1. Prologue #2
We walked in silence across the length of the mansion and I really hoped Sean was paying attention so he could get us out of here if we needed to.
This place was seriously like a maze. Finally, we entered a room with all kinds of food.
The smell made my stomach growl, and I realized that now that the adults weren’t with us, I didn’t feel as nervous.
I followed their lead and sat down at a small table with three place settings. My mother had been giving me some lessons in preparation, too, so when we got to the table, I pulled out Arianna’s chair for her, then helped her push it in. It was super awkward, especially as her brother glared at me.
“Tucker, do you have any sisters?”
“Yes, I do.” I knew where he was going with this, but Apollo had warned me that I was to take no shit from him, and if I thought he was going to threaten me, to beat him to the punch.
“But I think it’ll do you well to not threaten me for simply being here doing a duty to my family.
” His eyebrows shot up and I got a thrill at having surprised him.
“I will marry your sister one day, as your father has requested. And I assure you that I will treat her with the respect she deserves.” I let out the breath I’d been holding so my chest would stay puffed out, making me look bigger than I am.
“I hope that you and I can also build a connection during my time here as well. Not only will we be family one day, but business partners, so I’d like us to have a friendship. ”
He sneered again. “Over my dead body.”
Arianna gasped. “Sandro.”
I just smiled at him. “I’m sure that can be arranged.”
Another gasp. “Tucker.” The girl looked between us.
“Guys, chill the fuck out. You can have a dick measuring contest later. For now, I want you both to get along so we can get through this.” My eyes bugged out of my face.
The grin she gave me said it probably looked comical.
“I’m not sure how this will go for you when you leave today, but my father will expect that we all learned a lot about each other, so maybe we should do that. ”
I gave her a slight nod. “Okay. What would you like to know?”
We spent the next hour eating and telling each other some of the most basic facts, but when the mom’s checked in on us, I knew her favorite color was pink, she was allergic to pineapple, hated asparagus, her favorite flowers were pink dahlias, she loved reading books, hated PE, was really good at math, hated wearing dresses though her mother made her wear one every day, and if she could live in the pool she would.
Also, her brother was an asshole and she’s terrified of her father.
She didn’t say it outloud, but I could tell by the way she talked about him.
The part about her brother was just obvious from being around him.
We spent a couple of hours watching TV after the mom’s left, and about an hour before dinner was to be served, Tony, Alessandro’s bodyguard, told us we were wanted in his father’s office.
The guard knocked on the door before opening it and signaling for us to enter.
Don Vitale sat at his desk. “Boys! Come on in and have a seat.” I took the seat beside my father, and Alessandro took the one by his. “I hope your afternoon has been pleasant.”
“Yes sir. Thank you for your generous hospitality.” I eyed my dad for a moment, and figured, screw it. If I didn’t talk to him now, it would be too late. “Father, can we have a quick word?”
He eyed me for a moment before giving a quick nod and turning to Don Vitale. “Excuse us for a moment.” We stood and walked out into the hallway, making sure the door shut behind us, then walking further away for some privacy. “I hope this is important. He could take this as an insult.”
“Ari’s afraid of him. Is there some way we can make sure she’s safe, so she doesn’t have to worry?”
His eyebrows almost hit his hairline. “She told you she’s scared of him?”
I shook my head. “No. I could just tell by the way she spoke.”
My dad sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Apollo and I made a plan. He told me exactly what to ask for and what to negotiate. Going off script could mean we can’t get everything we planned.”
“Does that really even matter? You both said there will be no way out of this. If I have to marry her, what does any of the rest of it matter?”
“You don’t understand everything yet, son. You’re too young. But we’re trying to help you out.” I could see in his eyes that he was going to cave. It was the same look he gave Aunt Silver when she wanted to go home for her cousin's funeral.
“I don’t care what it means for me. As long as she’s safe.”
He let out a sigh and gave me a nod. “I don’t have a lot of wiggle room here. A lot of things I could negotiate in Crestwood would be considered an insult here, but I’ll do the best I can. You have my word.”
We walked back into the room and took our seats, my father speaking first, to smooth everything over.
“I apologize for that. In our family, we make decisions and negotiations as a family, but we’d previously explained to Tucker that’s not how things worked here, so he thought maybe pulling me aside before we began would be more respectful. ”
Don Vitale smiled as he looked at me. “I really think I’m going to like you, son.” He looked back to my father. “Let’s hash out the details and get this contract signed, shall we?”
“Absolutely.” My dad crossed one of his legs, resting one ankle on the knee of the other, as he brought his hands together in front of him.
“I’ve reviewed the suggested contract you sent over, but I would like for us to go over it together, with the boys, and I have a few changes I’d like to propose. ”
“Of course. I would expect nothing less.” Don Vitale leaned back in his chair, mirroring my fathers position.
“The terms as they stand right now, boys, are that Arianna will spend every summer in Crestwood, starting this summer. After Tucker graduates high school, he will spend a year here, living with us, being initiated into the Vitale family.”
My father stiffened. “That was something I wanted to negotiate. In our original discussions, this wasn’t mentioned, but I saw it in the proposed contract.
” He shifted his position, which looked natural, but was a sign to me that he wasn’t comfortable right now.
“Why is he expected to be initiated into the Vitale family if he is not going to be one of the leadership as he’s the heir to my family? ”
“Just marrying my daughter isn’t enough for us to build trust with him. Going through initiation will do that. It is a very necessary process, but I would be willing to lessen it to six months since he will also be needed for your family business.”
My dad’s jaw tensed slightly, but I wasn’t sure if anyone else noticed.
“He will be attending college after high school. Expecting him to spend six months here will delay his education, and that’s not acceptable.
My counter offer is that he spends the first two summers after high school here so that his education isn’t affected. ”
Don Vitale smiled. “I think that is very acceptable.”
“He will also have a representative from our family here with him, as well as Givenchy security.” This was something that Apollo said we needed to demand, and he offered to be the one to come with me.
“Of course. I would expect no less.” When my dad didn’t add anything else, he continued.
“She is expected to be a virgin on her wedding day.” His focus turned to me.
“You will be allowed to hold her hand, hug her, kiss her, things of that nature, but you can not have sex with her or do anything that takes away her purity until the wedding night, understood?”
“Yes, sir.” In preparation for this meeting, Dad had the sex talk with me. It was very uncomfortable so I didn’t ask any questions, but now, I had a lot of them. I knew what having sex meant, but what else did people do that might take away her purity? What even was her purity?
“Good. I understand that as a man you have needs, and since you won’t be able to take care of those with my daughter until you’re married, you are able to meet those needs with others, under the condition that you are discreet, and that it is nothing other than physical.
If an emotional attachment is formed, I will consider that offensive and the deal will be off. ”
What in the world did that mean?