24. Francesca
Okay. I was freaking out.
I searched through the pile of clothes on top of the bed and couldn’t find what I was looking for, I knew I should have kept it somewhere safer. As I searched for his birthday present, my phone rang.
“Marie?” I picked up before it went to voicemail.
“Are you okay? You seem upbeat,” she remarked, and I was starting to think maybe I was different.
“Where are you?” I changed the subject before she came up with any more ideas.
“Vitelli and I are going out for dinner.” I heard Vitelli’s voice as he was forced to greet me, and I laughed. Then it hit me.
“Just the two of you?”
“Yeah, why? You always refuse to join us.” True, I did but I was quite busy myself.
“Aren’t you guys celebrating Cassio’s birthday?”
“What…it’s your brother’s birthday?” She pulled the phone away and I imagined she asked Vitelli. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Marie complained. There were a few mumblings and then she was back. “Vitelli says his brother hasn’t celebrated his birthday in years and hates to do so. So, we’re going to get dinner ourselves.”
“Hey, Marie, I have to go, I’m kind of late.”
I heard her say something, but I had already ended the call. I looked at all the clothes on my bed and on the floor and picked them up shoving them in the closet. It had been a week now since I had moved—or rather been forced—to Cassio’s place. I wasn’t going to lie, going back to my apartment to grab some extra clothes and basic necessities had been daunting. Thankfully, he had been by my side the entire time.
Ever since that night and my move to Cassio’s, things had shifted between us. Despite having my stuff in his guest bedroom, I hadn’t slept there once. Not that there was much sleeping being done in his room either.
I woke up with him every day for the past week—at an ungodly hour—and cooked him his favorite pancakes. It was beautiful to watch him savor my food and not criticize me for doing the help’s work. Then he’d drive me to the hospital where I spent my day, and Vince would bring me back. I’d cook for Cassio again and we’d eat dinner together, all very mundane, natural as if we’ve been doing this for a lifetime.
“Damn it.” I sat on the bed, fell back, and glared at the ceiling.
How could I have lost his present? The small box was right there where I had put it this morning and now it was gone. I looked at Reginald who was chewing on a toy I’d bought for him so he wouldn’t chew on Cassio’s shoes—yes, he did that.
Now it was too late to find another gift for him. I’d have to think about something else.
As I recalled, Cassio had never enjoyed celebrating his birthday, he disliked parties and crowded places. He preferred spending it with family. It was sad to know he hadn’t done so in years. He deserved to be celebrated.
I shot up from the bed as an idea came to mind. “Come on, Reggie, we have work to do.” I picked him up from the floor and headed downstairs.
It was close to nine o’clock, I had checked my phone almost a hundred times. I didn’t know whether I should call him or not. Cassio was Capo and he had hundreds of things to deal with, I didn’t want him dealing with my worries.
The last couple of days he had been arriving later and his problems only seemed to get worse. Something like that must have happened today. I checked my phone again. What if something happened? What if he had plans? I couldn’t help myself, even if I was working on it now, my anxiety was still active and made me overthink things. I thought about calling Vitelli, but then he would think something was wrong, and again, I didn’t want any trouble.
I clicked play on the TV and sat back on the sofa, not paying attention to what was before me. I must have taken a nap because I woke up to Reggie barking loudly. He only did that for one person. I shot up from the sofa, but then thought about it and sat again. Act casual. He didn’t want to celebrate his birthday, I reminded myself.
The door opened and an exhausted Cassio came walking in. His golden-brown hair was mussed, his suit jacket was open and wrinkled and he had a large stain on his shirt. I shot up kneeling on the sofa.
“It’s not blood,” he assured me, sounding tired and annoyed. “It’s just coffee.”
Cassio threw his keys on the table and then his phone followed. He removed the gun from his holster and placed it on the table as well. Finally, he turned in my direction.
“Shit, did I wake you?” he asked before I could tell him happy birthday. I shook my head, but his smile told me he knew I was lying.
Cassio came and sat beside me on the sofa, leaning his head against the cushion and let out a loud sigh. I loved seeing him like this, the unfiltered version. The one that got tired and didn’t have to put up a front, the man who smiled and complained about his day. The man who wasn’t the Capo. The man who was flesh and blood. Cassio Moretti.
“Rough day?” I asked and he looked at me, then at his shirt.
“If it were only that,” he confessed.
“Do you wanna talk?” I asked.
He shook his head. “There are two more hours before this day ends, and I’m hoping those two hours are better than the last sixteen.”
Two hours.
Sure enough, when I looked at the clock, it was ten. “Did you eat?” I asked anxiously.
“No.”
“Did you?” He still had his eyes closed.
