Page 40 of Arranged Marriage By the Bratva

I keep my eyes connected to hers, our souls merging. Gripping her leg, kneading, and pumping, I leave all of myself inside Elena, desperate for the same respite she craves as I take her on the journey. Her breathing grows heavy as the pace increases, her nails digging into my back.

“Nikk, you feel so good.” Lost in one another, my cock swells inside her, the fire between us causing us both to break into a pool of sweat. I can’t get enough of her, but this time our lovemaking is different. It’s as if this is our first time as husband and wife. United forever.

I burst free, emptying inside of her. “You’re mine, all mine,” I call out in jagged rasps, my heart beating hard against my rib cage. “You do something to my soul, Elena. You break it open,” I tell her.

“And you do the same to me, Nikk. Maybe, this all happened for a reason.” She gasps as we collapse together, sated and content in each other’s arms with the covers off, only the Sicilian sun shining on our naked bodies.

“Maybe it did, and for whatever reason, I’m happy about it. I love you, Elena,” I say out loud, wanting to tell her over and over again.

“I love you too, Nikkita.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Elena

Eight months later…

New York’s gloomy charcoal clouds are a stark contrast to the pristine, crisp blue skies of Sicily, but the Cosa Nostra will adjust. After all, New York used to be their playground many years ago, until the rug was ripped out from under them.

Smiling, I fiddle with my wedding ring, a huge grin on my face as I sit in a private boardroom perched in the middle of Manhattan, waiting for everyone to arrive. When I stare down at the sparkler on my hand, I understand it’s the reason I’ve been able to achieve exactly what I set out to do, and that was to bring the Mancinis back into power and return them to their throne in New York.

No, it didn’t unfold the way I thought it would. Nor Nikk. We never banked on falling in love. There wasn’t any hostile takeover. It was more so good solid business and two powerful conglomerates joining in union. The way it should be. The Cosa Nostra, where possible, like to conduct handshake deals and keep things civil and professional. Drawing guns and engaging in wars between families ends up being bad for business on both sides. There are too many losses.

The large meeting room is set up in a U-shape with various representatives of each family present and I’m a little nervous because this is our first official meeting together— I’m leading it. Food is provided on the tables along the walls, and there’s an array of drinks too. I know my famiglia—at every meeting the men want a cigar and or an alcoholic beverage to get started. This is the way of life for the Mancinis, and I didn’t see why we couldn’t bring that level of comfort to the meeting.

Security is planted in each corner in case anything gets out of hand. I’m not stupid; this meeting is a big deal. It’s supposed to be peaceful, but we have to be ready. Given the showdown we had at the Mancini estate, I don’t think anyone would have the heart or stupidity to do such a thing, but precautions are needed. There’re a lot of powerful people in the room.

I look over to Nikk who is seated beside me, dressed in a light gray pin-striped suit, his hair a little longer now. He’s slicked it back nicely, and thankfully, his spicy cologne no longer makes me want to puke. Morning sickness has been unkind to me, and I’m glad this weird plague of a thing has passed for the most part.

My heart thumps loudly as he throws me a wink of reassurance. Sometimes when I’m alone, I have to remind myself of the life I’ve built with him. I never thought such a thing could be possible. Tingles of heat spread over my body as I wink back at him. There’s never a day lately, I don’t want to jump his bones; he’s more handsome than ever to me.

I’m reasonably comfortable in my black maternity dress wearing an open blazer over the top, my little basketball poking out from underneath. I thought I might have gained more weight during the pregnancy, but surprisingly, I’ve maintained my shape, except for a few added features such as my breasts getting bigger. Nikk is enjoying this bodily change immensely. Amused by the memory of his dirty talk last night, I smirk to myself.

Rubbing my belly, I feel the baby kick. I want to tell Nikk about it, but he’s already standing to greet one of my Mancini uncles, but not before giving me a quick pep talk.

“Hey, you’ve got this. No need to worry,” he whispers in my ear and kissing my cheek.

“Thanks, I’m feeling good about it.” I swallow down the doubt, rearranging the papers on the desk in front of me. I’ve gone over them several times this week in preparation. I’ve also driven Nikk insane as well in the process.

“You should be, Donna. You’re doing an amazing job,” Nikk praises, giving me an extra boost.

“Hey, what’s so serious that Maxim’s not here?” my uncle asks, but Nikk corrects him with a chuckle, the family now so integrated they know each other.

“He will be here any minute now. Trust me, he wouldn’t miss this meeting. Grab a drink and take a seat. The meeting’s going to be starting soon,” Nikk advises as everyone streams in, taking their seats. A sudden flush of panic rides over me, hoping that everyone will behave themselves.

Because, despite outward appearances, the room is filled with old money, violence, money stacked on money and the typical mob scandals that plague all mob outfits.

Maxim does arrive, greeting Nikk warmly, and many of the Mancini men I’ve selected make a beeline to me, congratulating me on my upcoming birth. I’ve been so irritated and edgy lately, and I’m wondering if that’s contributing to my mood as well.

I switch on and once everyone is seated, I realize, I needn’t have worried. The element of danger is relaxed enough for two mob families to be gathered in harmony in one spot.

Clearing my throat, I stand up to start the meeting once I tick off that all the thirty members are in attendance. In front of them are handouts of the year’s profit margins, and a breakdown quarter by quarter since the Mancinis and Orlovs have been in alliance together.

“Alright, everybody, I want to thank all of you for coming today. A special thank you to the Mancini representatives who have flown in for the meeting.” I smile glancing in their direction as they nod respectfully back at me. “Before we get started, I want to let you know what the meeting’s agenda will be.”

“Good, I’m looking forward to it, Elena,” one of the Orlov representatives echoes back, putting me at ease. It’s nice to have support from that side of the family, given what we’ve gone through.

“Thank you,” I reply, addressing the group. “You’ll find the numbers for the last year in front of you, and these are from the new ventures we’ve undertaken in collaboration. These include three new luxury nightclubs in Manhattan and two new bars in the Upper East Side for the Mancinis, and for the Orlovs, a new premium luxury range of vodkas, which are now stocked exclusively in each one of these venues. We are going to talk about our lemon distribution and if we’re on target this season as well. We have a lot to get through.”

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