Blood & Marriage (Dark Mafia Romance) (2 page)

“I’m happy to meet you, sir,” said Santo, squeezing Father’s
hand with all the respect a high-ranking mafia man was due. And there I was, a
show doll to be played with.

Santo was wrong. I was not a cow for sale. I chose to go
along with my father’s wishes because I trusted he chose a good match for me,
that I would help in establishing a permanent truce between our two families,
and that in that union I would be cherished, not used.

If Santo thought he’d get as much as a glance from me, he
had another thing coming.

In the movies, when men are in need of blowing off steam,
they box a sandbag or get into a fight, but that wouldn’t do in my case. When I
was younger, my sister and I both went to karate classes, but kicking and
punching people started feeling unladylike as soon as I realized I was growing
breasts. I’m not sure anymore how much of it was my father sneering at our
hobby and how much was my own discomfort, but I gave it up. Mona didn’t care as
much and now was a brown belt.

I took up swimming instead, and every time something weighed
on my conscience or burned my fingertips hard enough to make me clench them
into fists, my first instinct was to dive deep into cool water.

This time, burning the energy created by the day’s events
took ages. I swam as fast as I could, relishing in the soreness in my muscles,
but Santo’s words still echoed in my head as if he stood right by me and
whispered them into my ear.

He had no idea what he was talking about. Who did he think
he was anyway? He was lucky I’d spared him and hadn’t told my father what had happened.
Then again I knew that sparing him was only part of my intentions. In reality,
I was scared that there might have been consequences for me if Father found out
I kissed a man I had just met.

I tapped the wall at the shallow end of the pool and stopped
for air. I didn’t even realize how hard I’ve been working out until my muscles
started trembling slightly. I took deep breaths of warm air, glad that I didn’t
have to drive anywhere for a swim. The pool was in the basement of our villa,
and I studied the space above me, hit by the realization that not only was I
getting married soon, but I would also be leaving behind the place I called
home and all that came with it.

I looked beneath my feet, to the octopus mosaic illuminated
by blue side lights. I’d been the one to choose the pattern when I was only
five. When my mother was still alive, and my parents’ marriage a happy one.

I glanced up, startled by a movement to the side. For a
split second I was certain I’d spotted Mona resting on one of the sunbeds, but
when I realized who it really was, I froze.

“You can’t smoke here,” I choked out in the end, watching
Santo make his way toward the edge of the pool in slow steps. I still
remembered the faint taste of tobacco on his tongue, under the mint. Why would
he come here, in his clothes at that? In the corner of my eye I saw he’d
changed into jeans and a black T-shirt, but I was certain he didn’t come to
swim.

“Don’t worry, the ventilation’s on,” he said, strolling
along the edge toward me.

I took a deep breath and kicked myself away from the rim of
the pool, fighting the ache in my limbs as I swam across its length for a
moment’s peace. The front crawl allowed me to keep my face underwater for the
most part, but my lungs constricted when I turned my head to catch some air and
saw him following me.

I couldn't help feeling annoyed that I was wearing my sports
swimsuit, a blue one-piece that flattened my breasts. They weren't big anyway,
and I wouldn't have minded some padding right now. Or for that matter, I
wouldn't mind having on the black D&G swimsuit I’d bought the other day.
That one was all straps and eyelets. Not for Santo's viewing pleasure of
course, but to drive the message home that he wouldn’t have me.

“Is there something you nee—” I wanted to ask in annoyance
when he put out the cigarette, but breath caught in my lungs when Santo
casually reached to the hem of his T-shirt and pulled it off in one graceful
move. The sight it revealed made me still in the water, afraid that I might
just reach out to that ripped stomach, were it any closer.

I was ashamed to admit it, but his body was a work of art.
He couldn’t have been older than twenty five, and the muscles in his body
revealed why there was so much confidence in the way he moved. Wide shoulders
narrowing down into a slim waist, and along the way, a pattern of small scars
scattered, as if the artist who’d created him had decided he needed to mar the
perfection so that it wouldn’t seem unrealistic.

I forced myself to look up as soon as my eyes attempted to
follow the trail of hair under his navel, but instead of at his face, as I’d
planned, they stopped at the base of his neck where a thick, red horizontal
scar cut from one side of his throat to the other.

“I came for a swim,” he said, opening his belt as if to
distract me. It wouldn’t help. I knew he was here to steal more of what wasn’t
his to take.

