Chapter Twenty-Four
Chantilly
The day whizzed past, with Valentino making a huge breakfast that included sausages, poached eggs, fried potatoes and tomatoes. Afterward we binge-watched a mystery series and overindulged in salted popcorn and soda.
It was almost a relief to step out of the shower again later that afternoon and step into his walk-in-closet where some of my women’s clothes now encroached, including my gown in its garment cover.
I stayed wrapped in my bathrobe even as Valentino dressed in a dark gray suit with a white dress shirt and red tie.He was effortlessly stylish while I’d never really developed my own style, not when Sean had taken that control away from me.
He came up behind me and settled his hands on my hips. “Having second thoughts?”
“More like a panic attack,” I conceded.
He bent and kissed my throat. “I’ll be by your side the whole night.”
I nodded, then dragged in a deep breath before I pulled the fabric cover off the gown. I exhaled in a rush as I stared at the strapless, dark red fitted dress with its ruched bodice and its gauzy, flyaway layers of fabric spilling out from below the waist.
“What do you think?” Valentino asked.
“I love it,” I confessed with a smile. “Red is my color.”
“Marco has a good eye,” he acknowledged.
I looked back at him and arched a brow. “If I remember correctly, you were the one making most of the decisions on the colors and fabrics.”
“So I was.” He grinned. “Guess I have a good eye too.” He cocked his head to the side. “As long as you really do like it. I know of a little boutique dress shop that could fit you in and—“
“No, this dress is perfect.”
I slipped off my bathrobe, shivering a little at the growl he made low in his throat even as I chose a lacy red thong and drew it on.
“Let me help,” he said hoarsely.
He clearly wanted to fuck me and I unashamedly wanted him to fuck me. But his willpower was stronger than mine, his blunt-ended fingers brushing my arms as he helped draw the dress over my head and down my body.
The fabric swished and he stepped back, his dark eyes alight. “Magnificent.”
My pulse fluttered, my stare automatically lifting to see my reflection in the closet’s full length mirror. He was right. I looked…dazzling.
He pulled a case out from a lower shelf before placing it on a jutting corner ledge. “I also thought you might appreciate this.”
I unclipped the lid and smiled at the hairbrushes and combs, cosmetic brushes, palettes of eyeshadows and blushes, double rows of lipsticks and mascaras, and liquid and powder foundations in different shades. “Thank you.”
He smiled back. “You’re welcome. I’ll go make us something to drink while you get ready.”
I nodded distractedly, eyeing the cosmetics in front of me. For a woman who was a self-confessed sweats and T-shirts kind of girl, I couldn’t help but be excited to look beautiful for Valentino.
I began applying the foundation with careful strokes before I chose a crimson lipstick and darker toned eyeshadow that brought out the gold in my dark-brown eyes. Only once I was satisfied did I drop the brushes back into the case before I stepped back to admire my handiwork.
I was a work of art. I doubted I’d ever looked so good.
Retrieving the only pair of heels in my side of the closet, I adjusted the thin silver straps around my ankles before I brushed out my hair. I was pulling it back into a twist ponytail when Valentino walked in carrying two drinks.
He whistled at seeing me, his eyes gleaming. “I brought you one last gift I thought you might like.” He put the drinks down and pulled a square velvet box from out of his jacket, then handed it to me. “Open it.”
My hands shook a little as I did as he asked, gasping at the diamond choker with its ruby pendent, along with the matching drop earrings that glinted under the downlights. I looked up at him, warmth radiating through my body. “Thank you.”
He withdrew the choker. “Allow me.” His fingers brushed the skin on the back of my neck, creating goose-bumps as he secured the choker into place. His hand lingered on my nape. “Is there meaning behind your black rose?” he asked.
I nodded. “I had the tattoo done to represent the loss of my family and my freedom. It also symbolizes new beginnings, and courage and power against adversity.”
“I had a feeling it would be something deep and meaningful,” he murmured.
I imagined he’d be one of the few who’d understand. My hands trembled just a little as I inserted the earrings into my lobes and asked, “What about your ink? What do the lock, seashell, candle and gun represent?”
His eyes glinted at me in the mirror. “I guess you’ve taken note of my tatts.” He dropped his hand from my nape. “The symbols represent my first kill. The gun is obvious. The seashell is the place of my stepdad’s burial, the candle was the light, which was all my mother and I had to see by as I dug the grave. The lock is the secret I thought I’d take to my own grave…except now you know.”
I blinked at him, weighed down with his secret even as I felt somewhat privileged for knowing it. “So no one else knows about your stepdad’s death?”
