18. Luna
EIGHTEEN
LUNA
“This contract is ridiculous,” Luna said, throwing the papers onto the table. “How could you let me sign this?”
“Um, I asked if you were sure,” Blair said. “Besides, it’s not the worst contract I’ve ever seen.”
Gianna picked up the papers, skimming through them. “I don’t even understand what most of this says.” She paused on one section, nodding. “Have you read the cheating clause?”
Luna’s brows furrowed in confusion. “No, what does it say?”
“Basically that if you or Valerio cheat, then the other can get out of the contract,” she told her. “Get Valerio to fuck some other girl and you’ll be free.”
Cecilia laughed. “Yeah right, as if it would be that easy.”
Luna laughed awkwardly, trying to ignore their comments. The thought of her own husband being unfaithful to her made her feel gross. If Valerio ever chose to break their vows, then she truly wouldn’t want anything to do with him.
“Doubtful he’ll want to cheat considering he then owes her half of everything he has,” Blair told them. “And believe me, he has a lot.”
“What do I get if we both stay in the marriage?” Luna asked.
“I don’t know. You need to discuss that with your future husband. The contract doesn’t specify any of that,” Blair said.
“You should probably set up a separate type of agreement with him,” Cecilia told her. “Something on paper that both of you agree to. At the end of the day, you two are the ones who are actually in the marriage.”
Gianna gasped. “We can help you create it.”
Luna thought about it for a moment. It was a great idea; some things that both of them would have to follow in order to ensure their marriage remained respectful to both parties. It would also allow Luna to hold some of the control in the relationship.
It was definitely a reach into trying to accept their new arrangement, but as long as she was trying, she considered it a win. After the donation party the other night, him taking care of her hand and being obnoxiously kind, she thought she might owe him that at the very least.
“Okay. I need something to drink while we do it,” Luna told them.
“Say no more. We have some vodka in the fridge,” Cecilia said, standing.
“I’ll type it out,” Blair said. “If you’re getting drunk, someone has to be sober.”
“Boo! You can drink and type, Ms. Pre-Law. How do you think most lawyers work?” Gianna asked.
“Hopefully not drunk,” Luna said.
Blair rolled her eyes. “Fine, but only because I don’t want to be left out.”
Cecilia came back with red Solo cups, a bottle of vodka, and orange juice as a chaser. “We have to go grocery shopping soon.”
“Are you kidding me? This seems like the essentials to me,” Gianna said. She grabbed the cups and the vodka, distributing it out to all of the girls. Luna asked for orange juice in hers, unable to handle the taste of vodka by itself. A couple of sips down and they were ready to start creating their list.
“To start, we should mention that there can be no mistreatment of either party. Maybe something about communication too,” Blair told them. “That way you both are open and honest with each other.”
Luna nodded. “Along with that, no forcing each other to do things they don’t want to do. AKA, not rushing me to have children when I’m not ready.”
“Oh, add something about being allowed to travel. We still have breaks coming up and trips booked,” Cecilia said.
“Kind of weird we have to mention any of this,” Blair grumbled, taking another sip of her drink.
She was right. It was heartbreaking that they lived in a world where their girls’ nights were spent having to write up a contract for how her future husband had to treat her. Luna took another sip, pushing the thought from her mind. It was a necessary precaution, something to protect her.
“Better safe than sorry,” Gianna said. “Add something about mandatory foreplay. If you’re going to be stuck with the same man for the rest of your life, you might as well have a good time when you do fuck him.”
Luna choked on her drink. “I can’t put that in the contract.”
“Actually, you probably should. Especially if he doesn’t know what he’s doing,” Cecilia said.
Her cheeks heated. Unfortunately, he did know exactly what he was doing, much to Luna’s relief, but there was no way she was going to tell any of them about it. Luna cleared her throat. “On to more important subjects, add something about how no matter the sex of the first born, they’re still the heir. I won’t allow them to push aside my child.”
