18. Matteo
I realizeas I”m sipping at my drink, and angrily glancing at my watch for the fourth time, that people are staring up toward the stage. The curtains are billowing, and it”s very clear as I stare at them that the shape of someone presses against them and then disappears. I smirk to myself. It seems that there are some people who”ve decided to sneak around the back of the stage and mess about, like kids at a high school play.
“God, it stinks of shitty perfume in here,” Clifford states moodily.
He’s late. He sits opposite me and starts to play with his napkin.
“How come you didn”t bring a date?” I ask.
“Are you shitting me?” He stares at me as if I”m stupid.
“You could have brought somebody. Doesn”t matter that it”s not a real date. I bet loads of your gal pals would have appreciated a night out like this.”
He simply narrows his eyes and then glances around the room. “Talking of gal pals, where”s yours?”
That”s a good question, one that I don”t know the answer to.
“Not sure. She saw a girlfriend.”
“We need to talk about her.”
I hold my hand up. “I know you disapprove, but it’s my life and?—”
“There’s been talk of a threat against her.”
“What?” The blood rushes through my ears, making a strange oceanic sound as I take in what he said.
“Yeah. Nothing definite, but with the shit we have going on with the Greeks, I’ve had eyes and ears on the streets. Seems there is word about you and her, and the feeling is that she’s a soft target, and also a two for one.”
“Two for one?”
“Yeah, you know. Fuck her up and hurt two families. You, a Mancini, and also the Andrettis.”
Fuck. Everything else, the games playing, my fucking pride, the fact I was going to come clean to her and beg if needed, it all falls away.
She’s in danger, and she’s coming home with me, and there’s nothing to discuss. Even my vendetta against the Andrettis is suddenly pushed into sharp focus. They are my enemy, but it seems we are now both enemies of the Greek mob. My enemies’ enemy is my friend, is the saying.
“I need to find her,” I mutter.
I push my chair back, about to go look for her, when an electrical whirring sound rings out in the room, and the curtains start to open.
Oh, this is going to be fun. I sit in my seat and decide I can wait another second. The idiots behind the curtain are about to reveal themselves to the entire room.
As the curtains open, I first see a tall man in a dark suit. And in his arms is a woman in a gold dress that I instantly recognize.
Fury hits me hard and swift. It”s like a punch to the gut, taking my breath away. I stare at the stage, and my jaw works as I take in what I”m seeing. At first, I can”t believe it. There is no way she would do this to me again, for a second time.
“Holy fuck,” Clifford says with a low chuckle. “She did it to you again.”
A loud pop rings out, and sharp pain digs into my palm. I look down and realize with a dull, foggy sense of warped reality that my hand is bleeding. I squeezed my champagne glass so hard it broke.
“Damn.” Clifford shakes his head and looks from the stage to me. “That girl really does hate you. I’m starting to worry that you might have a really tiny dick. You can”t seem to satisfy a woman.”
I pick up the water glass next to me and without even thinking throw it in his face.
Clifford stares at me, murder shining in his eyes as water drips down his face.
My phone buzzes, and I grab it and take a look.
It’s from Vlad: Another one of our men found dead, same method.
Fuck.
Then I see the message pop up on Whatsapp. I open it. It’s from Renata: I found your pictures, and I know you were spying on me and using me. Fool me twice, huh? Well, the joke’s on you.
The fury abates a little. This isn’t the same as Duncan. This is her trying to recreate that past hurt because I’ve hurt her, again. I fucked up and she’s found out all about my little obsession before I had chance to tell her. Knowing her, she’ll have read it all wrong. Seen it as nothing more than a cold plot to bring her family down when really it’s always been a white-hot obsession with her. I’ll admit that truth and then all bets are off.
Of course, that might scare her off but tough shit. Renata is about to learn her place because she’s not leaving with that asshole. She’s not leaving alone, either. She is leaving with me, whether she wants to or not. I can’t trust her useless parents to keep her safe, and while I’m livid at her for this stunt, I’m kind of impressed that she had the balls to play me. Plus, I can’t punish her for this if she’s dead.
Lock it down. I text back. Get everyone to hunker down in the safe houses, until we have chance to meet and decide how to move forward.
“We need to move,” I say to Clifford.
“What do you mean?”
“We need to lock shit down. Another one of our men has been found dead.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
“In one minute. I need to retrieve something that’s mine first,” I say as I look at the stage.
Clifford looks at the stage and then to me.
“Oh, boy. This is going to be fun.”
“Wait here, and tell the security to meet us out front.”
He doesn”t argue, thank God. I don”t want to punch him in the face in front of everyone here. I storm through the crowd, and my energy must proceed me because Renata stops pawing at the man she”s kissing and turns to face me.
It”s beautiful to see the emotions race across her face like clouds over the mountains on a windy day. First there”s the triumph, then it”s replaced with confusion as I barrel down on them, and finally, gloriously, the fear takes its place.
Oh, she better be scared. I climb onto the stage aware of the shocked gasps and whispers from those in their seats at the tables as I storm over to her and rip her out of the fucker’s arms.
“What are you doing?” she demands.
