4. Caterina
I’m not sure what prompted me to tell Emilio De Luca himself to chase me. All I knew at that moment was I wanted him to.
I don’t make it that far before he catches up to me. Damn high heels. They looked so cute when I put them on, but I’m learning just how inconvenient they are.
Emilio grabs my arm. “You can’t just run away like that. You could get hurt.”
“Do you really care if I get hurt, or are you just scared I’ll hurt your reputation?”
He hesitates, and that tells me everything I need to know. Emilio obviously doesn’t care about me. All he wants to do is boss me around.
“That’s what I thought,” I say, wrenching my arm away from his grasp. “So, why should it matter if I get hurt? We’re young in New York City. Let’s have some fun!”
I take off running again. I can hear Emilio growl behind me as he runs after me. It makes me smile. There’s something powerful knowing I can annoy a man like Emilio. That he cares enough to be annoyed.
At least my future husband is capable of some kind of emotion, even though it’s not the emotion I want him to have.
Right as Emilio reaches me, I bend and start unbuckling my shoes, figuring he can’t grab me if I’m bent down.
“What are you doing?” he asks. “Stop being weird. I’m taking you home now.”
“I don’t think so.” I step out of my shoes.
He raises an eyebrow. “Are you sure you want to do that? These streets are dirty. You might get an infection if you step on something.”
“I’ll be fine. Live a little, Emilio.” I chuck my shoes at him, which makes him flinch and gives me just enough time to start running away again.
By the sound he makes next—a mixture of a growl and a shout—I can tell I’ve really gotten under his skin. How far will he go to get me back home? Because I want a night of freedom, and he can either join me or leave me be.
Now that I’m free of my shoes, I can run much faster. I turn the corner before Emilio can reach me, and I jump over the garbage can lying on the sidewalk. Thank god I don’t step on anything. I would hate to prove Emilio right. That would be awkward.
I keep sprinting down the street, feeling him right behind me. With a last ditch effort, I turn down an alleyway and end up bumping into someone. I gasp and stumble back.
The person I ran into turns around, and I immediately eye his clothing. Baggy jeans. Baggy jacket. Just baggy everything really.
He eyes me over and smirks. It’s then I notice another man is behind him, holding onto a wad of cash. So, this is a drug deal.
For just a second, I feel smug until both men start advancing on me.
“What are you doing out here on your own, sweetheart?” the drug dealer asks.
“Care to join us?” the other man asks.
“Not really,” I reply, making both of them laugh.
“We have a girl who thinks she’s clever,” the drug dealer says. “I say we have some fun.”
I hold up my hands and start to back away, but they follow me. “I say we don’t.”
The customer gets behind me while the drug dealer grabs me around the waist roughly. “We just want to have some fun. You were the naive little princess who thought she could be out here on her own.”
“She’s not on her own,” Emilio’s deep voice sounds out behind me.
The customer jumps away, but the drug dealer doesn’t release me. “Who are you? Her boyfriend?”
Emilio steps forward, looking imposing compared to the other men. “No. I’m her fiancé. And you’ll get your dirty fucking hands off her.”
“Make me,” the dealer says before pulling out a gun. I scream and flinch.
Emilio doesn’t even look fazed. It makes me wonder how many times he’s stared down the barrel of a gun before. “You don’t want to shoot me.”
“Oh, yeah? Why not?”
The customer is inching his way out of the alley. “This isn’t worth it. I’m fucking out.”
“Pussy,” the dealer mutters.
Emilio doesn’t stop the man from leaving. His eyes are solely focused on the dealer, who still has his arms around me. “You don’t want to shoot me because there’ll be consequences.”
“I’m not afraid of no fucking cops.”
“It’s not the police you need to fear. It’s my family.”
He snorts. “Your family? What are you? The fucking godfather?”
Emilio doesn’t reply with words. He continues to stare the guy down until he understands the situation he’s in.