I opened my mouth, but it took me several seconds to produce
a sound as I made my way to the ladder in the corner. “Make yourself
comfortable,” I told him, hoping he would leave me in peace while I grabbed my
towel and ran.

Pulling myself out of the water, I have never felt so
ungraceful, with the heat of his gaze burning my back through the rivulets of
water cascading down my body. I wasn’t ready for this. I’d even removed all my
makeup before coming here, and the little wet bundle of hair on top of my head
was unflattering. He shouldn’t have been allowed to see me without my armor.

“You do know I was only joking about the teeth, right?” He
raised his eyebrows and carried on undressing, pushing his jeans to the side
with his foot. Those black Armani boxers were definitely not meant for swimming
in.

“I bet the kiss was a joke too,” I said through clenched
teeth and wrapped myself in the towel. My fingers snatched at the hairband and
let my damp hair fall around my face. This way, I felt a tiny bit more secure.

He sat at the other side of the pool, sliding his legs into
the water and watching me like a cat ready to pounce. “Oh, no. That was all
real.”

I didn’t know what to say at first, compelled to tell him
off right away and yet so flattered at the same time. It has been a good kiss.
In fact, it has been amazing, and that was exactly why it should have never
happened. “I thought you were my future husband! It was so inappropriate.”

“In that moment I thought I
was
your future husband.”
Santo smirked and slid into the water. The blue light only made it easier to
ogle him, which was the last thing I wanted to do, but I still did it. The
light reflected off the moving surface of the water, painting lines on his flesh,
and I had to look away.

“You cheated me. What if someone saw us? You’d be in
trouble. Do you have no sense of self-preservation at all?”

“I wanted to soften the blow of the news that Seth wasn’t
coming.” A stupid, flirtatious lie. I could hardly believe the audacity of this
guy. And he wasn’t even swimming, he was slowly walking my way in the water,
like some sea god trapped in a pool.

I gathered my hair to one side and twisted it to get out
excess water. Unable to stop myself from noticing his approach, I leaned down
ever-so-slightly so that my breasts would be affected by gravity and appear
that tiny bit larger than they were. Just to show him what he’d be missing.

“I bet you think you’re so funny.”

The way he forced back a smile told me all about the answer
to that question. “No. I am
fun
though. Since Seth didn’t come, how
about I become your fiancé for a few days?” He leaned his muscular arms on the
edge of the pool, spending too much time ogling my bare legs.

This was all a game to him. My life, my future--a toy in his
hands.

“You are disgusting,” I said, my mouth clenching as I tried
to stifle the emotions that washed through me. “If you’re bored, there’s plenty
other girls to toy around with.”

The bastard only smiled. “I’m obliged to stay here. You don’t
even know what Seth looks like. Don’t you want to experience an adventure
before settling down? I know you liked the kiss.”

“My life is not an adventure!” I yelled at him, only to
close my mouth tightly, listening for whether someone had heard me upstairs. My
heartbeat quickened, and I counted to ten, clutching at the towel at the front
of my body.

"It could be with me." Santo's eyes bore into
mine, and for once it was my
face
that he was staring at. Blue light
played in his green eyes, making him look mischievous like a young demon, who
didn’t yet have the heart to torture people in Hell.

My cheeks tingled, but I shook my head. “I agreed to marry
Seth Villani, not to be made fun of by his
entourage
. There will be no
adventures. I will have to leave home and move somewhere else. I don’t need any
problems on top of that.”

The smile was gone from his face, and Santo frowned at me,
laying his cheek on his forearm as he reached out for my toe. “You do know it’s
not a real marriage, don’t you?”

“Of course it’s a real marriage. What do you think’s gonna
happen?” I muttered and pulled my foot away.

“I know of one thing that
won’t
happen. There will be
no honeymoon, because Seth is scheduled to leave for New York after the
wedding. Is that what a real husband would do?” He pulled himself up at the
edge of the pool and water slid down his body once he got up. Even his presence
made me nervous.

A tremble went through my insides, but I kept my cool. This
was nothing I hadn’t expected anyway. Everything I’d ever pictured for myself
when my life was still carefree has been a mirage, a luxury I could never have.
“So? I’m marrying him even though I don’t know him. Do you think I expect
things to go like in a regular relationship? I’m not stupid.”

He slicked back his slightly longish hair and leaned against
the wall next to the bench. “What do you expect, then?”

He was so close now I could sense the heat of his body. Or
was it just my imagination? “I expect to be respected by my husband’s family,
but I already see I was mistaken.”

