Chapter 5 – Penelope
I t was the wine. I could drink whiskey and hold my own with any of the boys. But whatever was in that burgundy vintage had my head spinning.
Or maybe it was the fact that you drank nearly two bottles! I pushed the inner voice aside and fought through the buzz.
An hour ticked by, and we were still sitting in the corner of the fancy room. Poppy spun the bracelet around her wrist, staring at a spot on the floor. My own wrist felt naked. At least the charms I’d spent my life collecting had meaning. That sparkle on Poppy’s wrist was only meant to dazzle. If there was sentiment behind the calculated gesture, I missed it.
Massimo was off talking with some of the other guys. And that guy Dante? He kept coming and going. It was as if he made regular appearances to check in with his handler only to disappear when no one was looking.
The temptation to follow him was strong. If I hadn’t felt the overwhelming need to stay close to my baby cousin, I would have.
So I sipped my red wine and stayed put. Sitting on the fancy ivory couch, it was all I could do not to spill. I was clearly out of my element, and I knew better than to drink any more. But the red in my glass never seemed to empty, thanks to the servants who appeared out of thin air to refill it. I liked the wine better than the bubbly, sweet stuff Uncle Tito brought when the beastly man gave my poor little mouse the gaudy, hideous bracelet.
I flicked a glance to the shiny thing. It was undoubtedly expensive, just like the massive rock on her finger. They looked wrong on her. As if her fiancé didn’t know the first thing about the woman he’d spent so much money on.
The missing piece of the puzzle slipped into place, sobering me instantly.
Nooo….
That was just…wrong. It couldn’t be the case.
“Bathroom,” I hissed, snatching Poppy by the arm and tugging her from the uncomfortable couch that looked like something from Pride and Prejudice.
I managed to navigate us out of the room, but Poppy took over from there, guiding us to the large bathroom that only had a toilet and sink.
The door slammed like a clap of thunder.
Poppy jumped. “Jeezus, Penny, you okay?”
“No, and you aren’t either.” I placed a hand on either side of her shoulders. “Poppy, are you being sold to that asshole?”
Her eyes widened. Hushed protests fell from her lips, but I saw the truth in her eyes.
“Okay, call it whatever you want, but you’re being forced into this,” I insisted. “Don’t bother lying, I can see it in your face.”
My cousin looked away.
“Mouse! This isn’t right.” I pulled her close, wrapping my arms around her.
“I hadn’t even met him before tonight,” she croaked, voice barely audible.
Oh, mother of god! How the hell was that even possible?
I pushed the rising panic down. This was exactly what my mother fled. Why she wouldn’t talk about her childhood. She too had been engaged once. While she hadn’t said much, I understood now.
“You aren’t marrying him,” I declared.
“Sshhhuuush!” Poppy tugged at me. “Quiet, please! They can hear you.”
“Poppy—”
But my teeny, tiny cousin pulled away. She straightened, chin tipping up with determination. “It’s the way things work here, Penny. It’s tradition, and he’s a good match.”
“He’s a—” I couldn’t even form the words.
“He’s a what?” she dared.
I pursed my lips. “This is mob business, isn’t it.”
Surprise widened her eyes. “You know?”
“Yes, I know,” I said with a touch too much bite. Pausing, I took a deep breath. “Are you in danger?”
“What?” she laughed. “No! Not that.”
“Then help me understand,” I insisted.
“Papà found me someone who can protect and provide for me. Signor Mancini is a don, a boss, just like papà.” Poppy smoothed her hands over her pretty flowery blush dress.
Garh! She looked too young in that shade of pink with the full skirt. “You have to be joking.”
“I’m dead serious.”
“You can’t marry a man you don’t know!” I protested.
She jumped to clap a hand over my mouth. “I’m doing as is expected of me. Try to understand. And if you can’t, don’t ruin this for me.”
Her big brown eyes begged me to understand. That wasn’t possible. But somehow, I found the strength to nod. It was what she needed right now. Later, when my head was cleared, we were going to talk about this.
“Thank you,” she whispered. With that, my cousin slipped from the room.
I could have fallen into the wall if a feather brushed against me. Maybe I was more buzzed than I thought.
And then an even worse realization tore at me. “Oh, shoot. No! Just…no.”
What if my uncle required the same obedience from me? I’d come here to bargain, hadn’t I? I was expecting to work for him—hopefully as an assistant, but I would go so far as to be a maid or something equally grueling since I didn’t have a fancy business degree to offer.
But what if I was just a pound of flesh to him? Could I allow him to sell me to save my mother?
I grabbed my suddenly tight throat. I needed to go upstairs, probably take a shower, and think about this where I could have time and space to process the possibility.
Hurrying from the bathroom, I took the corner and ran into a wall.
A warm wall, one that smelled like woods and a deep, intoxicating musk.
I took a second inhale of the spicy scent before I could stop myself.
