Page 94 of Useless Love

“I’m sorry. I promise I won’t—”

“Carmine, I was turned on by it.”

I stop walking to face her. “You said it was only from my touch.”

“Yes but…there was something thrilling about it. I didn’t feel like a whore. I actually liked that you wanted to show everyone I’m yours.” Surprisingly, her eyes fill with tears. “I like being yours. I don’t ever want that to change.”

I touch her cheek. Damn…I really, deeply care for this woman. Bencivenga had said he gave me Arianna because she’s strong and can handle this lifestyle. I had doubted that for so long until this moment. She can handle this…in her own way.

“You're my husband,” she continues softly. “And my body is yours to do whatever you want with.”

“Ari, I…” But I still can’t get the damn words out so I just kiss her. It doesn’t take long for my cock to be hard again, ready to fill this woman with more of my essence. All of it, because as much as she belongs to me…I think I belong to her now. “Let’s get home and hop in the shower,” I say, “I need to fuck you crazy.”

***

I blink my eyes open and look around my bedroom, seeing that it's morning again. I sit up and stare at my erection. When I glance over, I see that my wife isn’t next to me in bed. That’s disappointing, but maybe she’s making breakfast like she often does. Today will be another long work day finishing up business in California, but it's close to being done. Soon, my family and I will be heading back to good old New York City. Christopher and Sammy have been handling my old man while I've been gone, so hopefully when we return to our city he'll be taken care of.

Since I'm sure my wife is downstairs, probably talking with my mother and Carla, I take my time getting dressed and ready for the day. Then I wander downstairs to the kitchen. Mother and Carla are drinking some tea and eating muffins, but I don't see Ariana anywhere.

“Have you seen my wife this morning?” I ask them.

They shake their heads, so I leave the kitchen to look around. I check the backyard and check some other rooms, but I'm still unable to find her.

“Princess?” I call loudly, going back up the stairs and searching some more, but still no signs of her.

Panic is starting to set in as I think of my antics last night at the restaurant. The Gonzalez organization is a smaller group, so I don't think they would try to pull some shit like kidnapping my wife, but it’s not impossible. My guards are top notch though, so I'm skeptical they’d be able to get past them alive.

I think back to the threat from my old man, threatening to come harm my family if he figured out where we are. It's reasonable that he figured out the location of my home here in LA, and knows that mother and Carla are here, along with Arianna. But again…my security should’ve stopped him.

Unless there are still guards loyal to him I didn’t know about.

Fuck. My stomach sinks as I check the entire house again.“Arianna!” I yell.

Mother and Carla appear. “What’s going on?” Carla asks.

“I don’t know,” I admit, but I need to keep a level head about this. I need to find my wife.

CHAPTER 27 — DADDY'S GIRLS

Arianna

A guard runs urgently off the elevator in a panic, yelling my name and interrupting the lonesome silence of the penthouse. Something in his voice makes my heart stop.

“Arianna!" he yells again, desperate for me to show myself.

Panic claws as I run out of the kitchen.

With startled eyes and a cold voice, he delivers the gut-wrenching news. "Your father has been shot."

My breath catches, and for a moment, the world blurs around me. The weight of those words crase down, shattering the fragile peace of our powerful family. I stumble backward, feeling the expensive carpet underfoot. My fingers tremble as I can still hear his voice in front of me, speaking of chaos and impending war.

The opulent surroundings of the mansion seem to close in on me as the reality sinks in. This is not just a threat; it's an attack on the very core of the Bencivenga empire. My father, the formidable head of our family, was targeted. Now we’re vulnerable.

Shit, shit, shit! My mind races with thoughts of retaliation, protection, and the imminent struggle ahead. The intricate web of alliances and rivalries tightens, and the air becomes thick with the scent of impending conflict. There's no room for weakness in the world I've been raised in, but right now, weakness grips my core.

This morning, he left as usual to the barber shop. So what happened? Was he attacked en route? In the middle of getting his hair cut?

There’s no time for questions right now because I simply need to know how he’s doing. The guard informs me that the rest of my family is either at the hospital or on the way, so he escorts me downstairs to a vehicle. We rush through traffic to the hospital.

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