He shook his head. “Only my mother, but she’s long gone now.”
“Then thank you for sharing it with me.”
“Thank you for keeping it to yourself.”
I nodded. He didn’t need to worry about me telling the authorities or anyone else for that matter. His secret was safe with me. I understood his twelve year old self and what he’d sacrificed to regain freedom for his mother and himself.
I cleared my suddenly thick throat and glanced at my jewelry. The ruby choker and earrings highlighted my gown, the diamonds sparkling along with my eyes. “These are perfect.”
If the Agostino family decided to end my life tonight, at least I’d go out looking spectacular. I lifted my gaze to the dark reflection of Valentino behind me. Even in my heels he still towered over me, his menace just beneath the surface. He’d holstered one of his guns, his beard and hair with its sprinkling of silver seeming to catch the lights like my diamonds.
His eyes caught and held mine in the mirror. “Let’s go, beautiful.”
I tilted my head to the side. “Am I no longer your little Tilly?”
“You’ll always be that.”
It was crazy that I wanted it too, and that I was beginning to accept my fucked up feelings for him. He was both my hero and my villain who’d gotten rid of the man I’d feared most to replace him with a man I should fear a whole lot more.
Whatever. Dressed to the nines while feeling and looking a million bucks, I was at least armored to face my enemies tonight. It might even be interesting to see how Valentino reacted if anyone threatened me.
It’d be a test of his character and his true feelings toward me.
Taking hold of his proffered arm, we left the master bedroom and the upper level behind as we descended the stairs then entered the garage. He pulled open the passenger door for me before taking the driver’s seat for himself, the automated roller door ascending. He reversed out, and I admired the glass and steel exterior of his home with its minimalistic gardens and incredible ocean views, then we were headed back down the road, toward the distant mansions.
The drive went quickly, the clear coastal air soon becoming a smog-filled haze with traffic a constant stream while old and new buildings soared higher and higher.
It wasn’t until he flicked on the indicator and pulled into a private, underground garage that I saw the signage of an Italian restaurant that was on the ground level above us. I glanced back at him as a pair of gates parted for us to enter. “We’re having dinner at a restaurant?”
He drove forward, then parked near an elevator. “Not exactly. Serafino—one of Ethan’s brothers and caporegimes—owns the restaurant and the floor above it. We’ll be dining in his home, though no doubt he’ll make use of his restaurant to feed us all.”
He killed the engine, then turned to me and added, “I also have no doubt you’ll have the whole family in your pocket in no time.”
I blinked at him. “I don’t know why we’re even doing this. I don’t need them to like me.”
He unclipped his seatbelt. “But I need them to accept you into our circle.”
I felt faint suddenly as a rush of awareness blasted through me. There was only one reason Valentino could possibly want the mobster family to accept me. He wanted to keep me around long-term. He’d dropped a few hints, but I’d been too blind to accept the possibility that he truly wasn’t going to snuff me out like a flame.
He alighted from the driver’s seat and stalked around to my side of the vehicle to open my door. I accepted his proffered hand, the shiver of yearning inside me becoming a full blown tremble.
He really did want me, I was certain of it now. He pressed the elevator’s button, then looked at me. “Are you all right?”
The doors pinged and opened. We stepped inside, the elevator doors closing behind us with a swish before I answered. “I’m not sure.” We ascended when I added, “I just wish you’d told me your feelings earlier.”
He cocked a brow. “You didn’t guess?”
“All that has ever filled my head is how long I had before you decided to end my life.”
His eyes darkened, then glowed. “I’d kill anyone who tried to hurt you.”
Something shifted inside my chest, my entire body tingling with an effervescent joy I couldn’t contain. Death no longer blotted my soul, not when it was my life Valentino now defended. My joy faded a little. He might protect me and be possessive but he’d never love me. I doubted people like him knew how to love.
The elevator stopped and pinged, the doors opening before we stepped into an expansive foyer with dark marbling flooring. Ahead a staircase with black hand-railings gleamed under a huge central chandelier, floor to ceiling windows at one end showcasing city views, where a church spire rose high into the sky next to a glass and steel building.
A painting caught my eye, a black-and-white nude of a woman who was all curves as she lay on her side with a provocative glint in her stare.
The large gray and chrome kitchen and adjoining dining room with its huge glass-topped table and the modern gray velvet seats were empty. I sighed softly, my spine relaxing.
“Everyone will be out on the balcony enjoying some pre-dinner drinks.”
