We pulled in back to where I had been last night. The old decrepit building where Luca had brought me. Did he live here? He looked rich enough. He could rent a small flat, at the least?
"Do you live here?" I asked Mariano the moment we stopped.
"Sometimes."
I didn't like his vague answers. Not at all. Sometimes?
"Why are we here?" I questioned.
He didn't reply, getting off the car. Luigi opened my door, silently, and I grumbled, getting off too. Mariano had already started walking, as if he knew I'd follow. I struggled to keep pace with him. He was taller, his strides longer than mine. "Wait up, Don." I called. He stilled, and I reached his side moments later.
"It’s only Mariano to you." He said, "Or, signore, if you want."
(Sir)
"Sí, signore." I teased. He laughed, and threaded his fingers with mine. "Don't talk to anyone except me or Luca, okay?"
I stared at our intertwined fingers, waiting for a panic attack to set in, waiting for my body to react violently. It didn’t. Even though my mind screamed danger, my body had never been calmer.
"And Alessandro, or Luigi?" I bat my lashes at him coyly.
"Luigi," Mariano thought for a moment, "You may, but not Alessandro."
I shrugged. "Sí, signore."
Mariano looked at me wide eyed. "You're weird." He told me.
"Yes, Luca said that too."
His eyes narrowed. "You're exceptionally fond of him."
"He's hot."
"He's forty-three. And you're twenty, Bella."
"What can I say?" I did an awkward hair flip. "Love has no restrictions."
"He's also married."
"Oh?" I fake gasped. Honestly, I had nothing for Luca. "My poor, poor heart."
Mariano's grip on my hand tightened. He pulled me close to his side, then put his arm around my waist. "Tesoro," he hissed, "I don't want any man's name to escape your lips. Capisce?"
"Okay, Don."
"It’s Mariano." He reminded.
"But you just said no man's name. Shit! Are you a woman?" I yelled.
He blinked at me. "I have a dick. So, no."
“But like…what are your pronouns? I’m sorry if I used the wrong ones?” I said, hyper all of a sudden. “I should I have asked.”
He shook his head. “He/him. I’m a cis-man. Like I said, I have a dick.”
"Gender identity doesn’t work that way.” I said, “And also, how do I know that you do?"
"You shall know very soon." He smiled roguishly.
I stiffened, feeling myself close off. After what had happened, it wasn't easy for me. I didn't let any man except Aiden touch me. I closed off if someone even hinted at sex. Mariano had been an exception, mostly. I had no idea why. His touch didn't send me wanting to run away. No. Even though he was very much manly, and oozed off male confidence, and seemed like a caveman, he didn't make me want to puke. No. With him, I felt, oddly safe. But not now, I didn't. How could I be so imbecile? Of course, I should've known he'd want sex.
Mariano seemed to notice that I had shut down. His grip on my waist loosened. "It’s okay, Bella." He whispered calmly, turning me, so that he could cup my face between his large hands tenderly. "Come back." He said, and leaned in, leaving a faint trace of a kiss on my neck. I shifted my gaze down. He tilted my head up so that I could look into his green, green eyes. He was so tall. "Come back to me." He whispered tenderly, and even though my mind was blank I made out that Mariano Rivera was being a softie.
I blinked, coming back to life. "I'm sorry about that. I - "
"No," he cut me off, "Its fine. I know."
I bit my lip, chewing hard, and nodded. He gave me a small smile, and took my hand again, leading me inside.
And that was that, with him. No questions, no fuss, no drama. I was glad for that. He hadn’t made me feel abnormal, or weird. And that was so…refreshing. Sometimes, others treated me like maybe I was made of glass. I know that they cared, but it was still very noticeably different from their behaviours towards others.
I hadn't noticed the building yesterday, overcome by my fear, but as Mariano led me inside, I took note of the dingy interiors. He led me through an alley inside the building that made it look uninhabited. We walked through and later he opened a door, and slightly pushed me in. It was like a secret annexe. Inside, it was a whole new world. There was the way leading to the room where I'd met him, and many more rooms. The door to one was open, and it looked like a bar inside. There were girls - dressed skimpily, most in lingerie, and men who wore dark business suits. It was a pretty large area. Before I had the chance to contemplate the interior further, we bumped into Luca.
"Hi, Luca!" I said cheerfully.
"Hello, giglio." He replied, grinning. "Don." He nodded, looking at Mariano. Mariano nodded back. "Luca," He drawled. "Get the message across - Isabelle is off limits."
Oh?
"Hey!" I protested, just to spite him. "But the men here are sexy."
Mariano didn't spare me a glance.
"Sí, Don." Luca nodded, walking away.
Mariano turned towards me then. He gripped my face between his fingers. "What did I tell you outside, Bella?"