Santo bit down on his bottom lip with a long exhale through
his nose. “Give me a chance, and I will
respect
you all night long.”

My eyes grew wider, and heat trailed up my neck when I
imagined him crawling on top of me in bed. No matter how much I didn’t want to
think about it, my brain still suggested that all his sturdy muscles would be
heavy and pleasant.

I shot to my feet and rushed past him on my way to the door,
only to be stopped by a warm hand closing around my wrist. I froze on the spot,
afraid to even look back at him.

He was touching me. Would anyone hear me if I screamed?

I heard him clearly despite his words being only a whisper.
“All I’m saying is that if you want to try something
real
before you
marry, I’m your man. No guilt, no strings, no one would know.”

It was a temptation.

But I knew exactly how following your passions ended for
women like me, and I yanked my hand back so hard it hurt for a moment after
slipping from between his fingers.

I ran away but he didn’t follow me.

I didn’t really want a bachelorette party, since I didn’t
even know if I wanted to celebrate. But Mona insisted that she booked a VIP
room for us in a club in Cosenza. She seemed anxious to treat me, so a part of
me was instantly suspicious, but on the other hand, I was her only sister. It
made sense that she’d want to party with me. That, or it was an excuse to get
her underage ass into a club. Father didn’t let her go out to nightclubs unless
she was with me.

Either way, there I was, sitting in a small room with violet
plush sofas and tacky red lights, drinking away my fears to the muted rhythm of
techno music outside.

Mona had an odd look in her eyes when she poured me more of
the cocktail we’d ordered in a pitcher. Our girlfriends all gravitated to the
dancefloor as soon as they heard a summer smash hit from the early 2000s,
leaving the two of us alone with one of Father’s men tucked away in the corner
with his eyes glued to his smartphone. I knew he was there for protection, but
I hardly believed anything could happen to us in a private room.

“Are you having fun?” Mona asked, massaging my hand on the
table top.

I put on a smile, to not disappoint her. I knew how much
care she put into organizing all this, and I wanted to make her feel appreciated.
“It’s lovely. If you want to dance too, I don’t mind. My feet are hurting in
those new shoes, and—”

“I can’t bring your dress to the wedding,” whimpered Mona,
casting her eyes down and squeezing my fingers.

I froze, sure that I was making an ugly scowl without even seeing
myself in a mirror. “No…why?” I was somewhere between the urge to drink the
whole pitcher and throwing up what I’ve already had. “It’s the one thing I
want. Can’t my life at least
look
the way I want it to on Instagram? Is
that too much to ask?”

“I tried, okay?” Mona chewed on her lips and let go of me,
flushing dark red. “I’m still trying, but I need to tell you so that you don’t
end up disappointed. Father’s suspicious, and he suggested my luggage will be
inspected before we leave for your wedding. Apparently, he doesn’t trust me not
to do anything ‘aggravating’,” she said, making air quotes with her fingers.
The exasperation with which she spoke made me feel ill about the way I reacted.
How much could I expect of a sixteen year old anyway? She was doing all she
could.

“I was thinking about shipping it somewhere, but I don’t
know anyone in the area, and that dress is so expensive. I can’t just ask a
stranger to pick it up for me and then somehow get it to your husband’s house
on the day.”

‘Husband’s’. The word made my stomach hurt, so I downed my
cocktail to soothe the discomfort. “I get it,” I mumbled, unable to hide my
disappointment. “Maybe I’ll talk to Father about it again.” But I knew I
wouldn’t. He believed it would be good luck for me to wear my mother’s dress.
No matter how much I had loved my mom, I couldn’t disagree more. If anything, I
was afraid that the dress would cast a dark shadow over a marriage that was
already becoming a prospect more daunting than I’d thought it would be.

“I’m so sorry.” Mona stroked my arm and poured me more of
the alcohol.

I swallowed the tightness that grew in my throat and drank,
but then the door opened and my friends poured in, along with the loud music,
and the conversation couldn’t continue.

I stood up with my smile number five firmly plastered to my
face, but the fake happiness didn’t survive the sight of Santo walking in with
his arm at the back of my former classmate.

Because he was here of course. As if one bodyguard wasn’t
enough. He was back in his stylish turtleneck, but I now knew it hid an ugly
scar, just as Santo’s handsome face hid an ugly man.

