6. Chapter Six
Chapter Six
I AM HIS AND HE IS MINE
Aaliyah
Over seven hundred miles away from the man who betrayed me, and I couldn’t get him out of my head no matter how much I tried. While we rushed from the airport to the hotel, usually the sight of the city calmed any anxiety I suffered from but not today.
I loved New York. It was the first place I visited when I first came to America, and I often came whenever I needed a break from the dangers of work. However, this time New York did nothing to soothe my soul. I’d done everything short of crying myself to sleep to keep my thoughts from drifting to him, but it was no use. My fingers itched to touch his olive skin and ink tousled hair. I longed to gaze into the obsidian pools presently haunting me. I couldn’t escape him. I missed him. It was like my heart was dead and my soul was missing its other half.
Maybe Abel is right. Maybe I should let him explain.
From the safety and comfort of the luxury suite, I settled onto the king size bed, facing the balcony, and observed as the nightlife awakened with the sunset behind the skyscrapers. If you would’ve told me last week I’d be in this place in my relationship with Antonio, I would’ve called you a fool. I never thought he would be the one to betray me.
We’ve had several conversations about his parents and their attempts to marry him off. He always assured me he would choose me, although I believed he wouldn’t because he hadn’t told his parents about us. However, I couldn’t be too mad about that because I hadn’t told Abasi about us either. And it wasn’t because I didn’t believe Abasi would have a problem with Antonio, but he always approached things from a business perspective. If he believed it would benefit the organization in the long run, he’d be all for it, but if he believed it didn’t, I think he’d forbid me to marry him. And I didn’t want to go against Abasi. He was my father even if it wasn’t by blood. But regardless of all of that, seeing it with my own eyes made me loathed this entire situation.
I wiped my tears and wrapped the plush comforter tighter around me, hoping to fall asleep. Maybe with sleep I would have a better perspective on my relationship. If there was a relationship after this. After a good night’s rest, I could gauge whether my reaction was appropriate, or if I overreacted.
I sighed and let the warmth of the bed take over. Just as I was about to fall asleep, the air in the bedroom changed and I caught a whiff of his cologne.
Antonio.
“Get out!” I screamed without facing the man who broke my heart. I heard his footsteps come closer to the bed. “Don’t. Don’t come any closer, Tony. How did you find me? How did you get into my suite!”
I spoke with such disdain that my own ears didn’t recognize my voice. Never had anyone affected me this much. There was no strength left in me to face him. I cried myself into exhaustion and if I looked into his eyes, there was no telling what my reaction would be.
“It doesn’t matter how, I will always find you, Aaliyah. I needed to see you. I would go to the ends of the earth to find you.”
“Well, I don’t want to see you. I don’t want to have anything to do with you. Now if you do not leave, I will call my men and have them escort you out of here.”
“No matter how much you threaten me, Bella, I’m not leaving this room until you listen to what I have to say.”
“Don’t call me that!” I snapped. “I’m not your Bella . I’m not anything to you. Not anymore. Please... please just leave.”
I suppressed the sob that slowly rose in my throat. I couldn’t believe how much this man played me for a fool. I believed he loved me as much as I loved him.
“I’m such a goddamn fool to believe you loved me.”
He let out a sigh. “I do love you, Aaliyah.”
The bed dipped, the covers lifted, and he slid in behind me wrapping his arms around me. I couldn’t deny how much I missed his touch, but I refused to give in to the wants of my flesh and my heart. He threw away everything we tried to build together.
I struggled against his tightening embrace, trying to push him away as anger boiled inside me. “You don’t know what love is!” I seethed. “Let me go! Get out!”
“I’m not leaving Aaliyah!” He tightened his embrace. “You’re going to listen to what I have to say, goddamn it! I love you.”
“You have a funny way of showing how much you love me, Antonio. If that’s how you show your love for me, I don’t want it.”
He tensed then rested his head against the back of mine. I stopped struggling, and we both remained silent for a few moments.
“I was going to tell my parents about us at breakfast,” he said, and I remained silent. “When I arrived, Francesa and her father were already there waiting. I swear on everything I love, Aaliyah, I didn’t know they were going to be there, or I wouldn’t have gone. I had made up in my mind that this arranged marriage bullshit was ending. I want you. No one else.”
“Do you know her?” I asked.
I wanted to know if he’d been having an affair or if she was some unknown woman, they were pushing on him.
“I do.” He let out a heavy sigh, the sound echoing through the room. “Francesa and I grew up together. We weren’t friends but ran in some of the same circles. It was supposed to be a family breakfast. Just me and my parents, but Francesa mentioned my mother invited her and her father. From the way they were acting my mother told them she was my pick from all the marriage prospects.”