I gulped. He wasn't even yelling, but I could feel power ooze out of his skin. He had a way of getting his message across.
"Not to take any man's name." I whispered.
"And what did you do?"
I gaped at him. I was being scolded like a fucking child.
He crossed his arms over his chest. His muscles flexed.
"I said Luca's name." I said petulantly.
He nodded. "You disobeyed me."
"You're not my father!" I yelled.
We were standing in front of a staircase. A girl coming downstairs froze.
"Don?" She said softly. Seemed like I wasn't the only one who was afraid of him.
Mariano's eyes blazed, then he turned his attention to the girl. "Do you know not to interrupt me?
She gulped, taking small steps downstairs. "I'm sorry, Don." She whispered. "I was just telling you that she's new. She doesn't understand our ways. Forgive her, please."
She stood beside me in a protective stance. She was wearing a red thong and a lacy bra. Why were all the girls here half naked?
Mariano laughed. "You girls stick together, don't you?" He said, "Its fine, Aria. She's not one of you. She's mine. I'll deal with her."
Did he just call me his?
"Oh." She gaped at him. "I'm so sorry to interfere." She looked at me this time, ducking her head.
"Its fine." I waved her off, finding all of this super weird.
She nodded, scurrying off.
I turned to Mariano for answers. "What was that?" I demanded.
He ignored my queries. "Listen, Bella," He said hardly, "You will treat me with respect in front of my people. And otherwise too. I will not tolerate such disrespect. The next time this happens I'll throw you over my knee and redden your ass. Understand?"
My eyes widened, and I nodded vigorously in response.
Mariano Wolfe Lionelli Montefiore Rivera was an infuriating man.
I followed Mariano up the stairs that Aria had just come from. His steps were deliberately slow. I was getting pissed. What exactly was happening here? I was dying, dying of anxiety."You called me yours." I said to him. He turned around to look at me once, then commenced walking, entering a large room with a mahogany desk. The same room where we had first met."This is my offic
I had expected his floor to be…well...plain. But it was actually nice. Welcoming. Warm. I’d expected all darkness and dullness and boring décor. But I kind of liked it, actually."This is nice." I smiled at Mariano.He grunted. "My mom decorated it. My house is better, I swear."I laughed. "Sure."
I woke up alone in bed. Good thing, because somehow in the course of the night I had become diagonally positioned. I turned to the side. Mariano stood in front of me, all dressed up, looking dapper in his usual attire."Buon giorgio, Bella." He smiled.(Good morning)"Good morning." I said, sitting up. "What's the time?"
Saying that Aiden was mad that a new man was driving me home every other day would be an understatement. When Mariano pulled in in front of my apartment building, Aiden was standing there talking to Landon. I got off the car, and both of them strangled me into a hug so that it looked like we were a throuple. Landon pulled away a lot later after Aiden did and glared at me."Too many one-night stands, babe? I didn’t know you were that kind of girl." He taunted. I narrowed my eyes at him. That kind of girl?Mariano stood there, leaning against his car and watched us.
The club was blaring hard rock music. It smelled like sweat mixed with expensive cologne. And, it smelled, vaguely, like gunpowder. But maybe that was just in my head, considering the number of guns I was near these days. The name of the club was The Nostra. I thought it was weird, as it sounded like something related to the nose. Landon explained that it meant 'the thing' in Italian. Too much of Italian. I was surrounded by everything from that damn country. God.Landon made me sit on a high stool at the bar - I'm too short for him, he's like 6', Mariano maybe is 6'3, and why is he interrupting my thoughts? - and ordered me a cranberry and vodka. I was underage, but Landon knew
I woke up in Mariano's arms, snuggled closely against his chest, his face buried in the crook of my neck. I could feel my hair stand on end as our skins kept touching, his soft, warm breath fanning my cheek. I don’t think I’d ever slept like this with a man, except Aiden. I realised I’d had another night without a nightmare. Maybe my shrink wasn't that bad."Hey." I whispered, but he didn't reply, probably still asleep.
Chapter 11The first place where I looked for Mariano was the basement. He wasn't there. He must be in his office, I decided. I made my way upstairs slowly, bumping into Luigi on the way, and telling him that he looked dapper in his suit.I stood on the first floor and looked for his office. Which one was it, again? There were too many doors, all the same looking. I looked back for Luigi, but he had already gone downstairs.
No, I was not thinking about green eyes. No, I was not thinking about being entangled in silken bedsheets with a heavy arm wound around me. No, I was not thinking about Mariano Wolfe Lionelli - Montefiore Rivera. Nope. Not at all. Nada.Yes, I was lying to myself.Mariano hadn't left my mind since the second I had turned my back to him. He was everywhere. In Aiden's green sweatshirt, in Felicia's Guide to Basic Italian, in Lando