Chapter 6
Romero couldn”t bear sending his betrothed home this time, wanting to spend as much time with her as his schedule would allow.
So, he had his chef cook up a marvelous dinner for just the two of them.
They sat side by side, leaving the long dining table widely empty.
Between small bites of her food, she gazed at the fabulous paintings and architecture.
”Do you like it in here?”
”It”s beautiful...”
Her big eyes wouldn”t even blink as her head fell back, staring at the crystal chandelier.
Romero dragged his finger tip down the column of her slender throat, pushing aside the thoughts of wrapping his whole hand around it.
”How would you like to have the wedding reception here? Chef has already promised the finest feast.”
His girl eagerly nodded, but then appeared nervous as she twiddled her fork.
”How many invitations did you send out?”
”I haven”t, yet. I wanted to go over the numbers with you to be sure you”ll be comfortable. The church does have a three hundred people capacity. However, I consider that excessive. So what do you say we chop that in half? That leaves the very important people who are in our corner, as well as family. Do you have more relatives?”
Lucrezia shook her head.
”It”s only ever been me and my parents...”
Romero quickly redirected, not wanting her to be reminded of them.
”That”s fine. You”ll have a great time with my family. And they”ll love you.”
Lucrezia lifted her fork again but hesitated.
”How do you know?”
”Well, my mother has been begging me to marry since I was twenty, shortly after I took all of this over. I was eighteen then, so it was 1908.”
Lucrezia’s eyes squinted.
“You were born in 1890?”
“Correct,” Romero confirmed, continuing to wolf down his food.
It looked somewhat odd next to his demure woman who was still picking at her plate.
“I was born in 1900. You’ve got ten years on me. I’m not too…young for you?”
“Baby, you’re perfect for me. Any maturity gap between us is long closed. You are an adult woman like I’m an adult man. I’d still be head over heels for you if you were 300.”
His little girl’s nose wrinkled as she laughed, the most beautiful thing he had ever heard.
“That’s fair. What do you mean ”took over?””
Romero swallowed the knot that immediately formed in his throat.
Fuck, he hadn”t meant to word it that way.
She wasn”t ready for this story.
When will she be ready?The little voice in his head goaded him.
She”s going to be your wife. She needs to know what she”s marrying into.
Romero cleared his throat to drown out the anxious thoughts.
”My uncle Tomasso was boss before me. He”s dead, and now it”s mine.”
”Oh.”
His bride was silent from there on, clearly hurt by his clipped response.
His body went into panic mode, fearing he had lost her affection for him, even if it was only beginning to build.
Romero attempted to remedy the situation by pulling her onto his lap.
”I didn”t mean to be curt, baby. I”m sorry. Just sit right here on me.”
Lucrezia resisted his arm around her middle.
”No, I can sit by myself.” Her hurt expression turned into annoyance.
”I know. I want you here.”
”Maybe I want to sit in my own chair.” Lucrezia stubbornly thrashed in his lap.
He bit back a groan as she struggled over him. A few seconds more, and she was going to feel exactly how much he enjoyed her like this.
”Lucrezia, be still.”
Her head whirled to him, frustration in her brown eyes.
”No!”
”No?”
”Did you not hear me the first time? I said no!”
That sealed the deal.
Romero pulled both of their bodies away from the table and stood her up.
Lucrezia wrenched herself away, defiantly crossing her arms with her ankles firmly together.
”That”ll warrant you another spanking.”
”No, it won”t.”
Romero tilted his head, calculating in his mind how many times his palm was going to land on her ass tonight.
”This isn”t up for debate, Lucrezia. You didn”t listen to me when I told you to be still, and you got smart with me. That”ll earn you a pretty sound punishment.”
He made a move to take her by the hand, but she averted his touch. When he tried again, she swayed once more, backing up until they started rounding the table.
She was much smaller than him but lighter on her feet. Even in heels.
”Lucrezia, you will stop this game right now and get on this table.”
”I don”t want to get on the table.”
She put even more distance between them, grasping a chair.
Was she actually going to try and throw something?
As silly as this little game of hers was, his cock was now painfully hard, pressing against the fabric of his pants.
Romero almost wanted her to turn around and try sprinting out of the room.
His mind created a sick fantasy of pursuing her throughout his house until he caught her, reddening her insufferable ass until she cried, then kissing it all away by ravaging her there right on the fucking floor.
His forehead actually broke out in a sweat as they continued circling the table.
”How long do you think you can keep this up, perla?”