“That still doesn’t explain why in the hell she was all over you, Tony! And why you didn’t push her away. Not once did you push her away.”
“I didn’t push her away I can admit, but did you see me return any of her affections, Bella ?”
Abel’s words on the plane echoed in her mind, repeating the same thing over and over.
“I didn’t.”
“I explained all this to you. I have to maintain a show when this shit is going on. All fucking eyes are on me! And it’s disrespectful to do anything against the Don and Donna when in the presence of anyone who is a part of the Five Families.”
“Sounds like bullshit to me, Tony.”
I wiggled free from his tight embrace and slipped out of the warm bed. I needed to put some distance between us.
“It’s not bullshit, Aaliyah. And you know it.”
“How in the hell do you expect me to trust anything you say after what I saw, Antonio? That woman kissed you! Multiple times! You were holding her hand, laughing, having a fantastic time, while I had to sit by watching another woman sit where I should have been. It should have been me!” I hit my chest with the palm of my hand. “Not her!”
In one swift motion, he jumped out of bed and tightly grasped me, drawing me closer to his body before I had a chance to get away. I hated that I found comfort and peace in his embrace even after everything. I should hate him right now, but I can’t.
“Don’t you think I know that!” he shouted. “It should have been you. I wanted it to be you!”
When he looked into my eyes, I could see unshed tears welling up, mingled with a sense of fear and sorrow. “What happened to your face?” I asked, reaching to touch the bruise at the corner of his eyes but I snatched my hand away before I touched his skin.
He didn’t need my pity or my comfort.
“Abel and I had a long conversation, before I came up to see you.”
When I glared at him, he let out a chuckle, which only made me more irritated as I crossed my arms tightly over my chest. I didn’t want them fighting because of me. They were two of the most important men in my life. And this was none of Abel’s business.
“We got a few things straight,” he continued.
“I don’t want you two fighting.” He smiled. “I’m serious, Tony.”
“Listen, he cares for you, and I hurt you. I respect Abel for standing up to me. This won’t be the last time we butt heads when it comes to you, but he also needs to know what my place is in your life. We had words. We threw punches. And now it’s over. At least it’s over until the next time he doesn’t like something I do, or I don’t like something he does.”
“There will be no other times Antonio because you have no place in my life anymore.”
I tried to walk around him, but he grabbed me by the arm, pulling me back to him.
“I didn’t try to hurt you, Aaliyah. I understand you’re angry and why you’re hurt, but I do love you with everything I have in me. I promise I’ll never hurt you again. You are the woman I want to marry. You are the woman I want as my wife. I don’t care about the consequences. I love you and only you.”
“I can’t trust you.”
It hurt to say it, but I feared even if we could fix this, the damage done would make it difficult for me to trust him again. How could a relationship, especially one like ours with so much unknown, survive if we couldn’t trust each other?
“You can trust me, Aaliyah. You know you can. I hurt you, but I’ve done nothing to cause you not to trust me. I haven’t lied to you. I haven’t cheated on you. We are both caught in the middle of this world, and it’s fucked up traditions. But that has nothing to do with the love we share.”
He was right. We both were caught in this world. It was one of the reasons I hadn’t discussed Tony with Abasi. How would he view our relationship? Would he approve of me dating the Underboss of the Italian mafia? Would our relationship affect Abasi’s organization and his ties with others? Like Tony, I had been afraid to take that step to speak with my father. But was not telling Abasi about our relationship anything remotely like what I witnessed?
“Aaliyah, please forgive me, sweetheart. I’m so sorry.”
He dropped to one knee and opened a black velvet box. I couldn’t help but gasp in awe as I saw the stunning brilliance of the single princess-cut diamond, my hands flying instinctively to cover my mouth. I gulped hard, feeling hot tears streaming down my cheeks.
“I had planned on doing this once you got home. Aaliyah Solarin,” he said with tears shimmering in his eyes, “I know I fucked up. But I will spend the rest of my life showing you there’s no other woman for me. Would you make me the happiest man on the planet, and do me the honor of being my wife?”
“What? Tony. You can’t be serious. Not after everything that’s happened.”
“I should have done this a long time ago,” he admitted. “I’ve had this ring just waiting for the right moment. Trying to please my parents almost cost me you and I refuse to lose the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I will give it all up if it means I can spend the rest of my life with you. Just tell me and I’ll walk away from it all, if that means we will be together.”
“Tony...”
In the end I hoped it wouldn’t come down to him giving up his legacy. I hoped he would be able to have both worlds, but I can’t deny how happy I felt that he would choose me over it all.
“Aaliyah, please,” he said, breaking through my thoughts. “Will you marry me?”