My back snapped taut, but I smiled serenely up at him as I floated by his side toward the tinted glass bifold doors, one side of which had been left open.
A svelte, platinum-blonde woman in a dark gold dress saw us first, her big silver-gray eyes widening before she squealed. She flounced toward us, dragging a tall, dark-suited man behind her as though he wasn’t some powerful, authoritative figure. His dark, unreadable eyes made him seem scarier somehow, colder. The blonde smiled openly at me. “You must be Chantilly?”
“I am.”
“I love your dress!” She winked. “I can see why Valentino is so smitten.” Clearing her throat, she added, “I’m Sabrina by the way.” She pointed to the dark-haired man beside her. “And this is my husband, Ethan.”
My bladder loosened, my skin suddenly clammy. So this was the man who’d ordered Valentino to kill me.
Ethan’s eyes narrowed a touch before turning somber. “It’s nice to finally meet you.” He grimaced. “I’m only sorry it wasn’t under better circumstances.”
Sabrina frowned. “What do you mean?”
So Ethan’s wife didn’t know. I guessed it wasn’t every day your husband put a hit out on a woman.
Ethan turned to Sabrina. “Remember how you said you didn’t want to know the more brutal details of the business?” She nodded, her brow furrowing even before he added, “This woman is one of those brutal details.”
Valentino stood like a silent mountain beside me until he said succinctly, “I couldn’t eliminate my target.”
Sabrina gasped. “Chantilly was your target?”
Valentino nodded before another dark-haired girl approached with a blond man in tow who I knew immediately was Sabrina’s brother. The siblings were very alike and as gorgeous as each other. He was clearly besotted by his dark-haired wife, his icy-silver stare constantly straying her way.
“I was starting to think we’d be eating without you,” the dark-haired woman said to Valentino in a sultry voice, one that seemed to enhance her gorgeous body encased in a silver skirt and a black blouse with a ruffled front. Her upswept black hair further showcased her plum-colored lips and kohl-lined eyes.
“You couldn’t have kept me away,” he said even as he snaked an arm around my waist and snagged me closer. “This is Chantilly.”
“It’s lovely to meet you,” she said, her eyes warm. “I’m Isabella, and this is my husband, Salvatore.”
Salvatore nodded, his eyes speculative as he glanced from me to Valentino and back again. He was probably wondering what the hell I’d gotten myself into. Then he smiled, his white teeth glinting, “Ciao.”
Three other men approached next, all of them as intimidating as each other. Valentino’s arm tightened around me. He nodded at each of them while making introductions. “Chantilly, meet Serafino, Evander and Alessandro. They’re brothers to our don, Ethan.”
I shivered a little at Serafino’s silence followed by his cold smile. Though he wore his hair longer as though he was more casual and down to earth, he was definitely not warmer for it.
Evander seemed the friendliest with his open smile and warm stare. “It’s great to finally meet you,” he said.
Alessandro nodded. “I was shocked…but not so much now.”
“Thank you, I think,” I said.
An older man approached then, his thinning gray hair and paunchy body not taking away any of the power he radiated. He brought a glass of champagne with him. “I’m Carlo,” he said in a raspy voice. “I thought you might need this.”
I accepted the glass even as Ethan said, “Carlo is my consigliere. If he approves of you, then we all do.”
“Then I hope I make a good first impression,” I said, trying to smile and not quake in my heels.
Carlo eyed me up and down. “I’m sure you realize how much we’d appreciate any information about our Irish rivals.”
I almost gaped. Fuck. It hadn’t occurred to me that I might get interrogated for my knowledge. “What do you want to know?” I asked weakly.
His silvery eyes hardened fractionally. “Who will their next don be now Sean is dead? What are their future plans? Who exactly is their coke and arms supplier?”
Valentino stiffened. “This is a dinner party,” he reminded silkily, “not an interrogation.”
Sabrina sent a pointed look Ethan’s way and he acquiesced. “Yes, let’s enjoy tonight. No more talk of mafia business.”
Carlo’s face flushed a ruddy color. “Your father would never have let any opportunity—“
“My father is dead,” Ethan interjected harshly. “We don’t do things his way anymore.”
“Dinner will be served shortly,” Evander cut in smoothly, nodding toward the huge table inside. “We should probably take a seat.”
We stepped inside, two men who I presumed were soldiers staying out on the balcony, while another two stepped inside to stand guard near the elevator. The lift doors pinged, a trolley cart then pushed into the dining room by a waiter in white. Or perhaps it was the chef?
Valentino leaned close to me and murmured, “Saved by the bell.”