Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Kira
Wedding dress shopping. It should be fun but knowing I have to marry a pompous asshole who is making me plan a wedding I don’t want is infuriating. Every dress I look at makes me want to rip it apart.
“Are you ok?” Irina asks. She and Natasha share a concerned look. “You don’t seem like your normal cheery self.”
“Would you be if you had to marry a man you absolutely loath?”
Irina blinks. “I mean… we both married men who were strangers to us.”
Shit. That’s right. Irina married Nikolai after he saved her from her father and Natasha married my brother, Maksim, in an arranged marriage. Their fate is my current one.
“Sorry,” I grumble.
“Don’t be,” Natasha says. “You have to marry Enzo Bianchi. He kidnapped me. He’s terrifying. I never wanted this for you.”
“What was he like when he… kidnapped you?” It’s hard to even utter the words. Enzo is a dangerous man and now I’m being forced to marry him.
“Not kind,” she answers honestly. “But it’s a good thing he agreed to make peace instead of plunging us into a war. But I’m sorry, Kira. Sorry that you have to go through this.”
“It’s common for mafia daughters. It was always going to happen. I just didn’t expect it now.” I pick out a dress from the rack that is pure princess poofy. “What about this one? It looks like me.”
“It does,” Irina says. “You want to be comfortable in a wedding dress of your choosing.”
“My dad chose mine for me,” Natasha adds.
“And Nikolai did for me. So it’s a good thing you get to choose yours.”
I stare at the princess style wedding dress, feeling my heart rate calm down. If I have to marry a jerk like Enzo, I might as well look pretty on the day. “I’ll try it on.”
Irina and Natasha offer me encouraging words. Their empathy is sweet but it’s also stifling. They managed to make it work with their husbands but I doubt Enzo and I ever will. He’s a total ass.
I try on the dress and know it’s the right one. It’s a sweetheart neckline and no sleeves so it shows off my upper chest and arms well. The skirt flares out around me in a large poof. My father always treated me like a princess and a princess is what I want to be on the big day.
I leave the dressing room to show my friends. “What do you think?” They’re seated on a couch before a large mirror but their eyes are not on me. They’re on… Enzo. Who’s here. In the bridal shop.
He smirks when he sees me. “I think you look ridiculous in that dress.”
I stumble in my tracks. “What are you doing here? A groom isn’t supposed to see the bride in her dress before the wedding.”
“I’m unconventional,” he says with a shrug as he takes a seat next to Irina. She stiffens but doesn’t move away. Natasha refuses to look at him.
“Why are you even here?”
“It’s customary for all the women in the bride’s life to help her choose a dress. Unfortunately, my sister and aunt weren’t able to make it. So I’m here in their stead.”
My mouth turns dry, making it hard to speak. The way Enzo smirks again tells me he knows the affect he has on me. “I didn’t even know you had a sister or aunt.”
“Gianna. She lives in Connecticut for her own safety. She’s only coming the day of the wedding. I don’t want someone to hurt her in the meantime.”
“So you actually have someone you care about?” I ask, clear surprise in my voice.
Enzo’s eyes narrow. “I’m not a complete monster.”
“The fact you shot my brother in the back says otherwise. And the fact you kidnapped Natasha. You’re not a good man.”
“All is fair in war.”
“Well, we’re not in a war anymore and you’re annoying me, so go.”
He stands up, towering over me, which only annoys me further and he knows it too. “Don’t make me regret agreeing to marry you.”
“Which I still don’t fully understand why you did it. You said you wanted no part in planning this wedding, so go. Don’t ruin this day for me. And I’m choosing this dress. I like it. It doesn’t matter what you think.”
“I have the power to call this whole thing off. I’m going to choose your dress for you. Something nicer than… this.” He motions his hands at my wedding dress. “It’s too… tacky.”
I gasp. “It’s not tacky. I look like a princess.”
“Which we both know you’re not. A princess wouldn’t sneak off to clubs and get drunk.”
Before I can stop myself, I slap him across the face. The entire room goes silent.
“Is there a problem here?” The sales woman asks.
“No,” both Enzo and I say at the same time.
“If there is a problem, I’ll have to call the police.”
Enzo flashes her a charming smile. “That won’t be necessary. Just a marital dispute. No need to involve the police. We won’t cause any more problems.”
“Good. You better not.” She walks away, clearly uncomfortable, but her job is to respect the client’s wishes.
“So, you can be charming,” I say to Enzo when he turns back to me.
“I have charmed many women in my lifetime.”
“So why are you unable to charm me? That’s because I see the real you and you’re an asshole.”
He steps closer to me until I can smell the faint minty-ness of his breath. “I would suggest you stop calling me that, Kira. We’ll be married by the end of the month. Let’s not kill each other before then. We both want peace between our families. Don’t be stupid.”