His eyes widen. “Wait? You’re the Mafia? Shit. I didn’t think that was actually real.”
“Well, it is.” Emilio whips out his own gun and points it right at the dealer’s head. “And I’m not a man to be messed with. If you shoot me, that’s a death sentence. I’m giving you the chance to walk away now. Alive.”
“Shit. I’m out. No bitch is worth dying for.” He lets me go and runs away, and I’m shocked he doesn’t trip on his baggy pants as he goes.
“Thank you,” I say to Emilio.
“Save it,” he grumbles. “I only saved you because I’m not going to let an innocent woman die. And it would upset your father, whom I like. It wasn’t for you, Caterina. You got yourself into this mess.”
I place my hands on my hips. “Is that victim blaming I detect? I should be able to go anywhere without being harassed by men. What they did was not my fault. I could have been in a public place in daylight and it still could have happened. Don’t blame me for this.” I grab my shoes back from him and stuff them on my feet. No more running for me tonight. Besides, I think I might have stepped on a bit of trash, and I’m so grossed out by that thought.
Emilio actually looks properly chastised but only for a second. It was a glorious second, though. “Fine. You’re right. This wasn’t your fault. But this is why you need to be careful. I might not always be here to keep you safe. You need to keep yourself safe.”
“I’ve been keeping my self safe for years,” I tell him as I start walking down the street. I want to get away from that damn alleyway as fast as possible. “But now I want to live. Before I’m married to you, and you keep me locked up forever.”
“I never said I’d lock you up forever.”
“No?’
He shrugs. “I’d keep you locked up until you were old, and no man wanted to harass you anymore.”
I stare at him until I realize he’s joking. “I didn’t realize you were capable of making a joke.”
“I can surprise you. I’m not all serious all the time.”
“Really? Because the Emilio I know has been nothing but serious.”
“You don’t know all of me.”
I huff. “That’s what I want to get to know. I want to learn more about you.”
“So, then, why did you run away from me?”
We reach a bench and sit down. Well, Emilio sits down. I plop down dramatically just because.
“I thought it would be fun,” I say, shrugging. My feet are a little sore from running barefoot down a New York street. Not my smartest move to date.
“That’s the reason?” He scoffs, shaking his head. “Caterina, you’re trouble.”
“But you like trouble,” I say, sidling up to him.
“No,” he says pointedly before taking my shoulders and sliding me away from him. “You’re not going to flirt your way out of this. That tactic doesn’t work on me.”
“Tactic? It’s not a tactic, Emilio. We’re getting married. Why can’t we just take a moment to talk to each other?”
He shifts on the bench. “Because I don’t talk about myself. I don’t see the point.”
It’s my turn to scoff. “Then how am I supposed to get to know you? How are we supposed to have a happy marriage if we never talk?”
“I don’t need a happy marriage. I’ll do my duty. I’ll marry you. After that, we can do our own thing.”
“That’s not true.”
He looks at me. “How is that not true?”
“Because you’re embarrassed of me,” I whisper, leaning in closer to him. His eyes flick to my lips and back up. I try to not think too hard about that. “And because you’re embarrassed of me, you’re not going to want me doing my own thing. You’re going to keep my locked up forever, so you can protect your precious reputation. Do I have that right?”
He clears his throat and averts his gaze.
I nod. “I have that right.”
“You know, most women would be grateful I just saved their life. Most wouldn’t be arguing with me on a bench late at night.”
“I am grateful you saved me.” I rest my hand on his arm, and he looks down at with surprise. “But you’re stubborn and bossy and just plain annoying.” I take my hand away.
“I’m stubborn, bossy, and annoying? Look at yourself in the mirror, Caterina.”
I gasp. “How am I bossy? Stubborn, I’ll accept. Annoying … Well that’s just rude. But bossy? I’m not telling you what to do with your life.”
“You’re insisting we talk to each other.”
