Mobster's Baby: Bad Boy Mafia Romance (14 page)

Portia

“Portia,” a familiar, deep, male voice called my name. I blinked, shaking my hair nervously.

“Who’s there?”

“You don’t recognize the sound of my voice?” A man stepped out of the shadows. When I saw that it was Chris, I gasped. It had been almost two years since I’d seen him. In that time, his dark blond hair had grown a bit longer. There were some soft lines around his mouth and eyes that I didn’t recognize, and with a heavy heart I realized he was wearing a wedding band around his finger.

“I do now,” I admitted softly. I struggled to sit up. “Where am I?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Chris replied. He stepped forward and sat down close to me. Instinctively, I wriggled away. Chris’s face showed a wounded expression. “Portia, I never got to apologize for everything that happened,” he said softly. “You wouldn’t take my calls. I had no idea how to contact you—you disappeared. You stopped coming into the city, and I couldn’t find you.”

At the memory of what had happened between us, my eyes teared up. “I didn’t want you to find me,” I said softly. “I wanted to hide from you. You hurt me, Chris. You broke my heart. I never wanted to see you again.”

Chris narrowed his eyes at me before sighing heavily and looking away. “I know,” he said after a long pause. “I know I hurt you. But you wouldn’t have ever listened to the truth, Portia.”

I stood up, putting my hands on my hips and angrily staring him down. “What are you talking about? What truth?”

Chris shook his head. “I know you don’t want to hear this,” he said in a low voice. “But marriage isn’t a fairy tale, Portia. Marriage isn’t something that just fixes itself. There are always complications.”

“So?” I glared at him. “I don’t give a shit if things weren’t going well with your wife. You didn’t have to fucking cheat on her with me! Didn’t that hurt her? Didn’t you care about that?”

“Like I said,” Chris said, in the calm way that always infuriated me. Whenever we argued, I felt like he was talking down to me. “It gets complicated. My wife and I have an arrangement.”

“Bullshit,” I spat. “I’ve heard that before. The arrangement is that your wife never knows you’re fucking around on her!” I turned away, tapping my toe angrily. We were in a dark room, and I couldn’t see any exits. There was a dim light overhead that barely reflected on me—I could barely see my hands in front of my face unless I held them up. My left finger sparkled heavily from the diamond ring that Axel had given me. Axel! Where was he! What had happened to Axel?

“Portia,” Chris said in the same soothing, patronizing voice. “It isn’t like that. All married people have an understanding, an arrangement.”

“Not me,” I said hotly. “I’m married, and I won’t ever cheat on my husband. It wasn’t even that I wanted to marry him! But I honor that agreement, and I’d never want to hurt him the way you hurt me. Or the way you hurt your wife!”

Chris chuckled under his breath. “You are so young,” he said, shaking his head. “And so naïve, Portia. You just think that things work out naturally, that love is enough to keep things going.” He shook his head and I felt the rage inside of me build until I could have spit on his face. “You just don’t see it.”

“Fuck you. I hate you. I don’t ever want to see you again. I don’t even know what you’re doing here!”

“I’m here to teach you a lesson. You got married because you got pregnant. You really think your husband isn’t going to look the other way if you decide you want to sleep with me again?” He stepped closer and winked at me. “I don’t think Axel would have a problem fucking some hot number who stepped in front of him.” Chris raised his eyebrows at me and waited for me to argue.

Deep down inside, a seed of doubt had been planted in my head. I blinked. “What do you mean? You think he’ll cheat on me?”

Chris laughed. “It wouldn’t be the hardest thing to imagine,” he said softly. “You’re pregnant. He’s not going to be able to fuck you for a few weeks after you have that baby. He could just go out and pick up a girl. You wouldn’t even know; you’d be at home, taking care of the kid.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and turned away. “You’re lying,” I said softly.

“Portia, come on, he didn’t even want to marry you. He just married you because you’re pregnant.”

I turned to Chris and pointed an angry finger in his direction. “Fuck you! You don’t know anything! You lied to me! You broke my heart! You don’t get to tell me how to live my life anymore, got it?”

Chris laughed again. “I’m just trying to help you be an adult,” he said softly. “Come here, Portia. I know you miss me.” He winked at me suggestively. “I know you miss when I do that thing with my tongue on your stomach.”

