Chapter 20 #2
“Say one more smart-ass word, and I’ll instruct Emilio to take you home and lock you in my bedroom.
” His voice turns icier than I ever thought possible for someone.
“Don’t fucking test me on this. Keep misbehaving, and I’ll tie you to my bed and spend all night fingering you but stopping right before you’re fucking there .
I’ll keep doing that, like a loop, making you suffer. ”
Jesus .
My jaw drops, and I look at Emilio.
He’s pretending he didn’t hear Julian.
“Eyes fucking on me,” Julian grinds out. “Don’t look at him.”
“Why are you even concerned about Luca?” I snap.
“You let that man finger fuck you. Going forward, you so much as allow a man to touch your arm, I’ll cut his goddamn finger off.”
“That’s a little drastic, don’t you think?” I roll my eyes slowly, so he doesn’t miss me doing it.
“Gen, baby, that’s letting someone off easy. Keep talking, and I’ll connect that finger to a chain and force you to wear it as a necklace.”
I stare at him, unsure of how to reply to that.
Where does he even come up with this bullshit?
He should really be on the writing team for the Saw franchise.
I’m sure he has endless torture and murder ideas in that psycho brain of his.
“I don’t appreciate being bossed around.” With one hand, I jerk the seat belt around my body. It looks awkward, and I almost drop the phone in the process.
He waits until I’m settled before narrowing his eyes at me. “Be a good girl or suffer the consequences later.”
He hangs up on me.
“Asshole,” I hiss, handing the phone back to Emilio.
I’ve been to the Marchetti mansion.
Not many can say that.
I officially can now.
Every woman in this room with me has ties to the Mafia.
It seems I’ve now joined the club.
Neomi and her sisters, Bria and Isabella, who everyone calls Bella, joined us an hour ago. Technically, Neomi lives on the property, just in a separate house with Benny and their baby girl.
The aroma of buttery popcorn fills the air as we hang out in the theater room in Gigi’s wing of the mansion. She may live with Antonio now, but according to Natalia, Cristian has left her space untouched, just in case she ever decides to come home.
“Listen, someone other than me needs to choose a movie,” Natalia says, handing me a popcorn bowl before plopping down in the recliner beside mine. “That way, if it’s terrible, no one can blame me.”
“What kind of monster blames someone for picking a bad movie?” I ask.
“Monster Marchetti,” Natalia, Neomi, and Gigi say simultaneously.
“It’s cute blame,” Natalia says. “Like I’ll punish you in the bedroom for your crappy choice .”
Gigi flings popcorn at Natalia’s head. “Um, gross! That’s my dad, weirdo.”
“Benny does the same with me,” Neomi says from the recliner behind me. “I always pick bad ones because I like being punished.”
She and Natalia burst out in laughter.
Gigi heaves a pillow toward Neomi’s head from across the room. “I hate both of you.” She does a motion of the entire theater. “From now on, no one sleeping with any of my family members is allowed at girls’ night. You losers go pick sucky movies and hang out with your husbands.”
I’ve always wondered how Gigi felt about her father marrying her best friend. From what I’ve heard, it was her idea after she learned Vinny put out a hit on her. If Darcy married my father, I’d literally have to flee the country—à la my mother’s style.
But most fathers and Cristian Marchetti are not the same.
Cristian is a total DILF.
He does not give dad vibes at all.
Natalia digs the popcorn from her hair, drops it into her mouth, and smiles.
Had she chosen a different career than mob wife, she could’ve easily had a modeling career. Her wavy black hair is layered and reaches her ass, and she has curves I’d die for. It’s no mystery why she started a war between two men. A man died for her, and a man killed for her.
“Does it count if we want to sleep with one of your family members?” Isabella asks, pulling her black curls into a high ponytail before shoving a handful of Skittles into her mouth.
Gigi snuggles into her blanket, making herself comfortable, and gives Isabella a pointed look. “If you and Luca ever start bumping uglies and you decide to talk about it, you’ll join the banned list.”
“Then that’s the last you’ll see of me,” Isabella says. “I shall sacrifice girls’ nights for the D.”
“Lame!” Natalia shouts.
“Wait.” I shift, turning in my recliner to peer back at Isabella. “You and Luca are …”
“Are nothing,” she cries out, dramatically throwing her arms and head back. Skittles fly out of the package in every direction.
“In case the dramatics don’t make it obvious, she has a crush on Luca,” Bria explains, leaning toward me.
“Last year, she bought a freaking wishing well on eBay with all intentions of installing it in our backyard. Her plan was to throw pennies into it every night and wish to marry Luca until it came true.”
“Our mother watched too many Disney movies when pregnant with her,” Neomi explains.