“You”re coming with me,” I grind out.
“Oh no, I”m not.”
“Yeah, you are.”
“You can”t make her,” the idiot with the slick hair says.
“Are you left or right-handed?” I ask him.
“Right-handed, why?”
“You”ll find out.”
He stares at me, confused, and I see the moment he realizes he does not want this fight. Too late; he”s already got it. He got it the moment he laid hands on what is mine. In a way I feel sorry for him because he”s just a pawn in her game, but I can”t let anybody think they can get away with this kind of behavior again. This man, whoever he is, is going to learn a very painful lesson in the coming days. If it wasn”t for the fact that there was immediate danger, and I need to get out of here with Renata right now, I’d beat him to a pulp and not give a toss about the people in the cheap seats watching.
I throw Renata over my shoulder, and she squeals in indignation.
“Shut up,” I snarl as I bring my hand down harshly on her ass.
Loud gasps from the audience echoes around the room, but I don’t give a fuck. As I walk toward my cousin, I turn to one table of gulping fools. I pause, with Renata wriggling in my arms like a gold covered worm, and simply hold their gazes. One by one, they all look down at their plates.
“Smart,” I say, then I continue toward Clifford.
As I reach him, he shakes his head and chuckles. “You know this is going to be in the papers, right? I mean, if you wanted to keep her a secret and keep her safe, this isn”t the way to go about it.”
“She doesn”t need to be kept a secret to be safe,” I reply.
“How come?” he asks. He”s completely ignoring her protests as she squirms and kicks her feet, as am I.
“Because she won”t be leaving our house. The place is going to be like a fortress so no one can get to her.”
“I knew this was gonna be a disaster,” he says.
Renata is messing about, and I think it’s with something in her hand. I turn so she”s facing Clifford. “What is she holding?”
“Phone,” he says.
“I”m going to call the police!” she shouts in my ear.
The sound pierces my ear, so I give her ass another harsh slap on the opposite cheek. “You make that call, and I”ll tie you to the bed naked, and not let you up for a month. Except for toilet breaks,” I add.
“You wouldn”t dare,” she says.
“I really don”t think you should try him,” Clifford says. “He’s already spanked you in front of a room of shocked onlookers. Frankly, I don”t think he’s in his right mind.”
He reaches up and plucks the phone out of her hands, pocketing it as he shrugs.
“Are you just going to sit and watch a woman being kidnapped this way, you absolute cowards?” Renata shouts to the people sitting there staring at us, open mouthed.
They know exactly who I am, and nobody wants to do or say anything.
“It”s just a lover’s quarrel,” Clifford announces to the room, giving the entire place the finger.
As we exit through the double doors, the room erupts into noise and chatter.
“I figure we have about five minutes before the police arrive,” Clifford says.
Our security detail is waiting for us at the front door as I jog down the steps toward the car with Renata still struggling in my grasp.
One of the men opens the door, and I deposit her unceremoniously in the back of the car. Clifford jogs around to the other side and gets in beside her, and I clamber in next to her, making her scoot along so I can fit.
“I”m serious, Matteo.” She turns to me, her eyes flashing as she seethes. “If you don”t let me go, I”m calling the police. My father will hear about this! You”re going to have all of his and Nico’s men descending on your house if you don”t let me go.”
“If I let you go, you”re going to probably be chopped up into a lot of tiny pieces. But luckily for you, I quite like you whole. So you”re going to come and stay with us for a while.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” She tosses her hair back and smooths her dress down as she gets comfortable in the seat.
I have to admire her when she turns to Clifford and points to the bar. “Pour me a glass of champagne,” she snaps.
For a moment I wonder whether Clifford will do as she says or simply ignore her. In the end, he grits his teeth and opens the lady a small bottle of champagne.
Staring at her, stuck between absolute rage and ascendent desire, I try my best to speak calmly. “I”m talking about the fact quite a few of our men have been hit tonight, and there”s somebody out to get us. That means that anybody who”s been seen with us is in the firing line.”
“I hadn”t been seen with you until you carried me out of there like some sort of prize you”d won.” She rolls her eyes at me and purses her lips around the straw, sucking.
“That”s not true, is it? We”ve been out, and anybody could have seen us. This is non-negotiable. Until I know there”s no threat, you”re staying with me. Your father won”t need to hear about this from those idiots at the auction tonight, because I”ll be ringing him as soon as we arrive at our place.” I don’t tell her a threat has been made against her. She doesn’t need that in her head.
“He”ll kill you,” she says.
I laugh. “I find it touching that you seem to believe he holds you in such high regard. I don”t think he”d waste one of his men on you, Renata. You don”t seem to mean an awful lot to your family.” The words are disgusting, and I regret them as soon as they’re out. I keep seeing her arms entwined around that piece of shit’s neck up on the stage, and I’m losing control.
Her face pales. “You”re an absolute bastard,” she says. With that, she turns away from me to look out the window on the opposite side of the car and drink her champagne.
