Promised: A Mafia Arranged Marriage Romance, page 8
She’s perfect in every single way and I just want to ruin her.
The doorbell shakes me from my thoughts and I pick up my piece on the way to answer it, slipping it into my side holster and pulling on a jacket as I go. I hate it when people come to my house because there’s really no reason for them to be here.
The idea of the Dicaso family assholes being anywhere near Janele pisses me off, even though I know that there isn’t any way they could get to her.
Benito stands on the porch and I sigh when I see him through the peephole. For a moment I consider leaving him out there but then I find myself opening the door without even thinking about it.
He’s blood and you don’t fuck with blood. You take care of it. You help your family out. As much as I want to be alone with Janele right now I know that I need to accept any help that my family wants to give me.
“Xavier, you can’t just hide her away,” he says, walking into the house and striding past me to the kitchen. Rolling my eyes I lock the door then follow him. By the time I reach the kitchen he has a pot of coffee going and he turns to stare at me, his steely blue eyes locked onto my face.
“I can until she’s my wife,” I tell him, pulling down two glasses. For a moment I just hold them, then I put them on the counter to pour a slug of whiskey into each one. If this is how the day is going to start then I’m definitely going to need something to help me through it.
“Dicasos want to meet again. They think that they can make a trade. Janele for one of their women. That way all three of the families can be tied together.” Benito takes the coffee I hand him but doesn’t take a sip. He’s too busy watching me and trying to decide what I’m going to do.
I scoff. “Yeah, right. First of all, you know as well as I do that there isn’t room for more than one family at the top. We’re there now and I intend to keep it that way. The only family this would benefit is the Dicaso family and I fucking hate them. Secondly, Janele was promised to me a decade ago and I intend to take what’s mine.”
“She’s not that special.” Benito takes a sip of his coffee while waiting for my response. “Think about it, Xavier. Get rid of her, get rid of the problem. You’ll still get a nice warm cunt to fuck every night if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Fine. I’ll meet with them,” I tell him, surprising us both. I know that the longer Benito’s in my kitchen, the more he’s going to try to wear me down. The best thing for me to do is get him the fuck out of here while I can still think straight. “Text them and have them meet me at the wharf.”
Benito already has his phone out and is typing furiously. I want to read what he’s writing but I don’t lean forward to look. For the first time since I’ve known my uncle, I have a funny feeling about him.
I don’t like how he’s pressuring me to do this, and I especially don’t like how quickly he started texting them. It was almost like he knew what I’d do, and I don’t like the thought of anyone in my head.
“Done. I’ll see you there,” he tells me, turning to leave.
“You don’t need to come. I can meet them on my own.” That’s a dumb idea and I know it, but I want to see how Benito’s going to react. I need to know if he’s going to throw a fit about being cut out of the meeting.
He pauses, his back to me, and I can almost feel the rage pouring off of him. “Fine, Xavier. You want to put yourself at risk like that, then that’s fine. Let’s just hope that they only have talking in mind.”
I watch him go, listening to make sure that he lets himself out of the house before draining my coffee and heading to the garage. Benito knows as well as I do that if the Dicaso family tries anything today that the whole family will suffer.
So why does he want so badly to be there when I’m at the meeting?
When I pull up to the wharf I’m not surprised to see the same cars parked there as before. Alex watches me get out of my car then walks over, his hand on his hip like he’s trying to remind me that he’s packing.
Asshole.
“Did Benito tell you what we want?” He calls, stopping about ten feet away from me. I lean against the hood of my car and eyeball him and his little asshole friends, then nod. “He did.”
Alex grins. “And you’re willing to make the trade? We have a number of women you can choose from to be your wife. I’m sure you can find someone who’s more to your liking and a bit older for you, as well.”
“I’ll make the trade,” I lie, enjoying the flash of excitement that appears on Alex’s face. “But I also want payment. She’s new, untouched. I want a virgin from you and I also want a million dollars.”
They don’t have that much money, I know that they don’t. There’s no way in hell that the Dicaso family could get that much cash together, but that’s what I’m banking on. I want them to think that I’m willing to play their little game, but there’s no way in hell that I’m giving Janele up.
It’s stupid. It would be so much easier just to let them take Janele or to tell them to fuck straight off, but I know the Dicaso family. They’re all trigger-happy assholes, and the best thing for me to do to keep them off my case until I marry Janele is just give them some unattainable task.
Alex’s face darkens but he doesn’t argue with me. I know that there’s no way he’s going to be willing to tell me that his family can’t afford the money I want. He’d rather die a thousand deaths than admit to me that he can’t come up with the cash.
And that’s what I’m banking on. I watch as his mouth sets into a firm line. He gives me a single nod.
“Fine. When do you marry her?”
“Twelve days,” I tell him, like it’s no big deal. There’s no reason for me to lie to him, not when I know that he can easily ask around and find out the truth.
“We’ll have your money. And your virgin bride.” He sneers a little on the word virgin and then turns and stalks back to his friends.