Blair nodded, typing frantically on her laptop. “What about your living accommodations?”
“Oh my God, you’re going to have to move out, won’t you?” Cecilia asked. She gave a puppy dog frown, causing Luna to grab her hand in sympathy.
“She’s going to be a married woman. She needs her own home,” Gianna said. “Or Valerio can move into here.”
Luna let out a laugh. Picturing him amidst the pink and fluffy whites of their apartment was hilarious to think about. “I don’t want to move out.”
“I can bet you money that you won’t be living here when you’re married,” Blair said.
“Well, I don’t want to live with Dante and Allister either,” Luna said. “No offense to you, Gianna.”
“Can’t say I blame you. The only reason I still live there is because all of these apartments were too small. Where would I put all my clothes?”
Everyone rolled their eyes at that. “Fine, I’ll put something about the two of you buying a home of your own, but it has to be close to us and we have to be able to come over whenever we want and have rooms of our own.”
“Perfect,” Luna said.
The drunker they got, it seemed that the more outrageous the list became. But she was going to dinner with Valerio the next day, so it had to be typed up with spaces for the two of them to sign. And as soon as Blair printed out the papers, they all passed out in the living room, promising to regret their hangovers the next day.
Luna gasped awake, holding her head when the hangover struck her just as violently. For the past few nights, she woke up with nightmares of marrying Edward and ending up with the bullet in her own head. Last night, she was shackled to the altar screaming for help, but no one came. They made her feel so helpless and alone. She hated that feeling more than anything.
But with the morning sun came the reminder that at least one nightmare was over. Edward was dead and she wasn’t going to be marrying any strangers ever.
The sun also brought along the reminder that they had had far too much to drink the night before. All she remembered were fuzzy memories of a new contract they were typing up. When she finally looked at her phone, she was reminded of the date she had with Valerio later that night. She roused the girls up, forcing them into looking decent enough for a trip to the mall so she could find an outfit for the night.
She wanted a dress she would feel beautiful in and the moment she put on the silky, pastel yellow dress, she knew it was perfect. The fabric draped down her body like a waterfall, hugging her hips and stopping at the middle of her calves. She finished the look with some diamond earrings she got for her birthday a few years ago and a pair of white kitten heels she stole from Blair’s closet.
She stuck the typed-up stack of papers in her bag and made her way out of the apartment. With prompt orders from Luna, Valerio waited downstairs in the garage. It felt too romantic to have him come up to the apartment and pick her up.
She ignored the comments the girls made and opened the door to leave, only to find Valerio waiting in the hallway. Luna’s eyes widened as she closed the door behind her. “I thought I told you to wait in the car.”
“Why? Are you trying to hide me?” he asked, his brow raised.
“No, I’m trying to save you the embarrassment of my best friends,” she told him. “Are you ready to go?”
He didn’t say anything for a moment, his eyes trailing up the length of her body before moving to her face and locking eyes with her. “Now I am.”
“What was that about?” she asked, shifting uncomfortably.
“Trying to save the way you look into my memory,” he said. “You look magnificent.”
A blush crept onto her cheeks. “You could always just take a picture.”
“I know. I’ll be getting on to the cameras later to rewatch this moment,” he told her, a grin on his face.
“Which cameras?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He grabbed her hand.
Luna rolled her eyes, a snort escaping as she tried to hide the butterflies that fluttered in her stomach from his warmth.
When they reached the garage, Valerio was opening the door for her, making sure her seat belt was fastened before he made his way to the driver’s side. They began driving and this time he drove the speed limit.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“I made a reservation for an Italian restaurant,” he said. “I hope you like it.”
“I love pasta. Maybe it’s a place I’ve been before.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
“Because I own it.”
“So you’re in the restaurant business too?” she asked. “Are there any fields you haven’t nudged your way into?”
“Real businesspeople diversify their investments,” he said. “How else do you think I can afford my luxurious lifestyle?”
