36
The Vitale
My sisters screamed my name when they saw me arrive. I hadn”t seen them in a week, and they were very happy about my return.
My mother was right behind them, her hand suspended on Massimo Capuleto”s arm as if she were the queen consort.
It gave me a tremendous shudder to see how he looked at her. There was no doubt that his expression was that of someone who had already sampled that female body but still wanted more. It didn”t surprise me. My mother was not scrupulous when it came to choosing her sexual partners. She never based it on beauty, as she claimed she had plenty of it. Jelena Petrova was attracted to power, as well as a life filled with luxury and whims. She liked the feeling of being able to bend those men who ruled the world until they licked her feet, drove them crazy, and coveted her more than any other woman.
Who was I to judge her?
Juliet, Romeo”s sister, shared smiles and confidences with Irisha; they seemed to have hit it off. It was the most logical thing; they were of similar age, and my middle sister enjoyed an affable character inherited from... from... from no one. We were not affable.
My younger sister was the most reserved of the three and had quite a temper for her own things, although she still had a long way to go and goals to achieve. Life would take care of giving them to her; she was still very young.
I unhooked myself from Romeo”s arm and received the affectionate greetings from all of them.
”Ciao, bella!” my father-in-law greeted me pleased. ”You look spectacular, as beautiful as your mother. ” He kissed the back of my mother”s hand, who looked pleased. ”And your sisters, of course, ” he muttered gallantly.
”Thank you. ””
”Come, I want to introduce you to the guest of honor at the party. Will you excuse us, dear? ” My mother let go of his warmth so that I could take her place.
”Of course. You look radiant, daughter, ” she said delighted with the outfit I chose.
”You too. You seem to be very comfortable in Marbella. When are you going back to St. Petersburg?”
”We”ll extend it a few more weeks; Massimo is delighted with our company, and we are with his hospitality.” I wanted to tell her that what pleased the Capulet demon was having his tail between her legs, but I kept it to myself.
”Then you can continue talking, ” my father-in-law interrupted us.
”Yes, sorry, go ahead,” my mother muttered serenely.
Romeo stayed by my side as we crossed the area of the outdoor terrace. The night was clear, a pleasant breeze blew, keeping the guests chatting comfortably.”
”I appreciate you inviting Arasagasti and his wife,” I said as
we crossed the courtyard. ”Have they arrived yet?”
”No, not yet. I asked one of my men to let us know when they do. Romeo told me they were important to you and, well, you know family comes first, and you are my daughter now,” he added, patting my hand.
My stomach churned. I wasn”t sure if he said that because he was sleeping with my mother or because he was married to his son, perhaps for both reasons.
The DJ hired to entertain during the dinner was playing chill-out music. Everyone was dressed in their finest attire and jewels. There must have been about seventy people, or even more. Massimo greeted everyone as we passed. We had to stop several times so he could introduce me.
The crème de la crème of Marbella was concentrated there. Celebrities, businessmen, artists, and a diverse crowd were all part of that elite atmosphere.
Behind an area decorated with natural palms, located on a spacious sofa filled with cushions, sat Don Giuliano Vitale, his men, and his closest family.
Don Giuliano, as he was called, was my father-in-law”s brother-in-law, in other words, the brother of Massimo”s deceased wife. He couldn”t attend our wedding for several reasons. Romeo told me that his grandmother, whom they nicknamed Nonna, was hospitalized with food poisoning that had her battling for her life.
Furthermore, they had an altercation which forced his son Salvatore to leave and he also could not attend.
Don Giuliano”s mother had recovered, so they decided to travel the three of them to pay their respects and meet me.
The Capuletos and the Vitales dominated the ”Ndrangheta in Calabria.
Once, I heard my father telling Yuri that initially, they were rival gangs, but Carlo Vitale and Fabrizio Capuleto, tired of keeping the territory divided and full of confrontations that diminished their interests, decided to marry their middle children to solidify their power, grow, expand, and become stronger.
That”s how Massimo Capuleto married Luciana Vitale, a marriage as arranged as mine with Romeo.
”Giuliano, Nonna, Salvatore,” interrupted my father-in-law.
The two men stood up while the grandmother, with a sharp gaze, remained enveloped among cushions. She clung to a polished wooden cane with a silver carved handle featuring three skulls. Could they be the same ones Romeo had tattooed?
”I introduce you to my daughter-in-law, the lovely and charming Nikita Koroleva.”
Both Italians looked at me pleased, especially Salvatore, who was outrageously handsome, with steel-blue eyes that pierced your soul.
”Welcome to the family, Nikita,” Giuliano murmured.
”Grazie mille!” I replied, earning their favor. ”Ma”am,” I nodded toward the woman, who stood up using the cane for support.
”Don”t strain yourself, Nonna, you”re still recovering,” Salvatore scolded her affectionately.
”You were the one convalescing after the beating you took last week, you should be ashamed of losing against four of the Montardis. I”m as fit as a fiddle. Let me see this Russian you”ve married to my Romeo.” The woman was spirited. Her expression was more one of displeasure as she circled around me and stopped in front of me. She wasn”t taller than five feet, but she was certainly full of spunk. ”She lacks flesh everywhere; those hips are not made to bear Capuletos.”
”Maybe because they”re rather made for breaking necks,” I retorted boldly, earning a soft chuckle from Salvatore.
”I hope it”s not necks that have slipped between your thighs,” she replied in Spanish with a heavy Italian accent.
”No, although I won’t deny that all would have wished for it.” Her eyes twinkled and she looked at Romeo.
”Mi piace, she has spirit.”
