9. Emilio
Caterina is drunk.
She’s on her fifth glass of wine. I tried to stop her throughout the night, but she kept saying, “It’s a party!” and chugging more. Whenever I looked over at Francesco to see if he had any issue with what his daughter was doing, he didn’t seem to. He was out on the dance floor having a good time.
I even tried taking her drink from her, but she’d just go to the bar and get another. When I reminded her it costs money, she shrugged and said, “Not my money.” Then she laughed in my face.
Now, she’s on the dance floor with Gabriella, Lara, and Ophelia. The four of them are laughing and spinning around like they don’t have a care in the world. I walk over to my brothers and ask them if they have a problem with that.
“Problem with what?” Massimo asks. “My wife having fun?” He snorts. “Hell, no. I love when Ophelia has fun. In fact, I think I’m going to go join her right now.” He practically runs onto the dance floor and scoops Ophelia up into his arms. She tosses her head back and smiles.
“That really doesn’t bother you?” I ask Rocco, who’s still standing beside me. “That Lara is on the dance floor without you? That she’s dancing the way she is.”
Rocco looks at me hard. “You were always the one who needed things to be perfect. To be about reputation.”
“You used to care about our family’s reputation. You still do.”
“Of course. But now I care more about our family’s safety than anything else. We have more to lose now.” He nods at our wives. “More at stake. Especially with Dante still out there. Who knows when he might show up and cause trouble? I have to make sure my family is protected. After the things Lara and I have been through, I just don’t care as much about the perception of things.” He sighs. “So, to answer your question, Emilio. No. It doesn’t bother me to see my wife dancing with her friends. Once, it would have. Now, I love seeing her happy. You should learn to appreciate that Caterina is a woman who knows how to have fun. It might do you some good.” He claps me on the back before walking onto the dance floor and pulling Lara in.
She leans right into him, resting her head on his shoulder.
I look at Caterina, who’s dancing with just Gabriella now. She’s laughing loudly and shimmying her body in a way I find vulgar.
Why was I given the wild bride? I don’t want the wild bride. I want a respectable woman who’ll follow my wants and wishes. Caterina has a mind of her own, and it drives me crazy. It makes me want to spank her even as I want to kiss her. No other woman has made me feel this way.
I hate it.
I walk over to Francesco, who’s by the bar, ordering a drink. “Do you not see how your daughter is acting right now?”
Francesco glances at her, then shrugs. “She’s dancing. She loves to dance. I’ve always encouraged that in her.”
“She’s drunk, Francesco. Don’t you think that’s a little inappropriate for a woman to behave like that? At her own wedding?”
“I mean … I don’t love it. But Caterina isn’t my little girl anymore. She’s a married woman today. She’s getting her first taste of freedom, and I can’t fault her for that.”
It’s not her first taste of freedom, I want to say, but I hold back. “So, there’s nothing you’re going to do about that?” I point at Caterina, who’s now twerking. Twerking. I shudder.
Francesco chuckles and pats my shoulder. “She’s your responsibility now, Emilio. Not mine. I love my daughter, and I’m going to see her happy. She’s just dancing. It’s her wedding day. It’s harmless. Her reputation won’t be ruined by doing that. I suggest you go out there and dance with her. I think she’d appreciate it.”
“How do you know? Has … has she talked to you about that?”
“No. But I saw the way she looked at you at the rehearsal dinner. She likes you.”
I’m stunned by Francesco’s words. Caterina doesn’t like me. That’s impossible. She hates me just like I hate her. That’s why we’ll never work and why this marriage was a mistake.
Before I can respond, Francesco is walking away.
I’m not going to have anyone tell me what to do. The only person who can do that is Rocco and that’s because he’s my boss.
I refuse to go dance with Caterina while she acts like a drunk lunatic, so I stand on the sidelines until it’s time for us to retreat to our suite for the night.
* * *
“Our what?”she asks over the loud music.
“It’s time, Caterina.”
Her eyes widen, and she quickly nods. “Ok. Let me just go … brush my teeth. I think I might have thrown up a little in my mouth.”
