Chapter Twenty-three
Vida
I step into the club, the sound of the music almost deafening me. The room is filled with bright, flashing lights, and the loud chattering and laughter of people that seems to echo off the walls. It is unlike anywhere I’ve ever been to before. I never thought I’d find myself in a place like this, not for Izzy’s lack of trying. She’d done all she could to try to drag me with her to the club before, but it never worked. Yet, here I am, walking into a freaking club!
All eyes are on me, I can feel it, the heat of men’s stares trailing over my body, while I watch women turning their heads to look at us. I’ve never been one that garners much attention, nor have I found myself even in a place that would cause me to, especially not with a dress like this. And even if I had found myself in a place like this, I would’ve felt out of place, maybe even anxious under all this attention. But tonight? Tonight, it feels good.
My lips curve into an unexpected smile. I like the way they look at me, how they access me, wondering who I am, like they have just seen something their minds can’t comprehend.
Carmela turns to face me, catching the change in my aura, and nudges me playfully as we make our way through the crowd.
“Someone’s enjoying herself more than she thought, huh?” she teases, her voice just loud enough to be heard over the music.
“Maybe a little, just maybe.” I smile, tearing my eyes off the man who looks like he’s drooling as he looks at me from where he stands a few feet away from us.
“We should do this more often then,” Carmela teases.
“Don’t get used to it. It’s only for tonight,” I giggle, knowing well enough that it might not be for just tonight, not if the woman next to me has anything to say about it.
Carmela grins before pulling me toward the bar. I follow excitedly, my eyes scanning the crowd. It’s a little strange to find people looking at me when I’m not used to it, but I try to enjoy being the center of attention while it lasts. For once, I’m not having to be what everyone wants me to be; a church girl, the good daughter, Adam’s girlfriend, and especially not Ciro’s wife. I’m not a pawn in someone else’s world. I’m just Vida, standing on my own, and people are noticing me for me!
As we reach the bar, Carmela orders us some drinks, leaning casually against the counter as if she owns the place. I watch as she laughs with the man who is busy preparing our drinks. She looks so relaxed, so free, like this is a world she’s familiar with. I can’t take my eyes off of her. She looks stunning, so confident, and in control. It’s a similarity she shares with her twin brother.
“Here,” Carmela says, passing me a glass of blue-colored drink.
“This looks weird,” I comment, staring at it before turning to Carmela.
“As it should. Now drink,” Carmela urges, watching me as I take the drink from her and sip it cautiously, while still taking in my surroundings.
The alcohol burns slightly on its way down, but it is a feeling I find myself enjoying.
“More,” I say, stretching my glass towards the man behind the bar.
“More you’ll have, miss,” he says and winks at me before turning to prepare another mix.
“Having fun?” Carmela laughs.
“Oh, I am,” I reply with excitement, my happiness only making Carmela laugh even harder.
The moment is interrupted as two men approach us, their faces plastered with wide and confident smiles. I tense slightly, feeling the weight of their gazes on me, especially from the one who has the most tempting golden eyes.
He leans in closer, his voice slick with charm. “Ladies, can we get the next round for you?”
I look away quickly, trying to pay no attention to him.
“No, thank you,” I say calmly, shaking my head at him.
“Give us a second, boys,” Carmela smiles at them, pulling me close to her. “Why are we turning down hot men who are offering free drinks?”
“Because we’re here to crash a party,” I reply, taking my next glass of blue liquid from the bartender before turning my gaze back to Carmela. “So, where’s this party we’re crashing?”
Carmela, ever the troublemaker, just winks at me. “Oh trust me, that party will come to us. For now, relax and have some fun.”
“I didn’t come here to flirt or let men buy me drinks,” I sigh, turning to the two men who are standing a few feet away, waiting for our reply.
“Who said anything about flirting?” Carmela grins. “Just let loose for a bit.”
After a long sigh and another sip of my drink, I decide to stay. I blame it on the alcohol, ‘cause I can feel it breaking down my defenses already, making the world around me feel just a little softer and very much swirly.
“Which of you is getting my next round,” I ask as I turn to the men, watching their smiles grow wider as they walk towards us.
“Now that’s my girl,” Carmela says excitedly, making some room for them.
The men talk a lot, their flattery never seems to come to an end or a pause, and even though I’m not really interested, I find myself laughing at their banter. The tension from earlier fades away, but after three glasses of the blue liquid, how could it not?
“Wanna dance?” golden-eyed man asks.
“Only if you can keep up with us,” I laugh, pointing at Carmela.