“Hope you can afford mine as well.” The words slipped from her mouth before she could even register them, but before he could say anything, they were pulling up to the restaurant. It was a beautiful brown stone building. A man in a black uniform came to open her door for her, but Valerio was practically pushing him away to open it himself.
“Thanks,” she muttered, fixing her dress as she got out of the car. They walked through a set of double doors held open by people in black tux uniforms.
The actual interior of the space was lit up by warm, ambient lighting causing a cozy feel to envelop the space. The tables were lined with white tablecloths and brown barrel chairs. There wasn’t a single person sitting and having dinner, which seemed odd for such a beautiful space. Luna began walking into the large dining room, but Valerio pulled on her hand, leading her through a hallway lined with gold sconces on the walls. He pushed open a door that opened up into the most extravagant room Luna had seen.
Large windows lined the wall directly in front of them, allowing the city lights and the setting sun to stream into the room. The warm lighting carried into the room, and along the windows were green vines. She wasn’t sure if they were real or not, but the space felt like they were in a villa in Italy.
Valerio pulled out a chair for Luna, allowing her to settle in before he pushed it in for her. “This place is beautiful. When does dinner start?”
He sat down as well, scooting his chair so he was beside her rather than across. “I closed the place for the night. You said you had things you wanted to discuss, so I thought it would be best if we had privacy.”
“You didn’t have to do that.” She shook her head, completely shocked at the action. “This room is private enough.”
“I wanted to,” he said. “Order anything you want, but I also want you to try my favorites.”
She grabbed the menu, eyeing through it but finding it was completely in Italian. “I can’t read the menu.”
“I could get you an English one.”
She shrugged. “Or you could just read me the items?”
Valerio nodded. He took it, moving even closer to her so they could share the menu. He went through each item, pronouncing the names slowly. Luna couldn’t help but look at his lips, watching as they changed and moved to fit the pronunciations, putting emphasis on specific parts of the words.
Her mouth was suddenly dry, mesmerized by him. He did have beautiful lips. Only a week ago, they were on hers in a heated frenzy. The thought brought a blush to her cheeks.
A waiter entered the room asking for their drinks. Valerio glared at him, causing the waiter to shift uncomfortably. It knocked Luna enough out of her daze to realize where they were.
They settled on some bottle of wine, but Luna also ordered a lemon drop martini. Valerio also made sure to order a little bit of everything on the menu, giving her a chance to experience just how delicious his food was. He spoke with the waiter in Italian, and she hated to admit it, but it was incredibly attractive. Something about how his voice became deeper, ordering authority in a language she didn’t understand did it for her.
She shifted in her seat, waiting until the waiter left. “Should we get into the contract?”
He nodded, sitting back in his seat and throwing his arm around the back of her chair. “Go ahead.”
“I know we both signed the contract my father’s lawyer wrote up, but I think it’s important for us to also establish ground rules for each other,” Luna told him. She grabbed her purse, taking out the stack of papers and handing it to him. “I had Blair type this up last night, but I agree with everything that is in this and I hope you will too. If we’re going to be in this for the long haul, I think we should be civil with each other and this is a good place to start.”
He looked at her unamused, his brow raised. “It’s a marriage, not a business deal. What the hell do you need this many rules for?”
“Just read them,” she said. “I want to make sure we’re both understanding what this marriage means.”
He rolled his eyes, reading the first page. His face didn’t shift until he read the second page. Suddenly, his eyes were lit up and a shit-eating grin replaced his frown. “Did you read it over before giving it to me?” he asked.
Luna looked at him, confused. “No, but I told Blair what to write, so I’m pretty sure I know the contents of it.”
“Oh, so you told her to write, ‘Adequate foreplay is necessary before any intimacy takes place, including, but not limited to, cunnilingus?’ You know what, I think I can get behind some of these rules.”
