Chapter Three
EMELIA
I cannot shake that damn proposal from my head. For what reason? Nico blatantly denied the proposal. There is no reason for it to be eating at me, yet here we are. Is it worry? Or is there something else eating at me that I am unable to pinpoint?
“Farren!” I holler from my library.
James and Farren are outside the door, still on me like I am in danger even in my own home.
“Yes ma’am,” James announces their arrival.
“I have a question.” I peer up from my book and I lean forward, placing my arms against my thighs. “What all happens in each of the rooms at the club?”
They share a look and awkwardly shift back and forth before Farren speaks up. “Mrs. Valiente, I don’t think Mr. Valiente would appreciate us talking about subject matter like this.”
I lick the inside of my cheek and nod. Scoffing, I push. “Do you think he would be equally upset to know you aren’t answering my questions?”
They once again look at one another.
“Farren. You tell me now and let me worry about the consequences from my husband.”
“I think we are more worried about what he will do to us, ma’am,” James says.
“Once again, I will handle that. You two have fucked up many times and broke rules, and yet you two are still breathing. You can thank me for that.” I stand and set the book down on my desk and take a seat. “Now, please tell me what happens in those rooms.” Me and my detail have built rapport, but every once in a while I have to draw a line in the sand and remind them that they are in fact, here to protect me and answer to me. It’s rare I exert my power, but I need to figure out why I’m so torn up about these damn rooms.
“Well, it’s all sexual in nature, ma’am.” I stop them there.
“Before we continue, I have told you many times over the years to stop calling me ma’am. Please refer to me as Emelia when we are conversing.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. Lack of sleep and missing Nico are all feeding into my irritability.
“Emelia, the first room is for members to watch. They can watch our employees dance or pleasure themselves.” He not only looks uncomfortable telling me this, but his voice cracks at the end.
“Unclench your jaws and let go of the pearls, I am a grown woman.”
“Sorry. There is no touching or connection allowed in that room. Room two is for all acts but sex. It’s used for foreplay only. This is more for the clients and employees who have a deeper connection. And the last room is where sex can take place. There is a sense of relationship. Non-existent, of course, but the idea and feeling builds.” He coughs on the last one, his face filled with relief.
“And Nico, did he use the rooms? Often?” I know I should just ask Nico this, in fact I will allow them to pass on this one if they won’t answer, but I just need to know and if they offer it up then I will take it.
“We do not know. We never went to the club until after we became your detail. He doesn’t let his men use it until they have shown loyalty after a certain number of years,” James tells.
“Oh, okay. Well, thank you for the sex talk, boys. You can go back out to the hall and wait for the boogeyman to come in and grab me,” I tease them, trying to leave them with some lightness. I am sure they will be nervous until Nico comes home, but I don’t intend to ever tell Nico that I talked about this with them. In fact, I know what I want to do.
Dinner is painful. I put on my best face, acting as unbothered as I can be. My sons all look at Nico with admiration and wonderment. They missed their father as much as I missed him. One thing I always hoped to have was a husband who would love his children. Exactly the opposite of my parents. My mother and father, as well as my two brothers, were awful to me. They beat me, tormented me, teased me, and abused every part of my soul that a human could. I’ll never have to face them again after Nico killed my father and brothers the night my own blood tried to kill me. My mother took her life knowing the awful things she did, she wouldn’t be able to outrun once the matriarch of the New York Mafia, my father, was dead.
I hurt for some time, somewhere deep down, after they all died. I hated them, loathed them more, but still, they were my family and now having my own, I always wondered what it would be like if I had a family like the one Nico and I so lovingly built together. But as time went on, that emptiness left and peace followed. My children will never have to meet those evil humans and it’s one less threat to my family.
Like always, Nico requested we be the only guest tonight. He protects this business, so they are on his demand. This allows Nico to let down his guard and be a father and not Capo. I watch them laugh and I swear my heart ceases in my chest. How did I get so lucky to have this all? A relationship rooted in hate, blossomed to loving lifelines.
