Page 49 of Bought By the Mafia

Gio was right. The following month was one of the best times in my life. He was a man on a mission. His challenge; make me fall in love with him. And he was close to accomplishing the goal. Every day, he did something new. We did something new. We went out almost every night. And on weekends, he would take me to some unknown destination. Last week it was Paris. I had absently mentioned that I’ve never been to the Louvre, and the next thing I knew, he was taking me there. The other day we had got to talking about marine life and I mentioned the Galapagos. What do you know, come Friday evening, he was standing outside my store ready to take me there? I didn’t say no. The trips were a great way of taking my mind off the looming store opening. So many things needed to be done and additional problems kept coming up. Gio had been helpful in that area. After the business with the contractors, Gio was now inquiring if they were keeping their end of the bargain. They were and had finished the work in record time.

It was odd seeing caring about what I did for a living. Hell, last night he even came to the dress the world fundraiser as my plus one and left a large donation for the charity. How he knew I was a patron to a charity, I never got to ask because immediately after we got back, he scooped me up and took me to bed. His bed. It was the first time he took me there. We had never truly made love until that night. His kisses were sweet and tender. He was warm and generous. He made sure I came first and multiple times. Only when I felt breathless and boneless did he enter me and tortured me again to ecstasy. We came at the same time. Our bodies shook in an embrace so sweet I thought I was going to die. It was then I thought he was going to say the words. I was sure he was going to say I love you and it sounded like he said the first two letters, but it could have been a stutter. He had come down from an earth-shattering orgasm, after all. But two letters aren’t three words. A tender kiss. A sweet caress was not a substitute for the real thing. If he loved me, I had to hear him say it. That way, I would know if he was telling the truth or not. Actions were hard to decipher. That was the problem. He said everything but those three words. His silence made me doubt him and, in turn made me doubt his intentions. He could be doing all this because he felt sorry for me. Because he wanted to keep the marriage intact.

And once again, he was wooing me. This time on an island off of the coast of Spain. It was a beautiful place. The beaches were gorgeous and were reminiscent of Santorini. The only difference between this place and the other one is that it was a lot more secluded. Giovanni and I were the only people to be received by the retinue of staff waiting for us when we arrived. It was peak summer and odd that it would be the island would be empty this time of the month. “Did you book the entire place,” I asked as we headed to the hotel.

“In a way. Rio wanted to throw a party here, but I called dibs.”

“Called dibs?” It didn’t make sense at first until the implication of what he was saying sank in. “You’re telling me this is your private island.”

“Technically it’s Dante’s island, but it’s actually the family island if you ask me. He rarely comes here while the twins practically live here. It’s their favorite vacation spot.”

I took in building we were entering and realized that it was not a hotel but a beach house. Was there such a thing as a beach mansion? This was it. It was grand but did not stand out against the nature and beauty surrounding it. It was beautiful inside just it was out. Sometimes it was hard to reconcile the wealth Gio had especially now that he was spending it like a mad man. Of course I should have guessed that he would be taking me to a private island. We were a jet setting couple now. I don’t remember the last time I had flown to so many places in a short amount of time.

This place felt different though. Maybe it was the similarity to Santorini or maybe it was the exclusivity. It felt familiar and intimate.

We spent a few more days there than intended. At the end, I had to concede that the island was my favorite place in the world. Gio was a different person there. Not changed, just another perspective. He was more open, relaxed and very much like the Gio I fell in love with on Santorini. Our days were spent exploring the island. On top of a beautiful stream and a waterfall, the island also had a cave system that had beautiful dark blue pools. That was my favorite place of all. Our nights were just as active. His lovemaking was passionate and desperate. Like a man hungry for food that would never satiate him. And I loved it all. I didn’t want to leave. On our last night I said as much. Gio and I were sitting on the terrace drinking wine while watching the sun sink into the ocean. His arm hung lazily around my shoulder while I laid my head against his chest.

“We don’t have to,” he said. “We could move here if you want.”

I chuckled. “Your brothers will kill us for taking their party spot.”

“I’m being serious. We can move if you want.”

I scoffed. “Sure, Mr Wall Street. I’ve seen you work. You love your job.”

“Not as much as…” he trailed off.

I looked up at him. He was about to say something. He could say it, if he wanted to. “As?” I asked almost breathless.

His mouth curved into a sad smile. His hand caressed my arm and he drew me closer to him. Is he going to say it? I was sure he was about to say it before something shifted on his face. He frowned his features contorting into a pained expression. “I never meant what you thought I meant,” he said.

I straightened but remained in his arms. “I feel like there’s been a change in subject.”

“When I said she’s just a slut,” he said.

“It’s water under the bridge, we don’t have to rehash it.”

“I want to. You should know what I meant.” He straightened in his seat as well. As much as I wanted to forget about that cursed end to our meeting, I could see I wasn’t going to dissuade him from rehashing it. So I let him continue. “I was speaking to Dante. He had seen you in a previous call. I had delayed a meeting with him so I could spend more time with you. I was considering seeing you again. Taking you with me. Whatever it took to keep you close. Dante had no idea who you were but he guessed there was a woman who had changed me. I didn’t get that yet. All I knew is that I wanted to be with you. So when he asked who you were, I didn’t want to tell him the truth. That you were special. Thinking of you in that way scared me. I’ve never thought of anyone like that. So I said you were just another slut. Because I could not accept the truth.”

My heart skipped a beat. “Which is,” I asked.

“That I loved you. I loved you then. I probably loved you when I married you and I definitely still love you now. My love for you is an unshifting constant that I’ve fought against from the moment I met you. Fought every minute I was with you and now I’m realizing how silly that is. How stupid. I love you Simona. Even if you don’t. And I’m tired of fighting it.”

22

Ihad said the words. I don’t know what I thought would happen after I told her the truth. It’s not as if she could just say I love you too and everything is forgiven. As much as I would love that. No. She’s not going to accept me yet, but I could tell the ice around her heart was thawing. She didn’t say anything, however her eyes said a lot, and that was enough for now. Our trip to Dante’s island changed things. We were closer than before. Simona was more open. Our relationship was getting better. My plan is working, and I was loving every single step. It meant spending time with her, which honestly was the best part about the entire thing. Hell, I was looking forward to coming home every day. The sex, too, was fucking amazing. I constantly found myself lost inside her every time we made love. And we were doing it often. And somehow not enough.

After we came back from Spain, I thought Simona would be tired or would not want to be with me after my confession, but when I kissed her goodnight; she continued the kiss until I forgot. We both forgot it was supposed to be a simple kiss. We did it right there in the foyer. Our bodies were tired, but the lust was so overpowering that we languidly removed our clothes and slid down onto the floor, where we explored each other’s bodies until we reached climax. We both passed out and then later I carried her and took her to bed.

This morning, the same thing happened. A simple kiss spiraled into passionate lovemaking and we both ended up being late for work. And now that I was at work, I was thinking about her instead of doing my job. I focused on the screen I had been staring at for half an hour. I loved my job, and yet right now I found the numbers and graphs dreary. Maybe I should call it a day. It was only midday and my heart wasn’t in it. Maybe I should visit her store. She had been preparing for a store opening and our time in Spain might have taken away time from her work. I sent her a text asking her if she wanted to any help. Her response came in a few minutes later. “Don’t you have work to do?”

“All I see on my computer screen are your tits. I’ve given up,” I responded.

She sent a blushing and a laughing emoji.

“I’m coming over.” The text was delivered, but I didn’t check to see if she had seen it. I had already placed my phone in my pocket and was preparing to call it a day.

“I’m leaving,” I said to my assistant when I got out of my office.

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