Strapped: A Second Chance Mafia Romance (10 page)

5
^th
October 2014

A
s I wake
up in the morning, I cannot believe what has happened – I almost want to think that it was all just a dream so that things aren’t so complicated.

In a way, they’re really simple – Marco and I love each other, we know that now, and we can really be together if we so choose. But at the same time, it’s almost worse. Now that we have been open with each other, and we’ve slept together, there’s almost more pressure on our shoulders.

I recall for a second that amazing night of passion. It felt like a very long time coming, and it did more than live up to my expectations. I’m so glad now that I didn’t have sex before, and that I saved myself for Marco. He was always supposed to be the one with whom I experienced sex for the first time, and I’m so glad that I lived up to that. He made me feel things that I didn’t know I could feel, made me experience sensations that I didn’t know existed. He took me to another level of amazing, and I cannot wait to experience him all over again...

That concept might be a bit insane, considering, but that’s what my body wants.

Noticing that Marco is still asleep, I slip out from the bed and make my way to the shower, knowing that washing will help me to clear my head. But almost as soon as I’ve stepped into the steaming jets of water, I hear that chocolaty smooth voice calling out to me.

“Liv? Where are you? You haven’t run out on me again, have you?” There’s a jovial tone to his voice, proving that he knows where I am, which causes a small smile to play on my lips.

“I’m in the shower,” I reply in a singsong tone of voice. “I won’t be long.”

But almost as if he can’t bear to be away from me for another second longer, he’s already in the bathroom, whipping the shower curtain open, revealing my very wet naked body.

“What are you doing?” I squeal excitedly, while laughing. As his eyes travel up and down my body, I stand boldly, wanting to see me in all my glory. Normally I’m body shy, wanting to keep as covered up as possible, but Marco loves the way that I look, I can see it in his eyes, and that alone is enough to have me wanting to keep on looking. I love having his eyes all over me, and I never want it to stop.

“I’m coming in with you,” he growls passionately. “There’s no way I can leave you in here by yourself looking so damn gorgeous.”

He strips quickly, causing my breath to hitch in my throat. Every time he surprises me with a glimpse of his body it does wild things to me. He’s just so sculpted and sexy – I’ve never seen abs like it – and that drives me wild with desire. It pushes all of my fears and doubts as far away from my mind as humanly possible.

As he steps under the water, and it drips down him making him look even more incredible, I feel an intense need building up inside of me. It’s as if sex last night has awoken an insatiable beast inside of me, and I’m already craving more. He hasn’t so much satisfied me, but brought out something that I didn’t know was there.

“You’re insane,” I giggle, shaking my head at him, but he doesn’t join in with the laughter. Instead he steps closer to me with a serious expression on his face, then he holds my cheeks between his hands and stares deeply into my eyes. I swim in the deep brown of his gaze, falling into the warmth of him, the goodness that I know is there.

“I really do love you, you know,” he tells me again and I quickly realize that it’s a statement that will never get old. I will never get tired of hearing it.

“I love you too,” I reply, meaning it with all of my heart.

His mouth crashes against mine, and all of a sudden we’re making out like horny teenagers. His hands are all over my body, exploring every peak and dip that I possess, and my hands are doing the same to him. I trace his abs, his back, his buttocks, his thighs, and finally his thick, throbbing erection...

Ring, ring.

The moment that his phone starts ringing, I pull back, knowing that he will probably have to answer it, but he’s too consumed by lust to notice right now. The atmosphere in the room is one of a thick, heady desire, but I need to put an end to it for the moment.

Ring, ring.

It might be the phone call that decides my future. That’s terrifying, but also unavoidable. Whatever is going to happen, we need to know, so we might as well find out sooner rather than later.

“You better go and get that,” I tell him sadly. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“I don't want to,” he groans, kissing my neck and bringing me right back to the edge of desire. “I want to stay here with you.”

“You need to,” I reply. “It could be something important.”

As soon as he steps out of the water, leaving me cold and alone, I regret my decision. I should have just carried on and made him go later on. The chill that’s racing through my body can’t even be warmed by the steaming hot water that’s still dripping over my head.

He’s like an addiction, one that I can’t shake. As soon as I’m around him, I lose myself, I become his, and I love it. I don't want it to end. When he’s gone, all I want is him back. I’m lost, like a sad puppy that’s missing a limb. I’m obsessed by him, totally in love with him, and I truly feel like it might be too late for me no matter what.

As he walks back into the bathroom with a terrified expression on his face, a million and one possible terrifying scenarios race through my mind.