“I don’t like you.”
“And I don’t like you.”
“So why did you agree to marry me then? I don’t get it. You saw me afraid and thought I’d make a good wife?”
“I saw a woman who was vulnerable. One who’s walls dropped down. I saw the real you for a moment. Not this facade you show to the world.”
I place my hands on my hips, trying to feel tough but knowing I’m failing at it. “Who says the way I’m acting is a facade? This is the real me.”
“If this were the real you, you’d be happier. You wouldn’t be sneaking off to clubs to get drunk, now would you?”
“I happen to find it fun.”
“Maybe. But I’m good at reading people. It’s why I’ve been successful at my job. And you, Kira, are not happy.”
Ok… so maybe I would go out to drink to get away from my stifling father but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t happy. I was happy… of course I was. I’m sure of it. Enzo isn’t going to convince me otherwise.
“You don’t know me,” I whisper, hating how scared I sound.
Enzo grazes the back of his hand down my cheek.
I try not to flinch. “I see a girl who’s trouble but also one who needs help.
You’re a challenge. I didn’t want one at first but now I can see how fun it will be.
Turning you into my perfect wife will be more interesting than anything I’ve experienced in a while. ”
“You can’t turn me into anything.”
“We’ll see about that. And I’m going to choose your dress. I want you looking beautiful on our wedding day. Not… whatever this is.”
“I like my dress. I’m wearing it.”
Enzo strolls over to the sales woman and points at a dress on a mannequin. The dress in question is sleek and elegant and slim. It’s not a princess dress at all and I hate it.
“You’ll try that one on,” he says, coming over to me. “I expect to see you in it on our wedding day.” With a nod at Irina and Natasha, he saunters out of the store.
The sales woman hands me the new dress but I shake my head.
“I’m going to wear this one,” I say, running my hands down the princess dress I have on. This is the dress for me and nothing Enzo could say or do is going to change that.
I thought I was done with Enzo but he shows up when I’m testing out cakes.
“I can do this on my own,” I grumble when he saunters into the bakery like he owns the place. And honestly, he probably owns a lot of different properties. Rich jerk. I might be rich too but that’s beside the point.
“It’s a cake we’ll both be eating. I thought I should join in.”
I hate how good he looks in his black shirt and slacks. It makes me want to slap him again. “For someone who doesn’t like me, you sure do like spending time with me.”
Enzo gives me a knowing look. “I’m just here to try on cake. I don’t trust you to choose one that’s good. For all I know, you’ll try to poison me on the wedding day and I’m going to do everything in my power to stop that from happening.”
“I wouldn’t poison you.”
“No?”
“No. I would stab you in the heart instead. I’m not afraid of blood.”
He smirks as he sits down beside me. The baker brings out the first couple of cakes to test. “Let me know if you need anything,” she says.
I give her a tight smile while Enzo gives her an effortless one.
“Were good,” he says before biting into the vanilla cake. “It’s good but a little too bland. I think we need something more exciting, don’t you?”
I shoot him a glare as I try a bite of the same cake. “I think it’s good. A little boring isn’t a bad thing.”
“You don’t strike me as a woman who likes boring things.”
“And you strike me as a man who likes bland things. Vanilla cake is perfect for you.”
“Trust me, Kira, the last thing I am is vanilla.”
I frown. What does he mean by that?
Enzo’s gaze intensifies on me. “Do you not understand?”
Shoot. He knows something I don’t. Instead of looking confused, I flash him a bright smile. “Of course I do.”
“I’m not sure you do. For a moment there you seemed… innocent. How innocent are you, Kira? For a girl who goes to clubs and drinks, I doubt you’re innocent at all.”
The last thing I’m going to do is tell him I’m a virgin. That’s something he’ll hold over my head.
“Let’s just eat cake,” I say, before stuffing a large bite of the chocolate one in my mouth.
Enzo’s eyes dip down to my lips. “You know, we don’t have to hate each other. We could have fun instead.”
“Fun how? I’m not sure I’ll like your idea of fun.”
“I could show you so many things you’ve never experienced.”
I try to keep the blush from my face but it’s so hard. “Like what?” It’s a dangerous question to ask.
“I’ll be better than any other man you’ve been with before.”
“How many men do you think I’ve been with? I told you I wasn’t a slut. I’m the daughter of a Bratva man. That should tell you everything.”
“Maybe. But I can’t quite figure you out. You’re either more innocent than I’m giving you credit for or you’re keeping secrets from me.”
“No secrets,” I say as my heart pounds out of my chest.
Enzo leans into my ear. “I’m sure I’ll figure them all out in time.”
“Never.”
“Challenge accepted.” He swipes his finger against my lip, making me flinch. “You had a piece of chocolate on your face.”
My only reply is to take another bite.