Chapter 15 – Luigi
Chapter Fifteen
Luigi
I listen outside the door for the sound of ripped packaging. She has to pee on it, and I hear her doing just that, getting really hard at the sound of her gushing into the bowl. I don’t burst the door open, despite my temptation. I set a timer for four minutes on my watch once her stream stops.
She’s quiet on the other side of the door, allowing time for my cock to soften, but my fantasies are already too wide awake for me to calm them down completely.
I need to keep a clear head to talk to Delphine about what’s going to happen next and frankly, not all of our conversation will be arousing.
Our lives are about to get a lot more difficult around here. Dad called and he says a man from Pittsburgh landed in Buffalo. We don’t know which one of Carmine’s kids made the mistake of coming out here or what he wants. Good chance he just wants to run surveillance and test our vulnerabilities.
It’s not dad’s style to let something like that slide, even if anyone else might think surveillance during a truce doesn’t make a difference.
He wants me, Mikey, and Peter to spend the next few weeks hitting up Italian clubs around the city, establishing a presence and scaring the fuck out of anyone who looks like they don’t belong in our city.
We might need more hands depending on what we find out, but if we’re lucky, we can discover which Italian breached our borders and send them back to Pittsburgh or easier yet, in the harbor with a brick around their ankle.
“Your four minutes are up,” I call out to Delphine. She takes her time getting to the door. Nearly another minute passes. When she opens the door, her face is nothing but pure distress.
“I fucking hate you.”
I can’t tell what draws her anger. Is she pregnant, or does she just not want to sleep with me again?
I stick my hand out, trying not to display any of my own uncertainties. I glance at the stick, which says in bold, blue lettering: Pregnant.
After four days. My timing was right. Maybe too right.
I don’t know what emotional reaction I expected this news to provoke in me, but it wasn’t this. Insane protectiveness. The strong craving to be with her gets stronger. My dick presses up against my pants. I want her so badly that it hurts.
“Hate me all you want, this is good news for both of us.”
“Why?” she says. “Because you want a captive for the next 39 weeks to fulfill your sick fantasies?”
“No,” I respond coldly. “Because I no longer have any reason whatsoever to touch you at all.”
Delphine flinches angrily. She might act all tough and impenetrable in my presence, but she still has an ego, just like anyone else.
“I still hate you.”
“That doesn’t matter now. What matters is I send the first deposit to your bank account, return some of your cell phone privileges, and continue to keep you and my seed safe.”
“You are disgusting.”
“For returning privileges?”
“Your seed?”
“Our seed,” I respond sharply, expecting my response to piss her off. I watch her consider slapping me, but she wisely makes a better choice and just clenches and unclenches her fists. My dick wants attention so badly.
“Delphine…”
Angela’s voice interrupts. “Lunch time!”
Delphine’s eyes flicker with gratitude, more hurtful than her initial disappointment over the pregnancy. This woman resents me, even if I didn’t hurt her at all. I followed my instincts just like she did, but in her mind, I’m worse than the woman who drugged her and removed her faculties.
Angela’s cooking remains competent, but I seethe with frustration at everything she says throughout our lunch together, almost regretful that I returned without coming up with some plan to stash Angela somewhere else.
To make matters worse, I’ll have to bring both of them to the nightclub tonight.
I eat in silence while they chatter together like old friends, only furthering my annoyance.
Delphine and I shared a bed together. We currently share the news of her pregnancy.
But instead of feeling any closer to me, she giggles with my sister like they’re the ones with a real friendship.
I find the entire situation very frustrating, especially since this must have all been a part of Angela’s plan.
I interrupt their giggling over one of Angela’s party girl stories from dance school. I’ve heard more than enough over the years about the adventures of Adderall-abusing ballerinas.
“Angela, I’m leaving you in Mikey’s custody tonight. We’re working at the 9th Circle club and I have no one to watch you here so… you’re both coming with me.”
“I don’t have any clothes here,” Angela protests. I smirk, because I saw that protest coming.
“CC will drop some clothes off in about an hour.”
“That’s my cousin,” Angela says to Delphine, though it would take more than a few months for anyone to catch up on all the intricacies of the mob family drama.
“What about clothes for Delphine?” Angela asks me, as if it’s her role to function as Delphine’s representative after dragging her into our family situation.
“It’s my job to worry about Delphine and your job to stay out of trouble for the next 48 hours.”
“What the fuck, Luigi? I make your favorite lunch and you’re still pissed off.”
“You drugged an innocent woman, Angela. You also chose to disobey my implicit rules and drag this goddamn problem into my life at the worst possible time.”
“What, do you have your period?”
“No, you insufferable brat. Carmine Corsini, the leader of the Pittsburgh mob is dead and his sons and other members of his family are on their way to Buffalo to conduct surveillance on ours.”
She casts a sidelong glance at Delphine, quietly suggesting that her existence in the presence of my “family business” talk presents a unique threat.
She’s right. The more Delphine hears, the more difficult it will be to set her free once this 39 week contract ends.
Angela should have thought of that before drugging this poor woman and manipulating signatures out of us both.
“Will I be helping Mikey tonight?” Angela asks after pausing a beat and renewing our conversation with more appropriate meekness.
“No. Just staying out of trouble. I’ll keep Delphine close.”
Delphine gives me a quick glance, but returns to eating her pasta quietly.
My dick stirs painfully in my pants. I don’t think I can wait until the end of the night to touch this woman, even if every time I touch her, the closeness between us threatens to annihilate my control over this already tenuous contract between the two of us.
We eat in silence until I finish. Once my fork hits the plate, Angela dutifully gets up to clear my place.
She’s on her best behavior because of the Delphine situation, but I’m not sure if it’s enough to earn my forgiveness.
Her timing couldn’t have been worse, especially since I also have the impossible task of keeping Delphine from my father.
He might not mind that I have a surrogate, but a black surrogate…
it just feels forbidden. Italians are not always the most progressive people.
I’d rather not ignite my father’s fury, but while Delphine carries my child, I will suffer his rage and anyone else’s to keep her safe.
I don’t care about her skin color. I don’t care much about anything.
I live, I do what I’m told and when it’s my job to lead, that’s what I do.
With Angela out of the room, some tension leaves my chest.
“Delphine,” I command gently. “Finish your lunch and meet me in the bedroom. We have a lot to discuss. And…”
I linger in the silence for a few seconds, summoning the bravery to be so forward with her and risk so much vulnerability when it would serve me better to keep my distance.
“I missed your lips.”
Delphine’s face flickers with surprise, but her lips tighten with either frustration or anger.
I don’t know her well enough to read those small changes in her facial expressions.
I want to hope that soon, before she gets too round, I’ll know her well enough to anticipate her needs and soften some of her anger towards me.
I shouldn’t care but… I’m not the one who drugged her.
I just foolishly followed through on my instincts, using the contract as justification.
There’s the tiniest amount of guilt plaguing my conscience.
“I’ll be waiting.”
I get up from the kitchen table and leave her behind with Angela, eagerly waiting for Delphine’s obedient response to my commands.