34. Juliet
Chapter 34
Juliet
~1 month later~
"Luca!"
I gasped sharply from my orgasm shattering my sensitive body. It was way too early in the morning for this shit, but like hell was I going to stop him.
Luciano's bell-tolling chuckle warmed the room as he sat back on his knees and wiped the back of his hand across his jaw. "I am never going to get enough of having you for breakfast." And I would never get over how satisfied and amazed he always looked after having his face all up between my thighs nearly every morning.
Yeah, somehow, morning head from him became a regular thing in our morning routine after the first week of me flipping out during sex. It was weird to wake up to him asking me if he could eat me out, especially in my half-asleep state.
Honestly, I misheard him that first time; I thought he asked if I wanted to eat out for breakfast. At least, in my sleepy mind, that's what it translated to. So, imagine my fucking surprise when he pulled my pants off, spread my legs, and went down on me until I saw stars and trembled uncontrollably from the aftershocks of my orgasms.
Well, I wasn't going to complain or put a stop to it. He loved it, I loved it, it was a win-win for everyone.
Crawling back up the bed, he leaned down and kissed me softly, letting me taste a hint of myself on his lips. "There's a lot that I have to do today with the others to finalize plans, so try not to get into too much trouble, alright?" He chuckled softly against my cheek before kissing it.
Rolling my eyes, I gave his cheek a little pinch. "I promise I won't buy any cars while I'm out today with Evie." I joked with a soft laugh that grew into a full-blown cackle when Luciano's fingers dug into my sides.
"You are not allowed to buy any car, period. You're lucky I even let you keep that custom-ordered one." Luciano told me with a joking smile and a serious look in his eyes.
"Not even when I need an SUV for our kids?" I joked with a dry chuckle, instantly regretting it the moment my words came into existence.
An unpleasant silence weighed down the air around us as we looked at each other awkwardly and crestfallen. "Sorry, forget I said anything." I quickly tried to push the subject away, not wanting it to damper our mood.
The subject of our long-term relationship and the matter of kids and family haven't been touched yet, and for good reason. Luciano was busy with Syndicate business while I was young and had college left to worry about. Also, our relationship was still fairly new—we hadn't even been together for half a year!
Growing up, I always knew I wanted children of my own someday, but definitely not at eighteen or in my early twenties. The notion of children with Luciano at this moment felt pleasing enough, but that didn't mean I wanted to start right now.
No matter how blatantly clear his love was for me and how much I reciprocated that. There was no guarantee that we would be together a few years down the road from now. People and their feelings change with time, so what if we naturally drifted apart as the years went on? I was still young. What if I found someone new?
Okay, that is fucking ridiculous. Me? Finding someone new and better than Luciano?
Yeah, I wanted to laugh and slap myself in the face for even thinking about giving someone else my heart. I loved Luciano greatly and couldn't imagine my life without him. I wasn't worried about Luciano leaving me either because his pure devotion to me was more than evident. Luciano was also at a point in his life where he was mostly stable, or at the very least, he had his head on straight. He wasn't some immature teen or lost young adult who had no clue about what they wanted in life.
But just because I felt good about Luciano didn't mean kids were in the cards. What if he didn't want any? What if I changed my mind about them? Either way, it was way too soon to have such a conversation.
Forcing a smile, Luciano kissed my forehead and got off the bed. "We'll cross such a bridge when, or if, we come to it." At least he didn't dig at the subject, thank goodness.
Clearing his throat, he changed the subject. "Do you want to shower with me, or are you going to laze in bed a little more?" His eyes lingered on me as he went to the dresser to pull out a shirt and some boxers.
Humming in thought, I entertained both ideas for a hot minute. I mean, stay comfortable in bed or shower with my sexy man? How much did I want to see and touch his perfect ass? Seriously, this man had an ass to die for, and I could never get enough of touching it, especially whenever he wore his sweatpants or jeans around me. Lord, give me strength to resist the booty because I definitely had none of my own to call upon.
Letting out a frustrated groan, I pulled the sheets over my head and sank down into the bed. "I'll be in in a bit," I grumbled from under the sheets.
The need for the booty won.
"You really think he's going to like it?" My nervous excitement trembled my words as I gawked at the piece of jewelry with a wide smile.
Giggling, Evie threw her arms around my shoulders and hugged me tightly with a little shake. "Girl, he is going to be over the moon. I mean, it's a serious commitment." Reaching out, she shut the black box and took it from me, shoving it into my bag so it was out of sight, out of mind.
