Chapter 42 – Penelope
T he next few days were something out of a fairytale. Work filled the don’s day, but Alessandro checked in no matter how busy he was. We ate at least one meal together, usually breakfast. And I spent two afternoons in his office, although if I was actually any help, it was hard to say. We ended both of those workdays naked, sweating, and craving more.
When I sailed into the kitchen, the maids looked up from their work and smiled. They didn’t run away as I wandered to the counter where my coffee pot waited, shined and polished, ready to be used. Today, the plan was to take a crash course on spreadsheets. The new computer waited in the parlor, ready for my lessons.
Setting my journal on the counter, I reached for the filters and grounds, only to pause. Next to my coffee pot sat a small brown gift bag with my name scrawled in bold letters. I plucked the tissue from the top and gasped. A chunky, cheesy “Welcome to Chicago” mug nested inside. Frowning, I plucked the rolled note from the center.
Sorry I can’t join you for breakfast, but this is so you can drink your American swill properly. Dinner is at eight. I’ll pick you up.
-Alessandro
He got me a mug.
A real coffee mug. Not the dainty cappuccino cups or the teeny tiny espresso shot glasses. And the mug was…perfect. There would be no more drinking glasses for my vice. The mug was exactly the kind of junk I wouldn’t hesitate to snap up at a booth when playing tourist in a new town.
I traced the name at the bottom of the note. The fact that he took the time to do this sent a strange burst of something through my chest. It was surprisingly thoughtful of him.
“Don’t be too impressed, he probably sent a lackey for it,” I scolded myself quietly so the maids wouldn’t hear.
But he had the idea….
I shook my head. The don was a dangerous man, but something had changed between us. While I had no illusions about my husband, there was a different side of him that shone through his iron mask of control. I rubbed my chest. I needed to be careful.
I was in real danger of falling for the monster.
Letting down my guard around him would be nothing short of detrimental. Yet all my reasons for keeping my feelings in check were muddied. This monster had me seeing my life play out differently.
My fingers drummed against the countertop.
“Am I the sort of girl who can play with monsters?” I whispered.
But I didn’t need to keep it quiet; the maids had disappeared to other parts of the house.
I was caught between worlds. I wasn’t one of them, I always knew I held the potential to forge a different path in this world. But to venture into the dark and work for the don? Would Alessandro, with all his rules, actually give me a real chance? Or was my future destined to be in the shadow of the powerful man?
Sighing, I poured the fresh brew into the mug. I still didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. But the opportunity to learn new things had ceased to be a dream and was my reality. I took the mug and journal to the front parlor, opening my new laptop. For the foreseeable future, I didn’t have to make a decision. Going to college, taking a job with a legitimate business, or working for the Mancini Famiglia were viable options.
There was time to test the waters.
There was time to learn. To grow. To flourish.
As I flipped to a clean page, the yellow post-it fluttered from the past pages of the journal. If worse came to worse, this little square of paper held great potential. It could be used to manipulate the don into whatever crazy idea I settled on for my future.
But I didn’t want to use it.
No…I wanted Alessandro to trust me enough to ascend whatever position struck my fancy.
He says he believes in me.
My heart hoped that was true.
“Knock-knock,” Serena called from the doorway.
Turning around, I smiled at her. “You’re up early.”
“I had an international phone call,” she yawned.
“Oh?” My interest was piqued. “Who called?”
“Her name is Annaliese Hertz. We went to school together.” Serena folded onto the piano bench.
The practiced sound of the scales filled the room as she warmed up her fingers. It was mesmerizing to watch those long, elegant digits float over the ivory keys.
“I thought you didn’t have any friends,” I teased.
The A minor scale turned into a soulful melody. Serena gazed over the top of the grand instrument, looking at something far away.
“She’s more rival than friend. We got along because her father was as strict as my brothers—brother.” She caught herself, but I noticed the obvious slip.
It wasn’t the first time a ghostly sibling had been mentioned.
Judging my sister-in-law’s mood, I knew an interrogation would only reveal one thread of information this morning—if even that. So I chose to pursue the mysterious friend and let the secret of a third Mancini lie dormant for another day.
“So how is your frenemy?” I coaxed. “In Europe?”
“She was living with her grandmother, who died. She’ll be coming back to the States after the funeral tomorrow. She wants to have brunch. We lost touch over the years, so I don’t know if it’s a good idea.” Serena’s words were clipped and short, completely at odds with the haunting melody ebbing and flowing from the piano.
“It’s a great idea! That will be so fun for you!” I encouraged her.