”I knew you’d like her, Nonna.” My husband, who had been quiet until then, kissed her warmly.
The grandmother welcomed me and blessed me with two kisses that dampened my cheeks. Giuliano and Massimo started discussing some pending business that made me prick up my ears.
”Romeo, may I borrow my new cousin to open the dance floor?” I would have preferred to stay there gathering information, but Salvatore didn”t give me, or Romeo, time to answer. ”Grazie mille, coglione!” he exclaimed, dragging me to the dance floor.
”What did you say to him?” I asked uncomfortably. Romeo seemed to want to crush all his bones.
”I called him a jerk, don”t worry, he”s used to it, I”ve been calling him that since we were kids, it”s a sign of affection from his older cousin.”
”It doesn”t seem like you get along well,” I observed, wanting to know a bit more about him. Salvatore gave me a roguish smile.
”Enough for me to be the elder,” he conceded without clarifying much.
He approached the DJ and, to my surprise, requested a cha-cha-cha. ”Quién Será,” sung by Julio Iglesias and Thalia.
”Let”s see how you move, little cousin. Let”s find out if Russians are as cold as they say, or actually boiling geysers.”
Salvatore pulled my hand to bring me close to him with complete shamelessness. His left arm brushed the line between appropriate and indecent; his right hand interlaced his fingers with mine confidently.
His body was firm and his gaze challenging.
”Be careful, Italian, your daring might just blow you up,” I smiled and licked my lips while he laughed hoarsely.
”I”m looking forward to you making me explode.”
Who will be the one who will love me?
Who will it be, who will it be?
Who will be the one to give me her love?
Who will it be, who will it be?
He moved like an angel. He almost seemed like a professional dancer and it was easy for me to match his rhythm.
”You move wonderfully,” I admired.
”Both vertically and horizontally. Take note.” He was provocative, much like Romeo. We moved together and then he positioned me by his side as we advanced, holding hands, moving forward and back.
I don”t know if I will be able to find her
I don”t know, I don”t know.
I don”t know if I will love again
I don”t know, I don”t know.
I let out an uncontrollable laugh when I found myself spinning like a top until I was snugly fit. My rear rotated against his pelvis.
I have wanted to relive
the passion and warmth of another love.
A circle formed around us to watch, and there, in front of me, was Romeo with a very unfriendly expression, which only fueled me.
From another love that would make me feel,
that would make me happy as I was before.
I lasciviously rubbed against his cousin, raising my arms to allow Salvatore to dangerously caress the sides of my body. The flares of his nostrils swelled, and so did my desire. Salvatore”s right hand rested on my waist, while his left rose to tickle my arm to lower it.
I couldn”t contain myself and I did. He took the opportunity to take me by the fingers and spin me outwards. He let go and we moved apart.
I glanced sideways at Romeo and refocused my attention on the cousin.
Oh, who will be the one who will love me?
Who will it be, who will it be?
Who will be the one to give me her love?
Who will it be, who will it be?
I resumed the basic cha-cha-cha steps to approach Salvatore, circled around him, and let him grab me by the waist. This provided enough anchor for me to arch my back and draw a half-circle in the air, just as I had done at the wedding with Romeo. Would he notice?
I entwined my hands around his masculine neck and let myself sway against him.
We moved, we flowed, we flirted shamelessly, as a couple dancing to such a sexy song should. And I relished it, reveling in the angry expressions of my husband, who was turning redder by the moment.
The eyes of my dance partner weren”t looking at his cousin, but at another person who was getting as tense as my husband, someone who watched with a fiery gaze and eventually left the circle during the last verse of the song when Salvatore pressed his lips against the side of my neck.
”Interesting,” I murmured close to his ear before he pulled away.
The Italian was about the same height as my husband.
”What?”
”Just my thoughts.” I didn’t want to reveal what I had seen until I was sure they weren’t just my hallucinations.
The song ended and we were met with applause. We greeted the enthusiastic crowd, who returned to their own activities, and Salvatore kissed my hand.
Romeo nearly yanked my arm off before I could even say goodbye.
”A pleasure, Nikita!” he exclaimed as I was dragged to the other end of the terrace.
”Likewise.” I couldn”t say more, as I was being swept away by my husband”s hurricane.
Romeo was gripping me excessively hard. If he kept squeezing like this, my forearm would bruise by morning.
”Stop! Let go!” I halted him by shaking off. ”You”re hurting me!” I protested.
He let go and grabbed a couple of glasses of champagne that were being carried by a waiter on a tray.
”What the hell was that?!” he bellowed with a strained voice, handing me one of the glasses.
”A dance.”
”You call that a dance? You were screwing him in the middle of the floor!”
”For God”s sake, Romeo! Don”t talk nonsense. I did what the song required.”
”And did that include rubbing against Salvatore like a bitch?”
”Jealous?” I challenged, draining the bubbly liquid down my throat.
”Not even joking,” he finished his own, ”but I don”t like being made a fool of.” My hand zigzagged across his broad chest, which heaved in frustration.
”The only one making a fool of himself is you with this excessive display of jealousy. What’s wrong, amore? Since when are you and I exclusive to each other?” I pressed against his body, admiring that clenched jaw.
”Don”t mess with me, Nikita.”
”Is that what you want?” I provoked him. ”For me to be only yours? Because I remind you that”s not what we agreed on, and I belong to myself, married or not, you”d do well not to forget that.” I went to kiss him and he turned his face away.
”If you want to kiss someone, go find my cousin,” he declared, stepping away. ”Enjoy the night, I will too.”
Romeo turned and walked away, leaving me with a bittersweet feeling in my stomach.