“Emelia, amore mia ? Did you hear your son?” Nico runs his hand possessively over the back of my neck where he has had it off and on again the entire dinner.
“Sorry, sweetie, Mamma is very tired. I didn’t mean to zone out. What did you say?” I lean forward, placing my chin atop the lower part of my palm and watch Matteo smile with two missing teeth, his left middle one on the top and one on the bottom right.
“Papa said we can go with him next time to Chicago or New York!” He claps his hand, his brothers bouncing giddily in their seats.
“That would be so fun, but then I would be without my four boys, what would Mamma do?” I pose, and Nico grips my neck harder, growling low, but the boys are too hyped to hear their father’s disdain at my response.
“You would come with silly,” Luca says, smiling ear to ear.
“I would get invited on the men’s trip, I am honored,” I tease. “Finish up so we can have dessert, you boys have to get home and ready for bed.” I push my plate forward a bit so the waitress can grab the half-eaten plate of Bruciuluni. I don’t dare glance up at Nico because he is already seeing right through me.
I am Distant. Not able to engage. I assume he will say something first, but he doesn’t. Thank God. He continues focusing on our children and I keep working out all the plans I have in my head for this next week. How the hell am I going to get him in those rooms, more so how am I going to get in the rooms first to draw him in?
“ Dormi bene, ragazzi miei .” Nico and I stand in the doorway of the boys’ large, shared room. We plan to get a bigger place as they get older but for now the second master is big enough for the three of them.
“Good night, my loves,” I add.
“Buona notte, Mamma and Papa,” they say in unison. Nico has been adamant that they learn Italian and usually Mrs. Nelly would do all the educating, but Nico has been doing this himself in between work. Closing the door, I take the lead and head straight to our room and into the master bathroom. Turning on the light, the exhaustion from lack of sleep has finally kicked me in the ass. I move my hair from my face with my claw clip and start removing my makeup. I’m still wearing the casual outfit I chose for dinner. The restaurant we frequent calls for a casual look. I wear dark straight-leg jeans that hug my curves perfectly and an empire waist green peplum top with a deep V-neck, showing off my generous cleavage. Nico doesn’t join me, but I hear him removing his watch and shoes in our room.
Looking in the mirror, each bit of makeup slowly wipes away and my freckles show through again. I wash my face next and do my skincare before stepping out into the bedroom to head to the closet for my sleepwear. Nico sits on the black velvet upholstered bench placed at the foot of our bed. He is still in some of his suit, but much more dressed down. He lost his shoes, watch, tie, and suit jacket. The top four buttons of his shirt are undone, and his sleeves are rolled up to his elbows. Nico’s eyes are on the ground, and he spins his wedding ring around his finger. I gulp, very aware that there is something on his mind and the unknown is intimidating. I try to move about the room and continue my routine as best I can, but my stomach is in absolute knots.
Once in the closet, I pick out an all-silk thigh-length black teddy dress and change into it. I drop my hair from my claw clip and enter the bedroom again. Nico has not moved even an inch. Tension in the air grows thicker and thicker with each passing second. I sit on my side of the bed and pull out my honeysuckle lotion from my nightstand and start placing it on.
“Emelia.” Nico’s voice is eerily low. My spine tingles and it’s not in a good way.
“My love.” I am anything but calm and my response is riddled with fear.
“You didn’t go to visit the other wives today.” He stands and I straighten. Nico doesn’t look at me as he places his hands in his pocket and saunters slowly to the floor-to-ceiling windows.
“I know, I stayed home and read instead. I was too exhausted to expel energy on those women.” That was quick. Good job, Emelia, keep it going.
“Is that right?” He watches the town he runs and suddenly, I think I’m not as good at thinking on my toes as I wanted.
“Nico, you were at me all night. I wanted to rest,” I remind him, putting the lotion away.
“I was, and I thought you were enjoying last night but ever since this morning, you have been acting off. Are you unhappy, mia moglie .”
I shake my head rapidly. God, if he only knew it’s the opposite and I am just trying to think of new ways to get closer.