“It was The Princess Bride , thank you very much,” Isabella argues. “And don’t be jealous because Mother spent her pregnancy with you watching Jerry Springer . It’s why I’m a romantic and you compare every bald man to Steve, the bodyguard.”
Neomi throws her hands up. “Oh, I’m sorry I compared the one boyfriend you had to him.”
“Was he a boyfriend though?” Bria asks. “You met him online and never in person.”
“I stopped talking to him because you said he looked like he had a condom on his head!”
“It should be written into law that bald men aren’t allowed to wear spandex beanies,” Neomi says with a shrug.
“Not this conversation again,” Gigi groans.
“I agree,” Natalia says. “Let’s have Genesis tell us about her and Julian.”
I choke on the popcorn and hurriedly wash it down with a sip of Dr Pepper. “You know, I watched this Jerry Springer episode once?—”
“Nice try!” Pippa says, walking into the room, holding a sleeping Alessia in her arms. “We want all the details.”
The women stare at me hungrily, waiting for me to feed them juicy gossip.
“There’s nothing to tell,” I say slowly before clearing my throat. “You all know about my father. I’m pretty much homeless, poor, and possibly in legal trouble. Julian is helping me so I’m not sleeping on the street. ’Tis all.”
“Sorry to break it to you, but Julian doesn’t just help someone out ,” Gigi states matter-of-factly. “None of the men in our world do. There’s always a price for something.”
My mouth turns dry.
I know I can trust Pippa, but I don’t know the others as well.
Gigi has unwavering loyalty to Antonio, so I can’t see her betraying me. If anyone wanted to cross me, it’d be Neomi or her sisters.
A few years ago, Vincent Lombardi called a hit on Benny. The bullet hit Neomi instead, and the Cavallaros then joined the war against the Lombardis.
I once heard that unlike many other Mafia bosses, Severino never got angry with his wife when she birthed daughters.
Daughters gave him contracts, which gave him power, and he already had an heir to the throne.
That was, until his son was murdered a few years ago.
Now, Severino has no one to take over his throne, and the Cavallaro name might die with him.
Chills vibrate through my body.
That must be how Julian feels.
While Pippa and Damien have Alessia, there’s no Bellini boy to continue their name through generations.
What if I get pregnant and have a girl?
Will we keep trying until I have a boy?
There was nothing regarding the sex of the baby in the contract.
Bria snapping her fingers in my face breaks me out of my thoughts. “Earth to Genesis!”
“Shoot, sorry.” I brush my fingers through my hair, suddenly feeling a sense of sadness. “We just … a baby.”
Yes, while unable to come up with an explanation, I just said it with one word.
“Baby?” Pippa gasps. “You’re pregnant?” She glances around at everyone. “Someone grab me my phone, so I can tell Damien he’s about to be an uncle!”
“Whoa!” I quickly shout. “I’m not pregnant.”
“Then, spill, or I’m organizing a meeting to plan a baby shower,” Gigi says.
I snatch a Twizzlers from the package beside me. “I’m not pregnant … yet .”
If anyone can understand the logic behind this insanity, it’ll be these ladies.
Marriage contracts are their way of life.
And I think I can trust them.
“We signed a contract,” I add, biting off the edge of the Twizzler.
“A marriage one?” Natalia asks, giving me her full attention.
I shake my head. “A baby one.”
Julian and I discussed marriage, but it wasn’t the sole purpose of the contract.
It was all about a baby.
Bria whistles. “The baby contracts are always the most complicated.”
Neomi snorts. “Okay, Elle Woods .”
“What’s Julian holding over your head?” Natalia asks me.
I take another bite of the Twizzler.
How do I explain to them that my family thought the best way to pay off a debt was to hand over their daughter?
A flush creeps over my cheeks in embarrassment. All along, I believed I came from a good name. I was so wrong. I came from a family of corruption, lies, and ruin.
“You were friends with his sister before her passing, right?” Gigi asks, her voice soft and composed.
I nod.
“Cute,” Isabella comments, holding up a Skittles. “The best friend’s brother trope is my favorite.” She stops, a thought hitting her. “Actually, my second favorite. I’m all about enemies to lovers, baby.”
“Ignore her,” Neomi says, kicking her feet out from the blanket to show off her fuzzy white socks. “What does Julian have on you, Genesis?”
I blink at her. “What do you mean?”
Natalia presses her hand against her chest. “When I agreed to marry Cristian, it was because my ex wanted to kill me. I married him in exchange for protection.”
“I married Benny because of a marriage contract,” Neomi adds.
“When I agreed to marry Antonio, it was because he held a gun to my head … and a priest’s,” Gigi says.