“Rosa! Come over, I love your dress! Let’s take a selfie.” I
urged my friend away from Santo’s proximity. What did he think this party was?
A pussy buffet? It was
my
party.

Rosa smiled widely and grabbed herself a drink from the
table before posing for the photo. I didn’t mind Santo watching. Actually, I’d
made a point of wearing a sexy mint bodycon dress for the party, because I
might not get the chance to do that so often, if my future husband turned out
to be a prude or too jealous to let me dress sexily.

I looked great in the photo, so it went to my Instagram
account.

“So, can you finally share any pictures of your fiancé? Why
keep it a secret? You want to do a reveal after you two elope?” Rosa asked,
poking me. I came up with this ridiculous cover story, because I was too
embarrassed to admit that I’d never met my future husband. The wait for the
inevitable was almost worse than the unknown that awaited me, especially now
that I found out that every single detail would be out of my grasp.

I heard Bianca’s horse laugh all too close, and I knew she’d
had too much to drink before she even spoke. “I bet he’s too ugly to show to
your followers, but come on, we’re all friends here!”

“He’s not ugly!” I hissed, even though I had no idea if that
was the truth. “He just likes his privacy.” I raised my eyebrows, and it shut
Bianca up with the suggestion that he was someone important. Or from the mafia,
for that matter.

I pulled my skirt down my butt when I noticed Santo staring
a bit too eagerly. The man was like a fly-trap for women, with his gorgeous
face and calm demeanor. All the girls probably found him mysterious, and it
gave me a little tingle of satisfaction that I’d seen him smile and they
hadn’t.

Rosa leaned over to him and stroked his arm. “Santo likes
his privacy too. He won’t tell me what his type is.”

“That’s because I’m here to be Mona’s company,” he said
smoothly, walking up to my younger sister, who stepped back until she was
sitting on the table.

“Isn’t this a bachelorette party? The whole point is for it
to be a girls’ night out,” I said, keeping my voice neutral, but when Mona
grinned and grabbed his hand, I couldn’t help but clench my teeth.

It wasn’t her fault, I knew, but Father shouldn’t have sent
a guest with us. If he was so afraid for our safety, he could have sent one of
his older, married men to guard us. That way, there would be no flirting with
the minders, and we could all have some fun together instead of everyone pining
for the bull with the longest horns.

Santo briefly caught my gaze, and I looked away, returning
to my cocktail. I couldn’t believe how insolent he was being. First he tries to
seduce me, and now, put his hands on my sister? I would make sure they were
watched at all times, because I couldn’t tell Mona what he’d done. She’d yap
about it to Father in good faith, and it would all collapse over my head.

Rosa sighed, but pulled on my hand. “Exactly! Let’s go
dance.” She gave me a toothy smile, and for a brief moment I wondered if she
would visit me in my new home, or if I would even miss her.

Santo whispered something into Mona’s ear, and she giggled
like crazy, triggering a pang of jealousy in my chest. Not over Santo, of
course, or his attention, but over how carelessly happy she seemed. Would I be
as happy if Santo whispered sweet nothings into
my
ear?

She pulled him through the door, back into the colorful
lights of the dance floor, where music thumped so loudly the rhythmical base
did weird things to my body.

Left without a choice, since I wanted to watch over Mona, I
went out into the main room of the club, followed by almost everyone else. It
was only once I got into the dancing that I realized I’d been missing out on
the relaxation it provided. But even as I screamed over the music to
communicate with my friends, I never took my eyes away from Mona and Santo for
longer than a couple of seconds.

They danced quite close together, but as far as I could see,
nothing pervy was going on, and Mona seemed to enjoy herself in Santo’s strong
arms. I knew he smelled so good too, and when he pressed her closer to him, it
tugged on my nerves so hard I needed to look away for a while.

Santo and Mona gravitated closer to our circle, seemingly
only interested in one another, and it struck me that if they became a real
couple, I could have my sister at my side. Then again, I’d know her husband was
a douchebag who humiliated women and made use of their naiveté.

And he was doing it again.

I could hardly believe my eyes when I noticed that, despite
dancing in a close hug with my sister during a slow song, his eyes still
drifted to Rosa over Mona’s arm. Fortunately, Rosa was glued to a different guy,
so Santo could eat his heart out, but it still made me want to rip Mona out of
the bastard’s clutches.

But, then he glanced at me as he slid his hands toward
Mona’s ass, and I was caught staring like a deer in the headlights. I quickly
averted my gaze, face hot as if I’d drank much more than I actually had. I
couldn’t just go and tell Mona not to flirt with him.