All resistance and anger vanished as I looked into the eyes of the man I loved. Seeing him with another woman hurt. Hurt like nothing I’d experienced except the day my parents died. But Abel was right, Antonio loved me. Certain images had to be maintained in our world. I understood this. And I believed he was telling me the truth, even if I didn’t like what he had done. I wouldn’t give him a pass and it would be something he’d have to make up to me, but I could forgive him for the mistake he made.
We had both made mistakes. We should have already told our families and if we had done that, he would never have been in that position in the first place. There was only one thing I could do. I was his, and he was mine.
“I will.”
“You will?” he asked like he didn’t expect me to yes.
I nodded. “Yes, I will marry you, Antonio Rizzo, Jr.”
He jumped up, his powerful arms wrapped around me, and he twirled me around. His enthusiasm was so infectious that I couldn’t help but giggle. When he sat me down and placed the gorgeous ring on my finger, I held it up.
“It’s gorgeous, Antonio.”
“Not as beautiful as you , Bella . I’m so sorry for what I did. And I will spend every day until the day I die showing you I love you with everything that’s in me.”
“I’m going to hold you to that. And I love you, too.”
“I will make this up to you, Aaliyah. You’re my world, and I will do my best to make sure you never doubt my love for you, again.”
“It’s the past now, Antonio.” As I held his face, his eyes shut. As his shoulders relaxed, I realized I had made the right choice. “From this day forward it’s about our future, together.”
Now we just had to get over the hurdle of telling our families.
A gentle kiss brushed across my forehead, pulling me out of my thoughts, followed by a slow, thoughtful kiss to my lips. As I closed my eyes, a deep sense of satisfaction settled within me, causing me to let out a contented sigh. Being in his arms felt right. It felt like home.
My red silk robe fell to the floor, pooling around my feet leaving me bare to him. His tongue explored the supple curve of my lips, and I surrendered to the intense connection we shared—the profound love that bound us.
His moist, firm mouth seared a path down my neck and shoulders, leaving me craving his touch.
“Antonio, please,” I gasped, the desperation in my voice igniting a flicker of desire in both of us.
While he continued to kiss every inch of my heated flesh, I reached down, undone his belt, and unbuttoned his dress slacks, freeing his hardened cock from the confines of his briefs.
The burning need to have him close overwhelmed me, as a sense of urgency washed over my entire being. I needed his hands to touch me, his lips to kiss me. I needed him inside me, and his urgent needs matched my own. As he lifted me off the ground, my long legs instinctively wrapped around his waist, sending a surge of exhilaration through my body. His mouth covered mine hungrily. As his tongue explored the recesses of my mouth, waves of desire washed over me, making my entire body tingle with anticipation.
Pinned against the wall, he entered me with one forceful thrust, igniting a blissful sensation that awakened every nerve in my body. As our lips met, moans of ecstasy escaped, echoing in the air around us.
In between thrusts, he managed to grit out, “I love you, Bella ,” his voice filled with intensity.
My nails dug deeper into the flesh of his taut muscles, drinking in the comforts of his words. As his lips brushed against my nipples, my body instinctively arched towards him, craving more. With each gentle push, each tender kiss, and soft whispers of love, the memories of this morning faded away, replaced by the intensity of this moment.
His lips traced a sensuous path of ecstasy across my body electrifying every nerve in me, solidifying he was all I needed. Kneading the flesh of my ass while he plunged in and out of me, his expert touch sent waves of pleasure swimming through my veins.
Our pleasure was pure and passionate, like a blazing flame. My toes curled. My nails scoured his back. He drove me beyond the point of no return. Hypnotized with everything he offered, my body tingled under his masterful control teetering on the edge of blissful release.
“Tony!” I shouted in delight, surrendering completely, my slick channel clenching his hardened length.
With his frantic movements, and his grip tightening on my ass, he let out a loud moan, uttering my name in ecstasy.
“Aaliyah, Aaliyah,” he chanted, coating my walls with his release.
It was one of the most beautiful and erotic things I had the pleasure to witness.
I sighed in enjoyable exhaustion. “That was amazing.”
He gazed at me, and it was like I could see into his soul. “You are amazing, my love. My Bella .”
I couldn’t deny that his presence gave me joy. Everything wasn’t perfect. There were things we definitely needed to work on and through especially with what I witnessed with that woman. However, I wouldn’t stop myself from being happy.
Antonio was my happiness. My future.
My smile broadened. “I love you, always.”
“And I love you,” he responded. “Always.”
Bliss encompassed me, and I felt alive again. Today, I was engaged to the man that I loved. I would enjoy the peace we felt in this moment, and tomorrow tackle our families.