I glared at him. “I don’t miss you. I don’t want to be with you anymore. I love Axel.” Having said the words, I blinked. Did I love Axel? I wasn’t sure. I liked Axel a lot, even if I was frustrated with him nearly all the time.

“So you love him?” Chris raised an eyebrow at me. “I thought I was going to be the only man you ever loved.”

I shook my head. “I don’t want to argue with you anymore, Chris. I’m exhausted. I want to go to sleep.”

He shook his head. “I want to make love to you, Portia.” He stepped towards me and wrapped his hand around my arm. Back when we were together, the very words would have made me melt. But now I felt sick, wrong. I felt like I was betraying Axel just by talking to Chris, and it didn’t make me feel good inside.

“I don’t want to have sex with you,” I said, trying to twist away. Chris was stronger, and he grabbed me with his other arm, bringing me close and sticking his tongue in my mouth before I could duck my head. I tried to move back but Chris’s grip was firm.

“You’re mine, Portia,” Chris whispered. “You’re mine forever, and you know that. You’re all mine.”

I tried to cry out but Chris was too forceful. He smashed his lips against mine and yanked down my pants before I could even fight him away. Alarm bells were sounding in my head and I managed to finally bite his lip, making Chris recoil in horror and pain.

“You bitch!” he cried out loudly. “You fuckin’ bitch! You bit me! God damn you!”

I cried out as Chris backhanded me. It stung and I saw stars behind my closed eyes. I was barely aware of my body losing balance and falling over. The floor felt hard and I winced as my body splayed out. Chris stood over me. He looked down at me with a menacing expression on his face as he pulled his belt through the loops and whipped it over my head.

“You know what happens to bad girls, right?” Chris’s voice was laced with menace and he was breathing hard. I realized he was actually enjoying this, and I shuddered and cried out as he whipped the belt back over his head. It soared through the air and made contact with my bare skin. The pain bloomed in my body like I’d been shot, and I screamed loudly, trying to twist away from him.

“Leave her alone.” Axel’s voice was commanding and strong. When I heard him, I cried out again.

“Axel! Save me, Axel! He’s going to hurt me!”

Axel stepped into the room. He was shorter than Chris but much more muscular, and he grabbed Chris by the shoulder and easily tossed him to the side. Axel rushed over to me and grabbed my hands.

“Portia, are you alright?” Axel looked deeply into my eyes. “Did he hurt you?”

I managed to shake my head and cover my exposed chest. Axel got to his feet and walked over to Chris. I watched in horror as Axel pulled a gun from the waistband of his jeans and pointed it at Chris’s face.

“You leave her alone, or you’re gonna get it,” Axel threatened. The safety on the gun clicked and Axel spat on Chris’s frame. “She’s my wife, and the mother of my children.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt her!” Chris whined in a high-pitched voice that made me think of a little kid. “I didn’t mean to do anything wrong!”

I woke up, breathing hard and covered in sweat. For a moment, I could have sworn I was still in the room with Chris and Axel. It took me a few heart-stopping seconds to realize that I was alone, in Axel’s bed. Safe.

My heart was pounding and I closed my eyes and leaned back on the pillows. What a horrible dream. Even now it was like a bad taste in my mouth that I couldn’t get rid of. With a sigh, I sat up and rubbed my temples. There was a glass of water on the nightstand and I grabbed it and sucked down the cold, clear liquid in greedy swallows. By the time the glass was empty, I had to pee but I was still thirsty.

Frowning, I climbed of bed and stretched. A smile came over my face as I remembered the frantic way Axel had fucked me when we’d come home as husband and wife. I loved the way he played my body, I loved the way he made me feel. With a slightly guilty feeling, I looked down at my belly.

“And I love you, too,” I said to the tiny bump in my lower belly. “Let’s get you some water. “I’m so thirsty.” Grabbing the glass, I walked into the bathroom and filled it with the sink faucet. Looking at my reflection, I was
almost
pleased with what I saw. For once, I actually looked rested. My face was starting to fill out, too—the angles and planes were softening. I looked womanly, a little older than I normally did. Naked, I could tell how big my breasts had really become. I decided that later, I’d have to ask Axel for some money so we could go shopping. I was in desperate need of new clothes and a new bra.