“Oh, if they can’t keep up, I might have to punish them,” Carmela adds, getting up and pulling the other man towards the dance floor.
“You better keep up,” I say, following Carmela and tensing a little when I feel the man’s hand settle around my lower back.
I let my body relax, not caring enough to shove him away. I’m happy, excited, and too tipsy to care. Here I’m just Vida, and just Vida is here to have a good time.
Before I know it, we are out in the middle of the packed dance floor, bodies around us moving in rhythm with the heavy beat of the music. I can feel the vibrations from the loud speakers thundering through my chest, and for the first time in a long while, I let myself get lost in it. The drinks are starting to hit me fully, my legs feeling weak and my body moving with a mind of its own as the music becomes one with me. I laugh and sway my hips, playing with my hair as I move alongside Carmela, the two of us dancing and holding each other.
Golden-eyes man follows my lead, his hand resting lightly on my waist as he dances closer. I don’t mind it as I lose myself in the moment. But as his fingers brush my cheek in a light, almost possessive touch, something inside me recoils.
Before I can pull away, everything changes, becoming a blur in a matter of seconds.
I watch as the man’s hand gets ripped away from me, before he’s being yanked backwards violently, making me stumble. I barely have time to process what’s happening before I see him. A dark, looming presence cutting through the crowd like a storm.
Ciro.
My heart stops.
There is a raw fury in his eyes, a barely contained violence that sends a chill down my spine. And before anyone can react, his fist collides with golden-eye man’s face.
The sound of flesh hitting flesh is sickening, even in the middle of the pounding music. I gasp, my body staying frozen in place as I watch on in horror. Ciro doesn’t stop, nor can I bring myself to stop him. His fists rain down, each punch harder than the last, his anger oozing out of him in an uncontrollable force. I watch as the man tries to shield himself, but it’s a flimsy attempt. Ciro’s relentless, his rage noticeable in the way his fists pounded into the man’s face.
People start to move back, a hush falling over the dance floor as they watch, too shocked to intervene.
“No one,” Ciro says, landing a punch.
“Touches.” Another punch.
“My wife.” The punches grow harder.
I stand here, my breath catching in my throat. I should do something. I should say something. But I can’t. I can’t even move, because part of me isn’t just shocked, I’m terrified. Not of Ciro, but of the fact that, somewhere deep down, I like that he is doing this. That he is this angry because of me. Because someone had touched me.
My heart hammers in my chest as I watch him, unable to look away from the raw violence, from the way his knuckles split open with each brutal hit. The man he is pummeling barely fights back, already beaten into submission.
“Enough, brother,” Carmela finally says, but her command does nothing.
“Stop it, man, he’s almost dead,” I hear Franchesco say as I watch him and . . . wait, what is Lucia doing here? My emotions quickly turn from shock to annoyance as I realize Lucia must be here with Ciro.
“Ciro,” I call, not because I find some miraculous strength to speak after watching the poor man who got me drinks get beaten to a pulp, but because I’m mad that there’s a chance Ciro was here with this bitch I had warned not to touch my husband.
Finally, Ciro stops, his breaths coming in ragged gasps as he stands over the broken man. His hand hangs in the air the moment he hears his name from my mouth. He slowly turns to me, and the fury there sends a fresh wave of terror through me. My emotions can’t stay still, I’m terrified of the way he looks up at me from the ground, yet angry that he’s here with Lucia, and confused because there is something else lingering in his gaze. Something dark and possessive.
He looks at me like I belong to him. Like no one else is allowed to touch me.
Ciro
I stand over the crumpled body of the man who I’v e beaten nearly to death, my chest heaving as I barely contain the rage I still feel. The chaos around us fades, leaving only staring eyes and muffled whispers. I look around me, watching the terror in everyone’s faces, except Carmela and Franchesco, who of course have both seen me do worse. Even Lucia looks like she’s seen a ghost. Then there’s my freaking wife! Who, by some sort of sorcery, has managed to push me beyond my limits without even trying.
I take two steps towards her and within two-five heartbeats, I’m at her side, my grip tightening around her arm.
“Let’s go,” I say, my voice low and dangerous.
She stands her ground, planting her feet firmly into the ground, protesting. Her gaze is off me now, piercing into Lucia’s soul, like a part of her wants to drag Lucia by the hair and pull her outside the club. I saw this look on her when she first met Lucia, but I don’t get why she’s looking at her like that again now.
“Follow me, little chaos. Now!” I say through gritted teeth, my fingers digging into her skin as I pull her harder.