She didn”t answer as her eyes darted from side-to-side, clearly mapping an escape route.
”You”re only adding to your punishment, little girl. Give up now, and get on this table with your ass up, and Daddy may spare you a few dozen spanks. If not, you”ll pay for it in full.”
His bratty bride folded her slender arms again, then smirked. A roll of her eyes followed until they landed back on him.
Sweet God, he felt himself swell and his blood vibrate in his veins at her blatant defiance.
Romero yanked her body with a growl. Lucrezia landed against him with a gasp that he silenced when he pressed his lips to hers.
He wrapped a hand around her delicate neck to muffle any further screams.
Damn her attitude, he was beginning to like it.
He thought this too soon, as she in turn bit down on his lip and almost drew blood.
”Oh, you little-”
Lucrezia”s body was stiff as a board as he lifted her into his arms and planted her on the table flat on her back himself.
”You”re too bratty for your own good, little girl.”
Romero quickly rolled her on her stomach and pulled her legs over the edge, enough so her small feet dangled.
Her head turned in a panic as he flipped up her dress, fisting the fabric in a threat to rip it.
”Romero!” She seethed while glaring daggers at him.
”I”ll end up ruining this pretty dress if you want to try a little stunt like this again. So I suggest you take this punishment like a good girl.”
He tore her knee high stockings from her legs, balled one up tight and held it in front of her face.
”Open your mouth.”
”No!”
”Lucrezia, final warning.”
Romero waited for a response, to which she gave none.
With one single slap on the bottom, she opened her mouth to cry out.
He used the opportunity to gag her then, much to her aggravation.
”I told you, if you rolled those eyes at me again, I would punish you. I”m sure my men are around the house somewhere, too. So, they could surely hear you if you yell.”
Romero leaned over her, nipping her ear with a dark chuckle.
”You”re my little girl, Lucrezia. My little girl to spank and mine to pleasure.”
Without warning, he began his punishment. Sure enough, his perla kicked and gnashed through her gag, fighting him every step of the way.
Lucrezia balled her fists up on the table, pounding it when he let down some extremely hard smacks.
Romero”s palm began to tingle, and a pretty bright pink tinge colored her cheeks, as well as the ones on her face, which were stained with tears now.
He gave her a break, moving her wet hair from her face.
Romero caught a fresh tear, rolling it between his thumb and forefinger before sucking it into his mouth. His cock swelled even more, aching for release.
He pressed himself into her, watching the realization hit her face.
”Are you okay, perla? Look at Daddy. Nod if you”re all right.”
After a moment, his bride nodded.
Romero exhaled, leaning further in to give her a kiss on the mouth behind her gag.
”Mine,” he hissed before rapidly standing up right again and resuming his discipline.
By now, Lucrezia was slowly giving up her fight. She clawed the glossy finish on the table, looking for any relief she might find to be able to crawl away from him.
But she”d never get away from him.
Never.
Romero knew that much when it came to their relationship. He had already admitted it to himself. The question was, had she?
His hand slowed as he groaned. His breath was the only other thing to be heard in the room besides her muffled sobbing.
A puddle of tears had accumulated beneath her face.
Immediately, he removed her stockings from her mouth and picked her back up.
She winced when her sore ass hit the table, so he sat them both down in a chair, Romero taking care to provide cushion beneath her as he let her wail into his chest as much as she needed.
”Shhhh. Let it out, perla. That”s it. That”s Daddy”s good girl.”
Lucrezia sniffled.
”No, I”m not. If I was, you wouldn”t keep having to punish me.”
Lucrezia limply allowed him to sit her up carefully. He took his handkerchief out and cleaned her face himself.
”Lucrezia, I correct you because I know it”s what you need. Just like when I put you over my lap for looking at my papers. I threatened to spank you for rolling your eyes, which you then did again just now as well as skirt away from me when I was going to discipline you. You also didn”t stay on my lap when I told you to. What do all of these things have in common, Perla?”
Romero watched her search her brain, uncomfortably shifting on his thighs. She didn”t leave her spot, though.
”I-I don”t know.”
”It”s all the markings of a woman who didn”t have much structure or discipline in her life. Your parents” main form of communication is yelling and condescending comments.”
He wanted to snarl at the mention of her mother and father. They were lucky they were even receiving an invitation to the wedding.
”That”s true....” Lucrezia mumbled with her head down.
”And I”m sure they sent you to some stuffy, ridiculous school with scary nuns who had penchants for rulers. To this day, nuns even scare me.”