Clifford is firing off texts on his phone, and I know he”ll be gathering the troops. I won”t be calling her father when I get in because he”s not really the head of anything anymore. I do need to call her brother, though. Despite my outward nonchalance, there is a small possibility that Nico does decide to come for me and try to put me in the ground. I don’t need him and the Greeks after me.
Unless I can persuade him that the threat extends to him too. If there”s a threat to our way of doing business from a completely separate organization, one that doesn”t seem to follow the rules we Italians do, doesn”t it make sense for us to come together?
I turn to Renata and tap her arm to get her attention. “Do you think your brother would be open to the idea of an alliance?”
She scoffs, “In your dreams. He thinks you are an absolute idiot. In fact, my family thinks your entire family are idiots.”
“We”re not the ones who almost lost control of our business, so that”s rich. Do you think you can call him anyway and ask him to speak with me? There”s a threat that could impact him as well.”
“Look, we aren’t really competitors when the business facts alone are looked at. We have very distinct lines of interest, and if these new guys are treading all over the board, they could end up knocking both of our pieces off.”
“I”m not calling my brother for you. I won”t do a damn thing for you.” She hands the champagne bottle to Clifford. “I’m empty. Refill please.”
I can”t help my smile at his expression as he does exactly as she asks. She sits back and sips at the champagne. The car glides through the night, and I compute all the ways that this has turned to a shitshow.
When we get back, I need her brother on board, but more than that I need her in my bed. Her attitude in this car, her bravery toward Clifford who most people cower in front of, has me as hard as I’ve ever been.
It takes all my willpower not to grab her hand and place it over my dick. I want her to touch me, right now, and I almost don’t care that my cousin is here. Almost, but not quite.
When we get home, though, I’m taking her, and no one is stopping me, not even her. She can fight like a tiger, and she won’t sway me. I’ve never wanted anyone or anything as much as I want her right now.
“When we get in, you will ring your brother,” I say. “Then we are going to bed.”
“Are you done?” she asks.
Am I done? Oh wow, she’s really done it now. The imperiousness she puts in her tone. I don’t think I’ll be done all night. I’ll fuck her until she can’t walk. Until I can’t walk.
“Your incessant droning on is ruining my champagne.”
Clifford bursts out laughing.
“Oh, cuz, I don’t think you have any idea what you’re playing with here. She’s a live one.”
“Does he normally prefer them dead?” Renata asks. “Do you like them without a backbone, Matty? Compliant? Easy?”
“I’ve never liked easy,” I say.
“Could have fooled me. You married a DeLuca.”
“And you married a man who preferred anyone in his bed but you,” I snap.
The slap of her hand across my cheek is sudden and unexpected.
I stare at her for a moment, and then I grab her champagne and calmly hand it to Clifford before I grab her and haul her across my lap. I bring my hand down on her ass, and she screams. The car swerves slightly, and I glare at the driver. “Eyes on the road, idiot,” I order.
Then I go to town on Renata’s ass. “You will fucking learn to show some respect,” I say.
“I’ll kill you for this,” she growls. “I swear it. I don’t care if it takes me a decade. I’ll find a way.”
“Strike a match and stir his coffee with it every morning,” Clifford says.
Not the damn match thing again. He’s obsessed with that urban legend.
“It’s not even a thing,” I say as I continue spanking her. My slaps are lighter now, little love taps rather than a genuine punishment.
She must be able to feel my hard dick. She lets out a moaned exhale, and I laugh softly.
Lifting her head, she looks at me through thick lashes, her blue eyes blazing as if lit from within. Her cheeks are flushed, and her mouth is parted.
I smooth my hand over the silk covering her ass. “You’ve never looked more beautiful,” I say.
“I hate you,” she says.
“No, you don’t. Do you know why?” I gently reach out and brush her hair back.
“I’m sure you’re going to tell me, oh-wise-one.”
“Because I care,” I whisper as I lean in and smell her neck. “I give a shit. I set boundaries, and when you act out, I correct you. Firmly and fairly.”
“You call that firm and fair?”
“You won’t even have a red ass. That was nothing.”
“It was humiliating.”
“Yes, and you liked it,” I whisper as I bite the shell of her ear.
“I did not.”
“You did a little. Just like even though I want to murder that man with my bare hands for touching you, I liked seeing you on that stage.”
“What? Why?”
Her face is a picture of confusion. “Because you only did it to fuck with me, and you only fuck with someone you care about.”
“Jesus Christ,” Clifford grumbles. “What is this? The toxic version of How to have A Happy Marriage? Love for Sociopaths? The Rules, but for broken people?”
I ignore him and keep my focus on Renata. “You’re glorious, you know? You’re the most glorious being I’ve ever seen. The way you ordered Clifford to pour you champagne.” I lower my voice and whisper in her ear so only she can hear. “You almost made me come in my pants like a teenager.”
She turns to me, her anger fading. “I did?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because you weren’t scared of him.”
“I’m too angry to be scared.”
“I want you,” I whisper in her ear.
“I hate you,” she whispers back.
“You want me,” I say.
“I don’t.”
“Liar,” I whisper.
“You disgust me.”
I kiss her throat and note the shiver it elicits. “In about five minutes when we get home, I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?”