“I was wondering where you ran off to,” the wall rumbled.
I knew that voice.
Our eyes clashed, and I took an involuntary step backward. While he came across as cold and unfriendly with my uncle, and icy and cruel when standing next to my cousin, there was something pulsing underneath that frozen exterior.
Something lupine and hungry.
“Goodnight, Mr. Mancini. I can’t say it was nice to meet you,” I blurted out, my tongue taking on a mind of its own.
The corner of his mouth twitched. “I didn’t think you were one to run away.”
“I’m not. But I also know that you shouldn’t be alone with another woman when you are engaged to someone else,” I snapped.
He had the audacity to chuckle.
My molars ground hard. The nerve! This man was nothing short of infuriating. I muttered a wish that he’d be trampled and shoved past him.
His arm shot out to capture me. He held my wrist tight. His touch burned the skin, but the look in his eyes made me shiver.
“If you have something to say to me, say it to my face,” he growled.
The sound sent a shiver straight through my body, making my toes curl.
“I think you’re a monster.” I tipped my chin up, refusing to back down from his icy, unfeeling stare.
“You’d be right, carina. I am the worst kind of monster.”
Rage spiked in my blood. There was no way in hell Poppy was marrying this man. Right there, without a plan, I vowed it to myself. I would move heaven and earth to end this engagement.
“Sleep well…Penelope.”
My name was silver rolling off his tongue. He held my wrist a moment longer before releasing me.
Not bothering to offer him the same wellness, I walked away with careful, practiced steps, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing me flee. I felt his gaze follow me, and it took a lot of hot water and soap to banish the lingering reminder of his touch in the shower.
The sun baked the decorative stones around the glittering pool. The freshly squeezed orange juice sweated in my hand. Unfortunately, I could see myself getting too comfortable here. There were no chores to help with, no herd was demanding my attention, and no grueling shift at the local Holiday Inn & Suites was waiting for me following ranch work. Best of all, the housekeepers I managed weren’t blowing up my phone with a crisis, and it truly felt as though I was on vacation—and not the annual trips with my family.
When the hell was the last time I had an escape? I sipped the cup until it was empty.
If I was being technical, this wasn’t a vacation. But with the sparkling sunlight and endless availability of food that I didn’t have to prepare, it sure seemed like paradise.
One blissful morning. That was all I was allowed to enjoy. There was a different kind of work demanding my attention, but since Uncle Tito was busy, I could take advantage of the moment to relax. I set the empty cup down and rose.
Poppy flipped through a bridal magazine, keeping her body carefully tucked under the shadow of the big umbrella. My cousin seemed…eager to marry. Why, I still couldn’t say. But she’d woken me up with a smile and stack of magazines. She wanted my opinion on every detail and told me over and over that anything could be changed if I thought something else would be better.
I had to bite my tongue when I thought her choice in groom should be the first thing to go.
Any determination to talk her out of the situation fled with the morning sun. It was her life, and who was I to judge? Even if it felt wrong deep in my bones. I was a guest here, I had my own agenda, and there were clearly facets of this situation related to my uncle’s sketchy business that I didn’t quite understand. So we’d spent most of the morning chatting about the big day—which was a lot closer than I would have guessed.
“The water’s calling my name,” I moaned dreamily. It was clear, didn’t reek of chlorine like the hotel’s pool where I worked, and it was much better than the murky pond back on my brother’s property where we’d let loose when too many light beers hit.
“You still haven’t answered my question,” Poppy pressed.
A long sigh escaped. I couldn’t in good conscience be a participant in this farce. But how could I not stand by her side if she truly needed me to face her husband at the altar? Making an excuse about the timeframe or work could easily be the solution, if I really wanted to avoid being present at the wedding. It came down to whether I wanted to stand by her or not.
And the poor thing wanted me there. The eagerness shone in her eyes.
“I’ll only be your maid of honor if you promise the dress won’t be hideous,” I said sternly, pointing a finger at her.
Poppy squealed and launched from her chair, slipping into the sunlight to wrap me in a hug. It was hard not to let the enthusiasm wash over me.
Maybe, just maybe, the surly giant was her prince charming on a valiant steed.
The beast sure as hell wasn’t my cup of tea.
“What’s this?” Massimo cheered, coming up the path from the house.
I looked over to him, a snarky comeback on my tongue about helping him sacrifice his sister to the god of darkness, when the very monster appeared behind my cousin.
With that strange magnetism, our gazes collided. An explosion of sparks shot through my traitorous body.
Stop it!
I didn’t find him handsome or worth my attention. The reaction was purely because I saw him for what he truly was. There was no other reason for these feelings pulsing through me.
I forced myself to give him a once over.
Nope, he definitely wasn’t my cup of tea. I didn’t find him attractive in the slightest, and who the hell wore a full suit at eleven in the morning? At the pool!