“Never, Nico, I am so happy in our marriage. Why would you think that?” I stand. Expecting him to turn, I’m disheartened when he stays facing away from me. It disconnects us at this very moment, and I hate it.
“I’m talking about our sex life. You ignored and didn’t react to my subtle touches at dinner and in the car to and from dinner. You keep shutting your brain off and I can’t help but wonder if you aren’t satisfied.” Oh, my love. My husband. Ever the confident man, showing his cards. I remove my teddy in one swoop and move to him in soft strides. My bare front touches his strong wall of body from behind and I wrap my arms around his waist, kissing him in the center of his back.
“Nico, no, god no. Please. I love your touches, don’t ever take them from me, il mio re ,” I beg. My eyes welling with tears.
He and I are on the same wavelength and yet we both don’t know it. Only me. He is feeling that divide, the separation and I am finding a way to close it. He doesn’t say a word or move, and I drop to my knees, placing my ass against my calves and I wait for him to make a move. He needs it. The power. This life takes us away from one another often and now with three children we are constantly pulled in so many directions that there is an invisible wall of doubt and disconnect that comes.
Keeping my eyes low to the ground, I watch his feet as he turns. He is peering down at me, this is a given and I eagerly await him.
“Up, do not bow to me when I want to know what’s going on with you. Why are you pulling away from me?” I lift my head slowly and our eyes search one another. He looks so powerful, but tender and afraid.
I have a chance now, to ask him about those rooms and the life before me. But if I do that, then he will keep a watchful eye on me and honestly, I think he will sense insecurity. Because I did. This morning when the thoughts started swarming my brain and I couldn’t place them, immediately I went to a dark place. But soon, after I lived in my psyche for long enough, I realized I was just curious and wanted to be all of Nico’s lasts and his bests.
It doesn’t matter who came before me, but what does matter is what we continue doing together. I want these wild, untamed fantasies with him. To explore a pretend sexual encounter. Where he and I don’t have a life with love and family. We got married and the lust started, even in the haze of hate. I didn’t get to explore Nico outside of a loyal husband and even if it’s roleplay, I just want to replace life before him, with only me.
His last and his best.
“Nico, I really am tired. It isn’t you.” He scoffs. Moving around my submissive pose to sit on the bench again.
“No, I’ve loved you for a decade, Emelia and I know you. I can tell when you are not in it with me.” He isn’t wrong, but I don’t want him to know it yet. I must make this right with Nico. Distract him and pledge my love and commitment to us. He is drowning in doubt and I am on cloud nine thinking about what I have in store. Trying to trick him into doing this will not be an easy feat. Nico is the King of the Seattle Mafia. Getting anything past him is nearly impossible.
Then get it together, Emelia, and show your husband what he needs. Fix what doubts he has.
I set into motion, getting on all fours and slowly crawling to him. His insecurity is only pulling me in closer. Add his worry about why I’m not present with him during our time together and I’m a desperate woman.
“Nico,” I purr, crawling to him. He watches with a hungry gaze. His eyes darken. My core is pulsing, needing to feel him there, bare and stretching me deliciously.
“I would kill every man that you ever lusted after. Any one you left me for. I would kill myself before you ever got the chance to leave.” Nico declares. My heart thunders lovingly in my chest. I would have feared his threats long ago, but they are no longer threats, more like declarations.
“Nico. I have never desired a man like I have you. You are too much sometimes. My want for you. When you breathe a certain way, I want to be ravished by you. How could there ever be a man like you?” I am now between his legs, and he rewards my words by petting my head.
“Your sentiments are shared, Emelia. I would give anything to bottle your scent and dose myself in it so everyone would smell your claim on me. If I could bottle your come, I would and I would drink it like a man addicted to the bottle.”
“Then do it. Make me come and drink me in all night. Every night. You know I have never and will never be able to resist you, Nico Dante.” I say his name and he growls.
“Suck my cock for as long as I ask you, wife.”
I nod and eagerly release him from his suit pants and the second his long, thick cock is in my hands, I take him in as deep as I can and leave him there for hours. Yes, I bring my husband to the edge over and over, this time, I deny him his orgasm until he is ready.