The mafia wants me dead.

They are on the way now.

This is it – where I’m going to die.

“Oh God,” I feel my legs go weak and my knees collapse, and before long my body has hit the wet ceramic of the bottom of his bath tub. “It’s bad, isn’t it?” My hands tug through my hair as I try to come to terms with my death, but that really isn’t an easy prospect, especially when it seems to come out of the blue, ruining a very lovely moment.

My love for Marco doesn’t matter,
I suddenly realize.
I’m going to die anyway.

All of the time spent fighting my feelings for him starts to feel like a waste. I could have been spending the last few days of my life with Marco, loving him, and now I’ll never get the chance. We could have experienced one another so much more, now we’ll only ever get that one night. That’s all we will ever be.

“It is bad,” he confirms, nodding gravely. “That was my boss, Carmine. He wants to meet you.”

“Is that code?” I ask sadly. “Is that what you guys say when you’re about to put a bullet in someone’s brain?” I can’t help but remember what I heard in Jesters, when those guys said that Marco wanted to talk to him outside. This feels very similar to me.

“What? No?” He exclaims, completely shocking me. “Is that what you thought? That I would just take you to your death and hand you over? No way... he just... he wants to meet you. I’m sure it’s just to confirm that you don't intend to tell the police what you saw in that alleyway.”

“I won’t,” I shoot back quickly, shaking my head. “I wouldn’t want to get you in trouble, and I would never risk myself like that. I’m much smarter than that.”

“I know,” Marco replies, kissing me lightly on the head. “But he doesn’t. He’ll see that as soon as he meets you, okay?”

“Right, okay.”

That might sound simple enough, but I’m sure that it isn’t.

“Come on, let’s get you out of here.” Marco puts his hands under my armpits and lifts me up out of the bath. I lean against him, allowing him to move me while my mind wanders. I’m still absolutely petrified, but from the way that he isn’t too worried this time, I wonder if maybe he’s right. He does know this world better than I do, so if he’s okay with it then maybe it’ll be okay after all. Maybe I’ll be allowed to live.

Marco hands me another t-shirt of his to wear, and I quickly fashion it into another dress, wondering if I look inappropriate. This type of outfit is okay for slobbing around the house, even for going to the shop, but it doesn’t feel right for going to meet the mafia in.

Then again, it isn’t like I have any choice.

“Let me make you something to eat,” Marco insists, even though I don't feel hungry at all. “We don't have to go for another hour, so I would much rather you be well-fed before we do this.”

As he scurries around the kitchen, busying himself with a pointless task, I start to imagine what my life would be like right now if I hadn’t run into Marco in Jesters, or if I hadn’t turned down that alleyway that night.

I would be in work now, with Ryan, bitching about the shitty jobs they had us doing. I would be daydreaming while licking envelopes or photocopying or something, all the while knowing that I was heading towards another goal – something more important. I hate it at Elite Advertising, but at least that’s the path my life was supposed to take.

This, waiting in Marco Fabbri’s kitchen to meet some mafia guy, is the complete opposite of that. But would this knowledge have put me off reconnecting with him? I’m honestly not sure that it would have. I probably would have plowed forward with this anyway. In a weird way, it’s all been worth it. I feel like fate has intervened for a reason, and that I need to just accept that.

“So,” Marco starts, placing an omelette in front of me. “You know what you need to say to Carmine, right?”

“All he cares about is me being quiet, right?” I ask, ignoring my thumping heart. It’s pounding so loudly that it’s actually causing me physical pain. “So I just need to tell him that.”

“Yeah,” I watch him gulp sadly. “Yeah, of course.” He pauses thoughtfully for a moment, before speaking out once more. “I’m really sorry that you got mixed up in all of this. I know it’s really sucky, and I hate that it’s my fault.” Hia head falls into his hands and for a second I wonder if he’s actually crying. “I never wanted you to be involved in any of this...”

“It’s okay,” I reassure him, knowing that it probably isn’t.

“Your life could be so different if it wasn't for me, so much better.”

“But I wouldn’t have you,” I tell him warmly. Whatever isn’t quite honest, that much is. I need him now, as much as he does me, and we’re really in it for the long haul.

“Yeah... okay, well I suppose we better get going.”

I nod, forcing a few bites of the food into my mouth, not wanting to be rude. It’s time to pull it together, to get my shit sorted out. I really need to be focused now, to get this right.

Marco’s hand sneaks into mine and I grip onto it tightly, needing his protection. I smile up at him and he returns that look, but there’s a strain there, as we both know this could be the end.

