Page 112 of Dangerous Contract: Part 1

“I’m trying to be.”

“If you marry for power and money, you don’t have to worry about living up to any woman’s fairytale expectations.”

“I think I’d make a dashing Prince Charming.”

“I think you’d be the villain who Prince Charming tries to kill.”

Orazio chuckled. “Villains need love too.”

“Even if this woman is okay with you being a villain, that doesn’t mean it will work between you two.”

“Why can’t you think positively, dad?”

“I’m being honest. Marriage tends to put a strain on relationships. It changes people. She may not be the same woman you fell in love with ten years from now. Especially after she sees the other side of you, the side you’ll soon show to Beth’s father and Trevor. And you may not be the same man she loves ten years from now. You two could end up hating each other. And that could drive you both to do things you’d later regret. When it comes to marriage, I say marry the woman compatible with you but not in love with you and sleep with the woman you love. That simplifies things.”

“For some, maybe. Not for me.”

“Marriage...”

“Dad, you can’t compare the relationship of others to my relationship with Monique. And the stuff you’re talking about could happen to anyone, not just me. Sure, marriage is hard. I know that. I get it. But I’ve never walked away from anything just because it was hard. You taught me that. Right?”

His dad chuckled. “Right. I did teach you boys that.”

“Dad, you’ve been both a mother and father to me and my brothers while at the same time having to be the don for the organization. Never once did you complain when things got hard. Never once did you leave us, neglect us, or fail the organization. You stayed strong when things got hard. We were watching, and we were learning. We saw the way yourrelationship was with mom. That’s why I’ve avoided serious relationships all these years. But now I’ve found a woman I can’t avoid. I don’t want to avoid her. And she wants me too, dad.”

“But does she want you as much as you want her?”

“I don’t expect her to. There’s no way she could want me as much as I want her. If I could fully explain to her how fucking obsessed I was with her, it would probably scare her. Having her want me half as much as I want her is more than most men get from the women they love.”

“You’re serious, aren’t you?”

Raz nodded. “She’s it for me, dad. And I want you to like and accept her. I need that. I don’t ask for much.”

“Liar. You ask for everything,” his dad joked.

Raz laughed. “I haven’t asked for everything in a long time.”

His dad sighed. “No, you haven’t. You boys have grown up. You don’t need me anymore.”

“We’ll always need you. That will never change. Hell, I need you more now than ever. I have a woman I love. I need you to treat her like family and help me protect her.”

His father stared at him for a long time. Raz tapped his feet against the floor, waiting for his dad to say something.

Finally, his dad said, “After this mess with Beth’s father and Trevor is over, bring her to the estate. I would love to have dinner with her.”

A huge grin spread across Raz’s face. “Thanks, dad.”

“Don’t thank me yet. I’m not going to sugarcoat things just so you can impress her. When she leaves the estate, she may not want to see you again.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll get her ready to meet you.”

“You do that. Before that, we need to prepare this gift of yours for Beth’s dad.”

“I’ll do that tomorrow. Today, I’m going to sleep in with my woman. And I owe her a first date. So, my day belongs to Monique.”

“I’ll leave so you can get back to her. Before I go, son, I want to give you one word of advice.”

“I’m listening.”

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