Chapter 13 #2
I had better get my act together because if my father gets wind of me pining after some girl, he won’t stop hounding me with his damn “get married and give him a grandkid so I’ll have my own heir” spiel. Like, I haven’t heard that shit a million times already.
I try to sneak into the house when I get to my parents’ home—since I was expected to be here tonight—for some downtime until later, but I barely make it a couple of steps in when my father is there, slapping me on the back before throwing his arm around me.
Geez, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was spying on the driveway, just waiting for me to get here.
“Were you spying on the driveway?”
“No. Why? Were you trying to sneak into the house, son?” he asks, a smirk on his face.
“Pfft, no. I wasn’t trying to sneak in anywhere. But why are you creeping around the place?” I huff out.
“I wasn’t creeping around. I was just on my way to the kitchen to grab some soup and juice for your mother when I heard you walk in. She’s sick and has been asking for her ‘baby boy,’” he says, air-quoting baby boy.
“Why do I feel like the two of you are going to ambush me?” I question, suspiciously. “And why didn’t you tell me she wasn’t feeling well? I thought you guys just wanted me to come over for dinner.”
“Who? Us? Never,” he tells me, acting innocent. “And you know how your mother is. She didn’t want to worry you.”
“Right,” I tell him, knowing he’s full of shit. We both walk up the stairs and head for their room.
Mom is lying down, covered with a blanket, watching television. She pauses her show when she sees me enter. I walk over to her side and sit on the bed, pulling her into my arms and giving her a kiss on the head.
“Hi, Mom, what’s wrong? How are you feeling?” I ask her.
“So sick. I feel like I’m on the verge of dying, and I still don’t have a grandbaby to play with before I wither away.” She sniffles with all the flair for the dramatics she can muster.
“Really, Ma? You’re not dying. If it were anything serious, Dad would have already taken you to the clinic. You probably have the flu, or you just lured me here to be a pain in the ass,” I tell her, rolling my eyes over her head. Can’t let her see me do that, or she’ll smack me.
“He just rolled his eyes at you, dear,” Dad, the troublemaker and snitch, says from his chair. I give him the death glare, but he just ignores me.
“Snitches get stitches,” I grumble at him.
“Enzo Leonardo Andretti! Don’t you dare sass your mama like that!” she snips. “What on earth did I do? Where did I go wrong with this one?”
“Ma, seriously? I’m only thirty. It's not like I’m past my prime or anything. Sheesh! I may or may not be looking for a wife already since you two old folks won’t quit it,” I tell her, throwing in that tiny tidbit.
“Really?” she asks, looking up at me and beaming like I just gave her the entire world on a silver platter.
“Really, son? ‘Cause like you just said, we’re old, and us old folks aren’t getting any younger,” Father butts in. I glare at him, lifting my hand in a gun formation and mimicking shooting him. The crazy man just laughs his ass off before complaining. “Your son is threatening me, darling.”
“Enzo, don't threaten your father. So, tell me, who is she? When are we going to meet her?” Ma asks.
“I haven’t met her yet, Ma. I said I was looking,” I lie. As soon as I opened my mouth to tell them I was looking, Aria popped into my head. When I think about someone carrying my baby, all I think about is her. Ugh! This is not supposed to be happening.
“Well, we hope you find her soon. I want to play with at least one grandbaby before I get old and can’t move around.” She sulks.
“Ma, you’re still young and have plenty of life left in you yet,” I say, kissing her cheek.
“Oh, you charmer you. But don’t think sweet-talking me is going to work. You should go on a date or something tonight, you know, to help the process along.” She grins.
“Fine. I’ll go out later tonight.”
“Good. Oh, and by the way, son, I thought you should know that I got word today that Salvatore and Aria Bellucci’s wedding has been postponed until further notice,” Dad tells me.
“Do you know why?”
“Nope. But I’ll see what I can find out. I didn’t take Salvatore for the waiting type,” he says, absently.
My mind goes straight back to Aria. I wonder why the wedding is being postponed. Though in the grand scheme of things, that’s the best news I could’ve heard today. It means we’ll have more time together until she finally ties the knot.
My cock hardens at the thought of her and the extra time we’ll have.
I quickly excuse myself from my parents, telling them I forgot about some work I need to catch up on before going out tonight.
Surprisingly, they don’t give me any more of their shit.
I guess the prospect of me going out tonight and looking for someone to date and marry has mellowed them out, for now at least.
I head for my old office in the house and chill for the rest of the afternoon because I’m definitely going to see her tonight.
It’s been too long since I’ve laid my eyes on her.
I’m not going to admit to the fact that I spent the rest of the day antsy as fuck since time was moving so slowly.
I couldn’t wait to feel her body against mine or be inside her again.
I swear she has the sweetest pussy I’ve ever tasted and been inside in my entire life. At this point, I’m thinking she's got me a bit too obsessed. Who would’ve thought that Enzo Andretti would become addicted to pussy so easily? Not me, that’s for sure.
When night finally rolls around, I shower and get dressed before heading down the stairs.
I hear my parents talking and let out a groan since I thought the two of them would be in bed already, but these people keep poking their noses in my shit.
Now I know why they have a sitting room right next to the foyer. It’s for their spying shit.
“And where are you off to, my darling boy?” Ma asks, and I turn around to look at her. She has an innocent look, but she’s not fooling me one bit. Dad is sitting next to her with a stupid-ass grin on his face.
“I’m heading to the club like I told you earlier,” I tell them, rolling my eyes.
I was supposed to go over to the guesthouse after I was done in my office to avoid this, but I never did, and now I’m regretting that oversight.
I usually stay there when I’m here and don’t want my parents in my shit.
I forgot that memo today after I left them in their room.
All I had on the brain this afternoon was Aria.
