7. Chapter 7
Chapter seven
Liria
I couldn’t bear the thought of another night tossing and turning on the cramped loveseat. The cushions were as hard and unforgiving as rocks, offering little comfort to my aching body. Despite my best efforts, a cold draft always seemed to find its way through the thin, threadbare blanket Ettore had given me.
As bad as it was, I sure as heck wasn’t sleeping in Ettore’s bed. I would sleep on a pile of burning coals before I shared a bed with that man.
My cheeks flushed as I thought back to our conversation about him inviting me into his bed. Well, technically, he was telling me he didn’t care if I did or not.
“And I sure as heck won’t,” I mumbled to myself.
“Talking to yourself?” I didn’t even realize that Ettore had emerged from his bedroom until I noticed him standing there, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“Eep!”
I had been perched on the edge of the sofa and was startled by his unexpected presence. In my shock, I lost my balance and tumbled to the hardwood floor in a jumble of limbs. The impact reverberated through my body, sending shockwaves of pain shooting through my muscles. I looked up at him with wide eyes, both startled and embarrassed by my sudden fall.
He sighed and walked towards me, extending his hand. I turned bright red as I grabbed it, and with a surprising softness, he pulled me upwards.
“Be more careful,” he said.
My heart was a drum, thumping violently against my chest. The heat rising to my cheeks was not just from embarrassment, but also from the close proximity of his body. As he pulled me up, I found myself almost chest to chest with him, feeling the warmth radiating from his skin and the steady rise and fall of his breath. It was a moment that made my heart race and my thoughts jumble into a frenzy as I tried to keep my composure.
I couldn’t stand him most of the time, but I couldn’t deny he was hot. His deep, brown eyes smoldered as they locked onto mine, their intensity burning into my soul. There was an enigmatic expression in his gaze, one that left me unsure of what he was thinking or feeling.
“I’m going out with Luciana today,” I said abruptly, pulling away from him. If I stayed too close, I feared my heart might explode from my chest.
“I know,” he responded.
“How could you possibly know? I texted her after you went to bed.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
I narrowed my eyes and furrowed my brow in frustration as I watched him walk away from me. Unfortunately, I had a feeling that this would be an answer I would get a lot in our marriage. He was a Don, a powerful figure in the Mafia world, and there was no way he could reveal any of his secrets to his own wife.
“You’re cute when you’re angry,” he said, putting a piece of bread in the toaster oven.
“I’m sorry?”
“It suits you better than the scared fawn look you have on ninety-nine percent of the time.”
“I need to go get ready,” I blurted, choosing to avoid the situation rather than engage any further.
The soft, warm water cascaded over my skin as I took my time getting ready in the bathroom. The steam from the shower filled the air, carrying with it scents of lavender and eucalyptus. I knew Ettore would have to leave in thirty minutes, so I wanted to dally as long as possible so we wouldn’t cross paths the rest of the morning. The mirror reflected a faint image of me, my hair still damp and tousled from the shower, as I carefully applied makeup and styled my hair.
The sound of the front door opening and closing caught my attention. Weird. Luciana wasn’t supposed to be here for another twenty minutes. I checked my phone and saw a series of messages from her, explaining that she had arrived in the area early and didn’t want to return home.
I hastened my preparations, quickly pulling on a simple dress and matching shoes. I didn’t want Luciana to be waiting, and the thought of her meeting Ettore unsettled me. It was as if my two worlds were about to collide, and I wasn’t sure how they would resonate with each other.
Fortunately, both her bodyguards were with her, and they were talking to Ettore. Luciana had affectionately nicknamed the two men “Tall Dino” and “Short Dino”, as their first name was the same.
Stepping into the room, my eyes darted nervously between them. “Good morning,” I addressed the pair, forcing a smile to my lips as I approached them. The Dinos merely grunted in response, their attention focused on Ettore. I chanced a glance at my husband, who was casually leaning against the doorframe, an air of nonchalance wrapping around him like a cloak.
“This sofa is as hard as rocks,” Luciana complained. I hadn’t noticed her tapping away on her cell phone.
“It is,” I said back, looking directly at Ettore. He gave me a knowing smirk.
“I’m going to head out,” he said. “See you later.”
“Bye,” I said flatly.
Ettore nodded in acknowledgment, his eyes lingering on me for a brief moment before he stepped outside, the door closing softly behind him.
“That’s your husband?” Luciana asked, delicately framing her question.
I nodded and sighed. “That’s him.”
“It…could be worse,” she paused, looking for something positive to say. “He’s very good looking.”
“Ettore’s not that bad,” Tall Dino chimed in. “You just need to get to know him. He’s like an onion. Lots of layers.”
Tall Dino liked to gossip. I had only met him a few times before, but anytime Luciana and I would talk about something, we would always get his (often unsolicited) opinion. This was in stark contrast to Short Dino, who only responded in grunts.
“Let’s head out,” I said, wanting to get as far away from the apartment as possible. I needed an escape.