I grimace. “Let’s just go.” I take her hand and guide her out of the ballroom. We get a few whoops and hollers as we go. Everyone knows what happens on a wedding night.
Except I’m not going to fuck Caterina while she’s drunk. For one thing, it wouldn’t be right. And two, I hate how she’s acting. Sure, I hate how she acts even when she’s not drunk, but her annoying personality traits are ramped up to eleven when she’s drunk.
She stumbles around as we enter the elevator and go upstairs. Her giggles fill up the hallway and don’t stop even after we enter our suite for the evening.
In fact, she doesn’t stop laughing even as she flops down onto the bed and stares up at me with lusty eyes. “Aren’t you going to make me a woman tonight, Emilio?”
I scoff. “You’re already a woman, Caterina, which is why I hate how you’re acting.”
“How am I acting?”
“Like a fucking fool.”
She pouts. “How?”
“You’re drunk,” I remind her.
“I’m not drunk.” She stands up and immediately falls down and lands on her ass. Then she proceeds to laugh hysterically.
I shake my head and sigh. “You’re drunk. A woman shouldn’t act like that.”
“Oh, but a man can?”
“No, I didn’t say that. You don’t see me acting like that. It’s about our reputation. Our appearance. The more respectable we look, the more people take us seriously. It’s something you could learn. I want a mature wife. Not … whatever this is.”
She’s now rolled onto her stomach but is still laughing like a crazy monkey. “Ok. You want a mature wife, but you don’t want a wife who’s had sex before. Got it.” She pauses. “No, actually. I don’t get it. I don’t understand, Emilio. That doesn’t make sense.”
“It’s not sex. It’s about how you act in public. I want you to be mature. What I don’t want is for you to run off to some club and flirt with men who aren’t me.”
She squints at me as she pushes herself to a seated position. “So, you’re jealous.” It’s not a question. “That’s it.”
“I’m not jealous,” I respond, crossing my arms.
“No, I think you are.” She gets up and stumbles over to me. I have to catch her from falling back down. “You want me just for yourself, isn’t that right, husband?” She grips my tie and stares up at me with dark eyes. “Well, if you want me, I’m right here.” She closes her eyes and puckers her lips.
It’s tempting. I’m very attracted to Caterina. But her personality repels me.
And there’s no way I’m taking advantage of her when she’s drunk, no matter how much she fucking vexes me.
“No,” I say.
She opens her eyes and frowns. “No? But it’s our wedding night. Aren’t we supposed to have sex? Fuck?” She laughs even harder. “Did I just say fuck? Fuck!” She laughs so hard she stumbles backward and lands on the bed, which only makes her laugh even more.
“Goodnight, Caterina.”
“What? I’m wide awake.”
“You’re drunk. You’re not going to be awake for long.”
“Whatever.” She rolls her eyes and slumps back onto the bed. Within seconds, she’s out like a light.
I shake my head and chuckle, then stop. Why am I laughing? I don’t think Caterina’s antics are cute in any way shape or form.
I help slip her under the covers after taking her shoes off. I don’t bother removing her wedding dress. If I did, Caterina would only call me a creep and judge me for it. I change into sweatpants and no shirt, then I get into the bed.
Caterina is snoring slightly. Great. Another thing I can hate her for.
But when I turn off the light, there’s a smile on my face.
* * *
I wakeup to the sound of Caterina throwing up in the bathroom.
“I told you last night to not drink so much,” I say to her as I get out of bed and lean against the bathroom doorframe.
She glares at me from where she’s kneeling in front of the toilet. “Don’t rub it in.”
“Oh, I’m not. I was just reminding you actions have consequences.”
“You are so funny,” she says, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“And you’re hungover. Which is a shame. I was looking forward to kissing you again, but seeing as you’re going to have vomit breath, I really think not.”
“Are you messing with me? You surprise me, Emilio. I thought you were too serious to tease me.”
“I’m not above teasing you when you clearly messed up.”
She huffs. “It was a party.”
“It was our wedding.”