Toning her excitement down, "Come on, let's get some lunch before we hit the lingerie and accessory stores." She suggested with a calming smile, tugging my hand toward the escalators.
A round trip around the food court later, and we finally sat down to enjoy the food we bought. "Hey, can I ask you something?" I asked tentatively after we had a few bites of our food.
Setting her drink down, she zoned all her attention on me. "Yeah, shoot." At least her friendly smile calmed my nerves a bit.
"I've been thinking about something and was wondering if you wanted to help since you have personal experience, and you can totally disagree if it seems too much for you, but I kinda want to do something about the trafficking problem here in New York." It was a farfetched idea and definitely one that was not flushed out, but I wanted to see what Evie thought before pitching it to Luciano to see if he would help me any.
Leaning forward onto the table, Evie completely engrossed herself with interest in whatever whacked-up idea I had cooking in my head. "What did you have in mind?"
"I want to bait people and shut down networks." I flat-out told her about the grand idea before going into details. "I came across a lot of nasty things when I was digging through some of the people I saw at the fight, and a lot of them are involved in trafficking networks that I can backtrace to the source. But I also want to bait people who aren't involved in the ones I have found and find new ones to track down. I know I can't find and shut all of them down and save everyone, but I want to do as much damage as I can and create a safe space for those saved so they can get back on their feet again."
The fact there were people out there who had been in my situation and Evie's without a fighting chance upset me greatly. We had been fortunate enough to be saved from it all, but it was also sheer luck. If I hadn't pushed myself to break out of the lounge that night, or if Luciano didn't have the meeting he did, then I might be on the streets or back in the hell hole, broken.
Some people are fortunate enough to have someone looking for them and making sure they didn't go unnoticed, but there were way too many who had no one out there or shitty people who put them in that situation in the first place. There were people who wanted to escape but couldn't because they had nowhere to go, so it came down to which evil was less.
"I know it is a lot and crazy, and I have no idea where I would even start. But I mean, you could easily spread awareness about whatever program I start up if I do, and you know how to talk to the predators and know how to spot one. So, I was hoping that we could put together like a fake profile for you to bait people." Okay, saying it out loud made it sound more stupid and insane.
Especially when Evie remained silent and stared at me pensively, I wanted to take it all back and pretend nothing happened. "That is a big idea, and it's definitely going to take some time to build fully, but I am totally down for helping ya." The eager grin on her face had me releasing a held breath. "We should talk to the boys about it, though. They'll definitely have more ideas on how to get things off the ground. Also, we need their wallets."
"Oh please, I can have all their banks in our names with a few keystrokes." I joked with a snicker, making Evie laugh a little.
She picked a fry up and threw it at me as her laughter died down. "I still can't believe you did that to Ares, granted the jerk deserved it." Resetting herself with a deep breath, she looked at me with serious determination. "I'll talk to Aidan about it later when things aren't so hectic with Syndicate business."
"Good idea." They probably didn't need more shoved onto their overflowing plates.
Stressing Luciano with resetting his phone settings or fucking with his car's system was harmless fun, and the stress never lingered. I mean, was it fun to have him blow off some steam by spanking me for being a little shit? Eh, debatable, but I wasn't going to complain about it. As long as I took some of the edge off him, that was all that mattered to me.
Nudging my food tray closer, Evie encouraged me with a smile. "Come on, we still have a lot of money to blow through." Said the picky, frugal gal.
We were probably the worst shoppers ever because we were picky and money-conserving. Yeah, our men could handle our shopping sprees with plenty to spare, but we also just weren't ones to buy things in excess.
Actually, I take that back. Maybe we were just bad clothes shoppers because we were more than content with the ones in our closet—we also cycle between the same outfits every week despite having enough for an outfit a day for a whole year. Evie had an obsession with purses and bags, and she would gladly swipe her cards away. For me, any piece of tech was fair game. Evie had a room—yes, a whole ass room—filled with shelves of purses, like it looked like a damn store in that room. I had an electronics room filled with game systems, TVs, and nearly a whole side dedicated to various computer systems and screens.
"So, why are we going to the lingerie store again?" I definitely didn't need any, and Evie already bought a shit ton two weeks ago.
"Because Aidan ruined a bunch." Evie deadpanned with a grumble under her breath, cussing out her man in Vietnamese.