The locket around my throat gleamed in the low light of the bathroom. I stared at it for a few seconds and was less than thrilled to find myself tearing up.
Dad, I wish you could be here to see this
, I thought.
I wish you could be here to meet your first grandchild. You, too, Mom.
I closed my eyes and hot tears leaked down my cheeks. I’d been crying so much lately that I was pretty sure I needed salt pills, and today was no exception.

With a heavy sigh, I let myself out of the bathroom and walked across Axel’s bedroom to dress myself. I was hungry again, and feeling like I could tear through a whole pizza. But a second glance in the mirror made me change my mind—I was only a few weeks pregnant and gaining weight like crazy.
Nah, should definitely get a salad. Maybe some fruit. No carbs
, I thought to myself in a strict voice.
I have to take care of my body, or else Axel isn’t going to find me attractive
. Axel. My husband, Axel. I said the words out loud, as if practicing for introducing him to friends or family.

I laughed. What family? That was a joke. The only family that I really had in the world was Axel.

Headlights flashed over the window, making something on the dresser gleam. My heart caught in my throat. Did Axel have jewelry up there? I looked down at the giant diamond on my finger, wondering if maybe he’d bought something else for me as a surprise. But from where I stood, I could already tell that the thing on his dresser looked familiar.

My stomach worked itself into knots as I stepped closer, holding my breath and fingering the locket around my neck. What I saw knocked the wind out of me: it was the exact same necklace that I was wearing. I gasped.

“Oh my god,” I breathed, reaching over and picking it up. Alarm bells started ringing inside my head and my whole body went cold. It was like a carbon copy of the locket I wore around my neck, the locket that my mother had given me years ago. The locket my father always wore. I picked it up and studied it. It was much less worn than my copy, which was covered with tarnish and scratches. But no doubt about it, it was the same piece of jewelry.

My blood ran cold. Why did Axel have this? What had he done to my father?

Balling my hands into fists at my sides, I quickly threw Axel’s robe over my naked body and stalked downstairs. Axel knew something I didn’t, and I was going to find out what exactly it was.

Axel

I chuckled to myself. Portia had spent almost the whole day in bed asleep. She was getting so lazy. If she didn’t watch out, she’d start to get fat.

I was sitting at the kitchen table, drinking some coffee and going over what I’d have to do that night. For one, I needed to get in touch with Jackson. If we were going to make that deal work, he was going to have to get his shit together. I frowned, pounding on the table with a fist. The last thing I wanted was to get fucked on this deal. If Jackson and I didn’t work together like Leo wanted, my name was going to be shit.

I grinned when I heard the door upstairs bang open.

“There she is!” I called loudly. “Miss Sleeping Beauty. I thought you were gonna be out all day!”

There was no reply, only the sound of Portia’s footsteps thundering down the stairs.

“Someone’s in a cranky mood this morning,” I mused. “Oh, wait, afternoon. Want me to throw some bacon and eggs together?”

There was still no answer. I saw a flash of blonde hair pass me and I frowned when I realized Portia was trying to get out the front door. It was triple-locked, and soon enough I heard her wrestling with the chain lock.

“Portia? What are you doing?” I stood up and scratched my head, walking over to the door. What I saw would have made me laugh if it didn’t look so weird. Portia was dressed only in house slippers and one of my button-down shirts. It barely covered her ass and I watched her long, tanned legs bracing against the floor as she tried to yank the door open. My cock twitched and stirred in my pants as the delicious scoop of Portia’s ass shook and trembled underneath the thin fabric.

“You forget something?” I joked, leaning against the wall. Portia’s blonde hair flashed over her shoulder and she glared at me as she turned around.

She held something out to me that glistened in the low light. “What the fuck is this?” Portia hissed in a low whisper. It was the locket that my father had given me, the locket that had belonged to Gianni. Portia was wearing the other half around her neck.

I laughed. “Baby, you goin’ through my stuff now? Don’t I get any measure of privacy?”

Portia made a fist and swung back. When I realized she was actually going to hit me, I caught her fist in mid-air. Portia’s swing was surprisingly strong, but I was much stronger, and I caught her easily. For a moment, we struggled like that. I was holding Portia’s arm a few inches away from my face. Portia wriggled and tried to slip out of my grasp, but I took a step forward and grabbed her other arm, holding her firm. She struggled against me and tried to bash her head against mine, but I ducked out of the way.