She leans her head against the toilet seat and smiles at me. “So, it was. We’re married now. What do you think about that?”
“I think you’re kneeling on the ground in your wedding dress throwing up into the toilet because you’re hungover. How do you think I feel about that?”
“I think you’re—” But before she can finish her sentence, she turns back to the toilet and throws up again.
“Get yourself cleaned up.” I leave her alone in the bathroom. She got herself into this mess; she can deal with the fallout of it.
After a few more minutes, Caterina stops throwing up. She comes out brushing her teeth. “Can you undo the back of my dress for me?” she mumbles around her toothbrush.
“Can’t you do it yourself?”
“Can you not be selfish for one moment?”
When I don’t move, she rolls her eyes and heads back into the bathroom, spitting out her toothpaste and rinsing her mouth.
“Fine, I’ll do it myself,” she says. And then, right before me, she takes of her wedding dress and strips down to her underwear.
I can’t deny it—my cock hardens at the sight.
Caterina is a beautiful woman—too beautiful for her own good. I hate the idea of how many men she’s been with, but she’s mine now. And I need to remind her she’s mine, and her foolish actions from last night cannot be repeated.
“Come here,” I tell her, holding out my hands.
She narrows her eyes and places her hands on her hips. “Why would I do that?”
“We didn’t have sex last night because you were drunk. Maybe now, we can.”
“Gee, so romantic, Emilio. You sure know how to talk to a woman.” She rolls her eyes again. “No. I am not coming anywhere near you.”
“Why not?”
“Because I get the sense you’re just going to spank me. Again.”
“Don’t you think you deserve it?” I ask.
“Let me think on that.” She scrunches up her face. “Um … no.”
I walk over to her until we’re toe-to-toe. Her breath hitches, which I notice. “I could grab you right now, throw you over my knee, and spank you. And I don’t think you would stop me.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because even though we drive each other insane, we clearly have sexual chemistry. You want that, don’t you? You want me to spank you.”
She scoffs. “No.”
“Ok, then.” I turn away from her before turning right back and grabbing her around the waist.
“Emilio!”
I throw her over my knee and, without wasting time, bring my hand down onto her ass and spank her. She cries out but doesn’t fight it as hard as she did the first time I spanked her.
Pulling her underwear down, I finally get a good look at her naked body. She gasps when my hand touches her bare ass. “You like this, admit it.” I spank her again. She whines. I spank her again. She cries. On and on it goes until her ass is red, and she’s squirming around.
“You need to learn how to behave,” I growl as I bring my hand down hard. The scream she lets out is mixed with a moan.
I bring my fingers between her legs and touch her pussy, finding her wet.
Caterina fully moans this time as I rub her clit. It’s my first time touching her pussy fully, and it’s fucking glorious. Her breath comes our ragged. Touching Caterina like this is the only way to shut her up.
I bring my index finger to her entrance. She tenses for a moment before I slip my finger inside her. She’s a lot tighter than I imagined.
She moans again, her back and hips arching up to my touch. I fuck her with my finger while rubbing her clit. She’s going to come for me again, and I’m going to win. I’m going to prove to Caterina I’m in charge. That what I say goes.
I rub her harder while my other hand occasionally spanks her ass. The sounds escaping her are animalistic. She’s not shy in this department; I’ll give her that. Honestly, I like it. We’ll have a great sex life, I’m sure. It’s everything else I’m unsure about.
“I know just how to make you speechless,” I growl, grinding my hand against her pussy. “Just the way I like you.”
She hangs her head down and grinds her hips back against my hand. “Please, Emilio. Please.”
“Please what?”
“Let me come!”
“So, come.”
She moans as her body shudders from her release. I continue pleasuring her pussy as she rides out her orgasm. Once she’s done, I let her go. Immediately, she scrambles away and pulls her underwear back up.
“Need me to get that?” she points at my hard cock pressing against my pants.
“No,” I say gruffly. I can’t let myself lose control with Caterina. It would give her too much power. “We’re leaving anyway. Time to get back to our lives.”
I turn away from her before she can make me feel any kind of way.