What was supposed to be a smooth trip took a turn for the worst when we turned the corner, and the wicked witch ran into us. "I'm disappointed I wasn't invited to the wedding, dear Juliet. After all, you and Luciano wouldn't have met if it weren't for me." Carol, as I came to learn Lady Heral's legal name, cooed in a sickly sweet voice filled with venom.
Evie glared at the older hag as she pulled my arm to try and step around her. "Go away, Carol. We have no business with you."
The smart thing to do would be to leave, but I found myself digging my feet into the ground as her words took root in my weak mind. Wrenching my arm from Evie, who protested and grabbed onto me again, I ignored her while I glared at Carol. "What is your senile brain prattling on about?" It was probably nothing, and I shouldn't engage to fuel whatever vendetta she had going on.
The curve of her snakish lips turned devilish, making me regret pushing her. "Your marriage to Luciano, the wedding? Unless you two haven't had the wedding ceremony but signed papers. I mean, why else would you have taken his last name already? Although, I have to say, pretty gutsy of you to take his last name and have it announced at graduation like that." I didn't like how uppity and prying she sounded, as if she knew something I didn't and was toying around with me.
Tension filled my face as my features twisted downward with a cautious tilt of my head. I wasn't even going to linger on the fact she said something about my graduation because I was too hung up on the other parts. "I took his last name because I don't want to be tied to my family, and it has nothing to do with this marriage you are talking about. You are sounding like a crazy hag with that shit, you know that?"
Her haughty laugh made my jaw tighten up into a scowl. Then, just as her laugh started, it stopped with a feigned look of pity, "Oh, you don't know? He hasn't told you? Well, if you did, then you wouldn't be calling me the crazy one."
This bad idea would bite me in the ass, but curiosity killed the cat—and I was the damn cat. "What are you talking about?" I probably shouldn't have believed a single word that came out of her mouth—or even entertained her with my attention in the first place—but here we were.
Yeah, the way her smirk turned sadistically dark should have been a warning for me to turn and run with my ears covered, but I was too stubborn and stupid to do so. "The only reason why you are not locked up at the lounge is because you are his wife or to be his wife after your parents sold you out to him to relieve some debt." Scoffing and rolling her eyes, Carol muttered something under her breath before addressing me again. "I don't like taking losses, no matter how small, but I am not stupid enough to go against a Syndicate boss and their family. The fact that you are betrothed to him saved you from a lifetime of servitude at my establishments." My hand itched with an ache to lash across her face when her lips turned wild. "But judging by your reactions and questions, he never told you about any of it."
Before I could snap back at her, Evie tersely stepped before me and pushed me behind her. "That is enough out of you. Leave, or we will have the guards drag you away." She threatened Carol with an aggressive growl to her voice.
Evie remarked with a sneer, "Go get your Botox injections. Your face is starting to melt." As Carol left with her head held so high that it was probably up in the skies.
Turning to me, Evie smiled concernedly at me as she rubbed my shoulders. "Hey, don't let her get to you. She's just trying to be a bitch and get under your skin, and Luciano's to get back at you for what happened."
Anger boiled in my blood at Evie's words because she sounded so nervous trying to convince me. Tearing myself away from her, I found my eyes narrowing into slits as I looked up at Evie. "How much of what she said was true though?" Would my friend dare lie to me?
At this moment, her hesitation and silence were as good of an answer as any because it was a confirmation of guilt to me, especially with how crestfallen she got. Then, the fact that she tried to make excuses as I stormed out of the mall didn't help her case or my turbulent emotions.
Whatever good I felt towards Luciano eroded away and flew out the window on the drive home. By the time I made it home, all I could feel toward Luciano was anger, hate, and betrayal.
I wanted to believe that all Carol said was a lie, but her eyes were firm and honest despite how malicious she sounded.
Yeah, the truth fucking hurt like a knife to the gut and chest. All the pain of everything intensified with every step I took toward Luciano's office, every step feeling like a punch to the gut.
By the time I stood before the office door, I felt winded, as if I had gone ten rounds in the ring with Luciano himself.
Not bothering to knock, I kicked the door. Bad fucking idea because the only thing I accomplished was hurting myself. Seriously, they made it look so easy in the movies, and Luciano and his men also made it look simple. Granted, Luciano was twice, maybe triple, my size and packed from head to toe in muscles galore.
Letting out a frustrated shout, I twisted the doorknob and peeped the door open like a normal person before kicking it fully open with my foot, causing it to slam against the wall.
I didn't care about the meeting happening; this matter took precedence—in my opinion. "Everyone out!" I demanded in a booming voice, pointing at the open door behind me without turning around.
