Epilogue
THE NEWLYWEDS SAID their goodbyes at the stroke of midnight, and their guests cheered wildly as Cesare swept a blushing Penelope up in his arms before swiftly striding out of the ballroom and carrying her straight into a waiting chopper whose enormous blades were whipping up gusts of wind that had the long train of her gown dancing in the air.
Her cheeks were flushed with excitement as he settled her down on her seat, and Cesare carefully placed a pair of headsets over her ears before taking his place next to her and putting on a pair of his own.
"Try talking, " he urged her.
Penelope was visibly startled upon seeing him lips move as he yelled the words out ... only to have her headset course the sound to her ear like he hadn't raised his voice at all.
"You yelled, didn't you?"
"I did."
The chopper finally took off, and he saw her entire face glow and her eyes sparkle with excitement when she realized they were airborne.
Ah, fuck.
Even though Cesare was by now well aware of how over-the-fucking-top his need to cherish his wife could get, every time he saw his Penelope looking excited like a kid like this, he just wanted to spoil her rotten and give her the moon and the fucking stars.
Penelope tugged his hand, asking, "Where are we going?"
"I have a place up in the mountains. We'll be there in half an hour. It's very secluded, and our closest neighbor is miles away."
"That sounds lovely."
"Ever skinny-dipped?"
Her eyes widened.
"Inhibitions have no place in one's honeymoon, tesoro..."
Cesare had only meant to tease her when saying this, but before he could take the words back, Penelope surprised him by suddenly looking resolute as she nodded.
"It's a promise then. No inhibitions—-"
His lips twitched at the fierceness of her tone. "You do not have to force yourself—-"
"I'm not! I promise! Because you're right. This is our honeymoon, and...and this once, I don't want to be shy. I want to be...adventurous!"
"In what way?"
Cesare was expecting her to suggest they try the usual outdoor activities such as cliff diving, rock climbing, and paragliding. But instead—-
"I don't just want to skinny-dip," his wife blurted out. "I...also want to have sex in the forest! And I...I want to fuck while we're in the water, and—-" She bit her lip before saying in a rush, "Do you think you can teach me how to stop gagging every time I try to give you a blow job? I...I really love sucking on your cock, but it's just so big, and it always hits the back of my throat, and I hate how I can't seem to make it all the way to the end and have you cum inside of my mouth and—-"
Cesare felt it was time to cover said mouth, and he had a hard time keeping his face expressionless as Penelope looked up at him in confusion.
"As much as I would love to hear about the rest of your, er, goals for our honeymoon..." He inclined his head in the direction of the two men seated in the cockpit, and the moment his wife caught a glimpse of their reddened cheeks—-
An aghast-looking Penelope flung his hand away from her mouth. "D-Don't t-tell me..."
"Sì, tesoro—-it is exactly what you think. Our good pilot and his co-pilot have heard everything you said—-"
"B-But they're not wearing headsets!"
"They are, mia moglie. It is just not as obvious as ours since they are using in-ear headsets—-"
"Oh God."
She tried to cover her face with her hands, but he wouldn't let her, and instead cupped her chin so that he could whisper against her lips—-
"I just had the nicest idea, tesoro. Since our honeymoon has officially begun the moment we left, and you promised to shed your every inhibition during this time—-I want to make you cum. Right here, right now."
"Cesare!"
"I can touch you under your skirt, and no one will see anything."
"D-Don't you dare—-"
"But of course, what they're able to hear is a different story..."
AS PENELOPE INEVITABLY joined another mile-high club with the studious help of her mafia boss, most of the guests they had left behind were practically crying tears of joy now that they were finally free to update their social media feeds.
The no-cellphone-rule had been strictly enforced throughout the evening, but now that the newlyweds had already left for their honeymoon, many were busy competing with each other as to which of them could be the first to upload (and thus gain the most likes) a photo of the groom's spectacular wedding gift for his bride: a declaration of ownership permanently tattooed right above his heart.
PROPERTY OF PENELOPE SORRENTO MILTON MARCHETTI
And as for the few guests whose attention was not firmly on their phones—-
"I still can't believe Penelope promised to get herself a matching tattoo," Sarica exclaimed. "She's crazy scared of needles or just getting pierced in any way—-"
"I wouldn't go as far as saying that," Giancarlo interjected mildly.
Sarica's gaze narrowed. "Is that your way of saying you know something I don't?"
"No, dolcezza. I only mean to remind you that there are more ways than one for a woman to be pierced by her lover."
Ezio and Gazelle did their best to hold back their smiles upon seeing Sarica blush at the innuendo in their eldest brother's words.
Massimo, in the meantime, was ready to call it a night when their grandmother asked to speak with him in private.
"Why do I have a feeling this isn't going to be good?" Massimo teased as he walked her to one of the private balconies circling the ballroom.
"Because you take after me."
"Conscienceless?"
"Intuitive."
A crooked smile touched Massimo's lips as he stepped back from his grandmother. "Since it is not your style to waste time on flattering any of your grandsons—-what you're about to command me to do must be something incredibly important."
Since Potenziana saw no point beating around the bush, she simply met her grandson's gaze and said her piece.
"I have found a bride for you."
A muscle started ticking in Massimo's jaw. He had known this day would come sooner or later, but wasn't this a little too soon?
"Her parents and I expect both of you to be married in a fortnight."
"Am I allowed to know who she is before our wedding?"
"You already know her," La Strega answered with a shrug. "Ynez—-"
Massimo blinked. Seriously?
"She has an older sister, sì? Ysabel—-"
Massimo stared at his grandmother in disbelief. "Are you fucking—-"
"Language, per favore!"
"You can't be serious!"
"I am, very."
"Isn't this is a little too much, even for you, Nonna ?"
"Are you saying you will not obey me on this?"
A moment passed...and then Massimo was inclining his head in mocking assent. " Certo che no, Nonna." Of course not. "It will be as you wish, as always."
"If it means anything—-Ynez will get over losing you." But Potenziana could not say the same for Ysabel...if this marriage did not work out.
Massimo politely excused himself soon after, but the older woman stayed in the balcony, needing to be alone with her thoughts.
The two sisters were as different as day and night, and truth be told...
Buon Dio, I have indeed turned into a meddling old woman.
She would never have chosen the older girl for Massimo...if she had not accidentally found out about Ysabel's feelings for him.
Now it is your turn, bambina.
Potenziana could only hope Ysabel would succeed in stealing her grandson's heart...or it was the girl's own heart that Massimo would end up breaking instead.
The End