The four of us walked down to the SUV and hopped in. As we settled into the plush leather seats, Luciana and I couldn’t contain our excitement and began chattering away at each other. We could feel the hum of anticipation in the air as we waited patiently amidst the bustling traffic around us.
“What do you need to get today?” She asked.
“An air mattress,” I said, feeling the aches run down my back.
“What now?”
With dramatic flair, I recounted the current predicament to her. My back was in agony from sleeping on the uncomfortable sofa, and to make matters worse, Ettore had not even provided an extra blanket despite days of enduring this torture.
“Why don’t you just sleep in the bed?” Tall Dino asked, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“I barely know him,” I scoffed. “I’m not sleeping in the bed of a man I don’t know.”
“Well, you are technically married so-” Tall Dino started, but Luciana interrupted him.
“We’ll find an air mattress. I can’t imagine even taking a nap on that sofa.”
We set off, the SUV quickly blending into the never-ending stream of traffic. The day was bright and sunny, the golden rays glistening off the polished storefronts and bouncing off the vibrant colors of the city. I tried to push Ettore and his disturbingly captivating presence out of my mind, opting to focus on the day ahead, but he lingered in the back of it, like an uninvited guest.
As we pulled into a bustling shopping center, I felt my body relax a little. The familiar sights and sounds of everyday life served as a comforting distraction from my now turned upside down world.
The four of us walked into a large department store, with rows upon rows of everything you could need for a home. Short Dino stayed by the entrance, eyes scanning the crowd, while Tall Dino followed us dutifully as we picked our way through aisles of knick-knacks and household items.
“There it is!” Luciana said, pointing to a towering stack of boxed air mattresses. She moved towards them quickly, examining the boxes with an expert’s eye. I followed her, poking at the boxes uncertainly.
I gazed at the boxes, overwhelmed by the choices. There were air mattresses in all sizes, some with built-in pumps, some with pillow tops.
“How about that one?” Luciana asked, pointing at a mattress touted as having a “luxury plush top.”
“Any of these would be better than that back-breaking sofa,” I said with a sigh, glancing at the description on the box.
“I still think you should just sleep in the bed,” Tall Dino said, grabbing the box from the top shelf.
“I’d sooner sleep on a bed of spikes,” I responded, grabbing a pump off the shelf next to it. “Now, let’s find blankets.”
As we wandered through the maze of aisles, I found my mind wandering back to Ettore. Why was he always on my mind? Was it his mysterious aura, his captivating gaze, or the undercurrent of tension that seemed to dance between us whenever we were in the same room? Or perhaps it was the sheer fact that I found myself in a bizarre situation, married to a man I barely knew.
“Here,” Luciana’s voice jolted me back to the present. She was holding up a soft, fluffy blanket in a light pink hue.
“It’s perfect,” I mumbled, taking the blanket gratefully. It was plush and velvety, a direct contrast to the rough, thin one I’d been using.
We decided to hit a few more stores and get lunch before the day was over. With our items collected, all of us headed back to the SUV. The ride back was filled with laughter and chatter as Luciana shared tales about her trip to Greece. Tall Dino chimed in with humorous anecdotes every now and then, his deep timbre adding to the light-heartedness of the conversation. Even Short Dino let out a noise that could almost be considered a chuckle.
As we unloaded our purchases, Short Dino finally spoke. “I’ll help you set up,” he grumbled, heaving the bulky air mattress box under his arm.
“Thank you,” I said with genuine gratitude.
As we climbed the stairs to the apartment, I felt a sense of relief wash over me. Finally, I would get a good night’s sleep without the constant discomfort of the sofa. As soon as we entered, Short Dino got straight to work assembling the air mattress, efficiently taking it out of the box and setting up the pump.
As I watched the mattress finish inflating, the door opened and Ettore walked in. I deflated.
“Having fun?” he asked.
His voice was dry, but a spark of amusement danced in his deep-set eyes as they swept over the scene before him. Short Dino was still kneeling on the ground by the pump, and I stood on the opposite side of the air mattress, holding the fluffy pink blanket.
“A blast,” I replied dryly, crossing my arms as I watched him move into the room. His gaze moved over the new air mattress, the bags scattered on the floor, then finally to me.
Tall Dino and Short Dino obediently trailed behind Ettore into his office without needing to be told. As Ettore’s back was turned towards me, I stuck my tongue out at him so he couldn’t see it.
“I can’t believe how fast you got to know him,” Luciana said when they were out of earshot. “It took you what, a month until you could speak an entire sentence to me?”
I tried to form a protest but came up short. I wasn’t sure why I could speak to Ettore so quickly and freely.
“Survival,” I said, somewhat half-heartedly.
“Survival?” She repeated, one eyebrow arched in scepticism.
“Well, yeah. I mean, look at the situation I’m in. I kind of had to get used to his presence quickly.”
“Hmmm,” was her only response as she picked up a pillow from the floor, fluffing it absentmindedly.
Was that the only reason why? The little voice in the back of my head asked. It really needed to learn when to shut up.