This girl is making me act like a brainless idiot.
“Are you going on the prowl to look for our future daughter-in-law?”
“What? Who even says things like that? And if you two don’t quit it, I’m going to stop looking,” I threaten.
“Sheesh, talk about moody. We’re just trying to look out for you.” She pouts. “And if you stop, I’ll make it my mission to annoy you every single day for the rest of your life.” She smirks.
“Well, if you two want a baby so much, then why don’t you make one?”
“Boy, that ship has sailed,” Ma says, bursting out in laughter. “Do we look like spring chickens to you?”
“Bye!” I tell them both, shaking my head as I leave the room and walk out the front door.
I do head to the club for a little while because it’s too early to sneak into her room.
I see a friend of mine, and we have a few drinks together.
It feels weird to me that none of these girls in the club catches my attention or makes me feel anything at all.
Normally, before Aria, I’d be in the thick of things, drinking and having a good time.
She’s definitely fucked me over for all other women.
I’m excited as fuck by the time I’m finally ready to leave. I get to her house in record time and sneak my way in like I usually do. I’ve done it quite a few times now. It’s easy peasy.
The door to her balcony is locked tonight, so I quickly pick the lock. Thankfully, there’s no alarm. I’m guessing her father thinks he’s untouchable because of all the guards he has around the property, and that no one would be foolish enough to break in, but here I am.
Once the lock is picked, I step into her room to find it dark. Weird because she usually has a small nightlight on. There are slivers of light coming into her room from the outside, and when I look at her bed, I find it empty.
I check the bathroom and the closet, and they're both empty. I don’t think she’d be downstairs this late because she never is.
I quickly pull out the small cameras I have in my pocket that I was going to install later tonight, after she was asleep, so that I could watch her whenever I’m away from her.
After I install them, I quickly sneak back out and head to all the regular spots downtown where one would be if they were out on a date. I don’t find her anywhere, and I’m kinda starting to get worried, but now I also feel like a damn stalker.
I obsessively watch the camera feed of her room for a week and still don’t see any signs of her. That’s when I know that something is definitely up. An idea comes to me, and I pick up the phone.
“Bruno, come up to my office now,” I say into the phone when he picks up.
“I’ll be right there, boss,” he replies and then hangs up.
I’m in my office downtown today, and everyone has made a point of steering clear of me. With the mood I’m currently in, things would not go down too well with them. I swear it’s like since I moved out, I spend more time at the family home now than when I actually lived there.
I’ve been like a grumpy bear this whole week because I have no idea where the hell my girl is. I intend to find her and then punish her ass for making me feel so much for her in such a short amount of time, and then fucking disappearing.
It literally feels like a limb or some shit has been missing this week. Well, also the couple of weeks before, when I didn’t get to see her after our last night of marathon sex. Being obsessed with someone freaking sucks. A knock on my door saves me from my thoughts.
“Come in.”
“Hey, boss, you wanted to see me?” Bruno asks as he steps into my office, and I motion for him to take a seat in front of my desk.
“Yes. You’re just the person I wanted to see. I need you to set up a meeting with your girlfriend. I need her here within the next hour because I have some questions for her,” I tell him, and his eyes widen.
I guess he didn’t know that I knew. Like I said, I keep on top of everything my men do, within reason, of course.
“Boss, I—”
“Relax. I know all about that. But not to worry, I also know you haven’t betrayed me, so we’re good,” I tell him, and he relaxes.
“Okay, boss. I’ll get her here in an hour. Is this about your girl?” he asks cheekily, and I stare him down.
“Explain. What girl?”
“Aria. Don’t worry, I might be the only person who knows. I saw you with her that night at the masquerade party because she came with my girl, and you know, after, since my girl had to collect her to take her home.”
“Well, continue to keep your lips zipped,” I grumble, and he grins at me. I almost forgot he saw me going to the guesthouse with Aria while he was with his girl.
“Will do, boss,” he says before leaving.
I sit and just stare at my computer screen for the next forty-five minutes as I wait for the girl to get here. Finally, she walks in ahead of Bruno ten minutes after that. I motion for her to take a seat and waste no time questioning her.
“Where is Aria? She hasn’t been home in about a week, and she’s not with Salvatore either. I know their wedding was postponed for now, so she’d have no reason to be with him anyway.”
“Uh, I don’t know,” she mumbles in a scared voice.
“Relax. I’m not going to kill you. I just need some answers,” I say, because I’m sure she knows my reputation around these parts. “All I want to know is where Aria is.”
“I honestly don’t know. All I know is that her father sent her away to some convent, but I have no clue where. He kept all the details to himself.”
“Why did he do that? She’s supposed to marry Salvatore soon, so why would he send her away?” I question. Before, I wasn’t too concerned, but now I’m thinking there's no way she’s going to marry that fool, especially not when I’ve decided I want to keep her for myself.
“Uh, I don’t know why. And yeah, she was supposed to. But I thought you would stop that since she’s been with you and Salvatore is kind of expecting a virgin.” She mumbles that last part out.
“Well, that’s why I need to find her,” I tell her. “There’s no way I’m letting her marry that idiot.”
“Like I said, I don’t know where. All I know is that it’s a convent and it’s in the country. At least he didn’t send her to one that’s overseas because the asshole would if he wanted to,” she tells me.
“Why a convent of all places?”
“Uh, I’m not sure. No one really knows why Bernardo does the things he does. He said something about her needing religion to learn how to be the perfect wife for Salvatore or something like that.”
“Are you sure that’s all?” I ask.
“Uh, yes. I’m sure.”
We talk for a few more minutes, and then I motion for them to leave.
“Thanks,” I tell her just as she makes it to the door.
After they’re both gone, I call Xander and tell him to start looking for my girl because she’s gone missing.