As I watch him go, I wonder about what the fuck I just did. It doesn’t make any sense to me to keep Janele for myself. Except for the fact that I don’t want to give the Dicaso family any more power than they have, I don’t know why I don’t want to give her up.
Part of me feels attached to her, but that’s not a good thing.
I shouldn’t feel anything for her.
Angrily, I get in my car and pull out my phone to check on Janele. Surely by now she’s on her knees begging, but when I check on her, she’s still in bed, curled up under the blankets like a little burrito.
Rage courses through me. How dare she be comfortable right now? How dare she act like she’s not bothered by what’s going on?
Even though I know that I should probably fill Benito and Alejandro in on what just happened, there’s only one thing that I want to do right now. Janele needs a fucking attitude adjustment, and I’m the one to give it to her.
Janele
My stomach hurts so badly that the best thing for me to do right now so that I don’t go completely crazy is just stay curled up in a ball on the bed. I wonder if some water would help me feel better, but I don’t want to get out of the bed and walk over to the sink.
I managed to find a super comfy position and I’m warm, so the last thing that I want to do is move. Dozing helps to pass the time and makes me feel better about not begging Xavier for food.
Of course, there’s the tiny problem that I have no idea what time it is. The lights are still on and without windows, I can’t tell if it’s morning or afternoon. I have a pretty good feeling that it’s around lunch, judging by how hungry I am and the fact that I fell asleep for what feels like a long time last night.
But unless Xavier decides to take pity on me and tell me the time, I have no real way of knowing.
It’s annoying as fuck.
Burying my face in the pillow I try to ignore the thought of him, but then the door opens and I know that I can’t ignore it any longer. He walks into the room taking long strides and I push myself up, half hoping that he caved first and brought me something to eat.
“Xavier?” I ask, but he doesn’t respond. Instead, he grabs my covers and pulls them off of me in a flourish, dropping them to the ground. I lunge for them, my fingers touching the edge of the fabric for just a moment before they’re out of my reach.
Immediately, I’m freezing and I wrap my arms around my body, glaring up at him. “What the hell was that for?”
“Get up.” His voice is commanding and dark and I feel damp grow between my legs, but I shake my head.
“No. What the fuck are you doing? You can’t treat me like that.”
“You’re my future wife and I can treat you anyway I want, Janele. Get the fuck up before I make you.” He reaches for me like he’s going to make good on his threat and I scramble back from him, off the other side of the bed.
“What the fuck is your problem?” I ask. My stomach growls loudly and he raises an eyebrow when he looks at me but doesn’t say anything.
Instead, he bends down, grabbing the fitted sheet and pulling it from the bed.
“Hey!” This time, when I lunge for the sheet, I manage to get my hands on it. I try to pull back but he yanks hard on it, sending me falling face first into the mattress. “What are you doing?” I cry, still holding on. “Give that back!”
“You tried to kill me with your sheets,” he reminds me, twisting it so that I don’t have any choice but to let it go. “I should have taken it all away then.”
“It was a mistake! I’m sorry!” I lunge for the sheets again but he whips them out of my reach and tosses them to the floor before grabbing my shoulders and pinning me down to the bed.
Before I know what he’s doing, he straddles me, his knees tight around my body so that I can’t move. “You think that you’re so special, don’t you, Janele? You think that everyone just wants to do whatever it is to keep you happy, but life isn’t all about you right now, is it? That must be hard for you. Is it hard? Do you hate the fact that you don’t have any control over what happens to you?”
“Fuck you.” I plant my hands on his chest and push him back, but he doesn’t move. He’s made from solid muscle and there’s not a chance of me making him get off of me.
But then again, if I’m being honest, I can’t ignore the way my heart’s pounding. He’s straddling me and all of the muscles below my navel tighten at the feeling of him pinning me down. I need him to let me up.
But I don’t know if I really want him to.
It’s fucked up, but I kinda like the way he’s taking control. I’ve never had a man in my life act like this before and it’s sexy.
But what does that say about me?
I don’t want to think about it. The last thing that I need to do right now is try to psychoanalyze why, instead of trying to punch my way out from under Xavier, I’m letting him pin me down.
Not that I’d actually be able to push him off of me, of course. I’m not so stupid as to think that I’d really be able to get away, but I should be trying, right? I should be doing everything that I can to get away from him, but instead of doing that, I’m here under him, staring up at his face.
It’s twisted in anger, his eyes darker than I’ve seen before, his mouth set in a thin line. Even so, he has full lips that are totally kissable. I know that it’s crazy to wish that he would kiss me, but my heart beats faster when I think about it.
“What are you doing?” I finally ask. I’m a little afraid that he’s going to hear my heart pounding so hard. Surely he can hear it in the silence of the room but he doesn’t remark on it.
“I have shit to do,” he finally says, pushing himself off of me. He stands at the side of the bed, obviously thinking something through.
“What?” I snap, wanting to hide the fact that I’d just been almost hoping that he would fuck me. “What the hell do you have that’s so important, Xavier?”