"Juliet, where are your manners? We—"
Too furious to let Luciano finish, I snapped at him, cutting him off. "Need to talk about our fucking wedding, the one you failed to mention to me, by the way!"
Yeah, that seemed to get everyone to zip their mouths and leave quickly with their heads down. I'd pick my bones with them later; right now, Luciano would know my wrath.
Marching up to him behind his desk, I shoved at him with all my strength when he tried to stand up from his chair, making him land with a winded grunt. "When the fuck were you going to tell me, hm? Before I walked down the aisle, or after? Or were you going to just force my hand to sign the papers after I say my vows with a gun to my back and let you cuff me with a ring?"
I wanted to strangle him so badly that my fingers hurt from the restraint I exhibited on myself. Of course, strangling him to death should be the least of his worries if I got my hands on him right now. I wanted to grab the stupid pen off his desk and stab him with it repeatedly until he would hurt like me or at least feel a fraction of it. Or maybe I'd toy with him and choke him with the electrical cords and release when he was close, only to choke him again.
No, no. None of that would suffice. He needed to have everything crushed: mind, body, and soul.
"I fucking trusted you, let myself be vulnerable to you, gave you my heart, only to find out from the damn bitch who stole my life from me that you stooped to her level and basically bought me from my parents to relieve some debt they owed you apparently." The volume of my voice slowly died down with my words until it was slightly above a normal volume, but that didn't mean my anger simmered or subsided.
No, I was still furious and ready to blow again with the slightest trigger.
The hurt my heart suffered cracked through my angry voice as I continued to press into Luciano, with both my words and my finger to his chest. "Seriously, what the fuck were you thinking? And why didn't you tell me? Were you ever going to tell me anything? Any of it? Or were you going to play me until I broke, then discard me like trash?"
If only I could punch a hole in his chest and rip his heart out, make him watch as I squeezed the life out of it until he felt as dead as me right now. Or maybe throwing it into a vat of acid would be better; that way, he would feel the slow-burning pain of his heart disintegrating to nothing. Actually, that seemed like a grand idea the more I relished from it.
Luciano's mouth opened, but I didn't give him a chance to spew whatever bullshit he had stewing in his head. "You are despicable. You save me under the guise of some hero only to find out you have your own motives. You are no better than my fucking parents, who sold me to a damn brothel. You are no better than the bitch who auctioned me off like an object and let those men gang-rape me. You did exactly what they did. You bought me for a stupid motive. You really are a fucking devil." Angrily, I shoved at him, making him roll back a bit.
Heavily, his chest rose and fell a few times before his dumbass reply came out, cranking my fury past one hundred. "Well, at least you'll have a handsome devil of a husband."
The callousness in his voice did me in. Whatever hope I had about us sank to the bottom of the endless ocean, taking everything in me with it. "If you think I am going to marry you, then you're fucking delusional." The last of my seething anger faded with my next words. "I can't marry you. I don't love you." Surprisingly, my heart had something left of it to break with those words.
A tick of anger and sadness starkened Luciano's eyes before his hurtful words came coldly, "If that's the silly reason why you're against marrying me, then fine, get ready to be loved so hard that your heart won't have any other choice but to give in." He sounded so chilled and distant and unlike the man I have been with all this time. "I'll make you love me one way or another, even if it means confining you to this house. Hell, I'll lock you in the room, chain you to the bed, all until you melt under me and learn to love me."
Then again, did I really know him?
What he said next answered that question. "We are going to wed whether you like it or not. I saved you from that place under the pretense that you are my betrothed, but now people expect that end result from us now. So, unless you are wanting to go back to being a whore for everyone, I suggest you fix that attitude before I do it for you."
Oh yeah, that fucking did it.
Fully succumbing to my anger, I let it guide my actions.
Everything happened in a blur, and I barely registered the next few seconds into my memory bank.
The moment my hand shot out and snatched his glass of liquor off his desk, it felt like things happened in the blink of an eye.
I flung the liquid at his face, chucked the glass right into his chest, slapped him across the face, and punched him sometime right after the slap.
I almost wanted to deny my actions if it weren't for the reddened imprint of my hand on his cheek and the swelling on his other, paired with the dull ache in my hands.
"Fuck you." I seethed with anger so hot it felt like lava coming up my throat.
As a final 'fuck you' to him, I yanked the necklace he gave me in the beginning, his mark on me, and threw it at him.
"I hate you."