She finally takes the first step to follow me, and I don’t miss the way she glares at Lucia one last time before I focus on getting us out of here. I don’t spare the doctor another glance. Instead, I pull Vida along with me, my long strides quickening as I drag her through the throng of people in the club.
We walk for a few minutes, before finally stopping at the dimly lit alley beside the club, the music from the party fading and the only things in sight are packed cars and street lights.
I pace back and forth for what feels like forever, before finally stopping and turning to face her.
“What the hell was that?” I shout, pointing towards the club.
“Dancing?” Vida asks sarcastically, her voice sounding slightly slurred, like she’s fighting against the alcohol she must have consumed before I spotted her.
“Dancing?! That’s what you call dancing? Letting some stranger put his hands on you? What the fuck is that?” I shoot back, the images of what I saw consuming me all over again.
She opens her mouth to respond but nothing comes out. Fire blazes in her eyes, like the anger inside of her is boiling to the surface, and I wonder if she’ll push it down like she usually does or if she’ll let me see the real Vida.
“You’re unbelievable,” she scoffs, raking her fingers through her hair and gripping the dark strands.
“Excuse me?” I ask, wondering how the hell I’m the unbelievable one in this fucking situation.
“I was here with Carmela and we decided to dance. Tell me what you were doing here, Ciro. With Lucia?!” she yells, regret flitting across her face the second the words are out, but she holds firm and doesn’t try to take any of it back.
“You fucking had a strangers hands roaming around your body and your concern is that I was here with Lucia? Are you fucking serious? I almost killed a fucking man for touching you and your problem is fucking Lucia?” I ask, not able to understand why on earth this would be her biggest concern of the whole fucking situation. This woman drives me nuts!
Vida lets out a dry laugh, and the look she gives me is one I see when her irritation with me is about to bubble over and she’s going to fight me.
“Are you serious right now? You’re not my keeper, Ciro. I don’t need your damn permission to have a life and if I let another man explore my body, that’s my problem, not yours!”
My eyes flash with something primal, and in an instant I’m closing the distance between us. My hands grip her shoulders roughly, pushing her back until I have her pinned against the wall.
“You need to learn some lessons, little chaos,” I growl, my breath hot against her face. “You don’t get to do whatever the fuck you want.”
Vida’s pulse races under her skin, likely from adrenaline and my close proximity. This woman needs to get that through her head, but as I look into her eyes, I can tell she’s too fucking worked up to think straight.
“Screw you, Ciro,” she grits out, her voice shaking with anger as tears form behind her eyes. “You don’t control me. I’m not your property!”
My grip tightens as my jaw clenches. I lean in closer, my lips just inches from her ear.
“You don’t get it, do you?” I ask, my voice low and threatening. “You defy me every chance you get because you have refused to accept it, but here’s the thing, little chaos . . .”
My hand slides up to her throat, pressing just enough to make her breath hitch, before bringing my face to hers. My breath grazes her lips as I speak again. “You are mine. Every inch of you belongs to me.”
Vida’s pulse pounds against my fingers, her eyes showing her fear, anger, and something else I can’t quite place.
“You can’t own me, Ciro, you’re a monster,” she whispers, her voice laced with venom, like she’s hoping her words will hurt me. I already know what I am, so they don’t do the damage she intends for them to do.
I chuckle, the sound dark in a mocking manner. My grip stays firm around her neck, but not too tight to cause any bruising.
“Isn’t it pathetic, you thinking that you have a choice? You do not have a choice, little chaos. If I’m the monster you think I am, then you belong to a monster. Body and soul.” My eyes bore into hers, my expression a mixture of anger and possession.
“And you’d do well to remember that,” I add, finally smirking at her and making sure my words find a permanent home in her mind.
Her breath catches, the tension in the air thick between us. Her body vibrates under my touch but she doesn’t scream, shove me away, or hit me. I know she wants to, but yet, she stays frozen in place, her eyes locked on mine. I can see how she hates it, my control, my audacity and most of all, how I possess her, but the smallest glimmer of hope settles in me that a part of her knows, certain that my words are true and they burn so deep in her that she might just start to believe me. Only time will tell with her though.
I release her slowly, my hand trailing down her neck and stopping right above her cleavage, leaving a tingling heat in its trail.
“Stay here,” I order, taking a step away from her. “I’ll go get my things, and then we’re leaving.”
Once she nods, I turn and make my way out of the alley, leaving her there with her thoughts. Maybe the time alone will do her some good, and she’ll finally accept that she is mine and there really is nothing she can do about it.