“Well, aren’t we right now?” I look at him with a smug grin while I cross my arms.
He has the decency to smile just the tiniest bit before his typical stoic expression takes over. “Don’t be clever.”
“Why not? Don’t like a smart woman?”
“No. I like a smart woman, but I think you’re too smart for your own good. I might have to throw you over my lap and spank you for running away from me.”
I’m silent. He’s joking … right? The longer Emilio looks at me, the more I realize he’s most definitely not joking. Holy shit. I don’t even know what to think about that. Of course, I don’t want to be spanked like a naughty child.
But … I wouldn’t mind Emilio’s hands on me. They look big and strong. I’ve never been touched intimately like that. The few kisses I’ve shared with men at the club were just that—kisses. Nothing more. To be touched by a man as powerful as Emilio makes my body warm.
I still don’t want to be fucking spanked, though.
“You’re ridiculous,” I mutter, turning away from him.
“I’ll do it, you know. The next time you act out, I’m going to spank you. Teach you a lesson.”
“I’m not a child.”
“No. You’re going to be my wife, and I want my wife to be obedient.”
I make a sound between a scoff and a laugh. “Then you’re going to be disappointed with me. Either accept me for who I am or be sad because I am not an obedient girl, Emilio. Never have been. Never will be.”
“I can change that,” he in my ear, making me gasp.
When I turn back to him, I realize just how close we are. Close enough to kiss.
Might as well shoot my shot. Emilio will be my husband soon enough. I want to know what it’s like to kiss him.
I lean in and press my lips to his. He’s tense for a moment before kissing me back. It only lasts a few seconds before he pulls away.
“Why did you stop it?” I ask.
“Because I’m not going to make out with you on the sidewalk in the middle of the night. You will be my wife. I want a classy, obedient wife. Not one who acts like …”
“Like what? A whore?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Well, you were thinking it! Why is it such a problem I kissed you just now? Most men would be happy to have a wife who isn’t afraid to kiss.”
“Maybe I’m not like most men.”
I snort. “So, what? Is that the male equivalent to ‘I’m not like other girls’?” I roll my eyes. “Because if it is, Emilio, I have to say … eww.”
“Why is it ‘eww’?”
“Because it just is.”
He sighs, running his hand over his face. “Excuse me for not wanting a wife who’s made out with half the city.”
I almost choke on my own spit. “Excuse me? I haven’t made out with half the city.”
“No? You’ve probably slept with half the city,” he mutters.
“Slut-shaming much? I’m not the whore you think I am, Emilio.”
“No? Then what kind of whore are you?”
I stand up. “I’m not a whore at all! So, I’ve kissed a couple guys. Big deal. I know most Mafia girls are supposed to be untouched, but I’m not. I’ve kissed some guys. Ok? Deal with it?’
He looks at me more closely, and I don’t like it. “Just kissed or more than that?”
“Why should it matter? I doubt you’re a virgin.”
“That’s because I’m a man.” He stands up to his full height, towering over me. “And as a man, I can fuck as many women as I want. But I don’t want any man’s sloppy seconds.”
Before I can help myself, I slap him across the face. The look of anger on Emilio’s face makes me take a step back.
“I am not a whore,” I say. I could easily tell him I’m still a virgin, but I’m not going to give him what he wants. I’m not going to make him happy. I tried to get to know him, but Emilio is determined to keep a distance between us, and there’s no use fighting it. “Now, I’m going back home. Either come with me or stop me. I don’t care. I’m tired. My feet are sore. And I’m annoyed you keep thinking I’m some slut. You’re mean, Emilio. You try to act holier than thou, but you’re really just an asshole.”
I turn away from him and walk away.
For a moment, I think he’s going to let me walk home alone, but then I feel him at my side. “I’ll make sure you get home safely.”
I’m pleasantly surprised he’s willing to do that after our fight, but I’m still fucking mad at him.
We don’t say anything more the entire way home.