Page 15 of Princess of the Mafia

“I think they are in the hotel next door. But I can’t find them.”

I swear a fuse blew in my body somewhere, and hot, boiling blood flew through my veins. I strode into Stefano’s room and threw my phone at him, barely missing his face. “Get the fucking address.” The pulse in my head throbbed to the beat of my long strides. I took my gun, stalked into Nico’s room, and blew a hole through the outside wall. Nico sat up calmly in bed with a gun raised in his hand. Stefano stood at the door, a phone glued in between his jaw and shoulder, as he pulled his pants on.

“Get dressed,” I roared as I strode off with the keys to my rental in my hand. She called me unhinged. I’d show her exactly how unhinged I was. Either she was an idiot, or she was insane. She should have known there was no backing out of this deal the moment she said, I’ll marry you.

DARIA

He’d wanted to do it slow, and I wanted it just done. He was sweet. I didn’t care. I couldn’t care. One day he’d make some girl happy and stay faithful to her. Not me, though. In two days, I’ll be married to a madman who swapped his fiancee's as quickly as he swapped smokes.

I imagined Aldo, a stranger I hadn’t known till an hour ago, wouldn’t do that. A twinge of pain at a future I would never have rushed through my body. I clogged it instantly and blanked my mind to it. What was the point of crying about a future that was never mine to begin with?

He had brought lubricant. That was good because even though I’d had a shitload of alcohol and my world was swirling like a merry-go-round, I was still stiff as a steel rod. I hitched my dress up and glanced up at the ceiling. It looked like someone had put dried popcorn into a blow dryer and spattered the ceiling with it.

“You are gorgeous,” Aldo murmured as he unzipped himself.

I smiled a fake smile. What was the point of being gorgeous when nothing was my choice? Except for this.

Shit, it felt too real when he pulled his thickness out. I clenched my eyes shut because I didn’t… I couldn’t get myself to look at a stranger’s erection. My legs trembled, even though he was being kind. I had told him not to touch me, but somehow now I wondered if it would feel better than this if he did.

No one can own me like this. No one can own me like this.

My virginity. My choice.

I dropped my head to the ceiling again. I had a feeling I would never be able to eat popcorn again.

“You sure about this?”

My fist trembled around the slip I’d taken off. With a sigh, I looked at him. He didn’t look like an asshole, and he didn’t look mad. He just looked worried. Like he actually cared. I pushed off the twinge of guilt that threatened to run up my spine. It wasn’t my fault that he actually believed my made-up boyfriend only wanted to fuck a non-virgin. “Just hurry.”

“Such a romantic,” he grumbled.

A sudden shot of annoyance riddled my nerves. What the hell was he grumbling about? “We’re in a filthy hotel. I’ve already forgotten your name, but I paid you to take my virginity. Can you now please stick on a condom and do that?”

“Damn! I was just trying to make it better for you.”

“Well, don’t. It’s not going to be better,” I choked out.

He frowned but put on the condom obediently and squeezed the lubricant on me. It was cold. Cold as I will be when my husband fucks me in two days. He’ll never get my heart. He’ll never get to degrade me. He’ll never own me.

Aldo came on top of me and nudged his penis in my hole. Minchia! Was I really doing this? My chest felt clogged again. It was supposed to relieve me. Not fill me up with guilt. Lorenzo’s face coasted through my mind. Would he be disappointed? That he didn’t get the virginity he signed for? That he didn’t own his wife. I needed more alcohol.

“Relax,” Aldo whispered.

I closed my eyes and imagined a warm beach and sunny shores somewhere other than in Sicily. That was tough since I’d never been anywhere outside of Italy. I wondered what New York would be like.

Burning. Something was burning down there, and I looked only I couldn’t see with my dress in the way. Just the way I wanted it. This show wasn’t worth getting a ticket for.

“Just a little further,” he whispered.

I shifted uncomfortably. I felt prodded, nudged, and what felt before like pins and needles felt more like a bloody cannon at my gate. It hurt like hell. Divya had said it would hurt a little. Was this little, then? I didn’t want it anymore and terror filled me from within till it thumped on my chest. I wanted to tell him I had changed my mind. But I couldn’t say it anymore. Couldn’t find the words, and the only thing that I did find was the sharp pain of something being torn. I pushed back the scream that crawled up my throat, but I couldn’t do the same for the tears spilling out of my eyes. He didn’t have to tell me. I knew I wasn’t a virgin anymore. But there wasn’t anything to celebrate. Only an emptiness welcomed me. The deed was done. Not a moment later, the door crashed, and my future husband heaved in the doorway.

CHAPTER SEVEN

LORENZO

Crimson filled my vision as it trickled down my wife’s legs. Was it pain or was it rage? I didn’t know what it was, but something I didn’t recognize slithered through my veins like thick oil on a dark alley till all I was was fucking concrete. Cold and hard and brutal. There was a man between her legs, pulling out a blood-soaked condom that should have been mine. When he stumbled back and tried to pull up his fucking pants, whatever was inside me exploded in red. I’d lost what was mine to a fucking boy.

Blood roared in my ears, and my vision blurred. My movements were jerky as I yanked him away from what was mine and kicked him in his naked balls. A scream echoed through the cheap room, and I wasn’t sure whether it was mine, hers, or his. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t think. I’d never known fury like this, where my chest screeched in pain, and my hands trembled even as I knocked a boy down.

---