5
^th
October 2014

M
y heart pounds
all the way to Teasers as my mind tries to work out what the hell Carmine is planning now. He sounded really off on the phone, which makes me incredibly suspicious. The only reason I’m actually going through with this meeting is because there’s a small chance that all of this is going to turn out okay, and I’m really holding on to that.

Maybe there’s a way that I can keep Olivia and my mob family. I’m not entirely sure how that will work, but I can’t help but hope anyway. If I could integrate the woman that I love into the lifestyle that I’ve grown accustomed to, without endangering her in anyway, then it’ll really feel like a win.

“Where are we going?” Liv asks quietly, shifting uncomfortably in the passenger seat of my car. She’s desperately uneasy which breaks my heart – she really doesn’t need to be in this position at all and it sucks that she is. It’s all my fault, and I’m scared that she’s going to hate me because if that.

“Teasers,” I admit, feeling a bit weird about taking her there. I know that it’s too late to worry about combining the lives that I’ve been trying to keep separate, but I can’t help it all the same. “It’s a... strip club. Carmine has his office in one of the back rooms.”

She nods slowly, a realization sinking in. “Okay, so... do you go to Teasers a lot?”

Oh God, that isn’t a question I really want to be answering.

“Yes,” I admit quietly. There isn’t any point in lying when every damn stripper and waitress knows me by name. Most of them have seen me naked too, so they are very familiar with me. She waits silently, as if she’s expecting me to say that it’s only for work reasons, but I don't. I can’t. I don't want to lie to her, and start this relationship or whatever it is, based on an untruth.

She knows so much about me already, she might as well know this as well.

“We aren’t far now,” I tell her, trying to change the subject a little bit. “It’s just around this corner.” But this obviously isn’t a good topic to start with because her face turns to a deathly pale color. She’s absolutely terrified, and I wish that I could do anything to take that away from her.

As we pull up outside the strip club I can see her entire body trembling and I try to pull her in close to me, to at least offer her some form of comfort, but she instantly shakes me off as if I’m the issue... which I suppose in a way I am, so I put my head down and step inside, wanting to get this over and done so I can fix the much bigger problem in my life. I want to make Olivia happy again.

“Hey Fabbri,” one of the waitresses calls out, with a happy smile on her face. She isn’t dressed indecently, or doing anything flirtatious with me, but because Olivia is with me I can’t see her as just a normal girl. All I can visualize is that crazy night when I ended up back at her tiny apartment with her riding me in the reverse cowgirl position. She’s a screamer, and right now, that noise is all that I can hear in my mind. “Want a whiskey?”

“No thanks,” I shake my head quickly, wanting to brush her aside although she’s only being friendly. “Where’s Carmine? Is he in the back?”

Before she can answer me, Talia seems to sniff me out like a rat. She glares at me from across the room and throws her hands onto her corseted hips. There is a fire behind her eyes and a snarl playing on her lips, which causes me to gulp down a massive ball of terror.

She’s clearly still pissed about me rejecting her the other day, and now that she’s spotted Olivia, shit is about to go down. I shake my head lightly at her, pleading with my eyes, but she’s seen my weakness now and she’s going to use that against me.

“Well, hello there, Marco,” she purrs, strutting towards me, her facial expression totally changing. “How are you today?” She gets too close to me and strokes my cheek with her fingers. I jerk back as if I’ve been electrocuted, but that just makes her laugh louder. “It’s been a while... not since you’ve been here of course, but since you’ve been with me.”

She licks my neck and looks over to Olivia, taunting her with her eyes.

“Get the fuck off me, Talia,” I step away quickly, not wanting to get involved in this drama right now. This manipulative bitch is the last thing I want to be dealing with today. “I need to see Carmine, not you.”

“Is this chick the reason that you’ve been so boring recently?” She sneers, moving over to Olivia’s side. “She’s so boring. I can’t imagine her taking part in group sex and bondage.” Liv’s face flames brightly which pleases Talia even further. “She’s too vanilla for you – you’ll be bored of her in a week. You’ll be back in my bed soon enough.”

“Just fuck off,” I snarl back. “You don't know anything about me and Olivia, you have no idea what I want so just back the fuck off.”

With a bolt of bravery, Liv pushes past her and slips her hand into mine, smiling up at me. “Come on, babe,” she says loud enough for Talia to hear. “Let’s go and see your boss.” She’s acting like she isn’t scared to put this bitch in her place, and I can’t help but feel proud of her for that. My eyes sneak backwards as we walk towards the back office, just to see Talia standing frozen in shock, with her mouth hanging open like an idiot, which makes me grin. That girl might have been good for my random nights of fun when I had nothing better in my life, but she is pure poison and I can see that clearly now.

