Page 40 of Black Widow's Kiss

“I don’t think that would be a good idea,” I said with no fight in me.

“Is it because you’re ashamed of being married to me. You think I’d embarrass you?”

I got defensive.

“I’m not ashamed of you. I don’t care what anyone says about it. You’re my husband and anyone who has a problem with it will have my fist down their throat.”

“Then, why can’t I come?”

“It’s just that…”

“Is it the dresses? I know how to be professional.”

“It’s not about the dresses.”

It was a little about the dresses. Don’t get me wrong, I fuckin’ loved them. And I didn’t know that it was something I could be into until I saw him in his wedding gown.

But I wasn’t sure how well his dresses and elaborate makeup would go over with the family considering, if Matteo had tried to kill me, it would have been at our father’s order. And if Pa did order it, it would have been for allowing Sato to humiliate the family by marrying me to his son.

“Then, why can’t I come.”

“I didn’t say you couldn’t. I just don’t think it’s a good idea right now,” I told him before retreating into the bathroom and closing the door. “Besides, don’t you have to spend today unpacking your stuff,” I yelled as I stared at the liar in the mirror.

“I don’t have that much stuff.”

“Still, maybe it’s not a good idea yet.”

And that was where we both left it. Getting dressed and powering past him as he watched me from the bed, he didn’t ask again. And when I yelled back that I was headed to work and that I would see him tonight, we had resolved our first disagreement. Maybe being married to him wasn’t going to be as hard as I thought.

Getting into work earlier than usual, I took a moment to appreciate the quiet. This whole thing really was a mess. And I wasn’t just talking about the killer I was sharing my bed with.There was someone else who was trying to kill me. That someone could be my brother.

When my assistant popped in to give me my mail, I refocused on what I had to do today. One of the changes I had made from how my father ran things was to treat the business more professionally. We were long past the times when keeping two sets of accounting was enough. Now we laundered money by investing in real estate and crypto. The reports generated from our investments were never ending.

Everything needed my approval and my sign off. Beyond that, I needed to make sure the business benefitted from my new connection with the Yakuza. If I wanted father to accept my marriage and not try to off me, he needed to see the upside of me being with Kuroi.

“Got a second?” Lorenzo asked leaning into my office.

“What’s up?” I replied inviting him in.

Closing the door behind him, Lorenzo entered and sat in the chair on the other side of my desk smiling.

“You gonna sit there grinning like an idiot or do you have something to say to me?”

“Any new stitches last night?”

I stared at my brother wondering where this was coming from. He had been the one to stitch me up the last time I needed it. So, it was a legitimate question. But that look on his face… And how many questions would follow?

Falling asleep with Kuroi in my arms had been one of the best feelings of my life. God damn if holdin’ him didn’t do things to me. But did Lorenzo need to see that part of my life. I was his big brother and the head of this family. I wasn’t ready for him to view me any differently.

No, for now, my life with Kuroi would be between the two of us. No one else needed to know or see anything. All theyneeded to know was that the Ricci family and the Yakuza in New York were of one mind. There was no getting between us.

“No fuckin’ stitches. Let’s leave it at that.”

“Got it,” Lorenzo said becoming more serious. “There’s one other thing we haven’t talked about.”

“Yeah? What’s that?”

“Who tried to kill you.”

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