d determined to do until he swept me off my feet with an arm wrapped around my waist. The glass was flung from my hand, pitching into one of the thick bushes. He was so strong he lifted me several inches off the ground, taking long strides back to the fountain area.

When he sat down on the concrete bench with a brutal thud, I was finally given another opportunity to struggle in an effort to escape his clutches. He threw me over his lap, even curling his leg over mine.

“I don’t think you understand, Carmella. A contract was signed, an alliance cemented. You and I will become man and wife, a family. The sooner you accept the inevitable, the easier it will be on both of us.”

“I already told you. That is not happening.”

“Then I guess I’ll need to help you realize that you have no say in the matter. I’d hoped it wouldn’t come to this, but I pledged an oath to both Don Santorelli and Don Lupini.”

“You mean you sold your soul.” I struggled again, almost managing to slip away.

I sensed his entire body tensing and wasn’t prepared for him to bring down his palm against my ass.

“What the hell are you doing?” I did what I could to push up from him, more shocked than from anything he’d said or done up to this point.

“Ensuring you at least realize there will be rules to follow in our relationship.”

“Are you kidding me?” Did he think we were living in another century? I was so stunned that I couldn’t move for a few seconds as he smashed his hand down several times. The pain was strangely only uncomfortable at first, but was slowly building to true anguish.

He didn’t stop, going full throttle as he moved from one side to the other.

I found my resolve once again, doing everything in my power to get away.

He wasn’t budging an inch, using his power and strength to lift my dress and cover my bottom with enough swats the shock was wearing me down. While a few tears had formed in my eyes, ignoring them was easy because my body was reacting wildly to the act of discipline.

I was breathless, my pussy throbbing.

The entire moment was unnerving as hell, embarrassing to the point heat was building across my jaw as it was in my pussy.

This was a nightmare. I was wet, hot all over. What did the bastard think he was doing to me?

Even worse? Why was I excited, not only by his actions, but also by the unknown man with the face of a Greek god?