“Fuck you!” Portia said. She reared back and spat at me. I dodged, and started laughing.

“You’re so cute when you’re pissed off, baby,” I told her mildly. “Come on, sit down, we’ll talk about this.”

I let go of Portia’s arm and she kept swinging wildly at me. She swung too hard and crashed to the floor. Dropping to my knees, I grabbed her before she could make too much of an impact. Portia was red-faced and screaming, like an angry cat trapped in an alley.

“Come on, honey,” I said through gritted teeth. “You don’t have to fight me like this.”

Portia struggled and made sounds like a wild animal. Finally, I grabbed her wrists and pinned them over her head, so her body was flat against the wall. Her tits were sticking out, quivering, showing how afraid she was. When I tried to look in her face, she screwed her eyes shut and looked away.

“Portia, calm down,” I said in a serious, solemn tone. “I don’t have time to fuck around with shit like this. Come on, tell me what the fuck is the matter. Take a deep breath.”

Portia was hyperventilating and trying to gasp in air. I shook my head as she tried to fight me again.

“I’m really getting tired of this shit,” I said under my breath. “Either you calm down, or I’m locking you up in the bedroom,” I told her. “Come the fuck on, Portia. I’m not a fucking mind reader. I’m going to let you down, now, okay?”

Slowly, I released Portia’s wrists. She rubbed them with each hand, giving me a wounded expression and glaring at me with her icy blue eyes.

“I hate you,” she said softly. “You lied to me from the beginning.” She held up the necklace again, then threw it at my head. I dodged and the pendant hit the wall behind me before sliding to the floor. “You always lied, Axel. You always fucking lied to me.”

I shook my head. “No, I didn’t,” I told her in a calm voice. “I didn’t lie to you. I didn’t know until after we’d slept together, until after
this
had already happened,” I added, gesturing to her tummy that was growing rounder by the day. “I didn’t know until afterwards, I swear to god, Portia.”

Portia looked at me. She bit her lip. “I don’t know whether or not I can believe you,” she said in a low, soft voice. “I don’t think I can trust anything else that you say to me, Axel.”

I rolled my eyes. “This is total bullshit, Portia,” I said. “Come the fuck on. What would I have to gain by lying to you?”

Portia looked at me, her blue eyes wide with fear. “I don’t know.” She sniffled. As I watched, she crumpled on the floor until she was hugging her tan knees with her skinny, tan arms. “I don’t know anything. Everyone lies to me! I don’t have any family! I didn’t have a singing career! And now you’re basically holding me hostage!”

I frowned. “You think that ring on your hand means I’m holding you hostage? I’m hurt, Portia.”

Portia glared at me but she didn’t respond. “I don’t know what to think anymore,” she said flatly. “I don’t think I can be with you anymore.”

I walked over to the table, sat down, and patted the tabletop with my hand. “Come sit. We’ll talk.”

Portia glared at me but she didn’t move. Instead, she hunched over more tightly, flipping her head down so she was hidden by a mass of blonde hair.

“Come on,” I repeated. “I’m not gonna sit here all fuckin’ day, Portia. I had fuckin’ plans until you came running downstairs like a banshee out of hell.”

She looked up at me and blinked. “I hate you,” she said softly.

“I don’t give a shit,” I replied mildly. “You’re stuck with me for now. I’m your baby daddy, remember?”

Portia looked away. “I wish I wasn’t pregnant,” she said softly. “I wish we had nothing to do with each other.”

I sighed. “Portia, look. I’m not gonna say this again. We have to get this shit taken care of, okay? Come on, sit down and I’ll tell you everything. Yes, everything.”

Portia gazed at me through a mess of hair. “I don’t believe you. You had every chance to tell me from the beginning and you didn’t. Why should that change now? How do I know you won’t just tell me more lies?”

I ran a hand through my dark hair and rolled my eyes. I was getting really exasperated with her shit, and I just wanted to be alone, with a beer, maybe in a strip club somewhere. I couldn’t deal with any more of this weak feminine bullshit. Portia had already spent more time crying in the past week than I’d seen in the past five years, and I needed a fucking break.

“I don’t enjoy this any more than you do,” I said icily. “I tried to make things nice for you, but apparently that wasn’t enough.”