Luna’s eyes widened in horror. “Oh my God, she did not write that.” She tried to grab the papers from his hands, but he held them over his head.
“Before I sign, I like to make sure I read through all terms of the agreement,” he said, flipping to the next page. He laughed. “These just keep getting more crude and less legal sounding as we go through it.”
Luna’s cheeks were burning. How drunk did they get?
“Oh, so you’ll only let me put it in your ass when we’re married? I can agree to that,” he told her. “I can agree to living in a house close to your friends, granted you’re living with me and we’re sleeping in the same bed.”
“You should stop reading,” she told him, completely embarrassed. “We got drunk last night while we were doing it so I don’t remember half of the things written.”
“So this was a group effort?” he asked, flipping to the next page. “I agree with the first child clause. I would never take anything away from my child. I’m assuming you thought of that.”
She nodded, ignoring how her body responded to hearing him talk about their future children. “That one I did.”
“Did you also write the one about guaranteeing your orgasms?” he asked, his brow raised. “I think I have a fair enough score considering what happened in the woods. What do you think?”
“I’m not commenting on these anymore,” she muttered, looking down at the floor. The waiter entered the room, setting their drinks on the table before leaving quickly again. Luna grabbed her martini, taking a big drink from it.
“If you’re so concerned about me taking care of you, you could have just told me,” he said. He grabbed the bottle of wine, pouring her a glass before moving onto his own.
She shook her head. “Listen, there are actual important rules in there that I care the most about. We both signed the contract; we both understand we’re stuck in this for the rest of our lives. If there are some you don’t like, we can discuss that. Just like if you decide you want to see other women while we’re married, I can’t stop you, but I would prefer to at least know about it. I’ll pay you that same respect if I decide to see anyone else too.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Valerio asked. Luna was shocked by how quickly his tone had changed. “Neither one of us will be seeing anyone else. I’ll follow your rules, but that’s one I want in there. No extramarital affairs. I’m not marrying you just so you can go fuck someone else.”
“But you can?” Luna asked, testing him.
“I would never. God, woman, I fucking tracked you down at your own engagement party and killed the man you were supposed to marry. I’m fucking obsessed.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Tell me you didn’t like what happened in the forest. Tell me you didn’t feel anything or that anyone else could make you feel that way.” He leaned in close, his lips only a couple inches away from hers. Her breathing turned heavy, her body responding to him immediately. “Tell me you hated coming all over my tongue and I’ll let you have all the whores you want.”
She couldn’t because despite how hard she tried to keep hating him, her cold exterior toward him was already beginning to melt. She was sure that part had to be because of how easily he got down on his knees for her, making sure she came and was taken care of without worrying about himself.
And maybe her thinking about him on his knees had sent her over the edge more than once over the past couple of weeks, forcing her to wish it could happen a second time. Her eyes glazed over his lips, wanting to feel them all over again.
So she did. Luna met his lips, wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him closer. He tugged on her head so he could taste her deeper.
Valerio pulled back for a second, his lips in a menacing grin. “Say you don’t want me. Say it.”
Luna clenched her jaw, angry that he was asking her such stupid questions in such a heated moment. She tried to pull him to her again, but he didn’t let her, keeping her at a distance.
“Say it,” he muttered, his eyes blazing with lust and possession.
“Shut up,” she said, instead.
“Not good enough.” He shook his head, grabbing her chin with his hand. “Say you don’t want me the way I want you.”
She finally gave in, completely soaked and over his teasing. “I can’t,” she whispered.
His lips were back on hers, devouring them all over again. Why did he have to be good at touching her, kissing her? Why couldn’t he be ugly and suck at making her come so she wasn’t so drawn to chasing that same feeling of pleasure again?
She hated him. But she hated him because of how badly she wanted him. The feeling came out of nowhere, clouded her judgment in every respect of the word. But something had shifted in her. Maybe it was him killing the man her father wanted her to marry. Maybe it was him giving her another out when he didn’t have to. Maybe because he wasn’t as bad of a person as she thought he was.