Serena shrugged. “I guess.”
I let the other woman exorcise whatever emotions she wasn’t able to express through the music and opened a blank spreadsheet on my laptop. Putting an earbud in one ear so I could still enjoy her music, I began my lesson on the various functions and formulas.
But something ate at me.
I might not have it all figured out, but the desire to make something of myself drove me. Serena was woefully lost, floundering like the notes of the music.
Alessandro groaned. Smoke from his expensive cigar curled around him, blending in the shadows of our secluded spot in the restaurant.
I smiled over my glass of wine, enjoying his discomfort. “I swear, you won’t even know they’re here.”
His look could turn water to stone. “Two Greenbriar girls under the same roof, and you expect me not to notice?”
“Well, there’ll be three of us,” I corrected and plucked the cigar from his fingers.
His gaze darkened as he watched me suck on the same spot his lips had been. Each time I’d done this, he’d been closer and closer to pouncing. Part of me wished the wolf would come out and play, table etiquette be damned.
“No.” Alessandro shook his head. “You’re not a Greenbriar, vespina.”
My insides warmed at the possessive note in his voice. “Oh? What am I?”
“Mine. My wife.” Hunger simmered in his gaze. “A Mancini.”
I planned to skip dessert and take him home as quickly as possible. But teasing the poor creature was proving to be a great deal of fun. I let the smoke curl from my lips before taking another taste. These cigars were nothing short of addicting—much like the man who smoked wherever he damn well pleased.
“We’re not cut from the same cloth, you know. Most siblings aren’t. Take you three Mancinis, for example.”
The flash of surprise in his eyes was the smallest tell. He didn’t comment on the number, however.
“You and your sister can’t be any more different. The same goes for me and mine.” I cradled the glass against my chest.
Alessandro sighed and took back the cigar I offered. “I will welcome them under my roof as family, Penelope. You have my word.”
“Oh, did I mention I’m taking them out for a night on the town?” I took a long sip of my wine.
The don squirmed. He tried to hide it by extinguishing the cigar on the ash tray, but it was noticeable.
“Since we don’t want my family knowing I’m involved with the mob, it would be really cool of you if we didn’t have guards, you know, acting like guards.” Another sip filled my mouth.
“And your solution to that?” Alessandro said through clenched teeth.
“Simple, they can be friends of your sister’s who are coming out to party with us.” I grinned.
“Not happening.”
“Oh, come on! Are you going to make me use my get out of jail free post-it note for this?” I set the glass down a little too harshly. The slim stem cracked. “Shit,” I gasped.
Alessandro snatched my fingers away, looking over them for cuts. When he was satisfied I was uninjured, he pressed a kiss to the fingertips. “I can’t bear the thought of anything happening to you.”
I rose and tugged his hand. “Let’s go home.”
He followed me to the door, where the guards joined us. As a whole, we filed out to the waiting town car.
“You do realize I didn’t ask for no guards,” I muttered as we slid into the vehicle. “But I want a reason to explain their presence.”
“It’s the being at a bar or club that I don’t like, Penelope, not the M.O. you give my men.” Alessandro pulled me onto his lap.
The kisses became hot and heavy. My pussy ached at the delayed gratification. This man was teasing me, knowing where I wanted him to touch but focusing solely on my mouth.
“Alessio,” I moaned.
He cupped my face. “Nothing can happen to you.”
I gazed down. He cared. It wasn’t the same way a normal person cared, but the feeling was still there.
“How about this,” he offered, threading his fingers through the hair I spent a painfully long time curling. “You girls take my yacht.”
I blinked. “You have a yacht.”
The don nodded.
“Of course you have a damn yacht,” I muttered. “When’s the last time you used it?”
“This would be its maiden voyage,” he chuckled. “But it’s a good option. Throw a little party for your sisters, have the best food and wine, see Chicago from the water, and you’ll be safe.”
It did sound rather perfect.
“Okay,” I agreed. “I’ll write it down on the post-it.”
“Save that for another time. Spending time with family is sacred; I want you to do it whenever you can.”
A warm rush of emotion flooded through my chest. He was really trying.
Alessandro’s touch ran down my sides, skated under my dress, and up my bare thighs. My breath hitched in anticipation.
There was a knock on the partition.
Leaning forward, Alessandro opened it a fraction.
“Signore, security called. A car arrived at the mansion,” Nico clipped out.
The don stilled. “Whose?”
“Signor Adonis.”
That name chilled the fire in my veins.