Or could I?

I froze when Santo let go of Mona and put his arm around
Rosa in what had to be the most dismissive way to leave your dance partner. Or
so I thought, until I saw that he grabbed Rosa’s partner with his other hand.

With the colorful lights blazing around us and the loud
music turning my ears to a pulp, it was difficult to establish what had happened
before the other man tried to rapidly pull away, and a pink purse fell from
underneath his shirt.

Rosa put her hand over her lips, only to slap him over the
head with her heavy silver bracelet. In the chaos that ensued, both our bodyguard
and the bouncers rushed toward our group, while Rosa picked up the purse and
pushed it back into the unzipped handbag she carried on her arm.

Santo apologized to Mona as soon as he explained the issue
to the bouncers and they pulled away the thief-to-be. Santo didn’t even get to
catch a breath before Rosa wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Thank you so much!”

Santo was so tall she had to get to her toes, even in the
heels she was wearing, but it didn’t seem to stop her. He stroked her back, and
I couldn’t help feeling anxious over him not looking at me over her shoulder.
Would he take my advice and have sex with someone else instead of hovering
around me like a bear dying to stick his paw into the honeypot?

He should do just that.

But I didn’t really want him to. Not while I was there to
see him hit it off with one of my friends.

The other girls pulled Rosa away from Santo, offering their
support, but I couldn’t stop staring at him, as discreetly as I could. Mona
gave him a brief hug and rushed toward Rosa as well, but Santo suddenly stirred
and turned away from me, reaching into his pocket.

On his way toward the exit, he pulled out his phone and put
it to his ear, no doubt searching for somewhere quiet to take the call.

“I’ll be in the car!” he yelled over to our bodyguard then
disappeared in the crowd moments later.

“I can’t believe that asshole tried to steal from me.” Rosa
pouted, still shaken. “Do you know whether Santo is staying in the area for a
while?”

Mona was oddly quiet, and a thoughtful expression colored
her face. Oh, God, I needed to tell that asshole not to lead her on.

I took a step back, then another, and it was surprisingly
easy to blend into the horde of dancing people when everyone was so focused on
what happened to Rosa. It was just the right moment to catch up with Santo and
give him a piece of my mind. In a public place, so that he wouldn’t try
anything funny.

The air outside was so cool and fresh in comparison to the
stuffy aromas of the club--thick with perfume and the odor of the smoke
machine. In front of the door, a whole line of people waited for their turn to
be assessed by the bouncers, but as I looked around, Santo’s tall form was
nowhere to be seen.

Surely, there was no need to walk far away from people to
have a quick conversation on the phone. Father could give the bloodiest of
orders while in a café without blinking an eye. It was all about the right
choice of words that would not alarm any civilians.

The limousine that had brought me and all my friends here
was parked in a smaller street behind the corner, so I made my way there,
ignoring a man who whistled after me as he passed by. Since he hadn’t followed
me and went on his way, I dived right into the narrow alley.

It was sparsely lit, but even in the semi-darkness, I
recognized the black elongated body of the car. I licked my lips, wondering if
Santo was in there or chose to go somewhere else after all, but with all the
windows of the limo heavily tinted, there was no way for me to find out without
approaching the car.

As I walked along the side of the alley, balancing in high
heels, I felt self-conscious about the way my hips swayed in the tight dress.
If he was watching me from inside the vehicle, I didn’t want to seem like a klutz.

When I got closer, I heard his voice, so he must have not
noticed me approaching after all.

“We’re only staying a day longer because she wanted a
bachelorette party. I know, but what’s the big deal if Seth’s not there yet?
No! I’m not ‘having fun’.”

I stopped, trying not to breathe, and listened on, eager for
every scrap of information about Seth. Of course Santo was not ‘having fun’.
Toying with me and my sister was serious business.

“Of course I’ve made friends with him,” Santo went on. “We
will have a long drive together, so I’m sure we’ll get acquainted better. I’ve
got this, really.”

My lips twitched. Santo, scolded and questioned like a
teenager. So he wasn’t all that untouchable after all.

“Fine,” he grunted, and it seemed that the conversation was over,
because the silence extended.

I leaned against the car and tapped my nails on the glass,
letting him know he wasn’t alone.

He opened the door and peeked out with a frown. “What is it?
You forgot something?” he asked without his usual flirting, or even pretending
to be nice, for that matter.