Poppy untangled herself from my side, reaching for her coverup and tugging it over her swimsuit. “Signor Mancini, I wasn’t expecting you.”
“I have business with your father, signorina.” But he wasn’t looking at her.
No, that calculating, frigid gaze was laser focused on me. Deep in those inky pools of blackness, a raw emotion flickered. If I had to name it, it resembled possession.
But that was ridiculous.
I planted my hands on my hips. “So you’re the reason I can’t speak with Tito this morning. Can you hurry it up so I can have my turn? I really need to talk to my uncle.”
A muscle in his jaw feathered.
“Penny!” my cousin hissed. “What’s gotten into you?”
That was a good question. Normally, my customer service face was easy to fake.
Ah, who am I kidding? There was a reason I was head of housekeeping and not front of house at the hotel. District management passed me over time and time again, stating that I wasn’t qualified to be more than head maid.
I pushed the pain of their rejections away. I was here now, with the intent to join the mob. There would be ample opportunity for me to prove my worth here.
“Signore, may I get you a drink?” my perfect little cousin rushed to add.
Massimo, busy on his phone, looked up. “Me too?”
His sister smiled and disappeared. Whatever Massimo was going to say was cut off with the ring of his phone. He held up a finger and wandered around the pool, animatedly speaking in Italian.
That left me alone with the prick in the expensive suit.
I refused to let him know it bothered me that I was basically naked in front of him. It would take a lot more than that to make me uncomfortable.
“Did you have a headache this morning, signorina?” he said, voice deep and gravelly.
I narrowed my eyes. “I’m not a lightweight, Mr. Mancini.”
Garh! How could he stand there, planning to take my sweet baby cousin and not see anything wrong with it? He was ancient! Okay, maybe not decrepit, because those sculpted features weren’t touched by age. But—but—
He was all wrong for her.
In the bright light of day, I couldn’t avoid the obvious. And as was my habit, I couldn’t keep my damn mouth shut.
“How old are you?” I demanded.
His mouth twitched. “That’s a very personal question.”
He had the nerve to tease me.
I marched forward. “No, not really. Because you know what I think?”
He hummed, a deep, delicious, masculine rumble.
Which only pissed me off more.
“I think you’re too old to get married.”
Those lips curved up. “I don’t believe there is any maximum cap on the situation.”
“Too old for her,” I clarified.
Amusement flicked in his eyes as he remained focused on me. There was a definite air of danger about him. Every instinct in my veins screamed not to mess with him.
And yet I was the fool stepping into his space. “You can’t marry her.”
“She’s eighteen and has agreed to the arrangement.”
“She’s nineteen, you beast. Garh! You don’t even know anything about her,” I hissed.
The smirk playing in the corners of his mouth was all it took.
An all-consuming anger surged through me. How dare he? How freaking dare he! I lunged.
This time, he caught me. The force of my spring was enough to send us both toppling, however. The scream was cut off by the water as the pool rushed around us, and I remembered at the last second to hold my breath.
Hard hands gripped me.
I struggled and fought.
Oh, mother of god, this is it! He was going to drown me.
Only…he didn’t.
The beastly wolf drug me to the surface.
“What the fuck was that?” he bellowed, the mask of careful control gone.
Good, this was the real beast, and now everyone could see him as the raging fiend I knew him to be!
“Are you trying to drown me?” he barked.
“Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be working,” I snapped and swiped at him. He dodged me easily. “Let me go, I can swim.”
I looked around, ready to point a finger and show everyone just how dangerous this man was. How grouchy and how completely unsuitable.
There was no one.
Massimo was gone. No servants flitted about. And Poppy was still in the house.
I jerked, tugging on his hold. “Let. Me. Go.”
A low sound rumbled through that broad chest. “Say please.”
“Oh, hell no!” I protested, but my voice caught too high.
There we were, floating in the pool, entirely too close for comfort. Water dripped from his face, but otherwise he looked…handsome as ever. His touch slid up my arms, capturing me around the shoulders. My pulse beat double. Words failed me. I’d even stopped struggling, only fluttering my legs to keep buoyant.
“Penny! Signore! What happened?” Poppy called, running from the house, the tray of drinks bouncing in her hands.
Her appearance broke the damn spell—and just in time! I had no idea what the beast would do. But the painful truth was that I’d been caught in his spell, if only for a moment.
He shoved me toward the side of the pool and swiped a hand down his jaw. “I can’t believe you fucking did that.”
“Again,” I said before I could think better of it.
His narrowed gaze promised this wasn’t over.
Bring it.
I needed one or two incidents where the others could witness his meaner side, and then they would never allow Poppy to marry him. Lazily rolling into a backstroke, I glided across the pool as the businessman climbed out, accepted a towel from my cousin, and attempted to dry off his ruined suit. The smile on my lips didn’t go away to see him so ruffled. I did that—and I would do it again!