That makes him smirk and he rolls his eyes. “I’m going to make you something to eat,” he tells me.
I shake my head. “No. I didn’t beg.” Pushing myself off of the bed, I stand next to him, drawing myself up to my full height like I think that that’s going to be impressive or scary. “I don’t want it.”
“I can hear your stomach every single time you move,” he points out. “You’re going to fucking eat, Janele. I want to fuck you at least once before you die.”
Asshole. Anger floods through me but before I can think of a retort, he continues.
“But first, strip.”
“What?” I cross my arms on my chest and take a step back from him.
“You heard me. You’re treating this like a little vacation, Janele, and not realizing how serious it really is. Strip. Now. You can keep your bra and panties if you really want.”
“But it’s cold and you took my blankets,” I point out, gesturing to the pile on the floor. “Are you going to let me have them back?”
In response, he steps on the pile, grinding his foot into the fabric. “Janele, you’re pissing me off. Strip down, give me your clothes. Then I’ll make you something to eat and you can try to nap again. See if you can sleep off this nightmare.”
“Fuck you,” I spit. “You can’t make me do anything I don’t want to.” I know that I’m in danger and that I should try to run from him, but there’s nowhere to go. This room is so damn small and he looms so large, taking up more space than seems possible.
I have no idea what the fuck I should do.
“Don’t make threats that you’re not willing to follow through on remember?” He asks, grabbing my arm and pulling me closer. His fingers dig into my skin and I cry out but he doesn’t let me go. “Because I can’t wait to stick my cock in that sweet little cunt of yours. I bet you taste amazing, Janele. What do you think?”
“I think you need to go to hell,” I tell him, but I’m afraid to look up at him. I’m terrified that, if I do, he’ll see the truth in my eyes.
He’ll be able to tell how badly I want him. Xavier will be able to tell that, even though I hate him and want him dead, I want his body.
I want his hands on me.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
I have to make a decision, and quickly, so I yank back on my arm, trying to free myself from his grasp.
He growls, the sound so dirty that I immediately clench my legs together to stop the throbbing there, then throws me back on the bed.
Xavier
I know that I should walk away from Janele. I need to leave this room and clear my head. Being this close to her is dangerous and is going to result in me doing something that I absolutely shouldn’t, but there’s no way that I can leave her now.
Being this close to her makes me want her more. The fact that she’s still standing up to me when she has to know that there’s no way she can win makes me want her more. I need to get out of here, and fast.
So I grab her shirt and tear it, ripping it in two straight up her chest. I told her to strip and, if she’s not going to, then I need to help her. I need to show her that I’m serious and that she doesn’t have any way out of this.
“Stop!” She cries, sitting up and trying to wrap the remains of her shirt around her like a shitty vest. Even though she moves quickly, I can still see her perfect tits in her lacy bra and my cock throbs in my pants.
“I told you to strip,” I remind her, grabbing her by the waistband of her jeans and pulling her closer to me. She thrashes, trying to make me let her go, but I yank her harder, then slip the button from its hole and unzip them.
“I hate you!” She screams, obviously trying to decide between holding her shirt around her body or trying to keep me from pulling off her pants. She decides on the pants and grabs them, yanking them up right as I start to pull them down.
I see the flash of black underwear and I grin at her.
“Looks like you’re dressed to impress,” I tell her, pulling harder.
“Stop! I’ll take it off! Just let me do it!” She cries, swatting at my hands.
For a moment, I consider not giving her that option. She fucked up when she refused to just strip for me in the first place, but she’s staring up at me, her mouth open a bit as she pants, and I take a step back. Fine. She can strip for me. I still won.
“Get up and put on a show for me. I want to be entertained.”
Her dark glare tells me that she thinks I’ve gone too far, but I don’t give a shit. I’m going to marry Janele whether or not she likes it but she’s making it so difficult that I want to see her bend to my will.
She needs to understand that I’m in control.
“I hate you,” she tells me, but she stands up and slowly pulls her shirt off, staring at me the whole time. No, glaring. I’d be lying if I said that it wasn’t hot as fuck. She’s wound too tight and someone needs to help her relax.
I’m the right man for the job but I have no idea if she’ll let me help her out.
“Pants,” I tell her. Her cheeks flush and she turns from me. “Shimmy. Shake. Make this good for me, Janele.”
It already is good for me but I’m not going to let her know that.
She looks at me over her shoulder and shakes her ass just a little. Just enough for me to know that I’ve done it. I’ve broken her enough to ensure that she’ll do anything I tell her to do.
Janele may not like it and she doesn’t have to, but she’s finally figuring out that she belongs to me.
I’m silent as she strips, her full ass tight in her panties as she shoves herself back at me then turns, pulling her pants down and kicking them off. When she’s finished, she’s defiant, her hands on her hips, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she sucks in shallow breaths.
“What a good girl you are,” I tell her, reaching out to brush some of her hair back from her face. She stiffens and I know that she’s trying to decide what to do.
Should she push me away or just let me touch her?