As I turn my gaze away from her and look forward, I know that’s how it will be forever. Even if things don't work out with Liv – which I’m pretty sure they will – I won’t go back to the guy that I once was. Not now, not after knowing the benefits of true love, I just couldn't.

Knock, knock.

I bang tentatively on Carmine’s door, my mind zoning in on what’s about to come. This is it now, the deciding factor for my future, and that’s really scary.

“Come in, Marco,” he calls out, proving that he really does have eyes everywhere.

I walk inside with Olivia just behind me. My body is shielding hers, and I hope that I can protect her a little with that.

“Come in, come in,” Carmine smiles and opens his arms wildly, as if he’s the friendliest man alive. “Come and sit down.”

I flick my eyes over to Olivia and she looks to me for clues. I nod lightly, indicating that she should do what he says, so she complies, but it isn’t happily. The nerves are back and they are coursing through her painfully. I want to wrap my arms around her to pull her in close, but obviously I can’t. Not during this intense meeting.

“Now,” Carmine leans back in his chair. “I find myself in a bit of a dilemma here.” He pats his chin with his fingers, which causes an internal freak-out inside of me. His words don’t fill me with an instant confidence, which isn’t good. “I met with Umberto, and he doesn’t know what to do with Olivia. In fact, he’s really worried about her and where her future lies.”

“I won’t say a word,” she quickly interjects, sitting up straighter in her seat. “It doesn’t matter what I saw, I won’t say anything to anybody, I promise.” Carmine doesn’t look convinced, so she tries a different tactic. “I love Marco, I wouldn’t do anything to hurt him... or any of you guys. You’re his family, which is important to me too...”

I cringe a little at that, knowing that it probably wasn't the best thing to say. Carmine will ask her what’s going to happen if we break up – and there isn’t any answer there that’s going to be a good one.

“I...” I start to speak out, to say something to defend her, but I suddenly notice a prick in the atmosphere. Something has changed in the room and I can’t quite work out what...

Shit!

It’s one of Carmine’s guys – one that I recognize but don't really know – and he’s holding a gun up to Olivia. He’s decided to kill her. Whatever he has just said to me about Umberto being unsure is lies. We came here for her to die... and probably me too.

Well, fuck that!

I jump up as rage blasts through me and I throw the chair that I’ve been sitting on straight into the bastard’s face. It smashes against him, shoving him against the wall, causing his gun to clatter to the ground loudly.

Olivia screams, but I don’t have time for her to process what just happened. I know how Carmine’s mind works, and he has a backup plan. I spin around to see him rising from his seat with a smirk on his lips. Just as he reaches down to his waistband to grab his own weapon, I jump up on the desk and grab his head.

I smash his head downwards, forcing it into the desk with full force. His nose makes a crunching sound, which is good – it means it’s probably broken, so he will be in pain. That gives us enough time to get the fuck out of here before he comes back around.

“Come on,” I leap down and grab hold of a very stunned Olivia’s arm. “Let’s go.”

She’s clearly in shock, which means she is simply allowing me to drag her through the building, which is perfect. At least she isn’t resisting me! My heart pounds heavily against my chest as we race. This is bad. Really,
really
bad. My whole life has just been thrown into jeopardy, and now I have no idea what the hell I’m going to do. I didn’t create a Plan B because I honestly didn’t believe that I would need it. I really didn’t think that things would turn out this way.

“Get in the car,” I practically yell to Olivia, but she doesn’t make any move to do so, forcing me to shove her through the door. “Come on, we have to go.”

I strap her in as quickly as I can, and put the car into drive, racing us along the streets as quickly as humanly possible. I don't worry about the cops, or other cars, I just need to get as far away from Carmine as possible.

What the fuck are we going to do now?

Where the hell are we going to go?

What am I going to do?

I think so hard, panicking so much about where our lives are going to turn after this that it takes me far too long to notice that Olivia has curled up into a ball and she’s sobbing loudly. Everything has finally gotten to her, and it’s crushed her completely.

I zone my eyes in on the road, knowing that I can’t do anything to help her until she’s safe. I want to comfort her right away, but I don't want to do it while we’re in range of Carmine’s men. If he gets us, he won’t let us go again – especially not after what I just did. The nose breaking incident is a sure-fire way to get killed.

Just get us somewhere safe, then help Liv – it’s the only way.