“Call Dante,” the don clipped out.
“Yes, boss.” The partition closed.
Alessandro’s touch continued to explore, but it was absent, almost robotic. We remained silent for the rest of the short drive back to the mansion.
“I’ll make this quick,” he promised, before opening the car door and helping me out.
There was no escaping to our room and avoiding the visitor. The capo stood in the middle of the foyer, a dangerous glint in his beady eyes.
I didn’t mind one bit that Alessandro kept himself in front of me as we pushed into the space.
“You’d better have a damn good reason for being here, Adonis,” Alessandro growled.
“Oh, I do. It’s of the utmost importance, signore.” Joe might be speaking to his boss, but he was staring at me.
I pulled my mental armor on and stepped beside the boss.
“Shall we go into your office?” the capo intoned.
I didn’t like the freedom with which he seemed to assume the liberty of our home. Neither did the don.
“Speak and get out,” Alessandro ordered.
Joe shrugged. Reaching into his breast pocket, he pulled out an envelope. When the don didn’t step forward to take it, the capo glowered.
“You’re going to want to see these, signore,” he sneered.
“What are they?” Alessandro demanded.
Joe laughed, a slimy sound that slithered across my skin. “When we had the problem with the mole, I took it upon myself to ensure our ranks were secured.”
Alessandro’s voice was thunderous. “You weren’t asked to.”
“You can thank me later,” the capo offered and placed the photos in the don’s hand.
Black and white images from a security camera showed a woman speaking with a man. Me. I was the woman. And the man was that Federal agent harassing me.
My heart shot to my throat. I’d delayed telling Alessandro under the assumption it was a test. When I realized it was an actual threat, I meant to warn him, but in the chaos of our lives and the development of my mom’s situation, it lost precedence.
Shit. The black look of wrath clouding the don’s face told me that was a mistake. A big old fuck up.
“It seems we have a second traitor in our midst.” Glee shimmered from the capo. “Care to explain yourself, donnaccia?”
Alessandro moved with lightning speed. His fingers clamped around the capo’s throat. With impossible strength, he lifted the squat man off the floor.
“No one speaks that way to my wife,” he raged.
I swallowed hard. Panic vibrated through my veins.
“She betrayed you!” the capo squealed, his words choking from the restricted airflow.
“I knew she’d been approached, and I’ve dealt with it.” Alessandro shook the capo.
I frowned. He had? Or was he lying to save me? Neither option was good.
“Let me go, Mancini,” the capo croaked.
“You come to my house a second time without an invitation and you insult my wife. What makes you think I’m going to let you walk out of here with your head attached to your body?” Alessandro snarled.
“Because if you don’t, those photos go to the other capos,” Joe menaced.
In one fluid motion, Alessandro slammed the capo into the ground. “Threatening me, Adonis?”
“No, signore. Just covering my ass in case you’ve been bewitched by her cunt.”
“Dante!” Alessandro shouted.
From out of nowhere, the enforcer materialized. Like a fiend from the shadows.
“Take him. I’ll join you soon.” Alessandro squeezed once more for good measure, before standing back.
Adonis began to squeal.
My family didn’t raise pigs. But the neighbors did. As kids, we’d helped with the butchering in exchange for a hog. The sounds coming from the capo as the enforcer pounced, secured him, and drug him through the front door were exactly the same.
“Alessio, I can explain—”
“Don’t.” Alessandro smoothed his hand through his hair. “Just don’t.”
He lied to the capo for me. A shudder racked my body. I swayed forward.
“I thought it was a test,” I pleaded, not heeding the sixth sense that screamed at me to back away. I approached him, desperate to make him see reason. “I made a mistake.”
The monster reared over me. Nostrils flared, teeth bared, he was every bit the wolf ready to strike.
But he never touched me.
“You should have come straight to me, Penelope.”
“I meant to,” I whispered. I had. But after I realized it wasn’t a test of my loyalty, things moved fast and I missed too many chances to come clean.
His voice dripped with venomous ice. “Go to your room.”
“Alessio, please!”
“Go. To. Your. Fucking. Room.” He threw his arm out, pointing at the stairs.
Something deep inside my chest cracked. This was what I feared most.
I’d fallen for this man—this monster—knowing full well what he was. And now, after letting down my guard, he struck where I never allowed anyone. It hurt.
I fled, my heels tripping me and making me clutch blindly for the banister. Tears blurred my vision. Short, hollow breaths became sobs. Somehow, I managed to make it to the room without falling, only to collapse behind the closed door.