Romero shuddered, making her laugh through a few leftover tears.
”That”s true, too...whatever I did to warrant a punishment in school usually bled into home, too. Then Mamma and Papà would punish me again. The cycle just...continued.” She made a circle with her finger.
”Exactly. No room for you to grow and thrive in such an environment. What happened after school? Did you pursue higher education?”
Lucrezia shook her head.
”My grades were average. Mamma and Papà said I wasn”t made for anything else and said I should just get married and start a family. But then, I couldn”t do that right, either. No men really came courting for me. And when Carlo and I got married, nothing I did then was ever right, either. Nothing was ever good enough.”
His bride frowned, making lines in her pristine face.
More than anything, his palm itched to make everyone who ever laid a hand on his bride hurt the way she was hurt. He was thankful whatever nuns beat her were likely long dead, but that left her parents.
How the hell was he going to get through this wedding without wanting to snap her father”s neck?
”Think about how you feel now, perla. Do you feel better now that you”ve had an emotional release? Two today, counting what we did in my office.”
Romero brought her close, nuzzling into her hair and growling until he made her giggle again.
Anything to make her frown go away.
”I think...I feel better.”
”Because we”re talking now. I”m holding you, petting you, and showing you that you”re still my girl. My bratty little fiancée.”
He tapped her adorable nose, wiping away any remnants of tears, and letting her rest against his chest again. She curled up like a little cat against his body, looking much more comfortable on his lap now.
After some time had passed, his maids collected their meals when called upon, and Romero began to walk her out.
But damn it to hell, he wanted her to stay.
As usual, he hailed the cab, secured her safely inside, and paid the driver to see her home safely.
”You don”t always have to pay for my cabs, you know. I can do it sometimes.”
Lucrezia peeked up at him behind her long lashes.
”Not a chance, piccola perla.”
Romero kissed her again, shut the door, and waved his bride off.
Pocketing his hands, he walked back into the house, locking the doors behind him himself. He observed his guards changing shifts right at nine on the dot.
Guards in the back entrance of the house should have been switching out as well.
He was confident in his system of security but couldn”t help but feel like he needed more. Lucrezia would be living in his house in less than two weeks time. She”d be lucky if he wasn”t at her side at all hours of the day. Romero couldn”t think of a single reason why he couldn”t have at least one eye on her at all times.
As he jogged upstairs, Romero forced himself to walk past the spare rooms. He was sure the maids were keeping her wedding gown there.
He wouldn”t spoil it, though. His mother would whack him over the head for bringing bad luck to the wedding day if she knew.
He locked his bedroom door behind him as well, a habit he had trained himself to complete ever since the day he and Lucrezia became engaged.
This bedroom would surely make her happy. His decorator knew his style well, though he kept furniture at a minimum. That would change once she began sleeping in his bed.
She didn”t know it yet, but he ordered a fabulous French country, pearl white wardrobe just for her. A matching vanity was on the way as well.
Romero also planned on having canopy curtains installed in their bed, wanting to be able to shut the world away when he was with his wife. No outside influences. He was determined not to be like his uncle, bleeding work and family together until nothing could differentiate the two.
It was one of the many reasons why everything that he had built nearly came crashing down.
Romero opened his balcony doors and stood in the cool, night air, wishing he hadn”t let the topic of his uncle slip in Lucrezia”s presence.
He wanted to bury it forever and forget what Tomasso had done. But if he did, his descendants would never learn how to keep history from repeating itself.
Uncle Tomasso was as ruthless as he was idiotic; letting the businesses nearly go under and almost bankrupting the family, to getting himself involved in deals with other families to save his own ass. Not to mention how he flaunted and drew attention to himself every damn where he went.
Romero clenched and unclenched his fist on the cold balcony. No, he would be better than Tomasso. He had to be better.
If he squinted his eyes, he could see the cab that he put Lucrezia in stop at the far corner. A painful pressure developed in his chest at the loss of her hands around him.
Her very presence was beginning to have a calming effect on him, noticeable by his men. Even they relaxed around his fiancée. Her gentle nature seemed to infect-or breathe air into-their environment.
Whether she would grow to love him or not, Romero knew where his feelings stood. He had come so close to telling her when she was on his desk, just on the brink of coming for him.
He loved everything she did. Every noise she made, every small smile she let slip, and he loved her body.
Romero would honor his vows he would take on their wedding day, whether or not love blossomed between the two of them. This much, he promised himself.
Lucrezia would be safe in this life and under his roof or he would die trying.