Or maybe it was because she knew he actually cared about her. No, he loved her. That feeling terrified her, made her anxious and sick to her stomach. He hadn’t said it, and he didn’t have to. But she felt it. She knew it was there. Everyone did.
He stood, pushing his chair out before he got down on his knees, swiveling Luna’s chair so she was facing him.
“What are you doing?” she asked, breathless. “Anyone could come in here. Stand up.”
He gave her a devilish smirk. “Guess you’ll have to stay quiet then.”
He started at her calves, collecting the dress up her waist. She grabbed the chair, clutching for dear life.
He hooked his arms around her thighs, pulling her body towards the edge of the chair. He hooked his fingers into her underwear, slowly pulling them down her thighs and off her legs. Her breath hitched when he looked up at her, his eyes a dark shade of blue.
“Your pussy is just as perfect as I remembered it to be,” he told her. He spread her legs apart, leaving her completely open to his eyes to his hands to his mouth. “I don’t know how I went this long without it. One taste and I’m obsessed.”
“Someone could come in at any moment. Our food will be here soon,” she reminded him.
“Do you want me to stop?” he asked, his brow raised.
She smirked. “If you’re okay with that waiter seeing your fiancée’s pussy, I guess I am too.”
His eyes turned deadly. “Then I think I have to make sure my fiancée comes quickly.”
And then he leaned his head down, licking a strip up her core. She jumped off the seat, completely not expecting he would actually do it—again. Still, she didn’t make a sound, terrified of someone walking in. Valerio looked up at her, spreading her folds apart before he placed his tongue directly over her clit, adding pressure onto it.
Luna grabbed the chair with a death grip, biting her lip to stop herself from moaning. She watched him the entire time. The way he sucked on her clit before trailing his tongue back down to her slit, letting it enter her.
The moan was on the tip of her tongue, waiting to slip out, but she held back. He pulled away, letting her inhale a deep breath. It was short-lived once his hand replaced his tongue. He moved his thumb in circles around her clit, forcing waves after waves of pleasure up her spine. Her eyes closed and her head fell back. A small moan escaped her.
Valerio trailed his hand down, putting one finger inside her. Luna whimpered, looking back down at him. “Look how fucking tight you are.” He groaned, moving his finger in and out of her. “My cock is going to destroy you.”
Luna let out a louder moan. His dirty talk made her feel something deep inside, igniting her further toward her orgasm. He slipped in another finger, connecting his lips back to her clit. Her body screamed in pleasure, everything building up so suddenly that she crashed through her orgasm with full force. She closed her thighs around his head letting him feel every shake of her body, every pulse of her pussy as she came.
Luna let out a shaky breath, unlocking her legs so Valerio could come up for air. He pressed one last kiss to her inner thigh, pulling his fingers out of her. He gave her a bruising kiss, biting her lip.
“So much for being quiet,” he said with a small laugh. He stood up, stretching his back out. Luna stared at him in amazement. How the hell was she supposed to recover from that?
She slid her dress back down just as the door was opening. The waiter brought in a tray of food, setting it down on the table for them, promising more was coming. Valerio took his seat again, his eyes locked on Luna. She avoided his gaze until he lifted his hand to his mouth, pushing his fingers inside. She gulped at the thin sheen of herself covering his lips.
She didn’t understand what overcame her, but Luna leaned over, pressing her lips against his.
It seemed like he was expecting it, because his hand was locked on the back of her head, pushing her closer so she was practically out of her chair. He let her taste herself.
She pulled away, breathless. “So you’ll sign the papers?”
He nodded. “I’ll send you a final copy. There are some things I want to add.”
Luna sat back in her seat. She fixed her hair and adjusted her dress. She grabbed the water on the table, taking big gulps.
Suddenly, she was more hungry than she had ever been in her life.