Portia looked chastened. Finally, she stood up and walked over to the table, holding her head high and her back straight. “Fine,” she snapped. “Tell me. Tell me everything, Axel, and don’t leave anything out this time.”

I took a deep breath. “You have to promise that you’re gonna let me talk, okay? No interruptions. You let Axel speaky weaky and then we can talk.” I shot a sarcastic smile in her direction. “Sound good?”

Portia rolled her blue eyes. “What other choice do I have?”

I nodded, feeling satisfied. “Good,” I said. “Your father, Gianni Campanella, was second-in-command to my father. He was in the mob, the mafia, the family business, whatever the fuck you wanna call it. He did a lot of bad shit, and I watched maybe a third of that go down. He was loyal, and my father loved him. My father is Leo Riccardi, head of the family business. He’s been in charge for over thirty years.”

Portia looked at me with a shocked expression on her face. I could tell she wanted to interrupt but I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction.

I continued. “And he left you a shit-ton of money, girl. Like, a huge fortune. And the reason I haven’t told you is because I was afraid if you were grabbed or kidnapped, that would be the first thing that you’d tell your captors.” I raised my eyebrow at her and Portia blushed deeply. “So, you can see, this has been for your own goddamn good. Fine goddamn job you’ve done of repaying me.”

Portia blinked again. “My father didn’t have anything to do with the mob,” she said softly. “Mom always said he worked in construction and he died in an accident,” she added, glaring at me. “Don’t fucking lie to me, Axel. Don’t tell me lies about my father!” She started crying again, breaking down into sobs and propping her head up on her arms. I let her cry for a few seconds, letting a deep sigh out and leaning back in my chair.

“I ain’t lying to you anymore,” I hissed under my breath. “I told you I was gonna tell you the fuckin’ truth this time. It ain’t my problem if you don’t wanna believe it.”

Even though it was only the middle of the afternoon, I stood up and walked out of the kitchen towards the little bar I kept in the dining room. I needed a fucking drink, and damned if I wasn’t going to get one. Portia’s sobs flooded the room with noisy, sniffling cries. She sounded like a little kid. My irritation with her was growing by the second. I was sick of dealing with this woman who acted like a tough broad, only to be confronted with the slightest notion of something off-color and then turned into a sniffling, sniveling little brat.

“Portia, I don’t have time for this shit,” I called loudly. “I have some shit to get done today, so you better fuckin’ wrap up that crying jag soon.”

Portia only sniffled and sobbed in response. Rolling my eyes, I poured myself a double neat whiskey and knocked the whole thing back in one gulp. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I dialed Jackson’s number and held the phone up to my ear.

“Yo,” Jackson said after the second ring. “What’s up, man?”

“You got any news on that deal?” I raised my eyebrows. “We gotta figure that shit out soon, dude. Leo ain’t gonna sit around for much longer, and I can’t risk losing this promotion.”

Jackson laughed, a rich, deep, throaty sound. “Sounds good, man,” he said, like I hadn’t just asked him a serious question. “You wanna talk about that later?”

“No,” I said through gritted teeth. “I wanna talk about that shit now, asshole. This was supposed to be worked out two weeks ago!”

Jackson laughed again. “You can’t rush perfection, bro,” he said casually, in a way that infuriated me. I wished I could reach through the phone and punch him. “You can’t keep hustlin’ me like this. I ain’t got nothin’ for you.”

“Are you fuckin’ worthless? You promised me this deal ages ago! I bet you don’t even
know
any fuckin’ Russians! You’ve been lying to me this whole goddamn time!”

“Jesus, relax, Axel,” Jackson said. “I’ve been busy, that’s all, fuckin’ busy. Which is more than your pampered ass can say.”

Seething, I hung up the phone without replying. Something was starting to smell like a rat, and that rat’s name was Jackson. If he didn’t help me out soon, I had no idea what I was gonna start doing. I had to work out this deal, or else Leo was gonna look me over when it came time to die. I had to do something.

“Yo, Portia,” I said loudly, calling back into the kitchen. “You know anyone who does blow?”

Portia gasped. “Axel, what the fuck are you talking about?” She sounded more horrified than ever. “Are you kidding me?”

“Yeah, I was joking,” I said loudly. Jesus. Fucking woman couldn’t even take a joke!