“No,” I answered, and he looked at me. “I was waiting for you,” I explained. “I got us food,” I added.
Standing up and taking his hand, I forced him to follow me, and guided Cassio into the kitchen. It wasn’t anything fancy, in fact, it was nothing fancy at all, but I had run out of ideas and this was all I could come up with in such short notice. I hoped it would be enough for him.
“It’s not much, and I know you don’t like celebrating,” I said nervously, not able to look at him, afraid to see his reaction. “I got your favorite breakfast foods.” I looked at the boxes of takeout I had ordered.
Cassio didn’t speak, he simply moved to the kitchen island and looked at the things I bought. His favorite brownie, favorite pancakes, cupcakes, and the Italian bread he had been buying from the same bakery since he was small.
I began to freak out when he didn’t speak for a long time. I knew it was a bad idea and yet here I was planning something he didn’t even want.
“We can leave it for tomorrow if you’re tired.” He nodded slightly and even though I was prepared for it, I was disappointed.
Cassio came to my side, and I thought he was heading up to the room. He stepped right behind me, and with his hands resting on my hips, he spun me around and I gasped. He cupped my cheeks forcing me to look up at him.
“I don’t ever want to see that look on your face,” he expressed with such finality.
“Did you like it?” I finally asked. Cassio frowned taking a step back, he looked into my eyes and a radiant smile covered his face as he ran his hands through my hair and pulled me closer. His lips were almost on mine.
“I don’t like it,” he whispered. “I fucking love it, Francesca.” His lips met mine and I was ready for his hungry kisses, but he pulled back, earning a groan from me.
“Is it okay? I mean did you really like it?” I don’t know why it meant so much to me that he did, but after seeing the way he arrived today, I didn’t want him to have a bad night as well.
“It’s perfect. I can’t recall the last time I was so excited to celebrate. Next year we can start in the morning and eat all day.” He kissed my forehead. My throat bobbed as I tried to swallow.“Thank you, Principessa, but right now I really need to eat.” He kissed my lips quickly and headed toward the food. No wonder people said the way to conquer a man was through his stomach.
Next year?
He dug into the food like a man starved for days. Obviously, he started with his sweets; the brownie being gulped down in seconds. Cassio was a picky eater. For someone who was Italian, his eating habits could be considered as bad as mine. With the palate of a child, he loved his sugar most of all.
“Why aren’t you eating?” he asked as he took another bite of the chocolate chip cookie.
I blushed lightly and put a piece of the same pancake I had been eating for more than twenty minutes, in my mouth. I was nervous; that’s the truth.
“I am.” I put another one in my mouth before he could see the blush deepen.
“Francesca.” He looked at me, and of course, he knew something was off. His eyes beckoned me to speak, and he wasn’t going to drop this.
“I got you a present,” I said standing up.
“You shouldn’t have.” His face fell a bit, but it didn’t stop me from walking toward him.
Cassio watched me with curious eyes and for someone who didn’t want a birthday gift he didn’t seem all too sad. I stopped at the edge of the island, forcing him to turn his stool so he could watch me. When I had his full attention, I looked him in the eyes as I reached for the sash holding my silk robe. I opened it.
The fork he was holding dropped on the table and his mouth formed a wide O. The expression on his face was everything I had hoped for and more. He looked at me like he wanted to consume me whole, and I looked at him letting him know I wanted to be consumed.
“How l-long have you been like this?” he stuttered.
“Since you arrived,” I confessed with a smirk on my face.
At half-mast, his eyes traveled over my naked body that now lay bare for him to see. The fire that ran through my body and the way he looked at me made me feel… empowered.
He jumped from the stool and reached me in less than a second. It was as if he had never seen me naked before. His strong hands hesitated to touch me and so he outlined my robe, his finger tracing the soft silk all the way up to my shoulders.
“And I’ve been sitting here all this time when you were…like this,” he whispered with disbelief.
“You were hungry,” I pointed out. He shook his head.
“Definitely not as hungry as I am for this.” His smile made me shiver and my skin pebbled.
“I thought you didn’t want presents,” I noted, chuckling nervously.
His hands pulled the fabric off my shoulders and the robe slipped away pooling at my feet. By now I was breathing hard, my heart thundering, and anticipation driving me crazy. The back of his hand grazed my nipple which instantly pebbled. I arched my back, seeking more contact. His head finally lifted as he looked at me.
“If I had known this was my present, I would’ve celebrated my birthday every day.” His eyes were dark, clouded with desire.
“You always have me, Cassio.” I breathed and took a step forward pressing myself against his chest. His hand cupped my behind and I let out a soft moan.
“If I’m not careful, you’re going to ruin me,” he spoke against my mouth as he kissed me hard.